Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of my man watching me from the bedroom doorway, and his eyes flare like sapphires while taking in my sumptuous curves. With a giggle, I saunter to the handsome alpha male before trailing a teasing finger down his chest.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“As if you have to ask,” he growls, those blue eyes ravenous. “You look absolutely perfect, Simona.”
I giggle in delight and then wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him until my head’s spinning and my heart feels light. I shouldn’t be feeling this emotions, but it’s too late to stop now.
The grass in the park is a picturesque sea of emerald with not even one dead, yellowy patch. Other families play with their dogs and kids while we search for Luke. Finally, we spot a handsome man waving at us across the field. He has black hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders, and … oh, wait a minute. My eyes widen when I see the young woman sitting next to him on the checkered blanket. OMG, that’s my friend Patty!
She sees me at the exact same moment and screams in surprise. We both tumble towards each other, finally meeting at a halfway point before grabbing each other in a tight hug.
“Simona!” my buddy exclaims. “James mentioned he’d started dating someone, but he never said it was you!”
I giggle.
“I know, it’s weird right? James told me his brother was named Luke, but I never put two and two together. I never even considered it for a second, actually. This is such a huge surprise!”
“Well, it’s a good surprise,” Patty says before squeezing me one more time. Then we make our way to the blanket, and Patty takes her daughter out of Luke’s arms, bumping her up and down a bit. The little girl coos and giggles, and to my delight, she has black hair and blue eyes just like the Montgomery brothers.
“This is Pixie,” Patty says. “Say hi to Simona, darling! This is one of Mommy’s best friends.”
The baby waves her hand excitedly, and we all laugh.
“Goodness, what a pretty little girl,” I coo. “She looks just like you and Luke combined,” I murmur while offering her my palm. The baby grabs onto a finger happily, tugging and burbling at once. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Pixie.”
Pixie’s wondrous expression gives way to a wide, mostly toothless grin. Then, she wiggles in her mama’s arms until Patty puts her down, and the little girl starts kicking her feet ecstatically, still blowing bubbles and goo-gooing.
“Hey man,” James growls to his brother. “It’s good to see you again.”
Luke gives his bro a man hug.
“You too. Thanks for coming out to the park because Pixie is too small to stay in a restaurant for long. She’s better off outdoors where there’s sun, wind, grass, and maybe a few dogs.”
I smile at the big man.
“I’m Simona by the way,” I laugh. “If you haven’t figured that out yet.”
Luke merely grins and shakes my hand.
“So you’re my wife’s best friend and my brother’s girlfriend. Both good things to be, so I’m already sold.”
My heart flutters at being called James’s girlfriend, and I sneak a quick look at my lover but he looks comfortable and at ease. Goodness, maybe this really is happening.
The picnic goes wonderfully. Patty and Luke brought a gourmet spread prepared by one of the finest restaurants in the city.
“You know me,” giggles Patty. “I never know what to bring for a picnic and Cipriani’s has these wonderful pre-order picnic sets, so I decided to give it a try. Plus, I’m pregnant again,” she adds in a low voice, rubbing her belly with a fond smile. “So I didn’t want to get too stressed out. As you can see, Cipriani’s does everything, even providing plastic cutlery and cloth napkins.”
“You’re pregnant?” I whisper. “Oh my God, congratulations girl!”
Patty smiles beatifically as her eyes go dreamy, staring at her husband and child.
“Yeah, I think it’ll be really nice. Pixie could use a sibling, and Luke’s been after me for a second child for a while now.”
“But you just gave birth!” I begin.
Patty smiles devilishly. “Well, that’s what happens when you’re married to an alpha male. I swear, Luke wants to knock me up as many times as possible, but I drew the line at six children. There’s no way I could do more than that.”
My mouth opens and closes silently, a bit like a dying fish.
“Six children?” I finally manage to stammer.
Patty nods as the men talk, but I can also tell that James is listening with one ear.
“Yeah, and that was after some serious negotiation too. Believe it or not, Luke wanted double digits. Yep. He wanted ten to twelve kids, but I said absolutely not. I had to talk him down to six.”
I’m absolutely blown away, as well as a bit envious because to be honest, I’d love to have children someday. Even more, I’d love to have babies with James, and for my belly to grow swollen again and again with his children. I sneak a sideways glance at my boyfriend, but he seems to be engrossed in conversation with his brother now. Good, because I don’t want him to know what’s going on in my heart of hearts.