“I’m fairly proficient in all of those things,” Cali said with a dry laugh.
My cousin grinned and gave the other girl a wink. “Then you will be perfect as the personal assistant’s personal assistant.”
“Eduard has been kissing my ass the last few days,” I said with a smirk. “Casually mention that you and I are BFFs, and I bet he will bend over backward to make sure your job is smooth sailing.”
“Why is he kissing your ass?” Ciana asked curiously. “He’s normally so…reserved.”
“It doesn’t matter, but let’s just say he’s learned his lesson.” My phone buzzed with an incoming message, and I glanced down to see my mother’s text.
Mom: Will be in NYC around midday tomorrow. Set up lunch with G, so we can surprise him. Miss and love you both so much!
I smiled and shot back a quick reply, assuring her I would take care of it before putting my phone away.
“That’s not the smile you get when you’re talking to Ryan,” Ciana commented.
“It’s my mom. Instead of flying straight home a
fter their trip to Mexico, they’re going to visit for a few days.” Mom and I had been planning it for a while now, so that she and I could go dress shopping with Anya. I hadn’t mentioned it to Ryan, wanting to surprise him. I could sense how anxious he was to get the ball rolling on planning the wedding. Other than our brief conversation about where we should get married, we hadn’t had time to discuss any other details since.
“Oh, yay!” my cousin cheered happily. “I love extra time with Auntie.”
I saw Cali shifting uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye, and I turned my head to look at her. “Can I come with you to the appointment tomorrow?” I asked hopefully. “I would really love to see my little niece or nephew.”
“You want to come?” she asked in surprise.
“More than anything. I don’t want to freak you out, but in my family, the aunts tend to be just as hands on as the moms. I would love it if you let me be a big part of the baby’s life.”
“That kind of dynamic is completely foreign to me,” she murmured softly. “But I have always wanted a close-knit family.”
“Well, you’ve found it,” Ciana assured her before I could. “Because we all are already invested in your little one’s future happiness.”
“Do you—” She broke off, biting her lip with uncertainty before continuing. “Do you think Flick will be happy she’s going to be a grandmother?”
“Are you kidding me?” I laughed. “If I told her that you are pregnant right now, she would make my dad change the flight times so she could get here in time for your first appointment. Once you make the announcement, she might never want to go back to California. Not when she has so much to do to prepare for her first grandbaby’s arrival.”
“It would be nice to have her be a part of my pregnancy experience,” Cali mused. “I’ve been terrified of having to do this all on my own, with no one to ask for advice. I don’t know how much help my own mother would have been through all this, but for some reason, I think it would be less daunting if she were alive.” She swallowed hard, both of her hands rubbing over her flat stomach. “I’m okay with it just being me and the baby, but it’s scary, you know?”
“Yeah,” Ciana whispered, then quickly cleared her throat. “You don’t have to do this on your own, though. You have me and Nova, as well as Garret—”
“I don’t have Garret,” Cali cut her off, her tone growing cold.
“As soon as you tell him about the baby, he’s going to be at your side twenty-four seven.”
“I already told him,” my friend bit out. “And he walked away. He sat there on my couch, his eyes full of hate while I told him who I was and that I was so sorry for keeping my identity from him. Then I confessed that I thought I was pregnant. And he just got up and left me standing there.”
Ciana and I locked gazes, realization hitting us hard. “Oh no,” we whispered at the same time.
No wonder Cali wasn’t accepting Garret’s apologies. Not only had she felt like he’d abandoned her, but their baby too. He hadn’t mentioned her pregnancy when he’d been on his drunken rant, which made me wonder if he’d even heard her say she was pregnant. Sometimes my brother tended to shut down when his emotions got the better of him. He turned everything off. In the past, he’d missed full conversations while looking the person who was speaking straight in the eye. It was a petty yet self-preservation mechanism he’d perfected over the years.
But it would seem this time it was going to bite him in the ass in a big way.
Straightening her shoulders, Cali put on a forced smile. “Enough with the heavy shit. I don’t want to think about my asshole ex. Let’s just have a good time and unwind.”
Promising myself I would kick Garret’s ass later, I returned her smile. “I thought we would do something simple for dinner, but now I’m thinking we need something more extravagant.”
“I want tacos!” Ciana licked her lips hungrily. “I’ve been thinking about them all day.”
“Yes, please,” Cali agreed. “I’ll take five with beans and rice. And I need chips and queso, ASAFP.”