“I’m Becca. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Gage says. My stomach flips. That word sounds so weird and wonderful.
Tyler pulls me into a hug. “My siblings’ significant others always get hugs.”
I laugh as I hug him back.
“Where’s everyone else?” Gage asks.
“They hit traffic on the way.” Tyler looks down the block. “Here they come.”
A dark-haired guy and a red-headed guy who look like they’re in their late twenties wave at us. There’s a petite woman with dark hair and an adorably large baby bump walking behind them in a hot pink dress. Beside her is a tall woman with long, wavy black hair wearing a flowy floral romper.
“Holy shit,” Tyler mutters.
“No way,” Gage says.
It’s not till the tall woman walks closer that I recognize her. It’s Gage and Tyler’s little sister Maya.
She runs up to hug them both. I step aside to let the three siblings have a moment together.
“What the hell? I didn’t know you were coming.” Tyler beams as he hugs his sister tight.
“Yeah, you said you were busy with work in LA.” Gage lifts Maya off the ground with his hug.
“I wanted to surprise you guys.” She beams and glances back at Millie.
Millie shakes her head. “I had no idea she was coming either. When I answered the door this afternoon and saw her, I burst into tears.”
Maya steps over to her cousin and pulls her in a side hug. Millie reaches both hands around her cousin. “I’m just so happy you’re here.” She looks at me and beams. “And you too! You must be Becca.”
Gage steps over and introduces me to everyone as his girlfriend. Everyone hugs me, and for a minute afterward, we stand together and chat pleasantries. Millie mentions a couple of her friends are joining and are in the middle of finding parking.
Gage looks over at Millie and pulls a hot pink square of shiny fabric from his back pocket. He shakes it out, revealing a sash that says, “Hot Mama-To-Be.” Millie squeals and grabs it from him. Maya and Austin help her put it on.
“Millie, I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is the weirdest baby shower ever,” Gage says. Everyone laughs. “But that’s why we love you. You’re an amazing person and are going to be an incredible mom. You deserve all the joy and happiness in the world. And we can’t wait until that little baby is here so we can spoil the hell out of them.”
Millie flashes a shaky smile. Her bright brown eyes are teary, and she fans her face with both hands.
She blinks quickly. “I love you, Gage. You’re the greatest. You all are.” She spins around to everyone. “Thank you for being such good sports and celebrating my unborn baby in such a ridiculous way.”
We all laugh. Gage leads us inside. It’s a typical dimly lit nightclub space with dance music booming from the speaker system. The walls and floors are dark with metallic touches. At the far end of the open space is a stage.
He points us to an elevated seating area off to the side of the stage. The words “Hot Mama” are spelled in gold balloons along the seats.
Millie squeals and takes a photo with her phone.
I look over at Gage, who’s smiling as he watches his cousin. There’s that warm feeling in my chest again. I’m completely in awe of this guy. Not only is he ridiculously sexy, but he’s an absolute sweetheart. Seeing him plan such a thoughtful party for his cousin makes me weak in the knees. A hot, sweet, kind, and thoughtful man who’s incredible in bed. I’ve hit the jackpot.
A tall shirtless guy with the most ripped torso I’ve ever seen waltzes up to Millie and introduces himself as the server. He sets down a tray of champagne flutes at the table.
“Congratulations to the beautiful mom-to-be.” He grabs Millie’s hand and kisses it. She blushes. “I’ll be your server tonight. Please enjoy some sparkling grape juice to kick things off.”
Gage hands the guy cash and thanks him. Then he pulls out two fat stacks of singles from both pockets and hands out cash to everyone. “I’m sure you all brought cash to tip, but just in case, here’s extra.”
We all sit down and sip our drinks. Gage, Tyler, Austin, and Declan want something harder to drink, so they head to the bar. Millie and Maya chat with me while they’re gone.
“I’m so happy you came,” Millie says as she grabs my hand. “You must think we’re such a weird family, having a baby shower at a strip club.”
