Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“We’re on track.” Harrison exhales loudly, relaxing back into the chair.
“We are. I’m headed there Thursday and Friday to meet the rep from Ultimate Fitness. He’s going to help me with the layout of the rooms and get us a list of materials and equipment.”
“Thanks for taking care of that for me,” Harrison says, stacking the papers and placing them back in his folder.
“No problem. I only had to rearrange two clients,” Chase says, moving his folder aside.
Something in the way he says that draws my attention. I glance at Harrison, narrowing my eyes as I wait him out. Finally, he gives me the answer to my unspoken question. “I was supposed to go, but I’m not leaving you. So Chase is going in my place.”
“What? No, Harrison. You can’t skip appointments just to babysit me,” I argue. “Besides, I’ll be back to work, so there’s no reason for you to not go.”
He clears his throat, takes off his glasses, and gives me a pointed look. “You were just in a major car accident, Winnie. I’m not leaving town right now in case you need me.”
“First off, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. And you’re like thirty minutes away,” I reason. “If I need you, I’ll call.”
“I’m not going out of town right now, Winnie. End of story,” he maintains, his eyes boring into me with intensity and authority.
“I’m pregnant, Harrison, not helpless.”
A loud gasp sounds across the table. My eyes fly to Chase’s as he gapes at us with question. I quickly look back at Harrison, his body tense beneath mine, and confirm my suspicions. “You hadn’t told him?” I whisper.
“We decided not to tell anyone yet,” he replies quietly. True, we did, but I never thought he wouldn’t tell Chase. They tell each other everything, as friends do.
“You’re knocked up?” he asks, his eyes wide with shock.
Before I can answer, Harrison confirms. “She is.” There’s so much excitement in his voice as he pulls me against him, hugging me into his body.
“How the hell did this happen?” Chase asks, dumbfounded at this little twist in the story. Our rather unusual story.
“Well, you see, Chase, when two people love each other, they make a baby. First, they both get completely naked,” Gabby says in a gentle voice as she enters the room, as if she were talking to a young child. “When a man gets excited to make a baby, his penis gets hard,” she adds, taking her finger and sticking it up in the air.
“My penis is hard,” Chase mumbles, his eyes laced with humor and mischief and so completely focused on my sister.
“Oh, well, then this is you,” she states, putting her finger down and sticking up her pinky.
Chase barks out a laugh. “Oh, young Gabby, how I’ve missed you,” Chase says with a rueful shake of his head.
My sister smiles sweetly. “I’ve missed you too, Chase. But at this range, I’m sure to hit my target.”
The look on Chase’s face is priceless. It’s part shock, part admiration, and maybe even a little part turned on. I don’t want to think about the latter, though.
“What’s this?” Gabby asks, picking up a manila folder from the table.
“That’s a handful of resumes that Chase got from an employment agency,” Harrison replies, slowly moving his hand up my hip and bringing it around to rest on my belly.
“Resumes?” I ask, suddenly feeling a little breathless. I should probably move from his lap, but I can’t seem to find the strength or the gumption to make my legs work.
“Yeah, I’m hiring an admin assistant. We’ve got the front desk covered, but I want some help in back. Filing, payroll, and some of the daily duties for both locations. I have a baby on the way, and want to be as much a part of it as possible,” he says, flexing his hand over my abdomen and pulling me back into his chest. The hug is warm and comforting, even though I’m pressed against a wall of hard muscle.
“What about Chase?” I ask, glancing over to his best friend. Our best friend. For almost all my adult life, Chase has been there, a part of it. When I started dating Harrison, I inherited Chase too. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed him until this moment. Until he’s back here, laughing and carrying on with the rest of us. It goes to prove how hard divorce is. You not only lose your spouse, but everyone they’re connected with as well.
“You okay?” Harrison asks, placing his finger under my chin and turning my face.
I can’t answer without risking tears, so I just nod and swallow the emotions. I can tell he doesn’t buy it. This man knows me, probably better than I know myself. “I’ve just missed this,” I finally whisper, hopefully low enough that no one else but Harrison hears.