“Nah, y’all will be adorable then, too. Oh, which reminds me. I’ve found you and Shaw the perfect two-bedroom condo. It’s right near where Shaw is now but has much more space, is on the top floor, and has a gorgeous view. Really close to a park, too. I set up a tour for tomorrow morning.”
Taryn lit up. “Really? That’s fantastic.” She and Shaw had decided to move in together and let go of her house in Long Acre. It didn’t make sense for her to be commuting so much, and she was always staying at Shaw’s place anyway. The thought of living in the city thrilled her, even though a pang of sadness went through her that she wouldn’t be near her parents anymore.
“Yeah, you won’t be too far from Rebecca either, so your kiddos can grow up near each other.”
The thought warmed Taryn. She scanned the room. “Where is Bec?”
“She’s helping Wes keep the food trays refreshed, and Liv is backstage, making sure everything is perfect with the video. She was editing until late last night.”
Taryn huffed and put a hand on her waist. “I told that woman to go to bed. The video looked perfect in the last round she sent me.”
“She’s a perfectionist.” Kincaid gave her a look. “Plus, I think maybe she had a little more to add.”
“More to add?” Taryn lifted an eyebrow.
Kincaid shrugged and had a little too innocent a look on her face. “You’ll see.”
Taryn didn’t like the sound of that. She didn’t need any surprises tonight. This event needed to go off without a hitch, but before she could comment, two big arms wrapped around her from behind. “It’s almost time for your big show, songbird.”
Shaw’s fresh soap scent surrounded her, and she automatically melted into his hold, leaning her head back on his shoulder. “Hey, you. Where’d you disappear to?”
“I did a poison test on all the food and made you a plate for after you’re done.”
She snorted. “A poison test?”
“Yes. It was important to try each thing…you know, for the good of the crowd. Did you know they have tiny cheesy biscuits?”
She laughed. She’d learned quickly that Shaw could out-eat a pregnant lady. All those hours training people at the gym required a lot of fuel. She tried not to hate him for being able to eat whatever he wanted. “The biscuits are Kincaid’s recipe.”
“That’s a keeper,” he told Kincaid, who had turned to face them, a pleased smile on her lips.
“Thanks,” she said. “And y’all are sickeningly cute together. I can barely stand it.”
But the words were delivered with a sappy smile. Taryn stuck her tongue out at her friend. “You matched us. It’s your fault.”
“Yes, I totally did.”
Behind Kincaid, Taryn caught audience members glancing her and Shaw’s way, trying to hide their obvious curiosity. She ignored them. The story had broken on a local news website that a Long Acre survivor and the shooter’s brother were a couple and were heading up a campaign to raise funds for a school program. Gossipy non-news sites and conspiracy-theory message boards had sensationalized the story and tried to stir up shit, but both she and Shaw had learned it was best to ignore idiots on the internet. They’d also gotten phone calls and emails from the press for a few weeks, but the attention had blessedly slacked off. There was always new news, fresh scandals.
The only thing that still hurt was the strained situation with her parents.
They’d gone radio silent, and that saddened Taryn every time she thought about it. She’d spent her whole adulthood seeing them at least weekly and having a close relationship with them both. Now there was a huge blank space in her world. One of the biggest things in her life had happened—she was going to have a baby—and she couldn’t talk to the person she wanted to talk about it with most, her mother. Her mom and dad had no idea they were going to be grandparents.
Beyond her desire to have a relationship with them, Taryn was worried about her mother, but she couldn’t do anything about it if they weren’t ready to talk to her. She wasn’t going to push them. She’d left a voice message telling them she was always willing to talk. That was all she could do. Be open to them. Still, their lack of response had hurt.
Shaw gave her a squeeze. “You ready for this?”
Taryn nodded. “Yep. I’m proud of what we’ve put together. We’ve done the best we know how to do. We’re swinging for the fences.”
“Seriously,” Kincaid said, crossing her arms. “If this doesn’t bring the money in, then people have no hearts. We kicked that Sarah McLachlan animal video’s ass. And that was a tough ass to kick.” She pointed to the crowd. “I expect tears. Hand-wringing. And wallet-emptying. Anything less and these people will have to deal with me.”
Shaw chuckled softly against Taryn’s ear. “Sometimes your friends scare me.”
Kincaid put a hand to her hip. “You better be scared, big guy. Top-notch treatment for this one, or you’re going to have to face all of us. Be afraid.”
Taryn snorted. “She is small but mighty.”
Shaw lifted his palms. “If I treat her like anything less than a queen, you have the right to throat-punch me.”