A Convenient Arrangement(49)

*



Look at these!” Aubrey held up a pair of knitted Tiffany-blue booties with white bows. “Aren’t they the cutest?” The gaggle of women seated around her oohed and aahed. Yes, they were indeed the cutest.

Gwen skirted the perimeter of the party. Shelly, tasked with keeping the thank-you list, sat at Aubrey’s elbow and wrote down the name of each gift-giver and their gift in a little notebook Gwen had provided. Everyone had a drink. The buffet still held plenty of delicious food. Hot tea, coffee, lemonade,—all still well stocked. Nina leaned against the door frame in her chef’s coat, watching her sister open her next gift.

“I thought you promised to enjoy the party,” Gwen whispered.

“Right back at you. Don’t think I haven’t seen you circling and directing staff.” Touché. Nina was correct. While Aubrey had asked Gwen to enjoy the party, Gwen couldn’t just arrive and then think that the details would take care of themselves.

“Looks like we’re both a little Type-A when it comes to our work,” Nina murmured. “Oh my, look at that.” Aubrey held out the most adorable onesie in a pale shade of yellow. “My ovaries might explode.”

“Mine already did,” Gwen admitted.

“At least you’ve got a shot at becoming a parent,” Nina said. “What’s this I hear about a guy?”

Gwen’s eyes automatically drifted across the room to where Leo stood beside the youngest Travati brother, Devon. Both of them clasped beer bottles, affecting extremely bacheloresque stances well away from the gift-opening. In fact, most of the male attendees had managed to get out of the immediate vicinity of the cooing women.

“Hellooo, earth to Gwen. The guy—”

“What guy?”

“Well, not the guy over there.” Nina jerked her head toward Leo. “He’d be bad news for any friend of mine.” She smiled, but shook her head. “He’s family, but I wouldn’t set him up with anyone I know.”

Gwen pursed her lips. Same song, different sister. Aubrey’s comments had been eerily along the same lines. Wow. Two of her closest friends, and neither would want her seeing the man she was currently falling for. Leo’s gaze flickered toward her.

Her body exploded with heat. Just looking at him, their eyes connecting, the entire room dropped away, all the people and noise and activity, as though only the two of them stood there.

“Bringing the new guy to Sunday dinner tomorrow?” Nina asked. “I’m cooking.”

Gwen smoothed a hand over her hair and looked at Nina. “I asked him and he said yes.”

“Really? We’re going to meet him? Finally.”

Gwen looked back toward Leo, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Her desire for him was strong, and still her pulse beat out an erratic tune. If the relationship between her and Leo didn’t work out, and she guessed no one but her would think it could, she might lose her closest friends. One half of a broken-up couple always got the friends, and it wasn’t even like theirs would have a choice—Leo’s was family, and family came first to the Travatis. Plus people would talk, wouldn’t they?

She pulled in a deep breath. My goodness, what was she thinking? She wasn’t thinking, was she? At least not with her head. Her heart—yes, her heart was leading her, and well, another part of her body was as well.

But it was time to stop hiding. A smile broke over Gwen’s face. Yes, finally, her best friends would know that the man she was dating—the man of her dreams—and the guy they thought was a complete horror show commitment-wise were one and the same.



*



Devon leaned closer to Leo. “Can you believe these women?” He shook his head. “I mean, what the hell? You show them a tiny pair of socks and it’s like they’ve seen God.”

Leo took a pull on his beer. Dev had a point. The level of estrogen in the room was nearing toxic levels for all testosterone-bearing creatures.

“Thank God most of them are married,” Devon said. Their sister-in-law held up another onesie, this time in mint green. “Otherwise it’d be a feeding frenzy after she’s done with her gifts.”

Leo glanced at Gwen. She sat on a chair beside his soon-to-be sister-in-law Shelly and the big-as-a-manatee Aubrey. Gwen lifted a fuzzy blanket and whispered something to Shelly. Then Gwen closed her eyes, rubbed the soft fabric against her cheek, and smiled.

Leo’s gut knotted. He swallowed. That was a look of euphoria on Gwen’s face. Pure and utter desire mixed with longing shot through with need and bliss. Damn. Leo swigged his beer. The liquid tasted sour.

Hell.