“Definitely for the festival,” I said. “I’ve promised Islaandthe council. But likely before that too.” I rubbed my hand along my jaw, thinking through my to-do list. “I’ll have to come back to sort things for the property. I want to employ as many local tradespeople as possible.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Weston said. “Do you want me to send you the links to the contractors we used for the camp this summer?”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” I got to my feet. “Let me help with the cleanup.”
“Nah,” he said, “you’re our guest.”
“Hey now, I thought I was part of the family.” I laughed as I grabbed the empty casserole dish, stacked it with cutlery, and followed Weston back to the kitchen.
“You know you are. You’re always welcome here when you come back,” Weston said as we set everything down in the sink, “either for business or just a visit. But I’ll understand if you start to spend most of your time at the inn.”
My cheek twitched. “I suppose I’m going to have to start building the nursery and all that.”
Weston leaned against the counter, arms crossed, giving me a smug grin. “You can just admit that things are going well with you two.”
“Will you keep an eye on Isla for me while I’m away?” I asked. I’d miss her while we were apart, but it was a comfort to know that Weston and Lena were so close.
“Of course,” he said. “We’ll make sure that she and Little Locke have everything they need.”
“It might be a little Lockette,” I pointed out, and Weston snorted, shaking his head.
“That’s awful.”
“That’s whatIsaid.” Isla appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Lena walked up behind her.
“Aisling already asleep?” Weston asked.
“Out like a light,” Lena said. “She is clutching the photo album, though.”
“Great,” Weston teased, opening his arm to Lena. “When we get it back in the morning it’ll be covered in drool.”
“Ready to go?” I asked Isla as she hid a yawn behind her hand.
She nodded. “Thanks again for dinner. It was amazing.”
“Anytime,” Lena said, and I smiled, knowing she meant it. We said the rest of our good nights and headed back to the inn. The sky was dark but for a bit of pink lingering on the horizon.
“Gosh, that pie made me so sleepy,” Isla said, walking into the lobby of the Deerhound. The lights were low. Isla shuffled in the direction of her room, and I followed. We settled into our now-familiar bedtime routine, taking turns brushing our teeth and changing into pajamas.
Isla tugged on the drawstring of my pants, blinking sleepily and pouting. “I was planning to sex you up tonight. It was going to be my going away present.” She fought off a yawn. “Stupid pie. I’m sorry.”
I stroked her hair behind her ear. It was wavy from being twisted into a bun all evening. “You’re growing an entire person inside you. Being exhausted is understandable. Plus, I’m not leavingthatearly.” I kissed her forehead. “There’s always the morning.”
Isla pecked me on the lips. “You, me, and Willy tomorrow morning. It’s a date.”
I snorted so hard it hurt. “Please don’t call my dick Willy.”
“What would you prefer? Something grand like Amadeus?”
My shoulders shook with laughter. I was going to miss these quiet moments with just the two of us being goofy together. “I don’t think it needs a nickname.”
“Suit yourself.” She climbed into bed, leaned against her pillow, and applied her hand lotion. I climbed in next to her. “Can wecheck the pregnancy app on your phone tonight?” she asked. “I don’t want to touch my phone while my hands are slimy.”
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and opened the app for our nightly ritual—we’d quickly gotten into the habit of reviewing it together right before bed. A little explosion of confetti went off. We’d apparently officially passed the two-and-a-half-month mark. “It says you should be monitoring your hydration, diet, and exercise. And it has a pop-up reminder that we’ve got that appointment with the midwife booked for next week.”
“Check,” Isla said, making a little tick-box motion with her hand as she leaned against my shoulder.
Thanks to the appointment, it really wouldn’t bethatlong before I saw her again. Sure, it would be a brief, fly-by visit before I had to take off again, but I’d still be there.
