by Ivy Smoak
"We can call them as soon as we get home." James wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You miss Ian, huh?"
I laughed. "It's the whole being bad at change thing. I miss both of them. I kinda thought Jen would move back here once they got together."
"Yeah, me too."
I rested my head on James' shoulder as the car started to move. Silence settled around us. For some reason it put a nervous pit in my stomach. The baby kicked me like he was annoyed by my feelings. I lifted my head off of James' shoulder. "James?"
"Yes? You look beautiful today, by the way." He smiled.
"Oh my God. I'm the absolute worst. I walked into the closet this morning and found this dress and was so excited. It was such a sweet gesture because you know how much I love the other one. And then I immediately forgot to thank you. That's probably what you want to have breakfast together to talk about right? How awful I've been? I think your brother is right. I have crazy pregnancy hormones. I swear I can't even think straight anymore. I'm sorry about the past few days. I'm sorry that I keep assuming the worst and arguing with you and acting insane. And by the way, you can sue everyone we know for all I care. I don't want to fight about that. It's fine with me."
William cleared his throat from the front seat. "I'm just going to..." he let his voice trail off as he raised the partition.
"Ugh." I put my face in my hands. "See. I'm the worst. Now William thinks we're going to sue him."
"Penny?"
I lifted my head. "I know I've been impossible to please. First I was upset because we weren't talking. And then I got upset because you did open up. And you're allowed to talk to Rob about stuff. I want you to feel like you can talk to your brother. I shouldn't have been eavesdropping. And I way overreacted. Like a freaking lunatic. And I'm so hungry. Where are you taking me?"
"Baby." He wiped away the tears that I hadn't known I had shed. "Do you mind if I say something now?"
I shook my head.
"We're going to that brunch place you like so much. We should be there any minute. And I'm not taking you out to breakfast because I'm upset with you. I'm taking you out to breakfast because I love you."
"Oh." I exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I mean, I thought that was a possibility too."
He shook his head. "What am I going to do with you two?" He put his hand on my stomach and leaned toward me. His lips gently brushed against mine.
"This baby is making me insane."
"No." His breath was hot against my lips.
"I'm definitely insane."
"You're not insane. What would be insane is if you didn't kiss me back."
I laughed and stared into his eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"If you're apologizing for not kissing me, I don't accept your apology. There's only one way I'll forgive you."
The car pulled to a stop.
"Damn it," James said under his breath.
"It's fine. You couldn't possibly want me right now. I look like the entire Atlantic ocean." I gave him a chaste kiss.
His hand slid to my hip. "If anything you're more of a sexy, very slender river."
"Tell that to my ass."
"I'd be happy to." The car door opened and James sighed.
"Mrs. Hunter." William put his hand out for me as I undid my seatbelt. I grabbed William's hand and let him help me to my feet. I really did feel as big as the ocean.
"I'm holding you to that," James said as he joined me on the sidewalk. He wrapped his arm around my back. As we walked up to the restaurant his hand slowly slid down to my ass. He squeezed it despite the fact that we were not the only people on the sidewalk.
"James." I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling it back to my waist.
He opened up the door for me with a grin. "After you."
I shook my head as I walked into the restaurant. "Daphne? Rob? Hi." I had not been expecting to see them. But it made sense. We came here together all the time. It was a Sunday morning after all.
Daphne smiled as she gave me a hug. "Glad to see you two made up."
"Me too," I said. "I'm so sorry about last night."
"It was just the hormones," Rob loudly whispered and then gave me a hug. "You're mean when you're angry. I did the whole pouty lip thing and everything." He did it again to remind me.
"I really am sorry."
"All is forgiven." He turned back to the hostess. "Actually, can we all just sit together if that's okay?"
The hostess smiled politely. "Of course. Right this way."
I was a little disappointed. I loved hanging out with Rob and Daphne, but the whole point of this breakfast was to have some alone time with James. I was even more disappointed as she lead us past the window seats where we usually sat. They were the best tables in the whole restaurant. And there were a few vacant tables for four. I was just about to say something to James when we stepped into the private room of the restaurant.
"Surprise!" everyone yelled.
My eyes landed on the banner strung along the wall. It read, "Welcome Hunter Babies!" I laughed and glanced at Daphne. "Did you know?"
She shook her head and glanced around the room. "I had no clue." She pointed to the banner. "But a joint baby shower was a really cute idea."
"Right?" said Rob. "Because they'll basically be twins." He gestured back and forth between Daphne and my bellies. "It was actually James' idea. Because obviously he agrees you're having a boy."
"Really?" I looked up at James.
He laughed. "No." He leaned closer to me. "I just figured kill two birds with one stone. Less things you need to do if you and Daphne had this together. More time spent resting in bed with me."
I looked up at him. "That's not a cute reason at all."
"No. I believe you know me well enough to know my ulterior motives." His voice had dropped an octave, the innuendo dripping from his words.
Something about the way he said it and the fact that we were in front of a crowded room made me press my thighs together. Maybe he really did see a sexy river instead of a gigantic ocean.
"Rob and I should get lost," said James. "I'll see you in a few hours."
"But..."
