Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Julie
Me
I fucked the hot quarterback.
Molly
OMGGGHHHGJHHGHHFH JULES. PROUD FRIEND ALERT.
Did you wear the underwear I packed for you? I knew they would come in handy.
Me
Let’s just say sexy underwear was *unnecessary*
Molly
I don’t even know what that means and I’m obsessed with it.
Emma
It means he just wanted to get her naked. There are two kinds of men: lingerie men, and men who think lingerie just gets in the way. Asher strikes me as the latter.
Hallie
Yeah, I’m going to need details.
Me
No.
Hallie
JULIE ANNE PARKER YES. Listen, if you were here, I would pry them out of you over donuts and I would be victorious.
Emma
Don’t think you’re getting out of a sexy breakfast story with donuts just because you’re away. We’re calendaring it for when you’re back.
Me
I’ll be sure to clear my schedule.
Molly
Okay but can you just give us one thing right now? One tiny little detail? Consider it payment for dealing with your clients while you’re gone.
Me
Fine.
Molly
WE’RE WAITING JULES
Me
Give me a minute. There are so many good ones to choose from.
Hallie
No need to brag
Emma
Give me a break, Hal. Like your sex life isn’t bragworthy. I’ve heard enough stories about Ben’s dirty mouth to last me a lifetime.
Hallie
Still gets me every damn time.
Me
At one point I had a safe word, and my head was hanging off the bed.
Molly
LEGEND.
T he first thing I notice when Asher and I get off the elevator on the maternity floor is the noise. So. Much. Noise. Following the signs to the waiting room, we turn a corner and find its source. The waiting room is packed with people, and we’re barely through the entrance when a blur of golden-brown hair throws herself at Asher.
“Asher!” She bounces on her toes as she hugs him. “You made it! Kyla is going to be so happy. We missed you, big brother.” Asher wraps her right up and she holds on for a minute and then lets go, turning to me. “And you must be Julie.”
Every head in the room turns to me. Usually, this kind of attention would spike my anxiety and have me deploying Lawyer Mode, but the woman, who I assume is Lucy, radiates a warm sort of energy that puts me immediately at ease.
Asher slides his arm around my waist, tugging me into his side in a gesture of possession that has my heart pounding.
“That’s me. It’s really nice to meet you.”
“No, girl, it’s nice to meet you . I’ve been dying to meet the girl who has Asher even happier than normal.”
I slide Asher a grin. “He does have a pretty happy baseline. ”
He winks back at me. “Look around. What’s not to be happy about, Juliette?”
“Oh my god, he calls her Juliette. I absolutely die.” Another woman throws her arms around me. “I’m Charlie, and I never knew my brother could be swoony. Like, seriously swoony.”
“Hey, what about me?” Asher asks from behind me. “And where are the kids?”
Charlie just waves him away. “I’ll get to you later. Jeff and Zach are on kid duty at mom and dad’s house. They drew the short straws because, new babies.” An evil grin spreads on Charlie’s face, I assume at the thought of the two men riding herd on five kids and two newborns.
“Move over Charlie, it’s my turn.” The third woman shoves Charlie right out of the way to hug me. “Sorry, we’re all huggers. You’ll get used to it. Or you won’t, but we are who we are. I’m Annie, and Asher has told us all about you. You are such a badass and I love you already.”
Asher tugs me even closer to him. “Jesus women, give her some space. Sorry for my insane sisters. They don’t get out much.”
I lean into him. This is all easier than I thought it would be. Asher’s sisters remind me so much of my friends, and I love them instantly. “No need to apologize for them, Hot Shot. They’re great, and I am a badass.”
Charlie grins at me. “Bet your ass. Come sit with us. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Before we can take a seat, a couple walks into the waiting room with cups of coffee in hand. I immediately know who they are. Asher makes a beeline for his parents, hugging them both at once. With his arms around them, he closes his eyes and breathes deeply, and I can actually see his entire body relax. No one has uttered a word, and I know immediately that these people all speak the same language. This is a happy family .
Letting his parents go, he leads them over to me, and I feel a quick frisson of nerves.
“Mom, Dad, this is Julie.”
Asher’s mom wraps me in a tight hug that screams mom . “It’s so nice to meet you, Julie. Thank you for making our boy so happy.”
I get another hug from his dad, who says, “I’m going to need to know more about the howling.” I snort out a laugh and slide my gaze to Asher.
“I see you’ve been keeping everyone up to date.”
