“I was out with Chase.” I take Abigail from Lexi and give her kisses. “I missed you, sweet girl.” We move into her office and sit on her couch.
“You and Chase are close, huh?” Lexi asks, raising a brow.
“He was supposed to be my wingman.” I roll my eyes. “Of course every guy just assumed we were together.”
“And how about the women?”
“They were hot, but I don’t swing that way.” I wink playfully, making Lexi laugh.
“I meant for Chase.”
“He didn’t get hit on. We had a drink and danced. One guy actually did approach me, but Chase scared him off, saying he looked like a douche.”
“Did he…?” Lexi’s mouth twists contemplatively.
“Yeah, so now I’m not sure how I’m going to meet someone. I don’t really have girlfriends, and you’re busy being a mom to this cute little angel.” I lift Abigail up and blow raspberries on her belly.
“I could have Mom watch her. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that.” I wave her off. “I’ll eventually meet the right guy, when the time is right.”
“You’re not asking. It’ll be fun. All these years I was waiting for you to finally go out and have a good time, and now that you’re doing it, I’m at home.” She pulls out her phone.
“Hey, Mom,” she says. “Georgia is here and we were talking about going out one night this week…” She laughs. “Yes, that’s why I was calling… Okay, love you, bye.”
She hangs up. “I think I just made her life,” she jokes. “She’s so excited to take Abigail.” Lexi tends to keep her daughter close. I don’t blame her, though. The way she found out she was pregnant and the months following were hard on her. I think she just feels so blessed to have her, she doesn’t want to let her leave her sight.
“She’s going to take her for the night since Alec is working.” She grins. “This’ll be fun. The Scott women are going to paint the town red!”
I crack up. “In case you forgot you’re no longer a Scott.”
“Pfft, semantics. I’ll always be a Scott. I’m excited for tonight.”
“Me too. I feel like I’m finally making strides to overcome my social anxiety. I didn’t freak out at all last night when Chase and I were out.”
“Maybe Chase has the right touch.” She winks dramatically.
“Or maybe I’m just finally getting past my issues.” I shrug, refusing to acknowledge that she may be right. I thought the same thing last night in bed before I pushed it to the side and fell asleep.
I hand her back Abigail. “Want to come over and we can get ready together?”
“Yes.” Lexi beams. “This is so exciting. It’s like my little Georgia is all grown up. I get to pick out your outfit and do your makeup.”
“Sounds good.” I stand and so does she. “I’ll see you tonight. I’m making the guys dinner… this new fettuccine recipe I found and want to try out. I’ll save some for us.”
“Yeah, I heard about your fabulous lasagna.” Lexi side-eyes me. “Alec said we should hire you to cook.” She rolls her eyes. “He won’t let me use the oven when he’s not home. He said the guys at the station we’re zoned to won’t be as nice when the neighbors call.”
“That’s funny,” I say with a laugh. “Hey, maybe I should open a restaurant,” I joke.
“You made one meal,” Lexi deadpans. “I would make a few more dishes before you put on your official chef hat.”
I spend the rest of the morning making the dish, and once it’s done, I have to admit, I’m a damn good cook. After putting some aside for Lexi and me for dinner, I put the remainder of the pasta into one container and the homemade biscuits I made into another one, and then head over to the station.
“Oh, shit,” Carter says as I walk up to the entrance. “Is that food you’re carrying?” He grabs the containers from me.
“It is, but before you get too excited, you better taste it to make sure it’s good.”
“Thought I was your taste tester,” Chase says, walking out from nowhere. His hair is wet like he just showered, and he’s in the middle of pulling his shirt over his head, so his hard body is still on display. The shirt comes down and I internally pout.
Or at least I think I do…
Chase smirks, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and my cheeks heat up.
“You are the taste tester,” I tell him, “but you have to be a good boy and share.” I playfully pat him on his stomach and note just how hard his abs are.
The other guys hear us and join in, grabbing plates and silverware. I open the containers and distribute some onto each of their plates. Chase is the first to take a bite, and I swear his eyes roll to the back of his head.