Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
I don’t know how he does it, but he makes me feel wanted. Special. Treasured. Most of all, he makes me feel happy. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon, baby.” He kisses my forehead and disappears back into the house.
When I reach the SUV, my sister and our friends yell out, “Get it, girl,” making us all fall into a fit of laughter.
“Stop.” My face heats, but I’m not mad. Just embarrassed. This is all new for me.
Emerson turns in her seat. “I’m happy for both of you. My brother needs a good woman in his life.”
“You can bet your ass those girls of yours will be spoiled rotten when we get back,” Monroe says from the driver’s seat.
“Oh, you know it,” Maggie says. She’s sitting in the third-row seat. Well, sitting is a stretch. She’s lying down, with her arm covering her eyes.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask Maggie.
“I’m fine. I picked up a half shift at the hospital last night. I didn’t get home until 3:00 a.m. I’m just tired.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re coming with us, tired and all,” Brogan tells her.
“I wasn’t missing this,” Maggie tells my sister.
“Right? When Legend told me about it, I was pumped. They have a momma massage package. I’m all over that.” Monroe chuckles.
“How are you feeling?” Maggie asks her.
“Great. I’m twenty-two weeks, so over the halfway mark.”
“Wait. Do you know what you’re having?” Brogan asks her.
“We do. We found out last week.”
“Don’t even try. She won’t tell me,” Emerson grumbles.
“I told you. This week is our week to host Sunday dinner. We’re going to tell everyone together.” Monroe laughs. “It’s tomorrow. You can hold out.”
“You’ve known since last Friday, Mo. That’s over a week. Eight days of withholding important information.”
Monroe’s laughing so hard, her shoulders shake. “You’ll be fine.”
“Well, you’ll have to let us know,” Maggie says. “I need to start shopping.”
“Oh, you’re invited. All three of you are. The girls too,” Monroe says, finding my eyes in the rearview mirror quickly. “I want all my people there when we announce what we’re having.”
“Oh, we don’t want to intrude.”
Emerson turns in her seat and gives me a look that I’m sure will scare the hell out of Lilly when she’s older. “I know for a fact my brother has been inviting you the last two weeks.”
“He has,” I tell her. “But it’s a family thing.”
“You’re his girlfriend. That means something. He’s not taking this relationship lightly,” Emerson tells me. She sighs. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get crazy.” She rolls her eyes playfully. “He really likes you, Briar. A lot. He wants you there. We all do.”
“It’s so early.”
“It’s been months,” Maggie speaks up. “The two of you have been dancing around this for months. I’d say it’s time.”
“I happen to agree,” Brogan says. “And if you don’t want the girls to go, I’ll stay at home with them.”
“What?” Emerson says, turning around to face us as much as her seat belt will allow her to. I wasn’t expecting the shocked look on her face. “No. The girls are coming. All four of you. Five, Maggie, this is for you too. We want you all there. That’s how this works. Those girls are a part of you, Briar. They’re coming.”
The car is silent. It’s Monroe that breaks the silence. “What she said.”
Maggie cracks up laughing, and soon we’re all joining her.
“We’ll be there,” I tell Emerson. I bite down on my cheek to hide my smile. Forrest has been asking me the last two weeks to come with him. Speaking of Forrest… my phone pings with a message.
Forrest: How did I do, Momma?
It’s a picture of the girls’ hair in pigtails. “Oh my,” I say, covering my mouth with my hand.
“What?” Brogan asks.
“Look.” I turn my phone so that she can see.
“A for effort.” She chuckles.
“Let me see.” I show Maggie, and she cackles.
Monroe turns into the parking lot for the spa. “I feel left out.”
“Here.” I pass my phone to her, and she and Emerson look at the picture.
“I think those girls could talk him into anything,” Emerson says, handing me my phone just as it pings again.
I can’t hold in my laughter when I see Forrest smiling at the camera and his hair in two short pigtails on top. Brogan takes my phone from my hand, and it gets passed around again.
“He’s too much.” I shake my head as I type out a reply.
Me: I hope my spa day staff is more qualified than yours.
Forrest: Hey, my girls are rock stars.
Me: Yes, they are.
I shove my phone into my purse and climb out of the SUV, following our group inside to enjoy our spa day.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Forrest
“Now that we’ve had our spa day, I thought we could go fishing,” I tell the girls. Our spa day consisted of them doing my hair and painting my nails, and I did the same for them. We all looked like a four-year-old handled the situation. I need to step up my game of doing their hair. Briar wouldn’t let them out of the house looking like this. Lucky for them, it’s just the three of us today. I’m rocking my pigtails and my blue and green sparkle nails.