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“Now that you’ve got your team to do all the legwork, do you and Tiernan plan on staying at the lodge more often?” Clover asks hopefully.
I steal a taste of icing. “That’s the other big news. We’re going to stop traveling so much. I mean, we’ll still hit the road if a big story comes my way and gets me excited, but I’m editor in chief, so I can do a lot more directing instead of chasing down leads.”
“Really?” Bells takes a long drink of her wine. “Is that the only big news?” She points at my glass of water.
“What?” I sip it.
Aurora stops stirring, her eyes on me.
Clover gives me a knowing smile. “Are you …”
I take a deep breath and finally break the news. “I’m pregnant.”
All three of the women scream and rush me. They talk at once, and I can’t tell who’s saying what.
“So the IVF finally worked?”
“Oh my god I’m so excited and you--”
“--girl or a boy? Doesn’t matter. I’m just so happy.”
“--been so long since we’ve had a baby at the lodge.”
“We can do the shower here. Won’t that be fun?”
“Ladies.” Tiernan strides in, his low voice cutting through the voices like a smooth blade. “Give my love some air.”
They step back, all three of them beaming at me. My eyes water, and I wipe the tears away as my friends--more like my sisters--give me another round of hugs.
“I guess she told you?” Tiernan smiles and pulls me into his arms, his hand straying to my stomach.
“How far along?” Clover tries to control her excitement, but she still jumps up and down a little bit.
“Almost three months.” I can’t stop smiling and crying.
Tiernan kisses me on the forehead. “We can’t wait.”
“Wecan’t wait!” Aurora claps and takes my hands. “I can’t imagine how happy you must be.”
“I’m just taking one day at a time.”
“Morning sickness?” Clover asks.
“Swollen feet?” Bells glances down. “I’ve got some really great cream you can start using now for stretch marks. Oh, and if you’re worried about stretching or tearing down below, you know you can use some olive oil and get Tiernan to massage your--”
“More on that later.” Clover, a pained smile on her face, steps in front of Bells.
“Too much?” Bells asks.
“Way too much,” Clover mumbles.
Tiernan clears his throat. “Well, on that note, my little spitfire needs a nap.”
“I remember those days” Aurora returns to her icing, a smile still on her face. “My batteries always got totally drained at around 3 o’clock. Every day of the first and second trimester.”
“The third, I fell asleep anytime I sat still.” Bells laughs.
“Get some rest. When you wake up, we’ll have your shower all planned out.” Clover pats my hand.
