Page 102 of Wild Pitch
“Tell me again about when you two met,” Molly asked.
“Hmm. You know, Luc always lets me tell this story. I kind of want to hear him describe it.”
My parents walked up behind us and joined the circle as Luc described the flight back from Washington, the identical books, and our flight neighbor. We would forever canonize that poor woman in our meet-cute. And yes, the barf bag bookmark, not the smutty one.
Yup, Luc was amuchbetter storyteller than I was, thanks to the eye contact and impish smile he reserved for me while he told the story.
“When are you due?” Delia asked.
“I’m due on or around September 18th.”
“Maybe a birthday gift?” Luc asked with a hopeful smile.
I shook my head, and my mother grimaced.
“Hopefully not,” I said. I then realized that the rest of the group needed more explanation. “I was born on September 11, 2001. It’s always been a bit of a somber day.”
“Oh, dear.” Delia turned her focus on my mother, and they began a side conversation about what it was like to be alive on that day—yet another reason I didn’t want to share a birthday with the baby.
“Do you need to stop at your apartment?” Luc asked.
I tried to catalog what I had left at Luc’s house and realized that even if I had clothes there, they wouldn’t fit anymore.
I nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to make excuses for us so we can split. You’re tired, right?” He nodded, his question implying a single correct answer.
My slow nod mirrored his, and my heart skipped a beat.
Delia and Molly hugged me warmly and said goodbye. I caught Kelsey and Sam, said thanks, and met Luc by the door. Kendra was only arriving as we left.
“Hey, leaving so soon?” she asked. Her eyes widened when she saw my hand clasped in Luc’s.
“Yes, sorry. It’s been a long day. But we can catch up tomorrow.”
Crew came running across the house at the sight of Kendra.
“Kenny!”
“Hey, buddy,” she said. Scooping him up and swinging him around until he giggled. I thanked God that the strain between my sisters had healed. Kendra lost valuable bonding time with our nephew in the first few months of his life, and had been responsible for the press getting a hold of the story of his paternity before Kelsey and Sam were ready for it to break.
But now Crew loved her.
I kissed my nephew’s head, gave Kendra a quick side hug, and then left with Luc.
CHAPTER 52
LUC
The reception I received from Kylie’s family was far better than the one I received from Lily. She cornered me in the kitchen while Kylie packed a bag for the night.
“So you’re back, huh?”
She wasn’t happy with my sudden reappearance and seemed even more furious when she realized Kylie was packing a bag.
“If that’s how you want to phrase it, yes.”
Lecture in 3—2—1?—