He smiled and pulled me in close. "I'll be hanging out with Rob down the street. Call me when you're ready to go home. Sorry about the white lie." He placed a peck against my lips.
"You owe me a romantic breakfast. Just the two of us."
"That I can do. Oh, and..." He grabbed my shoulders and turned me back to the party. Jen waved at me. "No need to call her now. Have fun." He kissed my temple and followed his brother out of the restaurant.
Chapter 10
Sunday
"I kinda thought baby showers were only for the first baby," Daphne whispered.
I laughed. "Me too. But I guess our friends thought it would be fun to honor us all over again."
"You mean torture us?" She pushed the diaper with the Snickers bar away from her. "I'm about to change enough diapers as it is. Soph only just started using the toilet. I have a few months of freedom."
Jen sat down across from us and pulled the Snickers bar out of the diaper. "If only baby poop was this delicious." She took a bite of the candy.
"You do realize that makes it sound like you've tasted baby poop," I said.
"Don't be ridiculous. Are you guys ready for the next game?"
"That depends on what it is."
Jen sighed. "You're acting like you're not having fun."
"It's not that we're not having fun," Daphne said. "Just imagine doing all this crap with a huge stomach and feeling like you have to pee every five minutes. I'm so tired all the time. I thought I was walking into a brunch with Rob, not all this."
"You're acting completely ungrateful. I went out of my way to plan all this..."
"I knew you were behind this," I said cutting her off. "Jen, you didn't have to throw us a joint baby shower. We've both already had one of these."
"But I needed an excuse to come visit my sisters." She reached out and grabbed one of each of our hands. "I miss you
guys. Skype sessions filled with snotty little kids aren't the same as girl time."
"I'm sure your nieces would very much appreciate your description of them," Daphne said.
She squeezed our hands and let go. "I'm sorry, but you know what I mean. It's hard living across the country and missing out on everything."
"You and Ian could just move back to New York," I said. "You both grew up here. Isn't this home?"
Jen pushed her lips to the side as she thought over what I said. "You know what? I think you're right. Done!"
Daphne and I looked at each other. "What's done?" I asked.
"God, your pregnancy brains are making you slow. Ian and I are moving back to NYC! I was just looking for the right time to tell you!"
"Can you please get over here and hug us so we don't have to get up?"
She laughed and came over to our side of the table.
"I'm so glad you're staying. I was just telling James how much I missed you."
"Me too, Penny. It's time to come home."
"So, what is Ian going to be doing when he comes back to New York?"
"Penny, you can't hire Ian back. It would be so weird now. He'd be working for family."
"I know, but I miss him," I said.
"And now you'll get to hang out with him all the time. Without him driving you around."
"I guess." I pretended to look sad.
"Stop it! You can't hire my fiancé as your driver."
"Wait, fiancé?" Daphne shrieked. She grabbed Jen's left hand.
"It took you bitches long enough to notice this rock."
"Congratulations!" Daphne and I said at the same time.
"Jennifer Hunter, you manipulation artist," Bee said as she walked up to us. "Jen called me a week ago with this crazy idea for a last minute baby shower. When she had zero interest in helping plan the last one. And she told me I had to coordinate everything because I'm on the right side of the country. Right before my wedding. When I've literally never been busier. And it was all because she wanted to tell everyone she was engaged. It was always all about you."
"Psh. That's not at all true," Jen said.
Bee shook her head. "Yes it is. But I am happy for you." She gave Jen a hug.
"Fine, you caught me, it is true. Not that I'm not excited about new nieces or nephews. But I'm engaged! And I'm moving back to New York!" She jumped up and down. "I am sorry for stealing the show, though." Jen put her hand on my shoulder.
She wasn't really sorry. But I was totally fine with that. I was just happy she was staying for good. Now we'd all be here. I smiled to myself.
Oh, shit. Except for Melissa. How did I forget about Melissa? "Hey guys, where is Melissa?" I asked.
"It was so last minute, she couldn't make it either."
"Oh, yeah. Of course." I had already asked about why my Mom wasn't there earlier. Bee said it was just a small thing thrown by friends. No grown-ups allowed. Which made me laugh because we were all grown-ups now, despite what we all thought. Besides, I knew what she really meant. Whenever anyone's mother was invited to something, Jen insisted that her mother be invited too.
Jen was quicker to forgive than the rest of us. Scarlett and Sophie hadn't met their grandmother on the Hunter side. I wasn't sure they ever would. I truly did believe in second chances. I drew the line at millions of chances, though. James, Rob, Daphne, and I were a unified front on this. Bee, Mason, and Matt were too. Maybe Jen had a bigger heart than us. No, James' mother hadn't been holding the gun. But she had helped enable a lunatic. She had taken Isabella's side over her son's side. I couldn't forgive any of that.
My son kicked me hard in the ribs. Ow. I wasn't sure if he was kicking me because I was unforgiving or because I hadn't once thought about Melissa. All of my friends were here. How had I completely missed the fact that she wasn't?
"Now, Bee, I think you'll forgive me for forcing you to plan this soiree. Because I have a huge surprise for you. The lame portion of the day has officially come to a close."
"Hey," Daphne said defensively, even though we had both been making fun of the party earlier.
