Page 63 of Unpredictable
“Juliana!” Sophia squealed, rushing toward me. Her footsteps echoed off the marble floor of my office, ponytail swinging from side to side.
“Hey, kiddo.” I leaned down, wrapping my arms around her. She was getting so big! I grinned at her, those blue eyes so full of wonder and mischief.
She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder, and I wanted to laugh. “I can’t wait to tell you about all the ideas I have for my birthday party!”
I ruffled her hair. “I’m excited!”
Alexis walked through the front door to my office a moment later, Blair resting on her hip. My friend looked gorgeous, seeming to easily juggle motherhood and her real estate brokerage firm, all while looking flawless.
“Hey.” I hugged her, dropping a kiss on Blair’s head. “Hi, sweet girl.”
Blair giggled, her head whipping around as she checked out my office—likely considering what she could play with first.
“Hey,” Alexis huffed. “Sorry we’re late.” Her eyes darted to Sophia, who was currently paging through a bridal magazine with Landon, wearing matching animated expressions.Oh my.
“No worries. You want a drink?” I asked, leading them over to the conference room. Sophia followed us after giving Landon a hug.
“I hadn’t planned to bring Blair too.” She set her purse down on the table, shifting Blair to her other hip. Blair smiled and babbled, though it was mostly unintelligible, and I grinned back at her before grabbing some toys from my secret stash.
“Is everything okay?” I handed Blair a toy, enjoying the way her eyes widened at the colors and sound.
“Yeah. Preston had something come up at work, so she got to come along.”
“Well, I’m always happy to see her.”
Alexis smiled, pulling a snack out of her purse for Blair before taking a seat.
“So…birthday. What are you guys thinking?” I asked, knowing that when it came to Sophia, she usually had a lot of ideas. Little girl, big plans.
She darted over to the table, taking a seat across from me. She placed her hands on the table before her, a stern expression on her angelic face. “I want a unicorn party. Pink and purple.”
“Ooh. I love it.” I nodded, considering her suggestion. “Pool party?”
“Hmm.” She tapped a finger to her lips, and it took everything in me not to laugh at how serious she was. “I don’t know. Do you think that’s too similar to my mermaid party?” When Blair started fussing, Sophia turned to her. “Here, baby.” She handed Blair her water bottle.
This kid.As an only child, Sophia had always been mature for her age. But now that she was a big sister, it was a role she took very seriously.
“Not if we do different decorations and games, but it’s up to you. And with a unicorn theme, a rainbow color palette could be a lot of fun.”
“Yes!” Sophia’s face lit up, and she bounced in her seat. “And we can do one of those surprise rainbow cakes covered in rainbow sprinkles.”
“Great! What else?” I made a note on my tablet.
“A… What about a rainbow of snacks?”
“I love it. Perfect.”
We brainstormed a little more before Alexis said, “Those all sound like great ideas, Soph. Jules, didn’t you say you could use her help with something?” Alexis gave me a meaningful glance, and I sensed that she wanted to talk to me without little ears listening in.
“That’s right.” I turned my attention to Sophia. “Some of the interns are assembling goody bags. Do you want to help?”
“Heck yes!” I knew the answer before she jumped out of her seat, but it still made me smile.
“Go find Landon. He’ll get you set up.”
“Okay.” She grinned before turning to skip down the hall to his office.
“What’s up?” I asked, smiling at Blair and taking some of her goldfish, pretending they were swimming.
