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"You’re welcome, Miss McQueen."
"It’s Alisha, Daniel," she says with a smile.
He nods his head. "Okay, Alisha," he mumbles shyly. When he walks away, Brian peeks inside the box and licks his lips.
"Damn, those are delicious. Brownies would be even better, but these will do too."
She pats him on his shoulder. "If you’re a good boy, you can have one when we’re in the apartment."
Brian grins. "Oh, I’m always a good boy."
I stickthe key in the door, but before I can turn it, the door swings open. Brian chuckles, seeing our surprised reaction. Alisha gasps, and I halt, taking in the bright, smiling welcoming committee standing in my living room and shouting, "Welcome home!"
They decorated the penthouse with colorful balloons. Amanda, Bella, and Samantha are standing on the left, while Nick and Emma stand on the right. Little Liam is sitting on his dad’s arm and Charlotte is jumping in front of Emma. Alisha gets overwhelmed and sniffs at the cheerful reception.
"Auntie Alisha," Charlotte chirps.
"God, Smartypants, I missed you," Alisha voices. When the little girl stops before her, Alisha hands me the donuts, grabs my arm and bends slightly. Charlotte places a kiss on her cheek and whispers, "I'm glad you are okay."
"Me too, Char."
The little girl lifts her head, and with glowing eyes, she says, "Now, you two can make a baby."
Nick and Brian's thundering laughter boulders through the room when Alisha's cheeks flush crimson.
"I want to give Liam a best friend for his birthday."
"But what if the baby is a girl?" Amanda asks.
Charlotte frowns as she thinks. Then she focuses on Amanda. "You’re Daddy’s sister. So, you should make a baby. Maybe you will make a boy too, just like Daddy and Mommy did. Brian says you are really pretty, maybe he could be the daddy," she says as she twirls on the spot.
Now it's Amanda who swallows at Charlotte's thought process. Emma stops behind her girl and taps on her shoulder. "Charlotte, honey, why don't we get the cake and show it to Cole and Alisha?"
"Did you bake something for us?" I ask the bright, smiling young lady.
"Yep!" Charlotte answers.
I roam my hand over my stomach. "I can't wait to taste it."
Charlotte's face beams with joy as she runs to the kitchen, with Emma following her. Liam lets out a loud cry when his mom walks away.
"Oh, buddy, Mommy will be back," Nick says in a soothing tone to Liam, who gets fidgety.
Alisha makes her way over to Nick and holds out her hands. "Can I hold the big guy?"
"Sure." Nick hands her his son. Right away, the little man stops crying and inspects the woman who's holding him. I can't help but stare at how good she is with children.One day, she'll make a great mom.
I glance at Nick, who is talking to Alisha as she holds Liam. My eyes wander to Samantha, who's talking to Bella. I'm proud and enjoy being her dad, and I’m not as terrible at it as I first thought.
"Oh boy, Charlotte's words got your attention," Brian says as he pats me on my shoulder.
I shrug and change the subject by asking him a sincere question.
"Are you going to let the dickless rooster take the woman you want?"
Brian's jaw tenses, and his smile fades as he stares at woman in question. God, the somberness in his eyes makes it obvious that something deep withholds him from acting on his genuine feelings. "I—"
My friend’s words get cut short when Charlotte shouts a second time as she comes strolling into the living room, "Welcome home!"
