Safe with Me (With Me in Seattle 5)

“I don’t wear lipstick,” Stacy reminds us as we follow the petite blonde. She’s stunning today, just like every day, in a maxi dress with a denim jacket over it and black heels that click along the floor as she walks.

Jules is the only woman I know who wears heels all day shopping without needing a foot transplant by the end of it. If I didn’t adore her, I’d despise her.

When we all get in the bathroom, Jules looks under the stalls to be sure we’re the only ones there.

“This isn’t high school, Jules,” Stacy reminds her with a smirk.

“I need you two to keep Nate busy for a while,” She informs Stacy and me, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Why?” I ask. “Where are you going?”

“She and I are going lingerie shopping so she can wear something hot when…” Natalie begins but is cut off by Jules as she jumps up and down and claps her hands excitedly.

“When I tell him I’m knocked up!”

“Holy fuck!” Stacy exclaims.

“Wow!” I agree, and we both rush her and hug her close, rocking back and forth.

“Oh, let me in there,” Natalie says and wraps her arms around all of us.

“This family is suddenly swarming with babies,” Stacy murmurs and wipes tears from her eyes.

“Oh my God, can you imagine how beautiful their baby is going to be?” I ask and hug Jules tightly again. “This gene pool is seriously impressive.”

“I’m so excited for you,” Nat tells her and squeezes her hand. Jules looks at each of us and sighs with a big smile on her face.

“I know it’s soon. We just got married a few months ago, but…” She shrugs and flips her hair back over her shoulder. “Ready or not, here it comes.”

“Nate is going to be beside himself,” Natalie says with a grin.

“So you’re gonna get all sexed up and then tell him?” I ask with a smile.

That’s so Jules.

“Hell yes I am.” She nods and then her eyes go wide. “Wait. I really do have to pee again. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me that you pee all the time when you’re prego?”

“I did tell you,” Nat calls to her through the stall door. “You never listen to me.”

“So what’s the plan?” I ask.

“Why don’t you two take Nate and go get a table at that Italian place across the street, and Jules and Luke and I will meet you there in a few?” Natalie suggests as Jules comes out of the stall and washes her hands.

“Sounds good,” Stacy nods. “I could go for some lasagna.”

“Okay,” Jules grins and we follow her back out to the guys. “Hey, ace, would you go with Bryn and Stace to get us a table at the Italian place across the street while Nat and Luke and I go buy a some baby shit for Olivia?” She smiles sweetly and rubs her fingers over his chest. He narrows his gray eyes down at her for a moment, as though he knows she’s lying and trying to decide if he should call her out on it or not.

Finally he shrugs and simply says, “Sure.”

“Bye bye!” Livie calls from her stroller, smiling and clenching her tiny fist in and out, doing the toddler wave.

“Bye bye,” we call back and wave to her, leading Nate out of the mall.

“What is she really buying?” He asks us as soon as we’re out of ear-shot.

“Baby stuff,” I reply with a shrug and Stacy nods in agreement, but neither of us can look him in the eye.

“Women always stick together,” he mumbles under his breath. I giggle and loop my arm through his.

“Yep. Glad you’re finally catching on to that.”

We push through the glass doors of the high-end Italian restaurant and Nate approaches the hostess to request a table, just as Steven and Gail Montgomery are leaving the restaurant, laughing with a tall, very handsome strange man.

Steven sees the three of us and his eyes go wide and face immediately loses all of his color.

“Hi, guys.” Stacy smiles, happy to see her parents-in-law.

“Oh my goodness! Hello!” Gail pulls us all in for a hug and turns to the tall man who has stepped back and folded his arms over his chest, watching us all with narrowed bright blue eyes.

He has dark, perfectly styled hair and an olive complexion, broad shoulders under a cable-knit sweater, and just a hint of a dark five o’clock shadow dusting his chin.

“Dominic,” Gail addresses him and turns to us. “This is Brynna, Stacy and Nate.” She turns back to us. “This is Dom Salvadore.”

“Hello,” he nods and offers us a half smile, and I do believe my girly parts just came awake.

Who the hell is this guy, and why are Caleb’s parents having lunch with him?

“I think Jules and Natalie will be along in a moment with Luke and the baby, if you’d like to say hi,” Nate offers, his eyes glued to Dom, watching him carefully.

“We would, but I do believe we need to go,” Steven responds quickly, ushering Gail out ahead of him. “Kiss Liv for us.”

They wave and quickly exit, leaving the three of us looking back and forth between us with puzzled expressions.

“Weird,” I finally remark.

“Definitely,” Stacy agrees.

Nate pulls his phone out of his pocket and wakes it up. “She said his name is Dominic Salvadore?” He asks.

“Yeah. What are you doing?” I ask.

“Making a note.” He tucks his phone back in his pocket and winks at me and I melt. Nate is seriously hot, but more than that, he’s kind and strong and so good for Jules. We all adore him.

“You could kick his ass,” Stacy offers and smirks at him.

“Of course I could, sweetheart. That was never in question.”

He raises an eyebrow and scoffs.

“Did I mention that you have an ego the size of the Space Needle?” I ask.

Nate laughs, a full out belly laugh and drapes his arm around my shoulders, hugging me to his hard side, as the hostess motions for us to follow her to our table.

“Ego or not, honey, I could kick his ass.”

***

“I shouldn’t have had that slice of tiramisu,” I mumble and rub my belly as Stacy pulls her minivan into my driveway.

“Who is that behind us?” Nat asks and then giggles. “It’s Will and Meg.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask as I gather my purchases from the back of the van.

“Isaac sent out an S.O.S.,” Will informs us with a laugh.