“I’m saving seats for Maggie and Hunter,” she explained. “With him not on the team, they can’t get in the arena until it opens for admittance.”
“Are they coming tonight?” Margot asked. “It seems like it’s been ages since we saw them last.”
“Who are Maggie and Hunter?” Harley said, looking between the women for clarification. “I don’t think I have met them yet”
“Oh, then you are in for a treat.” Simone leaned around Carly to look at her. “Maggie is a burlesque dancer, and Hunter is another Brotherhood Protector who works out of Chicago for the Lone Wolf Agency.”
“Burlesque?” Harley said, arching a brow.
Carly nodded. “You’d never guess it by looking at Maggie. She’s nothing like some of the women she works with at the club. She’s so down to earth, doesn’t sport tattoos, piercings or have colorful hair. And Hunter is a former Marine like Don Juan. They’re such a cute couple.”
“I look forward to meeting them,” Harley said as movement on the ice drew her attention in that direction. She noticed the two teams coming out on the ice to begin warming up and leaned closer to Carly. “Did I understand you right? Are you expecting?”
Carly smiled and nodded, her eyes shining brightly.
“And your friends don’t know?” Harley asked.
Carly shook her head. “Maybe I should have waited until Brand was with me to have announced it.”
“Congrats to you both,” Harley said softly and bumped shoulders with her.
“Thanks.”
Margot leaned down. “What are you two whispering about?”
They moved apart and Carly stood, turning to face her. “We were talking about what I said a few moments ago that no one seemed to hear but Harley.”
“What did you say?” Simone asked, looking puzzled.
Carly smiled. “Brand and I are going to have a baby too.”
“Oh my word!” Margot jumped up and hugged her. “How far along are you?”
“That’s awesome, Carly,” Colleen said. “I’d get up, but then I’d have to try to sit again. Little Kincaid is not in a good position these days.”
“Well, blow me away,” Simone said.
Jules stood and stepped up on the bench where she had sat so she could hug Carly too. “I’m tickled pink or blue whichever you have.”
“We don’t know yet because I just completed my first trimester,” Carly explained. “Although my doctor did tell me there is a new blood test I could do at home if I wanted to find out right away. She just said Brand couldn’t be in the room when I did it or he could influence a false diagnosis of the gender.”
“My doctor told Eli and I about that early on too,” Margot said.
“And yet you decided to wait until bambino Rosi is born,” Simone said. “It’s making throwing you a baby shower more difficult. I don’t know whether to go pink or neutral.”
Margot rubbed her tummy. “Sorry, Auntie Simone, but for some reason I decided I wanted to be traditional and do it like my parents did when they had me.”
“I’m sure Senator Wills isn’t too happy having to wait to find out what his first grandchild is going to be,” Jules said.
“Daddy is just fine waiting. He’s over the moon you know. Said I was making him feel his age,” Margot said proudly as she sat back down beside Colleen. “Maybe he will stop getting married to every woman he meets.”
They all laughed at Margot’s quip about her father and his many ex-wives.
Carly slowly sank back down beside Harley. “Does anyone else have anything they’d like to share?”
Everyone turned to look at Pepper.
“What?” she asked innocently.
