Chapter 1
1
PAIGE
I pulled into Lanie’s driveway and smiled. I hadn’t seen her in almost a week, which was unusual. She was working and had a husband and a stepson, so she had a lot to juggle. When she called me earlier and asked me to stop by, I was excited to spend time with her. Lanie and I had been friends for years. We even went to college together, which she had finished. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, and to be honest, I was struggling with the assignments. I wasn’t book smart; I was street smart, which had served me well throughout my life, but not so much in college. I always wondered what I could’ve done if I had buckled down and worked hard, but it was too late now. I put that chapter of my life behind me, and I wasn’t someone who mulled over past regrets.
After shoving the car door open, I stepped out and slammed my door closed when Lanie’s front door opened. Her two dogs, Beasley and Bobby, ran down the steps, right past me and into the yard, followed by Braydon.
“Hi, Paige.” He smiled, showing off his missing tooth.
“Oh, my goodness, who took your tooth?” I asked as if I was shocked.
“The toof fairy!” he called out as he chased his small dog, Bobby, around the yard.
Glancing up, I saw Lanie’s husband, Jake, walking toward me, and I lifted my hand in a wave. “Hey, Neighbor Jake.”
He smirked and shook his head while he walked. His nickname was a joke between us because when we met, he was only Lanie’s neighbor, but she had the biggest crush on him. She talked about her new neighbor all the time, so when I finally met him, I couldn’t resist calling him Neighbor Jake, and for some reason, it stuck.
With one eye on Braydon, he stopped in front of me. “Are you ever going to just call me Jake?”
“Maybe.” I grinned. “I really haven’t decided yet.”
“Good to know.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “What have you been up to?”
“Working.” I frowned, thinking about the job I’d had for a year and didn’t really like. I had no idea why I was still there except for the fact that I bought a townhouse recently and needed the income to pay for it.
His eyes followed Braydon, who was close to the road, before calling out, “Bray, get away from the road.” He waited for him to run toward us before meeting my eyes. “I thought you liked your job.”
I shrugged. “Dave’s kind of an ass.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’ve heard that about him. I asked Cole why he uses him, and he said they have a business agreement, but Dave’s slimy. I think he overcharges.”
The mere mention of Cole Dimarco flooded me with arousal and annoyance. We’d spent the better part of the year avoiding each other when he came into the parts store, and lately, he’s been sending in Billy to do the orders. When I found out Jake and Cole were cousins, I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. It was just my luck that we would be forced together by our friends and family connections. When I realized Jake was still waiting for me to reply, I forced my thoughts away from Cole, which I’ve found myself doing a lot. It annoyed the hell out of me that I was attracted to him, and he invaded my thoughts as often as he did.
“Dave definitely overcharges.” I nodded. “I don’t think he does it as often with the garage owners he’s made business arrangements with because they would actually catch on, and he doesn’t want to lose them, but with the average person, definitely.”
“I knew it.” Jake shook his head. “I think it would be smart for Cole to find someone new.”
I didn’t want to talk to Jake about his cousin, so I said the only thing I could think of to shut the conversation down. “Cole’s a big boy. He can figure it out.”
His eyebrows drew together. “What’s up with you two? Why don’t you get along?”
“We’re just different. That’s all.” I shrugged. “Sometimes people don’t get along, you know.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You get along with everyone.”
“That’s not true.”
“Who don’t you get along with?”
“Dave, sometimes,” I answered before pushing past him and heading toward the stairs, but I couldn’t resist looking over my shoulder to tease him. “And you, if you don’t stop badgering me about your cousin.”
He chuckled, and I smiled while walking toward the front door. I loved Jake for Lanie. He was exactly what she needed to come out of her shell. She’d been shy and reserved most of her life, but he’s brought out a different side to her, and it's been fun to watch.
Pushing open the door, I called out. “Lanie! I’m here, and I brought the wine.”
I had just put the wine bottle on the island in her kitchen when she came down the hallway smiling. “I thought I heard your car.”
I leaned my hip against the island. “I was talking to your sexy hubby.”
Lanie giggled. “Is he playing with Bray?”
“Yeah.”
“That makes him even sexier.”
I thought about him keeping one eye on Braydon while we talked and smiled. “He’s a good dad.”
“He is.”
