“Okay,” she said with a mysterious smile. “Back to work!”
The minute the door swung shut I pressed against Emilia again. We made out like horny teenagers until we heard footsteps a short while later.
“You’re good to go!” Jeanie said triumphantly. “Boxed up and ready. I iced down the section that was cut so you can’t see the color inside.”
We went back to grab the doctored cake and when she opened the top of the box to show us I whistled my surprise.
“It looks good as new,” I praised. “What do we owe you?”
“Oh, not a penny!” Jeanie replied quickly. “Emilia has driven so much business my way that it’s the least I can do to thank her.”
Emilia frowned at her. “That feels wrong. Are you sure we can’t even give you a tip for such excellent work?”
“One hundred percent sure. I’m just glad I could help. Now get out of here and back to the party.”
Emilia gave Jeanie a hug and we began our reverse journey, this time with me in the driver’s seat.
By the time we got back to Harrison’s the party was well underway. Gwen teared up again when we showed her the cake, and Harrison clapped me on the back.
“Appreciate you, bro,” he said softly.
“You know you can always count on me.”
That had always been the case, in theory—but the Harrison he used to be would never have asked for help, and the Drew I used to be wouldn’t have thought to offer. We wereallchanging for the better.
I took Emilia’s hand and led her out to where the rest of the guests were gathered, half in the great room and half out on the patio where a DJ was set up. This wasn’t a staid little party, it had the makings of a really good time.
I was both surprised and not that the place was packed. Ever since the wedding Harrison and Gwen had become major homebodies who liked to bring the fun to them. They hosted friends for game nights, and movie nights, which meant that my formerly loner big brother was socializing more than he ever had before, all thanks to his lovely bride.
I glanced at Emilia. What sorts of changes was she bringing about in me? Had I started changing without even realizing it? I chuckled, silently acknowledging that allowing her to drive my damn car was a big deviation from the norm for me. And overall, I had to admit that being with Emilia made my baseline mood brighter. I found myself laughing more, probably also because of my other roommate who lived in my yard. I just felt more … upbeat. Like she was my own personal ball of sunshine.
“Hey everybody?” Harrison said loudly. “It’s time for the big moment.”
Conversation came to a halt immediately. Not surprising—he’d always had a way of commanding attention. I glanced at Logan across the room. Same with him. We were a formidable trio.
Gwen snuggled up beside Harrison, beaming while a photographer snapped photos.
“Before we find out who this little one is going to be,” he placed a gentle hand on Gwen’s stomach, “we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for being here. We’re so lucky to have a tribe like this. Our families,” he paused to look around the room to acknowledge us. “Our dear friends. Thank you for sharing this moment with us.”
He picked up the silver knife and handed it to Gwen.
Emilia leaned closer to me. “I’m so nervous!”
“Why?” I laughed at her.
“Because what’s about to happen is a big deal! Now they can decorate their nursery, and buy all of the cute little clothes in colors other than yellow and green.”
I watched her beaming at my brother and sister-in-law. Emilia’s joy for them was adorable.
Someone started a countdown, and they joined hands on the knife and pushed it into the cake.
They finished cutting and Harrison held up the slice with a line of bright pink through the center of it, his face awash with a mix of shock and joy.
“We’re having a baby girl!”
The crowd cheered as the DJ cued up an upbeat song.
“That’s Scarlet Rush,” Emilia informed me. “The song is called song ‘All for Her’! That’s so cute.”
