“Oh my God, you did! Jessie.”
“Look,” she sighs, “trying to talk to Mom once she gets an idea is impossible. You know this? We’re all the same, Mara. I kinda feel sorry for whoever I end up with.”
Laughing, I have to agree with her.
“Mara’s just like her,” Callie adds.
We look at her.
“What? You are. I mean, Robin as well. She has Leo’s tongue hanging out of his mouth.”
“Leo?” Jessie sits straighter in her chair. “Leo’s here?”
I face Jessie. “You know all about him and you haven’t told me?”
“Seriously, Mara? If I tell you something, you’d tell Donovan who will then go and gossip to Reece and Jack like a woman, and then Reece would get all up in her business.”
Opening my mouth to reply, I have second thoughts and take a drink of the hot chocolate in front of me, which isn’t all that hot anymore. It will do while I think about what she’s said, and then I start laughing and meet the amused gazes of my friends.
“She’s right, isn’t she?”
Thalia chuckles. “Oh yes. My husband can gossip with the best of them.”
“So can Reece,” Callie adds, and blows my brother a kiss on the stage.
“They’re as bad as each other…I wouldn’t change them for anything.” I sympathize with Jessie, and taking her hand, I squeeze. “I’m sorry you can’t always talk to me, but I’m here for you if you need me, and Donovan won’t ever say anything to the guys if I ask him not to. That I promise.”
“Thanks.” Jessie grins. “When are they going to sing?” She nods to the stage.
I laugh. “They’ll be gossiping.”
“Ugh. Men are worse than women. They get it wrong half the time as well.” She shoves away from the table. “I’m going to introduce myself to Leo.” Jessie grins with a wicked gleam in her eye.
I watch her move toward the bar and groaning, I turn back to my friends. “She is trouble.”
“She won’t do anything to hurt Robin, will she?” Thalia asks worriedly.
Shaking my head, I reply, “No. She might put Leo on the spot with what he feels for Robin, but she won’t do or say anything to keep them apart.” I glance toward the bar. “To be honest I’m not sure anything could be said or done to keep them apart.”
“I agree,” Callie says. “They looked really cozy at the house the other day and that was the first time they’d been anywhere together…Anyway, enough about them. How are you doing?”
I smile softly, and stroke over my belly. “I’m not too bad. The sickness is slowly subsiding and I’m beginning to enjoy being pregnant. The fear of two babies is still there I guess, but we’ll manage.”
Glancing at the stage, I catch Donovan’s gaze and my heart warms. “I love that man.” I turn my gaze to Callie and ask, “How’s my brother?”
Callie chuckles. “Reece is…Reece. He’s calmed down over Robin.” Callie’s smile dims. “It took me admitting not sharing the news about my pregnancy right away to make him realize how he’d been with me.” Tears swim on her lashes.
I reach out and clasp her hand along with Thalia. “Oh, honey.”
She shakes her head. “We’re fine now and in a way, I’m glad that there was something to shake him up, you know.” Callie blinks away her tears and after squeezing our hands, sits back in the chair. “I don’t want Reece to see me upset, or he’ll worry.”
Personally, I think it would do my brother good to see how much he hurt his wife, but instead I glare at him and watch a frown appear on his brow when he glances between his wife and me. I shake my head and grin when he looks back at me before I turn my attention to Donovan.
He’s sexy up there on the stage and my eyes caress him while my body hums with arousal at the thought of being wrapped around him later. The amazing things he does to me.
“Will you stop?” Thalia lightly hits me on the arm. “They need to rehearse and Donovan looks seconds away from jumping off the stage and ravishing you.
“Mmm, I wouldn’t mind,” I admit.