“Wait, you found out?” Natalie asked, surprised.
Lucy looked like she might burst, she was so excited. Nodding, she blurted out, “It’s a girl!”
Our delighted cheers rang out across the kitchen. We’d gotten our chance to spoil a little girl when Amelia was a baby, but that felt like a lifetime ago. I felt like an old lady every time reality hit me that she was almost a teenager. We all thought Natalie was done having kids after Beau, so Amelia was set to be our one and only. Then came Charlie, who was ten years younger than her older sister, and we got to do it all over again.
“Can you imagine if all three were girls?” Joy filled me at the prospect. “It would be like the next generation of our girl gang!”
Lucy laughed. “Preston is already panicked about what to do with a girl. He grew up with only a brother.”
Natalie waved her off. “He’ll be fine. Jaxon was the same way, and he adores Charlie. She’s had him wrapped around her finger since the day she was born.”
I pointed a finger between Amy and Natalie. “Are you two finding out? We need to make plans!”
Amy shook her head. “Not us. There are too few surprises in life, so why spoil it?”
Natalie shrugged. “Jaxon wants to, but I kind of don’t. We’ve got two of each, so it really doesn’t matter. And this isdefinitelythe last one,” she said with conviction. “So, why not make it interesting?”
Groaning in frustration, I glared at the two of them. “Lucy might be my new favorite. I’m putting you on notice.”
Eyeing me, Natalie put her hand on her hips. “Are you hoping that if you steer the conversation toward the babies, you won’t have to talk about what Cal did for you in LA?”
Trying to put on an innocent face, I replied, “I mean, it would be nice if that’s how it worked out. Maybe we try it, see how it goes.” Turning to Lucy, I asked, “Have you thought of names yet?”
Cutting off Lucy before she could answer, Natalie called out, “Not so fast.”
Damn. I was really hoping to make it out of here without a deep dive into my relationship status.
Green eyes sparkling with interest, Amy asked, “What happened in LA?”
Giving Natalie a death glare, I sighed. “I can’t have this conversation on an empty stomach. Can wepleaseeat first? It’s the least you can do for me, making me come out here at the ass crack of dawn.”
“It’s eleven in the morning, Hannah,” Natalie stated.
“Yeah, and I could still be sleeping. So, you owe me.”
Smirking, she gave an exaggerated eye roll. “You really are living the life.”
I pointed a finger at her. “Hey. You don’t get to judge me. I’m happy with my life choices. I have a job that lets me travel and sleep in because of late nights. And you know what? I fucking love it. So, yeah. I’m allowed to be cranky in the morning. Feedme, or else there’s no telling what kind of monster I might turn into.”
Amy was struggling to keep a straight face. She always tried to remain neutral, but I knew she had a soft spot for my theatrics.
“Jeez, you’d think she was the one eating for two,” Natalie remarked.
“She’s about to cross the line past hangry. If we want any information out of her, we better get some food into her . . . and fast.” Amy hid a snicker behind her hand.
Loading up our plates, we took our time eating. I brought the conversation back to the babies, hoping they would forget about me.
A girl could dream, right?
Natalie was used to deflection techniques with four kids, and the second our plates were empty, she went right back to business. “All right, Hannah. Time’s up.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “But I want it known that I am treating this like an ambush and will be wary of every brunch invite from now until the end of time.”
“Duly noted. Now, start talking.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I tried to condense the story. Maybe if I made it sound boring, they’d let it drop. “We went to LA for a Comets game. Cal set it up for me to record some covers. Then, I seduced him as a thank you. End of story.”
Natalie wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily. “So, we’re just glossing over the fact that Cal’s in love with you?”
