Max interrupted, “Speak for yourself. I offered to go to the courthouse this weekend.”
I laughed, taking a swig of my drink. “A bit impatient?” I asked, smiling at Max.
He shrugged. “I mean, she’s already living with me. We own a dog—hell, we own two. I’m ready to be married.”
Emma shook her head. “And I wanted a ceremony. I’m not going to go all bridezilla or anything, but I want my dad to walk me down the aisle. I want a first dance with Max to our song. That stuff.”
Max nodded, and we all paused as our entrées were slid in front of us at the table. “So we decided we wanted to have the wedding outdoors at Highland Woods. That helped with the date a bit. We’d need to wait until at least May…”
“So we decided to go with the first weekend in June,” Emma concluded. “That’s a year after our engagement, plenty of time to organize a small wedding, for you guys to have a baby, and you should be out of school. What do you think?”
Smiling across the table, I felt happiness bubbling up inside me. Sully and I would have a six-month-old baby by then. Holy crap. I thought of Lee walking Emma down the aisle, of Anna dancing with Max at the wedding. They might be Emma and Sully’s parents, but they’d also had a hand in raising Max and myself. “I think that sounds absolutely perfect. Let me know how I can help you plan.”
We fell into an easy silence as we all dug into our dinners. Typically Emma and I had cheeseburgers when we came here after yoga, but tonight I’d been in the mood for comfort food. Risotto was a cold-weather dish for me, but tonight it hit the spot. I groaned as I took a bite. It was amazing.
“Babe,” Sully said in my ear. “You’re killing me.”
I looked up from my steaming bowl to see that he was studying my mouth. I slowly licked my lips, which caused his eyes to narrow. “Sorry, but this is mushroom and bulgogi risotto. I cannot promise to control myself in its presence.”
Sully watched me, then looked down at his own dinner, speaking under his breath. “I’m going to have to make a note to bring some of that home more often.”
“Why?”
“So that I can do to you what I want to right now in the privacy of our home.”
I heard Max choke back a laugh from across the table, but I was still focusing on the fact that Sully had saidour home. I didn’t think that was an accident.
After I finished up a dish that, to be honest, I could have eaten two servings of, I excused myself to the restroom. I took a moment while locked in the bathroom stall to center myself. Tonight’s dinner had been great, and as much as I enjoyed the couch, I was glad we’d come. I needed to get out more. It was far too easy to stay home and hibernate. I missed out on experiences with my friends when I did that. While I was ready to head home, I also wasn’t looking forward to the conversation Sully and I needed to have once we got there.
The door to the bathroom open, and a woman’s voice entered my quiet space. “So do you think she got knocked up on purpose?”
I froze. I didn’t know who that was, but surely they weren’t talking about me.
Another voice, a bit slurred, responded. “I bet she did. I mean, who doesn’t know how to prevent a pregnancy these days?”
Umm, birth control can fail, even if you think you’re doubly protected, I wanted to shout. Who the hell were these judgmental Betties, and once again, were they talking about me?
“My sister was in school with her and her friend, Emma. She said Maggie always wanted to be in the Sullivan family, that they practically raised her, that she just leeched on to them.” She let out a giggle. “I guess she found one way to become part of the family.”
Bitch.
The other friend laughed. “Come on, Michelle. Admit it. You’re just jealous because Cole Sullivan never picked up on what you’re offering.”
Ahh, she wanted Sully,I thought.Well, fuck off, lady.
“Whatever, Amy. He’ll be available again soon, and I will be waiting. It’s not like he’s marrying her. He probably just feels bad that he knocked her up. That will pass.”
The bathroom door opened again, and I sighed inwardly. Was there someone else coming to add on to what a manipulative person I was? God, this was the shit I didn’t miss about living in small towns.
“Maggie,” Emma called.
Great. Might as well face the music. I flushed the toilet and came out of the stall. Emma stood near the sink. The two girls I had heard were frozen, facing the mirror. From what I could see, looking over their shoulders at their reflections, there were in their early to midtwenties. Short, blond, and wore far too much makeup for either one to be Sully’s type. I smirked as I caught their gaze. Their eyes widened, and they had the decency to look chagrined and hurry out, sliding by Emma as they went.
“What the hell was that about?” Emma asked.
“Small-town gossip.” I waved them away. I didn’t want to go into the many ways their words had cut into me. Box up those thoughts. I’d examine them later.
“Okay, Sully sent me back to check on you.” Emma grinned. “Apparently he thinks you’ve been in here a while and wanted to be certain you were okay. Not sure he’s ever noticed how long a date has been in the bathroom before…”
