He watches me closely for a moment and then shrugs. “Okay. Drive safe. Take that in to the shop tomorrow.” He walks back to his car, lowers himself gracefully behind the wheel and waits for me to drive off ahead of him.
Who knew that a rock star as famous as he is could be a gentleman?
Weird.
I offer him a wave and drive away, exhaling for the first time in thirty minutes. That is one sexually potent man. No wonder he’s so damn famous.
And I am never going down that path again.
* * *
Olivia is perhaps the most perfect baby ever born, and she gets all her charm, intelligence and good looks from her auntie Sammie.
And no one else on the face of the Earth had better ever call me Sammie.
I’m not usually one to cuddle babies, but oh how I adore this little girl. We are all gathered at my mom and dad’s house, and by all, I mean the whole crew. All of the Montgomerys are here with their kids, Luke and Nat and Livie, my youngest brother, Mark. Even Brynna is here with her girls.
Will has tugged Meg into his lap on the couch and they’re laughing intimately. He glances up at me and winks and I feel a glow in the pit of my stomach. To think that just two years ago family dinners consisted of just the five of us. How boring! Now we have this beautiful extended family. I wouldn’t change a thing, even if it did lose me my job last week.
“Livie, you’re the most beautiful girl in the room. Yes, you are.” The sweet nine-month-old giggles as I blow raspberries on her neck and clutches my hair in her tiny fist. “Uh oh… let go of my hair, sweetie.”
She giggles some more and tugs my blonde strands into her mouth. “Ew. Do you know how much product is in my hair, girlfriend? It’s definitely not edible.”
“Everything is going in her mouth these days,” Nat mutters and sits next to me on the floor, our backs are resting against the love seat. “She’s also slobbering like it’s going out of style. I think she’s cutting more teeth.”
As if on cue, Livie offers us a big grin, proudly showing us her four front teeth and we laugh at her.
“She’s so sweet.” I kiss her cheek.
“Yeah, she is.” Nat’s green eyes shine as she looks from her daughter to me. “I hope the next one is too,” she whispers.
What? I gasp and almost drop the baby. “You’re not…?” I whisper back to her and she offers me a small smile and a tiny nod, and then smiles lovingly over at Luke who has been watching us.
“When are you going to announce it?” I ask. Another baby!
“After dinner, I think,” she replies as Luke sits next to me on my other side and takes Livie from my arms.
“Hi baby girl,” he kisses her forehead and Livie lights up from the inside at seeing her daddy. “So, did she tell you?” he asks softly so only I can hear.
“Yeah. Luke, I’m so happy for you.”
His soft blue eyes turn to mine, and I can read his thoughts. He waited so long for this kind of happiness. He deserves every smile, every wonderful moment his family brings him.
“Thank you,” he murmurs and kisses Liv’s head again. “I can’t wait anymore, baby.”
Natalie giggles. “Go ahead then.”
“Everyone, I have news.” Luke stands easily, the baby propped on his forearm and addresses the room. Everyone quiets and turn their attention to him.
My gaze catches Leo’s from across the room. This is the first family event Meg has talked him into attending. I wonder how he’s coping.
He winks at me, but I can see tension around his eyes.
We are one overwhelming group, even if you’re used to big, loud families, and I know he isn’t.
My mom has already started to cry, anticipating what the news is. She’s right, as usual.
“Natalie and I,” he pulls on Nat’s hand so she’s tucked into his side. “Are expecting again.”
“Holy shit!” Caleb exclaims first, and the room explodes into activity of voices and hugs and cheers.
“Jesus, what are you, a baby factory?” Jules asks with tears in her eyes as she jumps up to hug Nat. “This is what happens when you keep doing all that gross stuff.”
“Yeah, well, we want a lot of kids,” Natalie murmurs with a grin, her eyes happy. Luke laughs at Jules and kisses Nat square on, no-holds-barred, just for her benefit.
“Ew,” she scowls and backs away.
As everyone continues to celebrate the good news, I decide to slip out back and get a breath of fresh air.
I love them all, but they are seriously a lot to take in, and I spend ninety percent of my time alone, so the noise starts to get to me.
I grab a sweater from the mud room and slip out onto the covered back porch on my parents’ house, take a deep breath, and lean on the railing looking out into the woods at the back of their property.