“You’re not going in?”
Libby removed her arm and gave Charlotte an apologetic smile. “I wish I could, but I have to get to work. I’ll call you later.”
“You might want to clear it with Addison’s schedule first,” Charlotte joked with a shake of her head. “How much of a hard time do you think Addison will give me about scheduling a date?”
Libby threw her head back and laughed. “I’d put in the request right now. It might take her weeks to adjust the schedule and review the necessary information.”
Charlotte’s lips twitched. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
With a smile, Libby waved and walked off, brushing past Savannah on the way. The two women stopped to greet each other, and Savannah quickened her pace. She reached Charlotte and gave her a quick hug before pushing her inside. Cold air blasted them in the face, and Charlotte smiled when she saw her mom sitting in a booth in the back, a stack of papers next to her.
Liam Alrich sat across from her in a crisp button-down shirt, his fingers curled around a mug of coffee. Next to him, a manwith a buzz cut in a blazer and an expensive Rolex on his wrist was sitting down. Once they spotted Charlotte, the two of them stood up. Emily was the last to rise to her feet, and she hastily clutched the papers to her chest.
“Charlotte, you remember Liam? This is his friend and fellow lawyer, Mr. Grant.”
Charlotte stuck her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Grant.”
“Likewise.”
Emily inched closer to the wall, and Charlotte slid into the booth next to her. Savannah was the last to sit down, and she linked her fingers together as soon as she did. Emily glanced around and cleared her throat.
“I was just about to call you. Mr. Grant looked over the contract you signed, and he said it all looked good.”
Charlotte fixed her gaze on the lawyer and offered him a small smile. “I’m sorry about having to change the appointment a few times. Things have been hectic.”
Mr. Grant tore off a piece of his croissant and smiled. “Not a problem at all.”
Charlotte shifted from one side to the other. “So, everything is in order?”
She could hardly believe everything was finally falling into place.
“We can renegotiate if you decide to change your mind about being a part of the baby’s life, but for now, it’ll do.”
Emily rubbed her fingers together. “Good. Now that that’s settled, we can move on to other topics. Liam, dear, I heard you wanted to hire a wedding planner. You do know we’d all be happy to pitch in.”
Liam’s face broke out into a grin, and he scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, I know, but with Laura’s cast coming off in a few weeks, we’re just really excited to get started on everything…”
“And you’ve got the entire Wilson clan ready to jump in,” Emily pointed out with a shake of her head. “You don’t have to hire us, but I’m just saying it would be a lot easier if you did. We’re way more people.”
Everyone at the table erupted into laughter.
Charlotte relaxed against the booth and nibbled on a brownie while her mom and Liam discussed wedding details. When Mr. Grant got up to leave, Charlotte walked him to the door and promised to be in touch if she needed his services.
With any luck, this would be the last she saw of the surrogacy lawyer.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Imade mac and cheese,” Libby said, pausing to switch the phone to her other ear. “I’ve also made some potato salad, and I marinated the chicken just the way she likes it.”
“I’m sure it’s going to go great,” Charlotte replied warmly. “I’m really glad you two are working things out.”
Libby slammed the oven door shut and inhaled the smell of the casserole. “I guess I had to yell at her friend for me to get the point across.”
“Yeah, but hopefully, you don’t have to do that again.”
Libby peered through the oven glass at the chicken, now a nice golden brown. “How’s it going with the schedule? Addison still driving you crazy?”
“She’s agreed to let Patrick take me on a date, but on the condition that she has to know when he’s picking me up, where we’re going, and when he drops me off.”
