The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,52
the diaper bag down on one of the bar stools. I hand Evie over to Jillian, who smothers her cheeks in kisses. The girl has the best cheeks to nom on. It's really too bad that we have to keep her out of the spotlight, as she could seriously be the next Gerber or Carters baby, she’s that stinking cute.
“It’s going. I was just about to get some lunch going for the girls. Are you hungry?” Jillian asks, setting Evie into the highchair they keep out since we’re over here so often.
“Absolutely. Need help?” I offer.
“I was just making some sandwiches and cutting up some fruit. Simple is my game plan this week.”
“Sounds perfect. I can get the fruit cut up,” I offer. I pull out the puffs from the diaper bag and place some in front of Evie, along with a sippy cup that I’ve introduced to her this week. She still isn’t sure about it, and I end up picking it up off the floor a hundred or so times, as she thinks it’s hilarious to drop it over and over again. Once she’s got a few things to keep her occupied, I pull the fruit from the fridge and get it washed before I start cutting it up for everyone.
“So, spill,” Jillian says a few minutes later.
“Spill what?” I ask, trying to act as innocent as possible.
“Something’s different, I can tell. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, but can feel the smile trying to pull at the corners of my lips as a blush heats my cheeks.
“You’re such a liar!” Jillian says, pointing her finger in my direction. “Did something finally happen between you and JJ?” she questions, and I can feel the heat radiating from my cheeks.
“Shhh,” I shush her then look around for the girls. I absolutely do not want them to overhear any of this and possibly repeat it around Derek. That’s all we need. “Yes…” I say, stalling. That smile that was threatening to fill my lips is now filling my face as I think back on the last week. “We’re together?” I tell her, but it comes out more like a question. “We’re seeing where things go, but you can’t say anything! We want to keep it just between the two of us until we know what this is.”
“I knew it!” Jillian says, punching her fists into the air like she’s won a prize. “So, does this mean that you’ve no longer got your V-card?”
“Correct,” I tell her, looking up to catch her reaction to my confession.
“I’m going to assume from the look on your face that it has been a good week, then?” she says, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.
“Yeah,” I say, once again thinking about just this morning and the dirty, dirty things JJ did to me in the shower before Evie woke up. “Things have been very, very good. He’s a very experienced partner and knows how to use what he’s got, expertly,” I tell her, another blush heating my cheeks.
“Get it, girl. Just make sure he treats you right.”
“Don’t worry, he’s treating me just fine,” I tell her as I finish cutting up the fruit. She’s plated sandwiches for all of us, so I add a scoop of fruit to the girls' plates for her as she sets them out on the table. I grab a couple of juice boxes from the fridge as Jillian calls them to the dining room to eat.
“Aunt RyRy!” Penelope calls out when she sees me. “When’s you get here?” she asks as I bend down to pick her up in a bear hug.
“Just a few minutes ago. Evie and I came to hang out for the afternoon, how’s that sound?”
“Yea!” she exclaims as I put her down. Addison gives me a side hug as she passes by, beelining it to the table. She must be starving to blow past me like that.
Jillian and I join the girls at the table with our own plates, but change the conversation now that we’ve got little ears that can pick up on things.
“What should we do after lunch?” I ask Penny and Addy.
“The park!” Addy calls out.
“The zoo!” Penny suggests next.
“Both of those sound fun!” I tell them. “I don’t know, what do you think, Mommy?” I ask, directing my question to Jillian.
“We could maybe go up to the zoo for a little while, but in order to do that, we have to