All Consuming (Brotherhood by Fire #3) -Jaci Burton Page 0,77

go to the bathroom.”

“Down the hall and it’s the first door, Oliver,” Laurel said.

Hannah tilted her head back to look at Kal. “You knew about this?”

“The dog? Yeah. Remember the fall festival? The dog they were looking at that day?”

“Oh, right. I remember that puppy.”

Kal grinned. “He’s a lot bigger now. It took a while for the home inspection and paperwork and vet check and all of that with the foster organization. But he’s been at the house for the past few days.”

“That’s great. How’s he doing?”

“He’s a lot of energy.”

“Oh. So like having a kid around, huh?” Hannah gave him a smile.

“You would know better than me.”

Becks came through the door just as Laurel had the machine going. “I’m just in time for margaritas, I see.”

“Take a seat,” Kal said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “I’m going out back to hang out with the guys.”

Kal left, and Becks slid into one of the chairs.

“You know, it wasn’t all that long ago that I was surrounded by nothing but men and boys,” Laurel said, filling glasses with margarita mix. “Now look at this room.”

“We are pretty awesome, aren’t we?” Becks asked.

Laurel slid glasses to Hannah, Carmen and Becks, and lifted her own glass. “Here’s to all the amazing women.”

“To women,” Carmen said.

“Cheers,” Hannah said, toasting these women who had become her friends, and Laurel, who she’d known since she was a teenager.

Hannah took a sip. “Mmm, this is very good.”

“Thank you.”

Hannah turned to Carmen. “So, are you all settled back into work and home life after the honeymoon?”

Carmen nodded. “More or less. Though my head’s still on that beach.”

“I’ll bet it was nice,” Becks said.

“So very nice. I was digging in my heels getting on that plane. I thought about a mutiny, but Rafe was the one who insisted on coming home. He’s such a practical guy. Wanting us to keep our jobs, pay the mortgage . . .”

Laurel shook her head. “It’s one of his biggest faults. I did my best with him, Carmen.”

Hannah laughed. “You can always go back on vacation. Or for your first anniversary.”

“I’m hoping to be pregnant by our first anniversary.”

“That’s sweet news to my heart,” Laurel said. “Josh and I are so ready for grandbabies.”

“Aww,” Becks said, chin in her hand. “Babies. I can’t wait for babies. Your babies, that is, Carmen.”

“Not in any hurry, huh?” Hannah asked.

“Not in the least. I want to get married, run around the house naked with my husband for a year or two. Then we can talk babies.”

Laurel gave Becks a smirk.

“Sorry, Laurel,” Becks said. “Probably too much information.”

Laurel shrugged. “Hey, I still like running around the house naked with my husband.”

Hannah laughed.

“Oh my God, Laurel,” Becks said, laughing. “Now that is too much information.”

“Hey, can’t I have a sex life, too? I mean, no kids running around my house anymore. What are Josh and I supposed to do around here at night? Watch the news?”

“What are you all talking about?” Kal asked as he walked in to grab a few beers from the fridge.

“Your parents’ sex life,” Hannah said.

“And, I’m out.”

Eyes wide, Kal made a beeline for the back door, causing all the women to burst into wild laughter.

“Can I clear a room or what?” Laurel asked.

“You’re the master at it, ma’am,” Carmen said.

Laurel shrugged. “Hey, if you can’t embarrass your children, you’re doing parenting wrong.”

“I’m definitely filing that one away for later,” Hannah said.

They took their drinks outside and sat at the table on the shaded porch. It was a humid, hot day, and all the guys decided to get into the pool. Carmen fitted Oliver’s cast with the airtight waterproof cover, which fit perfectly, but wasn’t bulky, so he’d have mobility.

Hannah went over to him. “No roughhousing. No jumping in the pool. You get too rambunctious in the water, I’m pulling you out. Understood?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Josh came over and put his arm around Oliver’s shoulders. “You have four firefighters here. And I have very strict pool rules, which I’ve already told him about. We’ve got this, don’t we, Oliver?”

“Yes, sir.” Oliver gave Josh a wide smile.

Hannah could tell Oliver was taking this seriously, so she nodded. “Okay, then. Have fun.”

She took a seat and picked up her drink, sipping it while she watched Oliver do his best not to jump headfirst into the water. She’d put him in swimming lessons when he was a baby, wanting to make sure he would always be safe in the water. He knew how to swim, plus, Josh