Red stained her cheeks, and I tilted my head. It wasn’t unusual for Lanie to blush, but nothing had happened at this moment to cause it. Unless... I rounded the island and stood in front of her. “Are you pregnant?”
When she smiled and nodded, I threw my arms around her. “Oh my god, I’m so happy for you guys.”
She hugged me and then pulled back a little so she could see my face. “I am too, but it wasn’t planned, so I’m still a little in shock.”
“Some of the best things in life aren’t planned.”
She laughed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
I dropped my arms and gestured toward the wine bottle. “Well, I guess I’ll celebrate with the wine I brought, and you can have some orange juice.”
Lanie walked around the island and grabbed a wineglass for me and a glass for her. She slid the wineglass in my direction and filled hers with water before coming back around the island and sliding onto the stool.
I finished pouring the wine and hopped onto the stool beside her, but we both turned so we were face-to-face. “I want all the details.”
“Well”—she smirked—“he woke me up one night and...”
I’d just taken a sip of wine and choked. Coughing, I held up my hand. “I don’t want those details.”
“I know.” She laughed. “I was just joking.”
Jake brought out this side of Lanie, and I loved it. She would’ve never told that joke before she met him. Clearing my throat, I gestured for her to continue, happy when she did.
“I took a pregnancy test a few days ago because I hadn’t been feeling well, and it finally occurred to me that I couldn’t remember when I’d had my last period. I told Jake it was positive when he got home from work, but we went to the doctor yesterday just to make sure, and she confirmed I’m about eight weeks along.”
“Is he excited? Are you?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’re both really excited.”
“Have you told Bray yet?”
“No.” She shook her head. “We decided to wait until I’m further along so he doesn’t have as long to wait for his little brother or sister to be here.” She leaned toward me. “He’s not patient, and I don’t think either of us wants to hear is it time yet for the next seven months.”
I took another sip of wine and swallowed. “That makes sense.”
“Jake wants to do something special for Christmas or New Year's this year since our lives will get really busy after the baby is born.”
“Like what?”
She frowned. “A party, I think.”
I laughed at her disgusted expression. “You seem really excited,” I teased.
She smacked my shoulder, but she was smiling. “You know how bad I am at parties.”
“You’re not bad.” I took a sip of my wine. “You’re just incredibly awkward.”
She laughed. “I know you’re joking, but you’re not that far off.”
I smirked but laid my hand on her knee. “You’ll be fine. I know you hate being the center of attention, though.”
She laughed with me and rubbed her hand over her forehead. “I really do.” Still smiling, she shrugged. “But I’ll be okay if he’s with me.”
I smiled softly. “I know you will.” Squealing, I leaned forward and hugged her. “It’ll be so much fun to have a party, maybe Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.” She frowned. “It might be too cold to have it outside, though. I hope we have enough room. I mean, just Jake’s brothers and sister, Grace, are a huge group.”
“That’s true.” I thought about that. “But you never know what the weather’s going to do around here. We’ve had warmer temps around Christmas before. If not, maybe you can split the party between your house and Luke’s since he lives next door and he is one of Jake’s brothers.”
She sat up a little taller, and I could tell she was considering it. “That’s not a bad idea. I think his wife, Kate, would be all for it too. We had our engagement parties together, and that was fun and so much easier.”
“You should ask her soon, though, considering how much we have to plan.”
“We?” Her eyes twinkled. “Does that mean you’ll help plan it?” I acted as if I was thinking about it, but when she continued talking, I couldn’t contain my smile. “You’re so much better at this stuff than I am, and you probably already have ideas. Plus, I don’t want to bother Kate with the planning if she agrees to share the party. She’s been working a lot.”
I flicked my wrist in the air. “Of course I’ll help. You know how much I love a party.”
“I know…”
She began but was distracted when the door opened. I looked over my shoulder, expecting Jake to walk through, but was surprised when three women came in. I recognized them immediately as Jake’s cousins because I’d seen them at some Dimarco functions, but we’d never really been introduced or hung out. What I do know is that two of them are identical twins, the other is the wild child of the family, and they’re all Cole Dimarco’s sisters.
Trying to hold in the sigh I felt from being surrounded by Cole’s family, I lifted my glass and took a long sip of wine while Lanie greeted them.
“Hey!” Lanie slid off her stool and headed toward them. “What are you guys doing here?”
