“You’re not having coffee?” Callie indicated Gail’s orange juice as the usual suspects gathered in the large corner booth on a Friday morning in August. The weather in Whiskey Creek was every bit as beautiful as Los Angeles, maybe better, since it wasn’t as hot. Simon was glad to be back.
“In all the years we’ve been coming here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you order anything else,” Eve added, also eyeing the orange juice. “Of course, you’ve been gone a lot of that time, but still. No one loves coffee more than you do.”
Simon covered Gail’s hand with his. He wanted to catch her eye, to tell her he didn’t mind if she spilled the big news, but Ty piped up and took care of that for both of them.
“Mama Gail can’t have coffee,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not for n-i-n-e months!”
This caused not only Callie but the rest of Gail’s friends to look a little startled.
“Why not?” Callie asked him. Simon could tell she already suspected the truth, but was seeking confirmation.
Ty had just put a big spoonful of fruit and yogurt in his mouth. This made him difficult to understand when he talked, but Simon let him answer, curious to hear what his son would say. Gail must’ve wanted to hear Ty explain, too, because she didn’t speak up.
“’Cause that’s how long it takes to make a baby, silly!” he said with a laugh.
Simon chuckled at his son’s comment but no one else did. They were too preoccupied with the meaning of his words. There were ten of them today: Kyle, who was starting to rebound from his divorce; Riley and his son; Ted; Sophia and her daughter; Eve; Cheyenne; Callie; and Noah Rackham, whom Simon had just met for the first time, due to conflicting schedules. When Noah was home, Simon had been filming his latest movie, and when Simon and Gail were in Whiskey Creek for the weekend or whatever, Noah had been racing bicycles in Europe.
With news of the baby hanging out there, all of Gail’s friends leaned close, pinning her beneath their curious gazes.
“You’re expecting?” Sophia asked.
A blush of excitement tinged Gail’s cheeks. They’d thought they were going to wait a year or two before having a baby. But by March they’d gained partial custody of Ty, who’d immediately started begging for a baby sister, and by April they’d admitted to each other that they were just as eager for a baby as he was. They’d stopped using birth control at that point, but it wasn’t until a few days ago, on August 4, that they’d learned Gail was pregnant.
“Yes,” she said, a grin curving her lips.
“Oh, my gosh!” Eve cried. “That’s wonderful!”
“Do your father and brother know?” Riley asked.
“We told them last night,” Simon said. “As soon as we arrived in town.” Although they’d lived mostly in L.A. since Christmas, Simon had finished remodeling 811 Autumn Lane when they’d come for a couple of weeks in March and he’d brought out the movie props he’d promised to provide for Eve’s B and B. They loved staying at their own place when they visited Whiskey Creek, had been there several times already. But they’d begun a tradition of spending their first night back in town at Martin’s. Martin loved having them, and it made Simon feel good to please her old man.
“How long have you known?” Eve asked.
Gail squeezed Simon’s hand. “Since Tuesday. But it’s only now starting to feel real.”
“That’s so wonderful!” Callie said. “What about Big Hit? Will you continue to work?”
“Not for the first few months. After that, I might go back part-time, but I’m really only doing Simon’s PR these days. Josh and Serge are handling the rest of our clients.”
“When’s the baby due?” Kyle asked.
Gail opened her orange juice and took a sip. “February 21.”
Ted added sugar to his coffee. “So what do you want? Another boy or a girl?”
“A baby sister!” Ty shouted, but Gail said she just wanted a healthy child and Simon felt the same.
“Are you excited?” It took Simon a few seconds to realize that the usually reserved Cheyenne was talking only to him. The others had Gail’s attention, were asking her all kinds of questions, but Cheyenne sat next to him.
“I’m thrilled about it,” he said. He’d once sworn he’d never trust a woman enough to have another child, but that was before he’d met Gail. “There’s nothing like that first moment, when the nurse puts your baby in your arms.”
“You and Gail seem so happy together,” she said wistfully.
She was looking for a level of honesty none of the others had demanded of him so far, but they hadn’t lived the kind of hard life Cheyenne had. She wanted to believe in happily ever after, wanted to know it was possible, and he felt no hesitation in building her confidence.
Placing his arm around her shoulders, he gave her a reassuring squeeze while grinning at his beautiful wife. “Gail’s the best thing to ever happen to me,” he said, and meant it.
* * * * *
Look for the next irresistible romance in New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s new SILVER SPRINGS series, NO ONE BUT YOU.
Available May 30, 2017, from MIRA Books.
Keep reading for an excerpt from by Brenda Novak.