Page 81 of Lulu
“I brought tuna and egg salad finger sandwiches, chips, and guacamole,” Millie said, carrying a tray with a bowl and bag of chips in the middle.
Not to be outdone, Lissa added proudly, “But nothing will be as good as my apple pie.”
I could agree with that. “It all sounds good.” They followed me into the house with an excited Buttercup moving in and around our feet.
“So what kind of drinks are you providing?”
I smiled back at Holly as the girls set their stuff down on the same counter as the plates and utensils. “I have milk, orange juice, water, and coffee.”
All three ladies groaned and made a face of disgust.
“No to the water and milk,” Millie said quickly.
“Maybe on the coffee,” Holly piped in.
“You better have something to mix with that orange juice.” Lissa’s comment was almost threatening.
I laughed. “I’m pulling your legs.” I opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of Sangria. “I didn’t think you were going to be so hard to please.”
“Now you’re talking!” Lissa rushed out excitedly with a big smile.
“I figured we could fix our plates and take them out back.”
Millie nodded. “It’s a nice day for it. Have you heard from Brody?”
“Not really, other than goodnight texts he sends in the evenings. Have you heard from your men?” I glanced at all three of them.”
“About the same. But don’t worry, honey, that’s nothing unusual.”
I glared at Millie. “Hello? Do you know who you’re talking to?”
They all laughed. “I forget sometimes,” she admitted, turning slightly red.
We fixed our plates and drinks and went out back. Buttercup followed us, begging for the extra attention. The next hour we spent laughing, talking, and catching up on everything that had happened in our lives since the last time we’d gotten together. That hadn’t been all that long ago, considering we’d just had girls’ night, and at a real nightclub this time. Raven, Ellie, Jolene, and Viola had also joined us, and we’d had a wonderful evening, even with the prospects watching over us.
“Well, I have news.”
All of us simultaneously stopped what we were doing and looked at Millie for her to continue. A fleeting second of worry was quickly erased by the bright smile on her face that indicated that it was good news. “I’m pregnant!”
“Oh, my God!” I exclaimed. “Congratulations!” My eyes automatically dropped to her belly as I looked for a sign. “That’s why you’re drinking coffee!”
“Pff!So are you, doesn’t mean a woman is pregnant.”
“Does Loco know?” Lissa asked.
“God, I would hope so!” Holly chimed in. “The baby daddy should be the first one to know.”
It suddenly grew quiet, because we all knew what had happened to Holly the first time she’d gotten pregnant. She’d disappeared after her attack, afraid the baby hadn’t been Sax’s, and he hadn’t found out about the baby for a year.
She cleared her throat, looking awkward. “He should be, anyway.”
None of us wanted to delve back into that part of her past. “How far along are you?”
“Almost four months.”
“What?!” Lissa looked positively outraged. “You’ve been keeping this a secret all this time?” She crossed her arms and gave a mock scowl. “And I thought we were friends.”
Millie insisted, “We are. But I wanted to get past the first trimester. And keep this to yourselves for now. Loco wants to make a big announcement to the club, but I just couldn’t stand not sharing it anymore. I was about to burst.”