Hunter shrugged and a grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “It might.”
“It happens to all of us,” Liam said. “I sure have my hands full with Simone.”
“About that, are the two of you joining in the baby race?”
Liam hesitated. “Not yet,” he admitted. I’d love to, but she’s squeamish at the idea, so unless we’re miraculously blessed, I don’t see it happening for us anytime soon.”
They stopped outside of the ticket kiosk and purchased their fares. “What about the you and Maggie?”
“Have you ever seen a pregnant burlesque dancer?” Hunter chuckled.
“No.”
“There’s your answer.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Are you okay with Simone feeling the way she does?”
“Not really,” Liam admitted. “But I love her, and I don’t want to rock the boat right now. I figure I’ll give her time with baby Christopher and then baby Rossi when it gets here.”
“And if that still doesn’t change her mind?”
“I’ll sabotage her birth control?” he said.
Hunter stared at him something like horror. “Are you freaking nuts?”
“I’m kidding, of course,” Liam said hastily. “Bad joke. I don’t know what I would really do if she doesn’t come around on her own. We’ve always had this bickering kind of wordplay about us, and it has worked. Maybe I’ll take that approach with her, challenge her the way I did when we first met. I swore up and down she wasn’t going to get me into bed when that was exactly what I wanted and of course that is what happened because the hotel flooded, and we had one bed in the hotel we were moved to instead of the two rooms she booked.”
Their tram thundered into the station and they waited as the riders rushed out onto the platform to step inside the car and take their places. “Sounds like a technicality that worked out in your favor.”
Remembering that time, Liam smiled. “It was, but boy what a time we had on that adventure, So what about you and Maggie?”
“We have time. As a dancer she’ll eventually have to make a career change and she’s agreed to do that before it becomes impossible for us to start a family. I’m not worried.”
Liam nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Besides, she might get baby fever and decide it’s time rather than waiting with all the babies coming,” Hunter said.
“That is possible,” Liam agreed.
The tram took a tunnel for them to make a change from the blue to the green line, where they waited five minutes for the next tram to arrive. The three-minute ride sped them to theirnext stop and from there it was a short walk to the Brownstown where they could finally meet with Harley.
Matching black mourning wreaths with thin blue line bows hung on the dark stained double doors and Liam pressed the doorbell. A woman in a blue dress answered and she regarded them carefully. “You must be Mr. Donovan and Mr. West. I’m Fiona Creighton, Harley’s neighbor from down the street. She’s lying down with a migraine and asked me to meet with you.”
“She should have called,” Liam said. “We could have rescheduled if she isn’t feeling well.”
“She really wanted to get this over with,” Fiona explained. “And I’m really glad to help out. Do come in. I lived beside their grandparents for years and was delighted to meet Harley and Reilly when they moved in after their grandmother passed.”
“That’s nice of you,” Hunter said.
“It was the least I could do when I brought over those wreaths today and found her suffering from the migraine,” Fiona said. “Can I offer you gentleman something to drink? Coffee? Hot tea?”
“Coffee would be great,” Hunter said and Liam nodded.
They followed her into the kitchen where a pot of coffee sat on the burner. She took two cups from the cabinet and pointed at the selection of creamers and sweeteners on the counter. “Help yourselves.” She handed them the cups.
As they prepared their drinks, Fiona said, Reilly occupied the downstairs level and Harley has the upper floor. They of course share all the other areas. I know for a fact her grandparents never used the bottom floor when they lived here, especially in their later years. I think they used it mainly for storage.”
