Page 5 of Holt (Big Hot Alphas 5)

I nod and look around, taking it all in. I haven’t been by here for ages, either.

“I’m sure the food is just as greasy as it was the last time we were here,” I say.

We both laugh, remembering the sheer number of burgers and fries we’ve scarfed down here. Without debating where we should sit, we head toward a booth and slide in.

“So,” I say. “How’s life, dude?”

Cash lets out a happy sigh and leans back against his seat. “It’s good. Really good, man. I mean, being a dad is crazy and insane, but I love every minute of it.”

“And it’s about to get even crazier,” I point out. “What do you think? Boy or girl?”

“Ihopeit’s another boy.” Cash shakes his head. His eyes roam around the diner, taking in all the teenagers. “Boys are easy. Simple. Just keep ’em fed and try to prevent ’em from being too big of idiots. Girls, though…fuck, that’s scary. There’s so much I’m clueless about.”

“Come on, man,” I say. “You can admit it. You’re secretly excited for the pretend tea parties.”

Cash snorts out a laugh.

The waitress comes over and we order what we’ve always ordered, both getting burgers and fries. Then we fall easily into conversation again, catching up with each other about our lives. Cash updates me about the voiceover work he’s been doing lately, and asks for some home renovation advice, which I’m more than happy to give.

The waitress has just dropped the check off at our table when Cash’s phone goes off. He glances at it, tells me it’s a text from Dani, then types back a quick reply before setting the phone down again.

“You in trouble?” I say, smirking.

Cash laughs. “Nah. Dani’s leaving Jasper with my parents and going out with Felicity for a bit. Since I’m having some guy time, she wants some girl time. So looks like you’re stuck with me for a while longer. If you don’t have somewhere else to be, that is. You don’t have a hot date to run off to, do you, dude?”

Thoughts of Felicity flash through my head.

“Nope,” I tell Cash. “I’m free.”

Chapter Four

Felicity

“You’re gonnalovethis place, Dani,” I say, pulling the car into the strip mall parking lot. “It’s super cute, and they do the best mani-pedis in the city.”

“Lord knows I could use one,” Dani says, laughing. “Thanks for suggesting this.”

“Girl, you deserve it,” I say. Dani is always so focused on other people, and she deserves some pampering—especially with another baby on the way.

“You sure your parents don’t mind watching Jasper?” she asks, glancing over at me.

As I pull into a spot, I wave away her concern. “Trust me, you’ll have to pry the boy away from them. They’re always lamenting how little time they get to spend with their grandson. I’m sure they’ll be spoiling him rotten while we’re out.”

The nail salon only has a couple other people in there, and we’re able to get seated right away. They bring us a little book showing off all their polish colors and design options, and the two of us spend a few minutes debating what we should pick before settling on our shades: a baby blue for me and a pale salmon for Dani.

“So, how are you feeling about the new baby?” I ask as the techs work their magic. The foot massages they give here are worth the price alone.

“I’m excited,” Dani says, smiling. “Nervous, too, though. I can still vividly remember how exhausting it was to take care of Jasper when he was a newborn. And I stressed out aboutsomuch. It seemed like every day there was something new to worry about.”

I can only imagine how terrifying it is having such a small and fragile life completely dependent on you to take care of it. But Dani’s already been through it once, and I know she can handle it again.

“You’ll do great, Dani,” I tell her. “I mean, look at how amazing Jasper is. If you can handlethatspirited little guy, you can totally handle whatever this one throws at you.”

“Good point. Thanks, Felicity. You’re sweet.” She smiles. “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to. But do you want kids? I just realized I’ve never asked you that.”

I glance down at my feet. The nail tech is just starting to apply the polish. “Yeah. I do. It’s not like it’s going to happen anytime soon, though.”

“Why do you say that?”

---