Page 33 of Wish You Were Mine

“I win!” I cried, pulling mine out.

“Here you go, Bailey,” a younger guy said, shyly offering her his perfectly toasted marshmallow.

She beamed at him and plucked it off the skewer. “Thank you, Tim.”

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. “That doesn’t count.”

She smiled smugly. “Doesn’t it?” She popped the marshmallow into her mouth. “It tastes like it counts.”

I bit into my own marshmallow, humming as the warm, gooey interior burst onto my tongue, coating it with sweet goodness, then licked my fingers clean.

“Call it a draw?” I suggested.

“Sure.”

A clang behind me caught my attention, and I looked around. Kennedy and Grace were lifting the lid from the spa pool and had dropped it a little too heavily.

“I’m surprised Nate and Liam let their pregnant wives lift anything,” Bailey observed.

“I doubt they know.” I laughed as Nate ran onto the deck from inside the house, waving his arms at Grace. “I might join them in the spa. Want to come?”

She considered for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here. Maybe there will be some dancing soon.”

“Okay. Have fun.” I kissed her cheek and left her, scooting past Kennedy and Grace, who were engaged in a heated discussion about what they should and shouldn’t do with their husbands, before entering the house.

I went to my old bedroom, where Mum still kept some of my clothes, and changed into a black bikini. I slung a towel over my shoulder and stopped at the refreshments table to pour myself a mimosa, then I took the glass out to the spa pool.

By now, Liam and Nate were nowhere to be seen, and Grace and Kennedy were lounging in the pool. Kennedy wore a pink bikini while Grace was in a one-piece that must have been a maternity design or else I had no idea how she’d fit her massively pregnant belly into it.

Music started playing through the speakers positioned around the edge of the deck, and I set my glass on the side of the spa pool and climbed in. Warmth engulfed me, and my muscles instantly relaxed, although the water didn’t seem as hot as usual.

“I think you girls have the right idea,” I said, sliding into a seat in one corner and grabbing my glass again. I sipped the mimosa and closed my eyes. “It’s so nice in here.”

Kennedy laughed. “I know. It would be lovely if we could have it hotter, but we set it to a lower temperature so it would be safe for the babies. Anything above body temperature can be dangerous to them.”

“Huh.” I drank again. “I didn’t know that.”

“Are you enjoying your birthday?” Grace asked, crossing her legs, which were extended along one side of the pool.

“I am. It’s been a while since Tobes and I had a big party, so we’re probably overdue for this.”

“Hopefully Toby doesn’t get too crazy,” Grace said.

I shook my head, not worried about that. “The others will keep an eye on him.”

By unspoken agreement, keeping Toby out of trouble was not my responsibility on our birthday. The rest of the time, I couldn’t say the same, but this was my break.

My chance to let loose.

Kennedy, Grace, and I chatted for a while. Bailey dropped by and replaced my drink, and Mum did the same a little later. I was pleasantly tipsy by the time I got out. The cold sobered me a little, and I dried myself and pulled on a pair of thick tights beneath my dress to combat the falling temperature.

Several couples, and a group of women, were dancing now. I made my way over to the fire pit and spotted Blair hovering near the dancers.

“Would you like to join them?” I asked him, a faint buzz still thrumming through my veins.

He took my hand. “Are you up for learning another Latin dance?”

I grinned. “Absolutely.”

---