Page 62 of Titus

Brooke Morales, however, believed life was meant to be lived beautifully and recklessly. She’d been one of my closest friends since college and now spent most of her time traveling the world, writing for luxury travel publications and dating men she quickly lost interest in. Brooke loved drama, though, not destructive drama, just the kind that made life more entertaining.

Which meant she was thoroughly enjoying this whole situation with Titus far more than she should have been.

I truly needed us all to get off this subject, or the relaxing evening I was excited to share with my friends would only serve to frustrate me. Most of all, because it was founded on nothing. Try as he might, Titus Hawk would remain strictly business, and that would be all I knew of the man.

“How was your OB appointment?” I turned to my sister, hoping to regain everyone’s interest in her having a baby.

“Well,” she said, “everything looks great, and Dr. Aster will perform my first ultrasound next week to determine exactly how far along I am.”

“Which Dr. Aster are you seeing? Is it Mickie or John?” Sienna asked.

“Mickie, thanks to my sister being friends with them,” Amelia said.

“Mickie is phenomenal,” Sienna added. “When I was pregnant with the twins, she made what terrified me seem like such a rare and blessed opportunity.”

“Because it is,” Brooke said with a silly laugh. “I can’t believe you and Jeff could be so freaked out about having the twins. Amara and Alessia are the cutest little nuggets I’ve ever seen.”

“You can’t imagine it because it seems impossible when you’re running around, loving and leaving men, while touring the world,” I chuckled. “I imagine if you found out you were pregnant with two babies, you’d be a little overwhelmed too.”

“Hell no,” she shrugged. “I would just include them in my travel blogs and make them global baby stars.”

“You say that now, gorgeous,” Sienna said. “But when you’re up all night with not just one, but two screaming, jaundiced babies, I really doubt you’d want to catch the next flight to Jamaica.”

“Or go jump off a cliff in Costa Rica,” I added.

“Exactly,” Sienna agreed with a warm smile. “I truly couldn’t have asked for a better doctor than Mickie. Since the twins couldn’t be carried to full term, she did such an incredible job delivering them safely. Thanks to her, I happily have two healthy, beautiful girls.”

“Yeah, she seems really good,” Amelia said, suddenly saddened by all of this.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” I said, immediately clocking her shift in mood.

“It’s nothing,” she shrugged it off.

“Nothing my ass,” I said, seeing tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. “What’s going on? Is it about the baby?”

“I’m just scared, I think,” she said.

Brooke grew serious, and Sienna’s eyes narrowed.

“What is it that you’re afraid of? It is natural, and that’s why I’m grateful your doctor is Mickie,” Sienna said. “You need to make her aware of your trepidation right now, and she will help put your mind at ease.”

“How can she help me feel better about being a single mom? I worry I might never meet anyone new. Why would anyone my age want to raise another man’s child?”

Well, that came out of nowhere, I thought. I should’ve expected it, though. My sister and I saw the world very differently. I was fiercely independent and couldn’t imagine worrying about finding a man if I were in her shoes, mainly because I wouldn’t want a man competing for my attention while I was trying to figure out motherhood and focusing on my child.

We were two different people with distinct personalities and priorities, so I didn’t know how to comfort her in this situation or explain that she would be okay without a man, because we saw the world through different lenses.

Before anyone could respond, Avery and her sister-in-law, Ashley Mitchell, approached us at the table.

“Sorry we’re late,” Ashley said, sitting across from me and next to Sienna. “Southern California traffic can be such a bitch.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” I answered with a smile. “Perhaps you both showed up at the perfect time,” I said, acknowledging Avery, who sat to my left.

“Well, if we’re not always unfashionably late,” Avery chuckled, waving our waiter over. “Ash, what are you having? I’m having a dry martini.”

“Dry?” Sienna said with a laugh.

“Very fucking dry,” Avery said.