Page 150 of Heartbeats & Highways

I ate my food, loving the banter and camaraderie from this group of women.

“How are you liking the apartment?” Brooklyn asked, patting the baby resting against her chest. “You can be honest.”

“I love it,” I admitted.

“And the delivery trucks don’t bother you?” Logan asked. “They were hard to get used to when I lived there.”

“You lived there?” I asked in surprise.

“For a time,” Logan replied.

Mia’s daughter, who’d been occupying herself on the blanket within the circle, crawled to Logan and then placed her hands on her legs and stood up. Logan scooped the girl up into her arms and bounced her on her lap.

“When are you adding to the baby pile?” Joni demanded.

“Soon,” Logan said, smiling down at the baby.

“How soon?” Joni asked.

“Whenever one of Smoke’s super-sperm decides to set up shop in one of my eggs,” Logan quipped. “We’re no longer using protection, so . . .”

“Oh, yay,” Allison said with a soft smile.

The woman hardly said anything; but she was kind. They all were.

Tears came to my eyes, and I hastily turned away to dab them with a napkin.

“Hormones, or something else?” Mia asked with a wry smile.

“Both?” I said with a watery laugh. “This is nice. I’ve never had friends before and I . . . this is just nice.”

“Group chat,” Joni announced. “It’s time to put you in the group chat.”

“Group chat?” I asked in confusion.

“For the Old Ladies,” Mia clarified. “It’s easier to experience it than it is to explain.”

“Be warned, though, a lot of the texts you’re going to get are just inappropriate memes and dirty jokes,” Willa said. “It’s part of the charm.”

“You’ll get used to us.” Mia smiled. “Promise.”

The sun set and the babies were put to bed. I’d moved the camp chair closer to the blaze and turned up the collar of my coat. Savage perched next to me on a log, resting his hand on my thigh.

My head was a whirl. I was happy and full, and I was with Savage and the family he’d carved out for himself.

I’d been welcomed and teased, and I truly felt like I belonged here.

“How you feeling, babe?” Savage asked me softly.

“Good.” I turned to him with a smile. “They’re wonderful.”

“Yeah, they are.” He rubbed his jaw. “Duke hugged you.”

“Noticed that, did you?”

“Yeah. I think it’s going to be okay,” he said quietly. “I think I’m gonna get everything I didn’t know I wanted.”

He stole a hand across my belly and stared into my eyes.

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