Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“Oh, you will—he’s your spirit animal.”
Josh chuckles. “Ryan Morgan’s my spirit animal?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
“Is he gonna be here tonight?”
“Yep. Everyone but Keane—he had to work. Oh, and by the way, don’t mention the whole male-stripper thing to my parents. They have no idea Keane’s become Seattle’s answer to Magic Mike.”
“Would they care if they knew?”
I shrug. “Keane seems to think my dad would be really disappointed in him. But I told him, ‘No, Peen, Dad would have to have actual expectations in the first place in order to be disappointed.’” I snort.
“Well, that wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”
I chuckle. “When you meet Keane, you’ll understand. He’s just... Keane.” I touch Josh’s arm. “So are you ready to go in and face the firing squad?”
“Why you gotta say that?” Josh asks. “I’m nervous enough, babe.”
“Aw, I’m sorry. Just teasing. They’re gonna love you.”
“Just do me a favor. Don’t let it slip about the baby tonight, okay? Just like we agreed. First time out, I want your family to get to know me as Josh, not as The Guy Who Knocked Up Their Precious Baby Girl.”
“Babe, we already agreed to keep mum—my lips are sealed.”
“Kat, your lips are never sealed—you’re the biggest blabbermouth I know, bar none.”
I’m genuinely aghast at Josh’s characterization of me. “No, I’m not—I’m a steel safe.”
Josh hoots with laughter. “Kat, you blabbed to Sarah not five minutes after you said we should wait ’til after the wedding to say anything, and then you told Dax right after you said we were gonna wait to tell your family until after you’re showing.”
“Well, yeah, but Sarah doesn’t count as blabbing—telling Sarah’s the same thing as telling myself. And Dax doesn’t count as telling my family—because he’s Dax.” I roll my eyes. “Trust me, I’m a steel safe, babe—a locked vault.”
“Oh really? Well, guess who called me this afternoon out of the blue to congratulate me on our ‘little Cinnabon in the oven’?”
I bite my lip, too afraid to give myself away by venturing a guess—but I’m pretty sure there’s only one person in the world who’d ever refer to a baby as a “little Cinnabon in the oven.”
“Henn,” Josh says, confirming what I’m thinking. “He called to congratulate me and ask why the hell I didn’t tell him myself.”
I make a face that says, “Oops.”
“When did you tell Hannah?” Josh asks, scowling at me.
I flash Josh my most charming smile. “Okay, now, see, telling Hannah wasn’t my fault. Hannah and I went to lunch today and she was asking me about Golden Kat PR, hinting about how much she wants to be a part of it, and I didn’t want to string her along into thinking I was gonna be starting my company any time soon as originally planned. So I told her, ‘Hey, I can only handle birthing one baby at a time—and this year, my one-and-only baby’s gonna be the accidental Faraday that’s currently growing inside my uterus.’”
Josh shakes his head. I can’t read his expression well enough to gauge if he’s genuinely upset with me.
“Was Henny pissed he heard the news from Hannah and not you?” I ask.
“No, you know Henn. He’s always chill. I told him I didn’t tell him about the baby because you and I had solemnly agreed to keep it quiet until you’re showing.” He glares at me, but his eyes are sparkling. “Little did I know the ‘steel safe’ was out blabbing to everyone and their uncle about our little ‘Cinnabon in the oven.’”
“Oh, speaking of which, have you told your uncle?”
“Uh, no. Because we’d agreed to keep things quiet, you blabbermouth.”
I laugh. “So what did Henn say?”
“He said every time he sees our kid he’s gonna wonder if he personally witnessed it being conceived.”
I groan. “God, that was so embarrassing.”
Josh laughs. “He also said he predicts an entire minivan filled with screaming kids in my near future.”
My entire body jolts at the thought. “Slow down, High Speed,” I say, my heart in my throat.
“Oh, and he said I’m the luckiest bastard in the whole wide world.” He touches the cleft in my chin. “Which is the truth.”
I blush like a schoolgirl on a first date.
“And, hey, Miss Steel Safe, guess who called me right after Henn?” Josh asks, mock-glaring at me.
I hold my breath, trying to remember if there’s anyone else I’ve blabbed to besides Sarah, Dax, and Hannah. Nope. Not a soul. Only the girls at my yoga class, but they don’t really count. Oh, and the UPS guy—but only because I’d ordered a bunch of maternity leggings and he mentioned his wife is pregnant—so what was I supposed to do—not tell him? Oh, and the barista at my favorite Starbucks, of course—but that was only because I’m no longer drinking caffeine and my usual barista noticed I’d ordered a decaf, so that one’s not my fault, either. Oh, and Sarah’s mom. But that was only because I went to see the new additions she’s making to Gloria’s House (thanks to the finder’s fee money she received after we took down The Club), and Gloria said I looked “awfully pretty”—so what was I supposed to do then—not tell her I’m pregnant? I scour my memory, trying to think if I’ve told anyone else—but, nope, I think that’s it.