Home > Fate Interrupted (Moonstone Cove #3)(4)

Fate Interrupted (Moonstone Cove #3)(4)
Author: Elizabeth Hunter

“Henry’s on top of everything,” Toni said. “He invited my sister over to give us a checklist of baby stuff, because you know I’m not going to remember all that shit. She went through with him about what we need to do to babyproof the house, what kind of gear we need, that kind of thing.”

“Did you get a lot of hand-me-downs?”

“Oh yeah. I’m not a sucker. We got a new car seat and a new bouncy seat thing that Henry wanted, but most of our stuff like the baby swing and all that is from my sisters or my cousins. The only problem is going to be keeping Shelby from smothering the kid in the swing, because that cat completely thinks we’re just getting her new cat toys.”

“Keep the swing moving.” Megan moved her hand back and forth. “It’ll keep the baby happy and keep the cat off the kid.”

Toni narrowed her eyes. “No whiplash, huh?”

“On the swing?” Megan shook her head. “Just strap them in tight. With my three, it was the faster the better on those things. Babies are weird. Adam hated quiet rooms, but put on a recording of bagpipe music while he was in his swing and he’d fall right asleep.”

Toni’s eyes went wide. “Please don’t tell Henry that; he absolutely will take up the bagpipes.”

Katherine reached across the table for a cracker. “I am very glad I didn’t have children, because I’m fairly positive I would have ended up leaving one somewhere and been arrested for neglect. But I’m sure yours and Henry’s will be delightful. He is very good-natured.”

Toni nodded. “I don’t even blame you for excluding me from the good-natured thing. Dusi babies are cute as shit, but we’re ornery. I’m completely hoping the baby takes after Henry.”

“I’m envisioning a very chubby baby with lots of dark curls,” Megan said. “I’m only slightly annoyed you didn’t find out if it’s a girl or a boy.”

“Does it really make that much difference?”

“I just want to know.” It killed Megan to be able to know a thing and not actually know it. She’d found out the biological sex of her babies as soon as possible just to satisfy her voracious curiosity.

Toni said, “I don’t want an avalanche of blue or pink shit. Not that you’d be able to tell my mom and my aunt Gina that. They’re in some kind of blue-pink cold war.”

Katherine said, “Explain. Incidentally, I have not seen any visions related to the baby’s biological sex. It’s probably far too early to sense anything.”

Katherine had precognition, but it came in flashes, sometimes only moments before an event happened. It’d helped prevent tragedy more than once, but it wasn’t exactly useful for lottery tickets or telling the future.

“My mom is certain it’s going to be a girl because” —Toni used air quotes— “‘I’m carrying like it’s a girl.’ But get this, Gina is dead positive I’m having a boy for the exact same reason.” She spread her arms out. “They make no sense, and all babies kind of look the same, so I don’t care which one I get. I can’t tell from the little squirt’s feelings.”

Megan felt her heart swell, and an olive from the plate jumped off and rolled toward Toni. “I cannot even imagine sensing my babies’ emotions! That must be incredible.”

Toni’s smile was soft as she looked at her belly and ran a hand over the round rise. “It’s pretty cool.”

“What is the baby feeling right now?” Katherine said. “I find this so fascinating.”

“Just contentment. The baby likes hearing our voices. They’re calming. The little squirt gets all excited when it hears Henry’s voice, but with ours it just gets very… I don’t know. Cozy feeling.”

Megan just about started crying. “I love that! We’re the cozy aunties.” She reached over and squeezed Toni’s hand. “Speaking of aunties and family and such, are you going to Dusi Sunday dinner this weekend?”

“Of course. Aren’t you?”

Megan shook her head. “I’m working at the winery tomorrow for a party, so I’m taking the day off. You couldn’t pay me to voluntarily hang out with your cousin after the week he put me through.”

Toni cackled. “I knew you two would get on each other’s nerves until you sleep together.”

Megan nearly spat her wine. “Not going to happen. He’s my boss.”

“I mean…” Toni shrugged. “He’s kind of your boss. You’re more of an independent contractor than an employee. I’ve never heard him order you around or anything.”

“Still, it would be incredibly unprofessional of me to sleep with Nico.”

“Like anyone in Moonstone Cove cares about that,” Toni said. “Especially my family.”

“If your boss was a friend or acquaintance first,” Katherine said, “would that mitigate the ethical implications? You knew Nico as Toni’s cousin before you knew him as a boss.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Megan said. “I’m not sleeping with Nico.”

Even though his lips were sculpted by the devil’s own hand and the man had a body hot enough to melt Alaska. It didn’t matter.

And if she kept telling herself that, she would absolutely start believing it.

“The chemistry though.” Toni’s whisper to Katherine was loud and unguarded. “You could cut the tension with a knife when they’re in the same room.”

“I’ve sensed it, and I’m not even an empath.” Katherine gave Megan a rueful look. “In fact, I’m quite obtuse about most emotional signals. But your sexual chemistry with Nico is very evident.”

“Good.” Megan folded her hands across her lap and plastered on a face of innocence. “I’m glad that everyone but me is counting on this as a forgone conclusion. It will just make it easier to keep Nico at arm’s length.”

Katherine was silent, but she gave Megan a smile and a nod.

Toni was less sanguine. “You’re sticking with that, huh? You and Nico are never going to hook up?”

“Toni, if you start making bets on this—”

“Start?” Toni shook her head. “Do you know my family at all? The bets started months ago. Sorry, Atlanta, but that ship has sailed.”

 

 

Megan woke up early on Sunday morning in an empty bed with a busy mind. She looked toward the giant picture window opposite her bed, staring at the rise of golden hills that rolled away from the miniature mansion her ex-husband had chosen on the slopes above Moonstone Cove.

It was a beautiful home, though not one she would have picked. It didn’t have the soul of her 1930s colonial home in Atlanta or the charm of Katherine’s midcentury bungalow at the beach. It definitely didn’t have the rustic character of Toni’s Spanish cottage in the vineyards.

But for now it was home, and she couldn’t complain about life when she woke up every morning to a gorgeous view from a luxurious king-size bed.

And she absolutely had not been having sex dreams about her boss. In no way had that been a thing that happened. If anything, her dream was kind of a fuzzy memory, so she was going with… Oscar Isaac. Sure. That sounded good. Oscar Isaac was better than Nico Dusi.

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