She smirks, unphased, and sticks her tongue out right back. “Real mature.”
I roll my eyes, but she doesn’t let up. “Seriously, though,” she continues, her tone shifting slightly, “you couldn’t have chosen a better guy. Cal is great.”
I let out a breath, a little too long for it to be just a casual exhale. “Yeah, I know,” I admit. That’s kind of the problem.
Julietteand I are at Rose’s for dinner. Knox is picking Juliette up on his way home. The kitchen smells like roasted garlic and fresh bread, and my stomach is already preparing itself for an overload of carbs.
Rose leans forward, practically buzzing with excitement. “Let’s talk baby names!”
“Oh, hell yes,” I say with a grin. I’m all in. “Girl names or boy names first?”
“Girl names,” Rose answers without hesitation. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a girl.”
Juliette leans back in her chair, arms crossed casually, a slight smirk on her lips. She’s watching us with the kind of amused patience only she can pull off.
I start mentally sorting through names. “Okay, girl names. What about?—”
“I’m not naming her after you,” Juliette cuts in, her voice dry but full of that familiar sass.
I laugh, throwing my hands up in surrender. “Come on, Brianna Marie is a classic!”
Rose glances between us. “Well, if I had to pick somethingclassic,I’d go for Grace or Ella.”
“I like the sound of Ella,” Juliette considers. “It’s simple but elegant.”
“Hmm… What about something with a little more edge? Classic with a bit of flair?”
Rose rolls her eyes. “You two are impossible. This is supposed to be fun, not a debate over whether the baby’s name will sound like a rebel or royalty.”
Juliette leans forward. “I’m listening.”
I give a playful shrug, rolling the idea off my tongue. “What about…Maisie?”
The moment the name leaves my lips, Juliette’s eyes light up. “Oh, I love that!”
“Yeah, see? A little edge, a little charm. It works.” I smirk, watching her nod. “Maisie MacKenzie. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” she admits.
“And then her middle name can be Brianna,” I say, not even trying to hide the smug grin spreading across my face.
Juliette throws her head back and laughs. “Nice try, but no.”
I shrug. “Worth a shot.”
Then, my phone buzzes in my hand.
“Oh, is it lover boy?” Rose teases in an overly curious tone, but I’m already glancing down at the screen, my stomach giving a little twist.
“I highly doubt that,” I say, but when I see the name, my brain short-circuits for a second. “Oh, uh…it is.”
“You going to get back to him?” Juliette asks.
I shake my head, a tug-of-war pulling inside me. “Nah, not right now. We still need to discuss baby boy names. And eat.” The last part comes out with a bit more enthusiasm, but I’m starving. It’s also easier to focus on food than whatever is going on with Callan right now.
Juliette and Rose dive right back into their baby-name debate, but my attention drifts. It’s not that I’m not interested. Hell, I’m completely invested in whatever name they choose for the little one, but my mind keeps wandering back to Callan. I try not to think too much about it. It’s just one message, right?
An hour later, Knox swings by to pick up Juliette. I do my best to hold it together as I wave them off, watching their car disappear down the road. They’re about to have the best honeymoon, and I’m so freaking happy for them. The pit in my stomach isn’t because of them, though. It’s because I know I might not see Juliette again for a while.
