I hoped the baby had her eyes and her determined personality.
“Enjoy your nightly fetish,” Abbi said. She pressed her cheek to Evie’s. “Don’t stay up too late. We have stuff to do tomorrow.”
“We do?” I asked, confused.
“You don’t,” Abbi said. “Nes, Evie, and I have plans. We’re registering for baby gifts.” Abbi practically bounced up and down at the idea.
“Um. No, thank you,” Clay said with a look of apprehension.
While I was getting good at domesticity, Clay wasn’t ready to crank out the kids just yet, and Abbi still had another year of courses left.
“You’re not invited,” Evie said. “We’re going to go fawn all over the tiny outfits at baby stores.”
“It’s girls’ day,” Abbi said.
“What happened to painting nails and guy bashing?” Clay’s face was still ashen.
Abbi waved her hand. “So last year. Plus, we all have great guys. No need to bash. See you in the morning, Evie. About ten, and Nessa reminded me it’s my turn to buy the donuts.”
“She had to say that,” Evie groaned, clutching her baby bump.
I chuckled. “Hungry?”
“Always. I think I may need to stop somewhere on the way back home.”
I smiled, loving that I had the privilege to take her home—to our home. To our growing family. My life was better than I’d ever imagined. Different than I’d expected. But that was okay. In fact, that was perfect.
I drew Evie in close, pressing my nose to her hair. And I told her, again, as I always did, how much I loved her.
Thank You!
Dear Readers,
Thank you for choosing and reading this book. If you enjoyed it, I’d be grateful if you’d write a short review and post it on Amazon or your favorite book site. By taking a few seconds to leave a review, you not only help out your favorite authors, you help new readers find them as well—a total win-win!
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Acknowledgments
As always, thank you, Chris. Your unwavering support and love shine through in all you do. I’m me because you’re you.
To my family, thank you for your patience with my dream—and letting me hang out in my head way too often.
LERA ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being so supportive, for making me love writing again and for sharing your knowledge so freely. You are the best-est.
To my AuthorLab writing pals: You keep me on task and keep me motivated. I love your commitment and passion. I love reading your posts and stories. And I love how diverse our group is.
To Bev, thank you for seeing the big picture—and making sure I see it, too.
To Nicole, thank you for the advice on Seattle—hoodies, not umbrellas! (though I still used both)—and the fantastic copy edits that make the story shine. I’ll get to Jenna’s story soon. That’s a promise.
To Jan, I loved working with you. Thanks for the thoughtful comments. Looking forward to next time.
To Clarissa, once again the cover is gorgeous. I love working with you.
And to my readers and reviewers. Thank you for your time. It’s precious and I’m so, so glad you spent some of it with me.
About the Author
With a degree in international marketing and a varied career path that includes content management for a web firm, marketing direction for a high-profile sports agency, and a two-year stint with a renowned literary agency, Alexa Padgett has returned to her first love: writing fiction.
Alexa spent a good part of her youth traveling. From Budapest to Belize, Calgary to Coober Pedy, she soaked in the myriad smells, sounds, and feels of these gorgeous places, wishing she could live in them all—at least for a while. And she does in her books.
She lives in New Mexico with her husband, children, and ginormous, piano-hating Anatolian Shepherd, Mozart. When not writing, schlepping, or volunteering, she can be found in her tiny kitchen, channeling her inner Barefoot Contessa.
Write her at [email protected] or sign up for her newsletter to receive notifications for upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter (@AlexaPadgett).
Seattle Sound Series, The Collection: Books One to Five Page 121
