Setting my wine glass down on the bookshelf below the window, I pointed. “There? Do you see what I’m pointing at?”
“The flower bed? Did you redo it? It looks different from the last time I was here,” Clare said.
“No, I did not redo it,” I muttered. “His movers trampled all over it and ruined it.”
Mia’s hand fell on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe. I know those flowers meant a lot to you. So, I’m guessing the talk didn’t go well?”
“I thought it did, but I guess we didn’t exactly understand each other. He’s Mrs. Reid’s grandson, so I assumed he would appreciate the idea of restoring it back to its former glory. Apparently, money is all that matters to him, and I woke up this morning to find my flower bed being completely redone with chemicals and this horrid red mulch. It looks nothing like it did before. I could have saved some of those poor plants.”
“I’m sure you could have,” Leah echoed, giving me a warm smile.
“That’s not all,” I said softly.
“Of course not.” Mia laughed.
“I might have marched over there and yelled at him—a lot.”
They just laughed, not surprised at all by my reaction. I guessed I wasn’t known for tact.
“Perhaps I was a little rude,” I admitted. “But then, he called me crazy, and went out and did that!” I pointed to his backyard.
Mia snorted. “Is that a flamingo?”
“Yes, and there are about five more back there somewhere. Oh, and more red mulch.”
“You know, it’s really doesn’t look that—” Clare started to say.
“Don’t finish that sentence if you want to live past your first trimester, Clare,” I said.
Everyone’s eyes widened as Mia and Leah spun around to face Clare.
“How did you know?” Clare asked me.
“I uncorked a bottle of that chocolate wine you love so much, and you haven’t touched it. Add that to the fact that you’re stuffing cheese in your mouth at an alarming rate…it can mean only one thing.”
Her eyes moistened with unshed tears. “We just found out this week,” she gushed, her voice becoming heavy and full of emotion.
This would be Clare’s third child.
Lucky number three.
Clare and Logan had gotten married before I knew them, but I’d been told the harrowing story of how they came together. Clare had lost her first husband to brain cancer, and she’d been left to raise their infant daughter, Maddie, on her own. Several years later, in an ER room, she’d met Logan, and the rest was history. They’d had their own share of ups and downs, including Logan’s own battle with cancer, but they’d managed to pull through. Several years and another child later, they were still solid and strong. They constantly amazed me with the enormity of love they had for each other and their growing family.
“How’s Dr. McSteamy doing with the news?” I asked as we all huddled together.
“Like any doctor would with the same news. He’s over the moon and going slightly insane.” Clare laughed.
“Triple-checking your vitamins again?” Leah asked.
“Oh, yes,” Clare answered.
“Well, you know what this means?” Mia said.
“What?” we all responded in unison.
“We have a heck of a lot more wine to drink now!”
Laughter filled the house as we made our way back to the kitchen where we celebrated the newest addition to our growing family.
A few years ago, I’d had hardly anyone left in the world I could turn to. The little old woman who lived next door to me had become the closest thing I had to a friend or family member. Now, thanks to Mia and Garrett and the women surrounding me, I had an entire support system. The Finnegan family had a way of taking in strays like me and making them feel almost whole again.
It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced since I walked away from my own family years ago—or actually, they’d walked away from me.
Either way, the lines of communication had been severed for far too long.
Much wine and food was consumed as we all sat around the kitchen, catching up on our lives and families. As the merlot began to buzz in our system, the conversation came full circle.
“So, how are we going to get back at Mr. Hot and Sweaty?” Leah asked picking up a brownie from the picked over tray.
I stuck to my veggies and hummus, throwing in some cheese for protein. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t let him win, Liv.”
“It’s a contest?”
“Obviously. Don’t you see that? He’s goading you with the backyard crap, and now, the ball is in your court. You have to do something.”
“That is seriously childish!”
“Well, what do you expect? He’s a man!” Clare laughed.
“So, if I don’t respond, I lose?”
“Yep,” they all answered in unison.
“Men are idiots.”
“What if you replaced all the gas in his car with water?” Clare said, excitedly clapping her hands together.
We all stared at her blankly.
Her ivory white complexion blushed as she looked back at us. “What?”
“That’s just evil and also probably illegal.” Leah just shook her head. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about.”
“Okay, anyone have an idea that won’t cause permanent damage and land us in jail?” Mia asked.
Clare’s head fell to the counter as she laughed hysterically.
“We could TP his house tonight! Declan and I have done that before,” Leah offered.
“Whoa there. Hold up. Is this something you two do on date nights? Do I need to set up security cameras?” I laughed.
She grinned. “It was when we were dating. We TP’d my ex-boyfriend’s house.”
She sighed dreamily, as I rolled my eyes and snickered.
“Okay, toilet paper party it is!” Mia exclaimed. “Let’s go to the store! Clare is driving because the rest of us are wasted!”
Oh boy, this is going to be a disaster.
~Jackson~
My backyard looked like a landscaper’s worst nightmare.
It was fucking awesome.
As I finished cleaning up and putting things away, I couldn’t help the grin spreading across my face. I hadn’t had this much fun in far too long.
I should probably be focusing on the fact that the current shift in my rather boring life all revolved around the type of woman I swore I’d never pursue, yet I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her.