“Careful of my blush, Daddy,” Lucky chides.
I rear back, shocked by my own daughter, and everyone laughs.
“You tell him, Luckster!” my dad yells from the kitchen where he’s cooking up a storm.
I let Lucky down, and she goes into the kitchen to help Dad, Hannah coming up next to me, placing her hand on my arm. I rest my hands on her hips, getting a good look at her, and the tension in my chest eases some. Her ability to calm me by just being here should be studied.
“You okay?” she asks, smiling up at me.
I nod, swallowing hard. “Yeah. Nervous.”
“I know, but don’t forget these guys are your friends.”
I nod again, exhaling a long breath. “Thanks for coming over early. Lucky was determined to have you do her…makeup,” I say the word with gritted teeth, my eyes rolling because I still find it hard to believe a five-year-old needs makeup.
Hannah laughs. “It was an honor.”
I duck my head and press a quick kiss to her pretty lips, which elicits a high-pitched giggle from the direction of thekitchen, and Hannah and I both turn to see Lucky watching us, a hand covering her smiling mouth.
“I’m going to go up to my studio,” Allie says, her laptop clamped under her arm.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna stay, have something to eat with us?” I ask, although I’ve already asked twice, and each time I’ve been met with the same response.
“I need to finish this case study,” she says, shaking her head. “I have”—she pauses to check the time on her watch—“less than five hours before I have to submit it.”
She waves to us before retreating up the stairs, and with a fortifying breath, I take one last look around the living area, quietly impressed because this is the first time in years that it doesn’t look like a sparkly bomb full of unicorns and Disney princesses exploded in the joint.
As if on cue, the doorbell chimes, and I instinctively freeze, my heart jumping up into the back of my throat. I know I shouldn’t be this nervous. These are my friends. But this is huge.
“You want me to answer it?” Hannah asks, pulling me back to the now.
I release a hard breath, shaking my head. “No. It’s okay. I can get it. You just stay with Luck,” I whisper.
Hannah nods, and I press another kiss to her lips, glancing back at Lucky to see her face suddenly a little pale. I shoot her a reassuring wink before jogging down the stairs to greet my friends.
When I open the door to find Logan, Millie, Dallas, Emily, Fran, and Robbie, I try not to groan. I was expecting everyone to come separately, but for some reason they’re all here at once. It’s probably for the best—like ripping off a Band-Aid in one go—but it doesn’t help the anxiety swirling in my gut.
“Hey,” I say, rubbing at the pinch of nerves at the back of my neck. “Come on in.”
“I can’t believe this is our first time here,” Dallas says,slapping me on my chest as he walks inside. “I was sure you were harboring dead bodies in here or something.”
Robbie lets out a low whistle as he looks around the foyer. “Nice place.”
“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “I mean… it’s my dad’s place, really, but he lives in L.A.”
“Oh my God.” Millie lets out a low squeak. “Logan said he’s here.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, he’s upstairs cooking.”
“Jonny Slater is here?” Fran pushes past Robbie, her already big eyes now huge.
I nod.
“Oh my God, I’m wearing sweats!” She starts frantically smoothing her blonde hair, turning to Robbie and slapping him in his stomach, causing him to grunt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
With a snort, I say, “The dude is wearing pajama pants and a Rouse t-shirt one of his fans gave him backstage at a concert that I don’t think has ever been washed. You’re fine. Trust me.”
Everyone enters the foyer, and I lead the way to the stairs, pausing half way. Turning to them, I find Logan’s eyes, his brows knitting together.
