Carson mumbled congratulations as he looked around, trying to read the room.
For some reason, I felt the need to redirect everyone’s attention, which worked. All the ladies looked at me with smiling faces, but in seconds, the focus was back on River when she spoke up.
“I was going to tell you tonight.”
It was a relief knowing that even if Carson hadn’t helped drop the bomb, I wouldn’t have had to hide the news for long anyway.
Lake rubbed her sister’s back.
“Did you just find out?” London asked.
A sheepish look covered River’s face. “Umm, no. I’m starting my second trimester.”
The room exploded with questions coming at her left and right.
“I’m pregnant too!” Gemma yelled, pulling the attention back off River again—which I think was her goal. “With twins!”
I don’t think she had thought it through; she was only trying to help, but now she was getting peppered with questions too. It was a madhouse, the octave in the room competing with what you might expect at a Taylor Swift concert.
Even through the chaos, we still heard Carson who’d spoken—loud enough that he startled himself. Judging by the horrified look on his face, he hadn’t meant to speak that loud. Every head turned toward him in unison, like a roomful of Regan MacNeils mid-exorcism—though to be fair, it was more of a one-eighty than a full spin.
“What are you all running here, a baby-making factory?”
The room went silent for a moment as we stared at him, his face flaming fire-engine red.
Then we all lost it.
After several minutes, most of us finally simmering down, Alley took control.
“Come on, Carson, let’s put that food on the table, and you can hear all about what’s in the water around here before you have to go.”
“The water?” the young man asked.
Alley began walking toward the kitchen, motioning for Carson to follow. When he did, maybe a tad reluctantly, we all fell in behind him.
“Oh, she really doesn’t mean water,” Brinley told Carson. “It’s just a nice way of her saying our husband’s?—”
Jurnee, who was in front of me, pinched Brinley’s arm.
“Ouch!” Brinley exclaimed. “What did you do that for?”
“You were about to traumatize poor Carson, and we like him,” Jurnee said. “I mean, how many people have their own personal delivery driver who puts up with a bunch of crazy women?”
I heard Carson laugh.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Brinley told her friend.
“We sure do have a lot to talk about,” Summer commented.
“Hell yes, we do. Once we have food and are in the living room, prepare to be grilled for those of you who are pregnant,” Teal warned.
As we all piled into the kitchen to dish up, my cell alerted me to a text. I pulled the phone from my pocket and read the message from my husband, which is how the name displayed on the screen now.
Husband:How come the delivery dude gets to be in there with you and not me?
An image of Jett outside pouting as he texted me formed in my head, and I giggled, drawing looks from some of the women.
“Let me guess…” Ruby tapped her bottom lip. “Your husband is texting you, right?”
