Des. Let me take that.” Chloe took the bowl from her and said, “We brought bagels and muffins so you wouldn’t have to cook.”
“That’s sweet, but you know how some women nest by decorating the nursery or babyproofing the house?” Desiree rubbed her belly and said, “Apparently I nest by cooking. I’m convinced our little one is going to be a chef. Or maybe he or she will just be a big eater. Who knows. There are plates of waffles, bacon, and eggs inside.”
Justin set the bakery box on the table and said, “I’ll get them. You girls relax.”
“Hey, Justin,” Emery called after him. “The guys got a late start this morning and just left for their run. I’m not sure if they’ll be back in time for you to see them.”
“That’s okay.” He winked at Chloe and said, “I have nothing against eating breakfast with a harem of gorgeous women.”
Chloe set the bowl on the table, and the second Justin was inside the house, the girls huddled around her.
“Quick, give us the scoop. Scale of one to ten. How does he treat you?” Emery said.
Chloe’s pulse quickened. “Ten.”
“How’s the sex?” Emery asked.
“Twenty, and don’t ask for details,” Chloe said quickly. Their sex life was beyond incredible, but she wasn’t about to share those details with the gossip girls.
“Go, Justin,” Serena said.
“I’m jealous,” Daphne said, keeping an eye on Hadley and Cosmos.
“Well, if she’s not sharing sexy details, then that about covers it for me.” Emery plucked a strawberry from the bowl and sat down at the table.
“I bet I would have heard all the details if I’d made it to Common Grounds for dinner with the book club girls last night,” Daphne complained. “But Hadley was so cranky, I didn’t want to leave her.”
“You didn’t miss any details, Daph,” Chloe reassured her. “I didn’t share with them, either.”
Desiree, the most proper of all her friends, sat beside her and said, “I don’t want those kinds of details, but I am wondering what it’s like for you after playing cat and mouse with Justin for so long. Are you happy?”
“I’m happier than I ever imagined possible. I always thought I needed certain things in a man,” Chloe said as she and Serena sat down at the table. “It turns out, I just needed a certain man. Justin is wonderful. Believe it or not, he’s romantic and sweet. He’s good to me, you guys. And you know he’s funny, charming, pushy.” She stopped talking as he came outside carrying a tray of food. He looked at her with wanting eyes and lifted his chin. She met the eager eyes of her girlfriends and lowered her voice to say, “He’s everything.”
Justin set the tray on the table and said, “Y’all look guilty. Did I miss something?”
They all said “No” at once.
“You all suck at lying.” He grabbed a piece of bacon and bit into it. “Des, this spread looks great. Thanks for cooking.”
The girls went to work, setting out the plates of food.
“Come on, Had,” Daphne called after her daughter. “Time to eat.”
Justin scooped up Hadley as she toddled by and said, “You hungry, little princess?”
Hadley clutched her favorite stuffed bird in one hand. The ends of her wispy hair bounced as she nodded, lips pursed in a tiny scowl, brows knitted. She was the most serious child Chloe had ever met. It practically took an act of God to get Hadley to smile, and they all loved her to pieces.
Justin sat with Hadley on his lap and began fixing her a plate. “Berries?” he asked, and the scowling cutie nodded. “Waffles?” She nodded again. “Eggs?” Another nod. He glanced across the table at Daphne, silently seeking approval.
Chloe looked around the table, and it was clear that she wasn’t the only one taken with the sight of her bad boy’s tender side coming out.
Justin must have misread Daphne’s expression, because he said, “What? Is she allergic to something?”
“No,” Daphne reassured him with a dreamy expression.
“We’re used to seeing you flirt with Chloe,” Emery explained. “But now I’m having visions of you and Chloe with babies.”
Chloe’s eyes just about fell out of her head. Us? We just started dating. It was one thing to admire how good Justin was with Hadley, but quite another to think about having babies anytime soon.
“By the look on Chloe’s face, I think we’re a long way from that,” Justin said with another wink.
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t wait too long. Chloe’s no spring chicken,” Serena teased.