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“I heard the word babies. Lucy, please tell me you’re not pregnant. Your dress isn’t going to allow for that much alteration,” Mom laughed as she broke away from a group. Her gaze found mine, and she saw my wide-eyed expression. “So…you’re not pregnant?” I shook my head emphatically. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“For you and me both,” I muttered half under my breath.
“That’s not saying I’m not looking forward to grandbabies. Because I totally am,” she rushed to assure me. “But let’s get you through this wedding first, okay, baby?”
“I was thinking along the lines of five years down the road,” I informed her. “After college and I’ve sorted out my career.”
“Smart thinking,” Gabriella said with a nod. “You have plenty of time to think about kids later. You’re still a baby yourself.”
Thankfully, the topic was turned to how I was doing this semester at UCLA. Which caught Harper’s attention, and not for the first time, she asked when I was going to come work for her. For over a year, I had been putting her off. But lately, I’d been giving her offer more and more thought. All the wedding planning had made me realize just how much I still relied on my parents. My credit cards were from Dad, but I didn’t want him to pay my way through life. I had a trust fund, but that didn’t come to me until I was twenty-one, which was still over a year away, and I really didn’t want to touch that unless I had to.
Harper could see she was wearing me down, and her violet eyes filled with happiness. “Come by the office next week, and we can have a serious talk,” she murmured when the others were distracted by Aunt Emmie. “And I promise you, I won’t play favorites. I’ll treat you like any other employee.”
I blew out a long sigh, but I nodded. “Yeah, okay. But things are really crazy for me right now. Between school and this wedding, I don’t know how good I could actually be for you.”
“We can talk about that too. I have several writers who are part time. And, honestly, it’s not like you’ll be working nine-to-five, hon.” She gave me a one-armed hug. “I would kill to have you working with me, Lucy. You know that.”
“All right, all right. We’ll talk,” I promised.
She practically clapped her hands in glee. “Yay! Okay, okay. I’m done now. I’ll be completely serious from this point forward.”
Laughing, I shook my head at her and glanced down at my phone as it vibrated with an incoming text from Harris.
Your dad cheats so bad.
I nearly snorted orange juice up my nose as I read his text, it made me laugh so hard. When I could breathe again, I excused myself from everyone and swiped my finger over his name.
“Hey, sweetness. How’s the shower going?”
“I’ve been asked twice when we’re having kids, got roped into viewing a house, and may have a job starting next week.” I gave him a quick summary as I moved into a quiet corner so I could talk to him in peace.
There was a long pause on his end. If I hadn’t heard the guys he was with laughing in the background I would have thought we’d gotten disconnected. “Harris?”
“I’m here,” he got out in a choked voice. “What… What did you say about the baby thing?”
My eyes widened at his question and the emotion I heard in his voice. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I wondered what was going through his head right then. “Just curious, but what would you have wanted me to say?”
There was another long pause, but this time, I could hear the voices in the background getting fainter, and I realized he was moving away from the group. “Considering the idea never even entered my mind up until right now, I honestly don’t know, Lu. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t like the thought of us having kids.”
A happy, silly little smile teased at my lips. “Well, I told them we wanted to wait a little while. We should get settled before we start adding to our family, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.” He still sounded dazed, though.
“What’s this about Daddy cheating?”
“Between him and my dad, they could write a whole book about cheating at golf. Jace and I are getting our asses kicked right now because we’re both too scared to call them out on it. And the fuckers know it too. They’re eating this shit up.”
I swallowed my giggles. “But are you having fun?”
“I’ve had a blast, sweetness.”
“I’m glad, babe.” Kin called my name, and I looked up to find her waving me over. She was standing with Aunt Emmie and Natalie by a cake, and I nearly groaned because I didn’t want to hang up on Harris yet. “I have to go,” I told him reluctantly.
“Okay…” He seemed just as unwilling to end our call as I felt. “I’ll see you in an hour or so, Lu.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun.” I saw Mom join Natalie, and she shot me a look that told me not to argue. “I love you.”
“Love you…” I heard the hesitation and waited, ignoring my mom and every other person in the room for a moment longer. “Don’t get upset if I have babies on the brain now, sweetness. I have this picture in my head, and it’s everything I never knew I wanted, Lucy.”
