Tess laughed. “How did he react to that?”
“Oh, you know Gavin. He pouted for a while, then he apologized and promised he’d tone it down. I told him I thought it was sweet that he wants to take care of me, and I know he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to be doing at this early stage, but geez.”
After Stevie and Tess laughed, Tess looked toward Stevie. “What about Cole? Is he prone to hovering?”
“No, that’s not his style. He’s just reliably there for me. He tells me occasionally to be careful, and he’s made me assure him I won’t hesitate to ask for anything I need, but he isn’t a hoverer.”
She was aware that both her best friends eyed her closely as she talked about her husband. She knew she’d been a bit circumspect in discussing her marriage with them. She didn’t know why, exactly, because she’d been prone to share even intimate details of her previous romances. But Cole was a private man, and she respected his comfort zone too much to breach his trust.
“Okay, I just told you that Scott and I butted heads over something at work this morning, and Jen told us about her confrontation with Gavin last night,” Tess recapped. “So what do you and Cole fuss about?”
Stevie blinked, then spread her hands. “Nothing.”
Jenny snorted skeptically. “Nothing? Seriously? I think I know you better than that, Stevie.”
She understood why Jenny would question her. It wasn’t that she had a bad temper, but she wasn’t one to hold back her feelings, either. She got mad, she expressed it, then she just as quickly forgave and moved on. The closest she’d come to quarreling with Cole had been when she’d snapped at him in the baby store on their honeymoon, she realized now. He hadn’t gotten angry in return, and had seemed to go out of his way not to step on her toes since. She bit her lower lip. Was that a healthy thing?
“You said he’s in Chicago this week?” Tess inquired.
Stevie heard her own little wistful sigh before she replied, “Yes. He left this morning. He’ll be back Friday. He doesn’t usually have to travel as much as he has the past couple of months, but there’ve been issues with a conversion to some sort of new data system that’s totally beyond my comprehension.”
Jenny toyed with her food, but her gaze was still focused on Stevie. “So you have the house to yourself again for a few days.”
“Yes. I have to admit it already feels a little odd not to have him there.” She laughed quietly. “Dusty isn’t much of a conversationalist, though she is good company.”
Jenny allowed the full measure of her concern to show on her face. “So you’re happy with Cole?”
“I’m happy,” she said firmly. “We’re getting along very well and we’re both looking forward to the baby. We love the plans Scott’s architect drew up for our attic renovation and the estimate was very reasonable, so we’re excited about moving forward with that, too.”
Maybe “excited” wasn’t the best adjective to describe Cole’s satisfaction with the plan, but close enough, she decided. “We’ve agreed it will be better to stay at his place while the staircase construction is underway. Once we’re settled again, we’ll decide whether to sell or rent out his house.”
“Sounds like you have your future all planned out,” Tess remarked.
“As much as anyone can plan for the future.”
“Do you think you and Cole will have more children?” Tess asked artlessly.
Stevie blinked, caught off-guard by the question that hadn’t even occurred to her until now. “We haven’t had this one yet,” she said, resting a hand on the more noticeable bulge of her tummy.
“But you are sleeping together?” Jenny asked bluntly. “And by sleeping, of course, I mean—”
“Jen,” Tess murmured, apparently deciding the questioning had gone just a bit too far with that one.
Jenny’s expression was a mixture of apology and defiance. She spoke quietly, her words audible only to Stevie and Tess in their corner booth. “She understands why I’d ask. We’ve known each other since we were kids, right, Stevie? I knew the day you had your first period. The day you got your first of several broken hearts. I know you lost your virginity after senior prom to the first of those heartbreakers. You knew when Gavin became my first, something you recognized the minute I walked into our dorm room afterward. I’m fully aware this is none of my business. You can tell me to jump into a lake and I won’t get mad, because you have every right to do so. But you know I love you, and I worry about you. And you have to admit you’ve never been shy about expressing your opinions when you were concerned about me.”
There was no way Stevie could hold out against that heartfelt speech. For one thing, every word of it was true.
She drew a deep, steadying breath. “Cole and I married for the sake of this child neither of us was expecting but both of us want,” she said, paraphrasing something he’d once said to her. “And yes, it is a real marriage in every way. It’s a win-win-win situation. The baby gets a father, I get a partner in raising the child and Cole gets a family. It’s what we both want. Thank you for caring. I love you both, and I’m glad all of us are happy now. I’m looking forward to raising our kids together, backyard barbecues and birthday parties, being eccentric old lady friends who get together and brag about our grandchildren. I know I didn’t go about this marriage in a typical manner...but when have I ever been typical?”
Her eyes suspiciously liquid, Jenny managed a watery smile. “Never. And I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
“That goes both ways,” Stevie said gruffly, returning the smile.
“So could I ask just one more question?”
Stevie growled humorously, wondering when she and Jenny had swapped personalities. This sounded exactly like a conversation they’d have had in the past, only with roles reversed. “What the hell. Ask.”
“Is there any chance you’re falling in love with Cole?”