Page 74 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

“Excuse me?” Amira interrupted, her back straightening as her fists clenched on the table in front of her. “Are you…?”

It took Amira a moment to find the right words. Allison stayed silent, giving her friend the time she needed. She knew Amira’s thoughts often raced ahead of her mouth, leaving her to stumble over her words until she found the right phrasing.

Finally, Amira’s eyes widened in realization. “You found out? You’re having a girl?”

Allison nodded, her throat tightening with emotion, tears gathering in her eyes. “We did, just yesterday. It’s a girl.”

Amira let out a squeal of joy, jumping out of her seat and causing a few heads to turn. Allison didn’t care. Not at that moment.

This moment wastheirs.

“I’m going to have a goddaughter! Karma has rewarded me,” Amira declared, doing a little happy dance before rushing to Allison’s side and hugging her so tightly it almost hurt. Allison didn’t mind. Those were always the best hugs.

“I always thought you’d be the first to become a mom out of the two of us,” Allison whispered as she hugged Amira back, squeezing her briefly before the waitress brought their orders and her friend returned to her seat.

“Are you kidding me? I am not settling down anytime soon,Soniye,” Amira replied, and Allison believed her. Amira hadalways been fiercely independent, having learned from her mother what it was like to lack power as a woman in a man’s world.

Allison snorted. “Well, that wasn’t my plan either, babe.”

But she didn’t regret how things had turned out. Sure, the way everything had come about could’ve been more tactful, but as time passed, she found herself increasingly content with the state of things. The initial chaos and uncertainty had given way to a serene acceptance. She embraced the unexpected outcomes with a quiet satisfaction, feeling more certain every day that, despite the rough start, everything had fallen into place just as it was meant to.

Allison also knew how much Amira craved love.

I hope she finds someone worthy of it.

“So, spill, woman,” Amira prompted, her curiosity evident.

Allison’s good mood dimmed slightly. She wasn’t sure how to articulate everything that had been weighing on her mind, but she needed to vent, so she just started talking.

“I’ve had such a weird few weeks, Ami. I’ve been tossing and turning every night, unable to even read—me! And it’s allhisfault, Angelo fucking Taylor. With his hot and cold behavior, those curls, and his chocolate eyes—seriously, I didn’t even know eyes could be that shade! And he just—”

“Whoa, whoa. Pause,” Amira cut in, lifting her hands to stop the flood of words. “Take a deep breath,” she instructed, and Allison did as told. “Now rewind. Start at the beginning.”

Allison huffed out a breath before nodding. “Okay. A few days before Christmas, we had lunch with my brother—Johnathan,” she clarified when Amira raised an eyebrow. “And Angelo held me against my car and things got…heated. Twice. He almost kissed me, but we got interrupted.”

“Sounds like you were disappointed, babe,” Amira teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Allison chuckled, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“I was,” she admitted.

Amira’s eyes sparkled. “Say more.”

“There’s not much more. He’s been texting me every day since then, checking up on me, and he’s almost… warmer? His texts feel less mechanical, you know? We chat, and it’s… nice.”

“Nice?” Amira smirked. “You’re being sweet-talked by a hot guy and all you have to say is ‘it’s nice’?”

“And that’s not even the best part.”

“There’s more?”

Allison nodded, leaning forward. “So, yesterday we had the ultrasound. He insisted on driving me there. And not only that,” she added quickly, seeing Amira about to interrupt, “but he saw how nervous I was and held my hand. Just quietly holding it. Then, after the appointment, when we were back in his car, he got all growly and…”

She trailed off, taking a deep breath, relieved to have finally let it all out. Amira just stared at her, a grin spreading across her face until she burst out laughing—a loud, carefree sound that filledStacy’s.

“Oh my Gods, you’re in so much trouble, babe.”

“Huh?”

Amira kept laughing, leaving Allison to rethink every decision she’d made up until that point in her life.

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