He gives me a sheepish smile from where he is standing next to his mom. “What can I say, Juliette? The people needed to know what we…”
Asher stops mid-sentence, and his eyes snap to the waiting room entrance. I follow his gaze to a tall, good-looking blond man standing there. His eyes are tired, but he is absolutely glowing, a giant grin is stretched across his face. This has to be Alex. He has new dad written all over him.
Asher is in front of Alex in two strides, the rest of his family hanging back, seeming to understand that Asher needs this moment. “Alex. Is she here? Is Kyla okay? How much does she weigh? What’s her name?”
Asher’s questions come out in a flood of words, and Alex’s smile widens even further.
“His name.”
“Huh?” Asher’s voice is full of confusion, but it clicks for me right away, and my own grin starts to spread.
“You asked what her name is. That’s the wrong question. You should have said, ‘what’s his name?’”
“No fucking way,” the guy I’m pretty sure is Lucy’s husband, Noah, murmurs, his voice laced with humor.
“It’s a boy?” Susan chuckles. “Well, this day is the best kind of surprise. ”
“But…we don’t have boys. I didn’t even know any of you guys could make boys. What do we do with a boy?” Asher is adorably baffled. I just want to cuddle him right up.
Charlie pushes through the crowd, radiating serious oldest daughter energy. “For fuck’s sake, Asher. Pull yourself together. You literally are a boy.” She wraps her arms around Alex. “How’s Kyla doing?”
At the question, Alex’s eyes fill with tears that he lets run down his face freely. “She wanted a minute to get herself together, but she’s amazing. She just…” He breaks off, shaking his head, his face full of awe. “She’s perfect.”
I feel a rush of affection at the naked love on his face when he talks about his wife.
“As for his name, Kyla made me promise not to tell you. She wants to do it herself.”
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get in there,” Annie says, and the whole family starts moving towards the door. I hang back, not sure what to do, but Charlie grabs my hand. “Come on, Jules. We have a baby to meet.”
“Oh, I don’t have to. I can just stay here. This is really a family thing.”
Charlie gives me a look full of understanding. “I know we can be a lot, but you’re family now. You’re Asher’s, so that means you’re ours too.”
“Damn straight.” Asher comes up and swings an arm around my shoulders, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Follow me, Juliette. This is the fun part.”
When we walk into the room, Lucy, Charlie, Annie, and Asher’s parents are already crowded around the hospital bed where a stunning brunette sits holding a tiny bundle. Out of all of Asher’s sisters, Kyla looks most like him, with her golden-brown hair and blue eyes that look both exhausted and elated. When she sees us walk in, her grin spreads. Tugging me with him, Asher makes a beeline straight for the bed. He leans down and puts his arms around his sister, being careful of the baby she’s holding.
“Missed you,” I hear him murmur to her.
“Missed you more,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. She hangs on to him for another minute before her gaze moves to me. She lets go of Asher, her grin returning. “The famous Julie Parker in my hospital room. I love this day.”
I don’t know what it is about the Hansley sisters, but they are utterly irresistible, just like their brother. “I don’t know about famous…”
“Oh, with the way Asher has been keeping us up to date? You definitely are.”
“Fuck’s sake, Kyla,” Asher mutters.
“Oh, has he?” I grin at him, enjoying seeing him embarrassed for once.
“Okay, okay, this is nice and all, but what’s the baby’s name?” Annie interrupts. “We’ve never had a boy before; this is a big deal.”
“Oh boy, okay.” Kyla takes a deep breath. “I assumed it was a girl, so we didn’t even pick a boy name. But as soon as I saw him, I knew what it should be, and luckily Alex was happy to let me run with it.”
Alex leans down and kisses Kyla’s forehead. “It’s a really good name.”
She glances around the room and her gaze lands on Asher. “His name is Daniel Asher.”
Asher sucks in a breath, and his eyes gloss over.
Kyla reaches out and takes his hand. “It was an easy choice. I thought the first boy should be named after the best man I know.”
“Ky,” Asher whispers.
“Do you want to hold him?” Kyla asks.
He just nods, and she hands him the tiny bundle. The second the baby is situated in his arms, Asher loses it, his tears spilling over and running down his face. He leans down to hug Kyla again, the baby between them, and watching Asher crumble over the sister he loves so much and her first baby has my own tears falling.
“You love him.” Asher’s mom speaks quietly from behind me.
It’s a statement, not a question, but I find myself wanting to answer. Even though I haven’t given Asher the words yet, I turn to Susan.
“Yes.”
She gives me a warm smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Well then, welcome to chaos, Julie Parker. I think you’ll fit in just fine.”
I really think so too.