One of the twins stepped forward. “I was looking for Ben. Have you seen him?”
“Jake said he’s working at his house today.” She pointed at the door. “Jake’s outside with Bray. Didn’t you see him?”
She frowned. “No. Maybe he’s in the garage.”
“Maybe.” Lanie took a few steps to look out the window. “He may have taken Bray next door to Luke’s to play with Andy.”
“Oh yeah, I didn’t think of that.” She shrugged. “Ben and Charlie weren’t home either. It’s not imperative I talk to him today. I can catch up with him later, but I figured since we were out running errands, we’d track them down.”
One of the girls stepped between her sister and Lanie until she was in front of me, almost as if she just noticed I was sitting at the counter. “I recognize you as Paige, but we’ve never really met.” She held out her hand. “I’m Harper.”
I slid my hand in hers. “Nice to meet you.”
She dropped my hand and gestured behind her. “Those are my sisters, Bailey and Bree.”
I recognized Bailey immediately as the twin who worked with Ben and Jake at their family’s construction business. “Bailey, you work for Dimarco Construction, right?”
Bailey and Bree walked around the island so they were standing across from us. “That’s right.”
“I think the only one I know anything about is Bailey,” I admitted.
“Well, I’m the fun one.” Harper walked to the cabinets and grabbed three wineglasses while she spoke. “Bree’s the boring one, and Bailey’s the brave one.” She put the glasses on the island. “I’m assuming you’re okay sharing that wine.”
I laughed. “Yeah, of course. Help yourself.”
“I’m not boring.” Bree glared at Harper before looking at me. “Harper thinks anyone who works and pays their bills on time is boring.”
Still laughing, I shook my head when Harper handed Bree a glass of wine and smiled. It was easy to see they teased each other often. “What do you do, Bree?”
“I’m a designer. That’s actually why I was looking for Ben. He asked me to stage some of their homes, and I need to go over a few things with him and Jake.”
I shifted my attention back to Lanie. “Bree might be able to help.”
Lanie’s eyes widened. “Ooh, that’s true.”
“Help with what?”
“Lanie and Jake are thinking about having either a Christmas or New Year’s party. We were just talking about how to do it.”
She took a sip of wine, then gestured toward Lanie. “Oh, I can definitely help with that. I have a ton of shit we can use, so don’t buy anything yet until we go through mine. I might have what you want for decorations, and if I don’t, I can definitely get you a deal.”
Bailey laughed. “That’s because she’ll flirt with the vendors.”
Bree winked. “Gotta do what I gotta do.” She shifted her attention to Lanie. “Okay, Lanie, what are you envisioning?”
Lanie rolled her lips together. “I’m not sure. I’m not much of a party planner, but we don’t want anything fancy. Just something low-key and fun.”
Bree lifted her wineglass and gestured toward me. “Is that really what she wants?”
I chuckled. “Probably, but that’s not what we’re doing.”
Harper lifted her glass and tapped it against mine. “I think you and I are going to get along well.”
“Why aren’t you drinking?”
Our eyes shifted to Bailey when she spoke, but she was focused on Lanie, who was having a hard time coming up with something to say.
“Umm…”
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” Harper asked excitedly.
She glanced at me, but all I could do was shrug. She sighed and met Harper’s stare. “Yes, but we haven’t told anyone yet, so you have to keep it to yourself.”
Bailey snorted. “You may not have told anyone, but there’s no way Jake is keeping that to himself.”
“She’s right,” I agreed.
“I know.” Lanie sighed, but she was smiling.
“Okay.” Bree rubbed her hands together. “It’s all hands on deck because Lanie is out of commission.”
Lanie looked between us all. “Why am I out of commission?”
“Because you’re pregnant,” Bree answered. “You focus on yourself and leave the heavy lifting to us.”
“Don’t pretend that bothers you.” I laughed along with Lanie.
Lanie held up her hands. “I relinquish all planning and decorating power to you guys. Just tell me what I can do and when it needs to be done.”
I yanked the phone from my pocket and set it on the island between us, then pulled up my calendar app. I shared a smile with Lanie before facing the group. “This will be so much fun.”
And it was.
I could even overlook the fact that I’d be spending time with Cole’s sisters, which meant there was a chance I’d run into Cole at some point.
I could handle that.
But I did wonder what he would think about it.