“They are?” she asks. “Please tell me we’re going.”
I chuckle. “You know, I could always take you to Vegas to see them. I’m rich after all. Hell, I can host our own private show here at the apartment.”
“Flashing your money, are we?”
I like her lighthearted tone, so I go with it. “I feel like I need to impress.”
“Do you know how you can impress?” she asks. “Recite all of the characters in Harry Potter in alphabetical order with corresponding house—if they have one.”
“Hmm, something to work on.” I smooth my hand over her stomach and then work my way up to her breast, barely skimming it with my fingers. “Do you know what JP told me today?”
“What?” she asks, her voice sounding breathless.
“Huxley apparently has a soft spot, and I’m not talking about Lottie.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” I say while dragging my fingers along her stomach, loving how it dips and expands with every breath she takes and every touch I make. “Huxley was in his office, and JP walked in on him and saw his eyes were teary.”
“No, I don’t believe it,” she says while shaking her head. “Huxley doesn’t cry.”
“I know, that’s what I said. And when JP asked him what was going on, Huxley shut down.”
“Yeah, as if the man would share his feelings.”
“Exactly,” I say, loving how much Lia knows about my family. “But you know JP, he’s relentless, and he irritated Huxley so much that he finally spilled and said he was watching a video Lottie sent him of a baby hearing for the first time after not being able to hear since birth. Huxley ended up showing JP the video, and they teared up together. Then of course JP donated half a million dollars to a foundation that helps families who can’t afford the equipment needed to help their children hear.”
“Oh my God, that’s so sweet,” Lia says. “I thought you were going to say something ridiculous like . . . JP’s pigeon craze.”
“That’s where I thought it was going too,” I say as I bring my hand back up to her breast. This time, I lightly cup it and drag my thumb over the bottom. “But I was surprised to hear that it was about a kid. It makes me think they’re hiding something.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I think Lottie might be pregnant.”
“No.” Lia shakes her head. “She had drinks with us the other night.”
“Yeah, but JP also said he’s seen some nonalcoholic knockoffs. Or she’s skipped the booze portion of the drink.”
Lia twists so she sits on my lap now, her back against the couch and her legs draping off the edge of the couch. “No, she can’t be pregnant. I’m sure I would have been able to tell.”
“Do you have uterus X-ray vision I don’t know about?” I ask.
She presses her palm to my face, causing me to laugh. “You know what I mean.”
“I really don’t. I think she is. The signs are there. Huxley has been extra protective around her lately. More than usual. And he’s canceled a few appointments. JP told me about it. He thinks they’ve been going to see the doctor.”
I place my hand on her thigh as she stares off in wonderment. “I can’t fathom it, Huxley being a father. Then again, I never, and I mean never, thought he would get married.” She turns toward me now, straddling my lap. I accommodate the switch in position and slip my hands under her shorts, all the way up to the juncture of her hips. “But here he is, proving me wrong with every turn. Lottie really has domesticated him.”
“Yeah, I’m glad they bumped into each other. I like Lottie a lot.”
“Me too,” Lia says. “And Kelsey, for that matter. Are she and JP trying to get pregnant?”
“I didn’t ask, but from the look in JP’s eyes when he was talking about Lottie possibly being pregnant, I could see the desire in his eyes. I think JP would make a great dad.”
“I think so as well.” She places her hands on my chest. “I like gossiping about your siblings. They present such an austere image that seeing behind the scenes of these powerful men is fun.”
“What about me?”
