Page 63 of Finding Carly
“Oh my God! Congratulations!”
“That’s awesome!”
“Wow!”
“The first SEAL baby!”
“I knew it,” Kenna said smugly, sitting back with a huge smile on her face.
“How?” Monica asked. “I don’t drink alcohol anyway, so me not drinking wasn’t exactly a clue. And it’s not like I’m showing. I’m still in the first trimester.”
“You keep resting your hand on your belly, which you don’t usually do.”
Monica smiled and shook her head. “You’re good.”
“I know,” Kenna said. Then she leaned over and held her hand out, palm up. Monica took it. The two women held hands for a moment. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. I…we didn’t exactly plan this. I mean, we both want kids, but we’d planned to wait at least a year, give us time to enjoy being a couple.” Monica shook her head. “But I guess we weren’t careful enough.”
“Our guys’ll do that. It’s hard to think about protection when you’re horny as hell and they’re looking at you with those fuck-me eyes,” Elodie stated.
Everyone burst out laughing.
“So true!” Lexie said with a wicked grin on her face.
Ashlyn came back into the living room with a tray of drinks. It was amazing that she didn’t spill any, as she was definitely not sober. She placed the tray on the coffee table and gestured to it. “An announcement like that deserves a toast! Monica, the one on the end is yours…it’s straight orange juice.”
“Thanks,” Monica said.
Carly was relieved that no one seemed to care the other woman wasn’t a drinker, pregnancy or no. She’d had a few friends over the years who made snide comments when someone didn’t feel like getting shitfaced. It was nice to be with women who seemed to truly respect and like each other exactly how they were.
“To Monica and Pid’s baby!” Ashlyn said, holding up a glass.
Everyone leaned forward and grabbed a drink and held it up.
“To Mo!”
“To babies!”
“To fertility and stubborn sperm!”
Carly almost spit her drink out at Kenna’s toast.
“To not having to wear a condom for the near future!” Elodie added.
“Oh, man, I’m so jealous!” Lexie moaned.
After Ashlyn settled on the floor next to Lexie, Kenna turned to look at Carly. She braced herself.
“So…how’re things going with you and Jag?”
“They’re good,” Carly said.
Elodie shook her head. “Nope. We need more than that. Talk, woman.”
Carly grinned. Elodie trying to be a hard-ass was pretty amusing. But since Carly really needed some advice, she wasn’t upset. “I mean, he’s amazing. Attentive, supportive, and not once have I been afraid of him.”
The other women all frowned. Carly went on quickly. “You guys know my relationship with Shawn wasn’t good. I mean, it was at first, but then he started making me feel like shit and manhandling me. It got to a point where I was very careful about what I said around him so I wouldn’t set him off.”
