“Same to you, Catherine.”
Living with Ava and Nick has rubbed off on me a bit.That was badass Ava style, and she would be proud of me.I have to admit, it felt good.
I sit down at the table where Nick and Ava are staring daggers at Chris and his date.I lean over the table next to her and whisper, “Tom, you have to keep calm to get your Jerry.”She gives me the finger under the table and I laugh.
Nick puts his hand around my shoulder and asks me, “What’s so funny?”
“Inside joke between girls.”I rub my hand on the inside of his thigh.“Why did you introduce me the way you did to Mr.Watkins?You could have said I’m your girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend doesn’t describe what you are to me, you’re more than that.The mother of my child, the love of my life, and the woman by my side describes you perfectly.”
I squeeze his thigh, smiling ear to ear, and take a drink of my water.He surprises me by taking my hand, helping me up, and leading me out to the middle of the dance floor, holding me almost inappropriately too close, with his hands around my waist.His hands are on the small of my back, fingers skimming the top of my butt.My head tilts back to look at him, and he bends his head down to my lips.His eyes, always his eyes—mesmerizing, clear silver blue orbs washing over me.
“People are looking.”
“So?”
“So what are they going to say?”
“They are going to see how in love I am with the pregnant girl who won’t marry me.”
He kisses me with everyone watching, including Paige, and I don’t care.I’m deliriously happy in this moment.Eat your heart out, Paige!
Cat
“Last night was awful.”Avasighs.“I had to spend the whole night looking at you and Nick all over each other, being sickeningly in love.Then across the table I was forced to see the old nag and the young stallion.”
“I came over here to cheer you up, talking about Chris and his date isn’t going to do that.We haven’t talked about them once today, let’s continue to do that.”
“That’s because we were doing one of my favorite things.Why wouldn’t I be happy shopping and eating?What the hell was he doing with that old-ass skank anyways?”
“She’s not that much older than us, Ava.”
“In dog years.”
“I can’t believe what you said about blowing rings out of her you know what.”A fit of laughter bubbles up in me seeing it in my head.“Ewww.”
“Cilantro, what kind of name is that?”Ava rants on.
“Her name is Sage.”
“Who the hell names their kid after a spice?”Bending over, she gets up close, finger in my face, eyes wide open, looking deranged.“It’s not even one of the good spices.”
I burst into another fit of laughter.“It’s a herb, not a spice.”
“Go ahead, keep laughing at my deteriorating love life.Cat!”she whines in a high-pitched wail.
“I can’t help it, it must be the hormones.I’m sorry.”
“I know he had sex with her last night.He was probably knee deep in her.He probably fell in the deep end.”
I keep on laughing and shake my head.“Knee deep.How am I supposed to stop laughing if you keep saying things like that?You need to stop before I go into preterm labor.”I wipe the corner of my eye with the back of my hand.“Your cousin is going to kill you if I do.”
She flops down in the couch, arms folded.“I never thought I would say this.Why can’t I find a guy like Nick?”
I throw my head back in another fit of laughter.I’m laughing so hard I almost fall off the chair I’m sitting on.“Whoa!Whoa!”
Ava grabs my arms, her eyebrows going up over her hairline she’s so scared.“Cat, are you all right?”
