“Sounds like it,” I say. “I’m tempted to stay myself.”
“Yeah, right.” She rolls her eyes. “Get out of here, Ms. Love Drunk. I’ll see you tomorrow after you’ve had half a dozen orgasms.”
“Oh, I expect I’ll have more than that.” I duck outside in time to avoid getting hit by the croissant Maddie hurls my way.
Laughing, I turn, spotting Aria bending over by her Prius, unbuckling Felicity from her car seat. When the one-year-old sees me, she throws up both hands and squeals loud enough to make Aria jump.
“Geez Louise,” she says, pressing a hand to her chest with a laugh as she notices me behind her. “She scares me to death every time she does that.”
I laugh and wave at the baby. “I bet that’s part of the reason she does it. Is scaring Mama the most fun, Felicity?”
Felicity grins and pats her bright red curls with one pudgy hand. “Eet eet.”
“I’m sorry, Skeeter,” I correct.
Felicity’s stepdaddy calls her Skeeter, and she obviously prefers the nickname to her given one. Whenever she’s called ‘Felicity,’ she’s quick to correct the offender. I’ve done my best to honor Aria’s request that we call her daughter by her real name, but there’s no way I can resist a direct order from a pumpkin as cute as Skeeter.
Besides, it’s her name. She should be called whatever she prefers to be called. And being brave enough to stand up for yourself at less than two years of age is a trait I, for one, think should be rewarded.
Still, I don’t want to irritate a friend and business partner.
“Sorry,” I whisper to Aria as she scoops Felicity into her arms. “She’s too adorable to disobey.”
Aria waves a hand through the air. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m about to give up fighting the Skeeter thing and just let Nash name the new baby Booger or Critter or Cheese Biscuit or whatever horrible thing he thinks is adorable right from the start.”
I laugh, a sound echoed from the driver’s side of Aria’s car. A moment later, an even more pregnant woman appears around the front. She’s gorgeous, with honey blond hair tumbling around her shoulders and a baby glow that makes her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkle.
“Naomi, I don’t know if you’ve met Lark, my middle little sister,” Aria says, motioning to the blonde with one hand. “Lark, Naomi.”
“Nice to meet you, Lark.” I extend a hand, happy to realize the sight of Lark’s very pregnant belly doesn’t trigger a single fizzle of sadness.
“Great to meet you! So great!” She takes my outstretched hand and pumps it enthusiastically. “I love your show so much. I used to watch it all the time when I was a teenager. It’s part of the reason I wanted to go to culinary school.”
I laugh-wince. “Now I feel really old.”
Lark’s eyes go wide. “Oh no, I didn’t mean that. The show had just come on, it wasn’t that long ago and I—”
“Don’t worry about it. I was kidding,” I say, giving Lark’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “So, I hear you’re having twins! How exciting.”
Lark nods and brings a hand to rest on her belly. “Yes, but not until spring if you can believe it. I’m going to be as big as a house.”
“I’ll still be bigger. Gaining baby weight is my superpower,” Aria says, shifting Felicity to her other arm, dodging the finger the baby aims toward the bakery. “We should probably get inside. I don’t want to put her down near the street. She went straight from walking to sprinting like a track star. I’m going to have to start jogging with Nash if I want to keep up.”
“Y’all go on,” I say, backing away. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
I wave to the March sisters and then turn and hurry across the street, grinning when I spot Jake already standing on the grass by the picnic table, waiting for me.
“Well, hello, stranger,” I say, jogging the last few steps and leaping into his arms.
He catches me with a soft grunt, his smile widening. “I thought this day would never end. I missed you. Especially this part of you.” He bends lower, claiming my lips for a deep, thorough kiss that turns my bones to liquid.
“Me, too,” I breathe when we finally come up for air, my skin tingling all over. “I drove Maddie crazy looking at the clock. I think she’s looking forward to staying at work all night just to get away from me.”
Jake glances across the street. “Was that Aria’s sister?”
I nod.
“I didn’t know she was pregnant, too,” he says, shaking his head as he sets me back on my feet. “Must be something in the water. Seems like every time I look around someone else is having a baby.”
“I’m glad you said that. I’ve been seeing baby bumps everywhere, but I thought maybe it was just me.”