“Totally. I’m past ready to claim him as mine.”
They all laughed, and Crystal swung her head around to stare at them for a moment before she went back to tree-watching. Asher covered her mouth and laughed more.
Amelia shook her head. “She’s a good baby, Asher.”
Asher nodded. “She is. She just stares at me if I talk too loud or laugh loudly. It’s like she’s judging me.”
“I’m sure she isn’t judging,” Danika said.
Asher rolled her eyes. “Oh, she judges. Trust me, she knows how to judge people.”
“Well, I love her,” Nichole said. “She can judge me all day long.”
“That’s your hormone’s talking,” Rowan said.
Elowen chuckled. “Nichole, you have five months, right?”
Nichole smiled and nodded. “Yes. And I’m hardly even showing.”
“You’ll show soon enough, and it will stick with you forever,” Asher said.
Amelia snorted. “Absolutely with you forever.”
Nichole shrugged. “I’m happy this time it worked. I swore I wasn’t going to get obsessive when we started trying, but months of nothing happening ate at me.”
“It’s tough,” Danika said. “I’m glad you had support during it all.”
Nichole nodded. “I would have driven myself insane if it hadn’t been for you all. Thank you.”
Elowen’s dog, Knuckles, sat up, sniffing the air. She reached out, petting her head. “Hey, girl, is it Griz?”
Knuckles yipped, then took off running to the tree line. She spied Griz a second later. She considered herself lucky to have Knuckles. The German Shepard was perfect for her. She alerted Elowen when anyone was near but was great with her guests at the cabin. It was like Knuckles understood when she told the dog they had guests showing up and didn’t freak out when cars arrived at the cabin.
The one time someone stopped at the cabin who didn’t have a reservation, the dog went crazy barking. Times like that, she wondered exactly how much Knuckles understood.
“Hey, we caught fish,” Griz called out as they approached the cabin.
Elowen stood and moved to him. “That’s great.”
“I wanted to drop these here, then I’ll head back to our place to shower.”
Elowen kissed his cheek, happier than she ever imagined she would be. “Sounds good.”
“Ladies,” Griz said as he headed into the house.
Elowen went back to the chair she’d been in before and watched all the guys kiss their women. It was obvious all of the couples were in love. Jay seemed especially smitten with Nichole. They were having a baby together, and she could see he was thrilled with the news.
Did she want a baby? Elowen still wasn’t sure she did. Kids took a lot of time, and she and Griz were just starting their lives together. She wasn’t what an obstetrician would consider to be young. Nichole had been heartbroken when she’d miscarried twice early in her pregnancies, and that would be a total kick to the gut. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to endure it.
Maybe being the auntie would be enough. She was happy with Griz, and he was certainly enough for her. Griz came out of the house, and she decided to walk back to the cabin with him. Of course, Knuckles came with her, and the three of them headed out.
“I had a good morning,” Griz said.
“Same. I like our friends.”
He slung his arm over her shoulder, and she didn’t mind the fishy smell at all. “You ready for tomorrow?” Griz asked.
Laughter spilled from her lips. “My man, I am. But I have to tell you that I’m already committed to you, and making it official won’t change anything on my part.”