I nudged her with my shoulder and we both laughed.
"And now it's time for your bachelorette party!" Jen screamed and threw her hands into the air.
"Um..." Bee looked at me and then back at Jen. "No, actually, it's not."
"We're doing a joint thing with the guys on Thursday," I said. "We already planned everything. Everyone already took off from work."
"I know," Jen said. "I heard all about your lame plan. But my girl wants something a little crazier. Am I right?" She pointed at Bee.
Bee looked confused. "Me? You never even asked me about it. I already signed off on Penny's idea."
"No," Jen pouted. "I missed out on Penny and Daphne's bachelorette parties because I was in stupid California. Now that I'm finally here for one we're not going on a day trip with the guys to a beach in the middle of nowhere. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"It's not the stupidest," I mumbled, slightly offended that she was shitting all over my idea.
"It's the beach that Penny and I both grew up going to," Bee said. "I'm actually really looking forward to it."
"Fine." Jen waved her hand through the air. "We can do that too. But we're also doing my thing. Because bachelorette parties aren't about nostalgia and playing stupid games in the sand. They're about making terrible choices that you regret for the rest of your life. Let's do shots!"
"I agree with Jen," Kendra said. Kendra was one of the first friends Bee made after moving to New York. To me, she embodied everything that the city had to offer. She was fun, classy, and usually up all night doing God knows what. Probably with a stranger she just met. "Besides, I remember Penny saying she was going to get us all back once we got married. After we tortured her at her bachelorette party."
I laughed. "I did actually say that." I shook my head, remembering that night. They had made me do this ridiculous list of activities which involved too many penis cookies.
Bee pleaded at me with her eyes.
"But I'm pregnant. And I don't exactly feel like walking all over the city torturing someone on a Sunday afternoon."
"Thank you," Bee mouthed silently.
"Afternoons turn to evenings pretty quickly in this city," Jen said. "And there's a bar right down the street."
"Damn it," Bee said under her breath.
"Everyone who wants to keep this party going, come with me," Jen said as she looped her arm through Bee's and practically dragged her out of the restaurant.
"So that was a weird baby shower," Daphne said.
"Actually I think I liked that one better than my first one."
Daphne laughed. "I'm glad Jen is moving back to the city. But you think she could have saved this crazy bachelorette party idea for her own bachelorette party."
"Well, that doesn't sound like Jen at all."
"Fair enough."
We both slowly stood up from our chairs.
"But what Jen doesn't know is that Rob and James are at that same bar they're heading to down the street," I said. "Which probably means Mason is with them. This little party will be broken up in no time. Bee and Mason already agreed that they didn't want traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties. And James and Rob are good at shutting down Jen's crazy ideas."
"And here I thought you were excited for a night on the town."
"God no. I'm exhausted."
"Me too," Daphne said with a laugh. "I'll probably join Sophie in her afternoon nap."
"Now that's something that sounds much more exciting than a night on the town."
We both waddled after our energetic friends who didn't know what it was like to carry a human inside of them.
Chapter 11
Sunday
"I feel like this is a bad idea," Hailey said as I caught up to her on the sidewalk. "It's all fun and games when everyone is single, but we're all married or soon to be. What is Jen's goal here? Does she want Mason and
Bee to break up?"
I laughed. "No way. She loves Bee. Jen just likes having fun. And getting her way. Maybe I should have consulted with her on the original party planning process and she wouldn't have felt excluded."
"The Hunters are all so high maintenance."
She did realize that I was technically a Hunter too, right? "I don't really think that's true," I said.
"I was just joking, geez." She squeezed my shoulder. "You don't have to act all defensive. I'm going to go see if I can shut this thing down." She ran ahead of me on the sidewalk to catch up to Jen and Bee.
That was rather snarky. Usually Hailey was always so nice. Was she mad at me? I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. What if Tyler told her about my books? I bit the inside of my lip. That couldn't be it. She knew Tyler and I had a history. We were all friends now. And honestly, it didn't seem like anyone was ever going to read my books anyway. James had been bugging me to read it for ages, but when I finally gave him permission he hadn't even touched my manuscript. Ow. Please stop kicking me, little dude.
I had fallen way behind everyone walking to the bar. Part of me just wanted to hail down a taxi. The only thing that kept me going was that I knew James was at the bar. He could take me home. I wasn't going to partake in anything like what they had made me do for my bachelorette party. Thinking about that awful weekend made me want to start crying. I didn't want Hailey to be mad at me. I just wanted that nap that Daphne and I had discussed. Today had been exhausting. Bed rest was starting to sound more and more appealing.
To my dismay, my friends crossed the street up ahead. Damn it. Why were they crossing the street when there was a perfectly good bar just a little farther on this side of the street? I sighed as I crossed the street to follow them. I wasn't supposed to be walking around in this heat. James was going to be so mad at me. I slowly opened the door to the bar. The blast of cold air felt refreshing, but the smell of stale beer instantly made me feel nauseous. I placed my hand on my stomach. Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here. I spotted my friends in the corner. As I made my way toward them, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to James asking him to come get me.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to get going in a second," I said as I joined them at the table.
