Chapter 35 #2
“No, it’s okay,” Arden told her. “With all the excitement around here, my nerves have kind of been playing havoc with my stomach. I should probably keep going easy on the alcohol.” She rolled her eyes.
“Um,” April started, her face turning bright red. “Better make that three virgin pina coladas.”
Arden stopped and turned. “April, are you saying you’re…”
Wren suddenly bent at the waist and doubled over in her chair. She held up her pointer finger. “Bartender, make that four. Just got confirmation today that I, too, am preggo.”
“What? You guys!” The room exploded again.
“Is there something in the water?” Gina asked.
“Nah. We just all hang out together enough that our periods are synched,” April told her.
“Locked in orbit,” Ellie added.
“And apparently, so are our sex lives.” Wren cackled.
“Well, I’m certainly not knocked up,” Stephanie said, smoothing back her silver-white hair. “Even though my sex life is glorious, thank you very much. Pour me a big glass of whatever booze you’ve got.” She looked over at Gina. “You with me?”
“I’m with you all the way. Wine, please.”
“Same,” Maren said, admiring her engagement ring. “I’m not ready for a baby. I’m still getting used to the idea of getting married.” She bit her lower lip. “And of Juni calling me Mama.”
Jodie scrunched her head into her shoulders. “No chance of me being pregnant unless I’ve been gestating a baby for the last year.”
She clapped her hands over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just told a room full of people that little tidbit.”
“A year?” Stephanie said, looking shocked. “Arden, make Jodie’s a triple shot, STAT.”
“Yup. One year.” Now she was blushing hard.
“Not even a little nookie?” Wren asked.
“Well, depends on how you define nookie. I’ve got the perfect boyfriend who’s always there for me. He lives in my nightstand drawer.”
“I had one of those,” Maren said. “He ended up as a casualty when my house got tossed. As far as I know, he’s still in an evidence bag courtesy of the San Diego police force.”
Stephanie laughed. “Maybe he’s in the witness protection program now.”
“Oohh.” In the kitchen Arden made a face and at first, Maren thought she might have said too much.
But then Arden turned away quickly from the bottle of wine she’d just opened.
“Sorry. It’s my stomach again. I caught a whiff of the wine and now I don’t feel so good.
” She gave them a weak smile. “Maybe it’s just talking about your poor house that set me off. ”
Ellie tilted her head. “But, Arden, everything’s fine now. Your stomach shouldn’t be…” She put her hand over her mouth.
“Ellie?”
Ellie stood quickly and grabbed her purse off of the hearth. She walked briskly into the kitchen and grabbed Arden by the arm. Then she started dragging her toward the hall leading to the bedroom and baths.
“Where are you going?” Stephanie called.
“We’ll just be two minutes,” Ellie called back over her shoulder. They disappeared into Arden’s bedroom at the end of the hall.
The women all looked at each other.
“Wait...”
“Uh-oh...”
“No way...”
Three minutes later, they heard the door to the en suite bathroom open. Ellie and Arden appeared a moment later. Ellie was beaming, while Arden looked pale and shocked.
“What? Are you—?”
“Follow us outside, please.” Ellie beelined for the patio door with Arden in tow.
Maren and the others hurried behind them. The midsummer evening was still light. For some reason, all the men were looking up at the sky. Kyle was pointing.
“Hey, I was about to come inside and get you. There’s a huge hawk circling…” He trailed off when he got a look at Arden. “Baby, what is it?”
Arden tilted her head up and spotted the hawk far above them. She broke into a smile, lifted her arm, and waved. Then she looked at her husband.
“Well, California. We’re pregnant.”
“Wait, what? How…do you know?”
“I had an extra pregnancy test in my purse,” Ellie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Two pink lines. You’re gonna have a baby!”
“We’re all gonna have babies!” Wren shouted.
“Not all, thank God,” Stephanie added. She caught Dr. Boyfriend’s eye. “So you don’t need to worry, sweetie.”
Kyle shook his head in wonder. “This is… Baby!” He broke into a run and swept Arden into his arms while the women cheered and the men roared.
Maren felt a tug on her sleeve. Juni looked up at her.
“Am I getting a baby sister?”
Colin had been coming over to her. He stopped in his tracks.
“Um, no, Junebug.” She looked at Colin. “At least not this round.”
He grinned at her.
“But one day.”
The loving look he gave her melted her heart.
The hawk made one more circle above the ranch and then flew west.
That night, safely wrapped in Colin’s arms after making love, Maren dreamed.
In her dream, she was looking at herself until she realized it wasn’t her. It was Mira. A man with Juni’s eyes appeared at her sister’s side and put his arm around her. He looked kind, and definitely mischievous.
They have that in common Maren thought, as she looked back and forth between Mira and Sean. They also looked like they were very much in love.
“Thanks, Maren,” Mira said.
“Give Juniper a kiss for us,” Sean added.
They faded as Maren awoke. She braced herself for tears, but all she felt was peace.
Colin shifted and opened his eyes. He smiled lazily at Maren.
“You okay, babe?”
Maren nodded as she pulled Colin closer.
“Let me tell you about the dream I had.”