working herself to the ground and won’t tell you. In Malibu, if she wasn’t helping Mia, she was doing something for the band or you.”
“Well, she needs a damn assistant,” Ethan said.
Luke looked over at Allie and raised his eyebrows at her.
“Fine,” she said with a little laugh.
“Time for you to line up some candidates,” Luke said to Allie. She tried not to smile but he knew this made her feel better.
As they were discussing what traits an assistant should have, noise from the stairway caught their attention followed by a quiet curse. Ethan quickly got up from his desk and raced into the hallway. Allie and Luke were quick to follow. “What are you doing out of bed?” Luke heard Ethan ask.
“I’m hungry,” came Mia’s pouty voice.
“Go back upstairs,” Ethan ordered. “I’ll bring you up something in a few minutes.”
“No need,” she said, heading off towards the kitchen. “I’m up and I’ll just get it myself.”
“Mia—go back to bed,” Ethan said, his voice stern and tight.
“Not before I get some food.”
“Mia. Listen to your husband,” Luke spoke up for fear Ethan may have a coronary if she didn’t go back upstairs.
“Come on, Mia,” Allie called out, but Mia continued to walk to the kitchen. Ethan stalked after her. Luke and Allie followed. Luke thought it may have been easier with having Ethan’s help, but his stubborn best friend was quickly disproving that.
Before they made it to the kitchen, Luke heard Mia cry out. “Goddamn it, Ethan. Put me down.”
Luke had to laugh. When he got into the kitchen, he found a pissed off Mia in the arms of her frustrated husband.
“You seriously are one of the most stubborn people I have ever known,” Ethan growled as he headed back towards the stairs.
Mia sighed in defeat. “Can I at least get the fruit salad in the fridge and a banana for now? Please? I’m starving!”
“Fine,” Ethan grumbled as he led her to the fridge. She grabbed the container of fruit salad and Allie handed her the banana and a fork.
“Thanks,” Mia said to Allie, before kissing her husband which turned his frown into an adoring smile. “Can’t I just sit here for a little bit? I’ll lie down on the sofa after I’m done eating. I promise!”
Luke leaned into Allie, his chest pressed against her back. When she leaned back into him, he thought he was imagining it, but he totally felt her back against his chest. “He’s gonna cave.”
Allie chuckled softly. “Mia’s very good at getting her way.”
And with another kiss, Ethan walked to the table and set Mia down. “See?” Allie said before heading to the table to join them.
“Be nice to him, Mia,” Luke chastised as she dug into her fruit salad.
“I am! Very nice and he knows it!”
“You are, suga,” Ethan replied with a knowing wink.
Luke didn’t want to know what that was about. La la la!
“So, what have you all been doing while I’ve been upstairs bored out of my mind?” Mia asked between bites of fruit.
“Getting Allie an assistant and figuring out how to deal with your stubborn ass when Ethan isn’t here.”
She rolled her eyes at him for the last comment and completely ignored it when she spoke. “Ooh! An assistant? Will I have a say in this? How about a male assistant? I could interview them …”
“No, that’ll send your blood pressure through the roof.”
“Nah,” she said, turning her dark puppy dog eyes on Ethan. “I’ve only got eyes for one man.”
“Thanks, sweets,” Luke said to her, squeezing her leg. Mia laughed and slapped his hand off her thigh. She took a few more bites of her salad before letting out a huge yawn which she tried to hide but failed.
“I heard that,” Ethan said from the island.
“What?” Mia asked innocently.
“Time to rest.”
“Okay, but let me go to the bathroom first,” she added, pushing her pregnant body away from the table. Ethan got up to help.
“Meet us back in the office or lie down in the family room,” Ethan said to her as she walked by him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
“I hate how fucking huge I am,” she grumbled as she padded off to the powder room. She may have thought she was huge, but Mia fucking glowed. Luke thought she had never looked as beautiful as she had big and pregnant—it suited her.
Ethan stared after her, a look of longing in his eyes. Luke was pretty confident that Ethan felt the same way.