Chapter Thirty-Two
SHAUNA WAS EXCITED and nervous as she stepped onto the upper deck of the Salty Hog, where she was meeting Madigan and the other girls for lunch.
She’d gotten to know them pretty well the night of the wedding, and even better through group texts, but that didn’t mean getting together for the first time was going to be easy breezy.
Nothing in her life was easy breezy, but she’d settle for comfortable enough that her stomach didn’t hurt.
She spotted Madigan standing by their table holding Marybelle, who looked adorable with a sprig of a hair gathered in a water fountain on the top of her head tied with a pink bow.
Emerson was holding Brennan on her lap, his dark hair as spiky as the last time she’d seen him.
Having grown up with shit parents, Shauna had a special place in her heart for children.
The girls saw her heading their way and they all waved, flashing welcoming smiles that helped ease Shauna’s nerves.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I forgot I had to stop for gas.”
“Sha Sha!” Marybelle reached for her.
“I see where I rank,” Madigan said as she handed Marybelle over in her little yellow dress with happy animal faces on it. Marybelle immediately grabbed Shauna’s cheeks, pulling her closer to rub noses.
Shauna melted a little inside. “I missed you, too, cutie.”
“I’m glad you made it,” Madigan said, and hugged her around Marybelle. All the girls echoed her enthusiasm. “Marly and Evie couldn’t make it, but you’ll meet them at the book club meeting if not before.”
“I look forward to it.” Through their group texts, Shauna had gotten to know Marly, a close friend of the Wickeds, who was engaged to Dante Dubois, a musician, and Evie, Baz’s bestie, who’d recently gotten engaged to the other veterinarian in Baz’s office, Quinton Anthony.
“Shauna, you look amazing,” Chloe said as Shauna sat down and settled Marybelle on her lap.
“I do?” She looked down at her jeans and loose blue tank top.
“You really do,” Leah said. “You look refreshed.”
“Thanks,” Shauna said. “You all look great, too. Where’s Leo today?”
“With Papa Tank, having a Daddy-son day,” Leah said as Ginger and Conroy sidled up to the table.
Ginger placed a hand on Madigan’s and Leah’s shoulders and said, “It’s so nice to see all our girls together.”
“G’ma! Pawpaw!” Brennan exclaimed, his little arms shooting up.
As Ginger reached for Brennan, Marybelle exclaimed, “Gampa!” and scrambled off Shauna’s lap.
“Come here, Princess.” Conroy scooped Marybelle up, nuzzling her cheek, while Ginger tickled Brennan’s belly, and adorable giggles filled the air.
“It’s such a shame they’re not happy to see you,” Shauna teased, and everyone laughed.
“We’re lucky.” Ginger turned a warm smile on her and said, “How was your honeymoon, sweetheart?”
It had been a week and a half since they’d gotten back from the honeymoon.
A week and a half since they’d walked into his cottage and Zander had said, Should I just put your stuff in my room?
You know you’re going to end up in there anyway.
Sure had rolled out of Shauna like a foregone conclusion.
Ten glorious days of good-morning kisses and coffee by the ocean, sexy showers, flirty, dirty texts, fun renovation projects, and with the exception of the nights she’d worked, enjoying the steamiest sex of her life.
The massage oil he’d gotten her was the best present ever.
But Shauna couldn’t tell them any of that, so she went with what she’d told the girls when they’d texted about it last week.
“It was great. Zander is always fun to be with, and he shocked the heck out of me with that trip. He’s going above and beyond to make our arrangement believable, which I appreciate. ”
“He sure is,” Ginger said. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
“He’s not being too pushy, is he?” Conroy asked. “At church last week he said he wrangled you into helping him renovate his cottage.”
“Zander is always pushy,” Madigan chimed in.
“That’s part of his charm,” Shauna said. “And he did wrangle me into helping him renovate, but it’s the least I can do with everything he’s doing for me and Brian.”
“Leave it to Zander to put his wife to work,” Sid said. “Does he force you to cook, too?”
“No. He knows I can’t cook, and I’ve got to tell you, Reba is amazing. She left us dinner in the fridge for the night we got home from the trip. All we had to do was heat it up, and she put about two weeks’ worth of food in the freezer.”
“Food is one of our mama love languages,” Ginger said. “Reba and I keep everyone’s freezers stocked up from time to time.”
“And we greatly appreciate it,” Emerson said, and the other girls concurred.
“We all do, but more importantly, Shauna, don’t let my brother take advantage of you. You don’t have to help him renovate,” Madigan said. “It’s not like you’re not paying him back for helping Brian.”
“He’s not forcing me to help. I enjoy it, and I’m learning a lot from him.
” Like how fun it is to be bent over the counter and to ride him when he’s sitting on a kitchen chair.
She was also learning a lot about renovating and was thoroughly enjoying that, too.
“You should see the kitchen. It’s beautiful.
The cabinets are finished, and this week we’re choosing the crown molding.
Once that’s done, we’ll paint and then conquer the living room. ”
“There’s nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty,” Ginger said.
“I was surprised at how satisfying it is,” Shauna said.
“That’s what he said,” Sid chimed in, making everyone laugh.
“Let’s not go down that road,” Conroy warned. “We have a surprise for Shauna and our very special mama-to-be, Emerson.” He pulled a stack of long, narrow, laminated menus from his back pocket and handed them to the girls. “Our new mocktail menu.”
“Yum!” Reese said.
“That’s so nice of you.” Emerson got up to hug them.
Surprised and touched that they’d included Shauna, she said, “Thank you for thinking of me.”
“You’re family, darlin’,” Conroy said. “We’ll always think of you.”
“I told Zander we’re keeping her after the divorce,” Madigan said proudly, and the others nodded and murmured in agreement.
Shauna’s chest felt full as they looked over the menu of virgin daiquiris and other mocktails with cute names like Pineapple Punch, Blueberry Mockito, Wicked Watermelon-Basil Fizz, and Chocolate Mocktini.
They really made her feel like one of them, and she wondered if it was possible to fall for an entire family.
“A Blueberry Mockito sounds perfect to me,” Leah said.
They all placed their drink orders, and when Emerson reached for Brennan, Ginger said, “Don’t even think about it. You enjoy lunch with the ladies, and I’ll enjoy my grandson.”
“Con?” Chloe stood up to get Marybelle.
Conroy rubbed noses with Marybelle and said, “Your mama is so silly. We have work to do. We need to call Grandpa Preacher and make him jealous.”
Shauna and the girls laughed as Conroy and Ginger walked away with the kids.
“All right, Sha Sha, spill it,” Madigan said. “What’s happening with you and Zander?”
Caught off guard, Shauna reached for her water and said, “What do you mean?”
“We never got the juicy honeymoon details,” Chloe added.
“I don’t need all the juicy details. He is my brother,” Madigan said. “But is there any chance of a surprise pregnancy?”
Shauna nearly choked on her water.
“Mads,” Sid chided. “Not everyone wants to talk about their sex lives.”
“You cannot tell me that you’re not all dying to know,” Madigan said.
“Shauna, you do not need to disclose that information,” Reese said.
Shauna didn’t want to share the juiciest details of their relationship, but she was so happy, she wanted to tell them how wonderful Zander was.
He deserved the accolades, and she had no one else to gush about her husband to.
She was bursting at the seams to say something.
Choosing her words carefully, she said, “We’re having a good time.
I mean, how can we not? It’s Zander. Everything he says is funny, charming, or inappropriate, and I love that about him.
Plus, he’s incredibly thoughtful, and I mean, let’s face it, he’s ridiculously hot.
All of which makes him irresistible, and he knows it, so he uses it to his advantage. ”
“Yay!” Madigan said.
“I don’t mean to be nosy, but can you qualify good time?” Reese leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm, looking at her expectantly.
“She just did,” Leah said. “She said he uses it to his advantage.”
“I’m a scientist. I don’t want to assume,” Reese pointed out.
All eyes turned to Shauna.
She lowered her voice and said, “Let’s just say we’re enjoying the benefits of our temporary marriage, and please don’t let that information leave this table.”
“Yes!” Madigan exclaimed. “I’ve been hoping you guys would get together.”
Shauna’s stomach twisted. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. We’re just having fun for now, Mads.” It was a good reminder to herself as much as to them.
“Well, you make a cute couple, even if temporary,” Emerson said.
“Thanks,” she said as Starr, a tall blonde with long, kinky hair and colorful tattoos, arrived at the table with their mocktails.
As Starr set a Chocolate Mocktini in front of Shauna, she said, “I heard you and Zan went on a honeymoon. How was it?”
Unlike the girls, Starr didn’t know about Shauna and Zander’s arrangement, so she played it up. “It was amazingly romantic.”
“Really?” Starr asked with surprise. “I never would have guessed Zander to be a romantic.”
“None of us did,” Madigan said, giving Shauna a conspiratorial glance. “But love is a magical thing.”
“Speaking of love, Starr,” Chloe said. “How are things between you and Justice?”
Leah leaned closer to Shauna and said, “Justice is a Dark Knight.”
“He and Starr have little girls around the same age, and they take dance together,” Emerson explained.