Page 96 of Play Book

“Bailey! That’s amazing!”

We all took a moment to hug and congratulate her.

Bailey had been in a car accident that shattered her right leg, hip, and pelvis. She was left with substantial scarring on one side as well as a pronounced limp stemming from the injured leg being shorter than the other. However, after the earthquake that hit L.A. last fall, where she reinjured the hip, a hip replacement and some other procedure I didn’t understand eliminated the constant pain she’d been in and added some length to her damaged leg. She still has a slight limp but can more easily mask it with lifts in her shoes.

She tends to be self-conscious about it, so this is a huge step for her.

“I’m nervous as fuck, but Alexa timed it so it’s a night when they guys don’t have a game,” Bailey says, “so Jensen can be there.”

“Are you going to invite Canyon?” Harper asks me. “Because if it’s a night off, I know Gabe and Ivan will show up.”

“Effie’s in the show too, which means Connor will be there,” Chey interjects.

“Of course, I’ll invite Canyon. The new nanny is starting so we’re hoping that works out. Then he’ll have a little more freedom.”

“The team will be on a road trip,” Harper says, “but it’s a night off. They’re getting special permission to travel from New York to Montreal on their own.”

“I guess I need to diet for the next two weeks,” I say, looking at the glass of wine the waitress had just brought me.

“Welcome to my world,” Chey says, laughing.

“Well, to be honest, I think I’m done with modeling,” I admit. “I’m more interested in doing my art. In fact, I just now decided this is going to be my last fashion show. I’m going to officially retire. So I want to look fantastic and go out with a bang.”

“Alexa always makes us look amazing,” Stevie gushes. “You know her specialty is making dresses for all shapes and sizes.”

“Speaking of shapes and sizes.” Harper has a mischievous smile on her face. “I have an announcement too.” She pauses. “Gabe and I are going to have a baby.”

“Oh!” I already knew, but everyone is momentarily startled at the announcement, but then we’re on our feet again, hugging and squealing like teenagers.

Even Stevie.

She looks a little sad, but she’s doing her damnedest not to react negatively, and my heart breaks for her.

“It’s okay to be emotional,” I whisper, hugging her to my side.

“Harper told me privately this morning,” she whispers back. “She didn’t want me to be blindsided. She even asked if it would be okay to announce at lunch and I told her to. I cried this morning, but I’m okay now.”

“You’re so strong,” I whisper, giving her an extra tight hug. “And brave. And a good friend.”

Tears flood her eyes. “I’m trying.”

“Hey.” Harper nudges her. “Didn’t we already do the crying this morning?”

“Yeah, but then Saylor told me I was brave and strong, which got me going again.” She elbows me.

Then we’re all laughing and crying and talking about babies and weddings and all the wonderful things going on in our lives.

“So, you and Canyon?” Harper asks. “Are we still fuck buddies or is there a glimmer of serious in there?”

“We actually talked about the L word,” I whisper in a conspiratorial tone.

Stevie’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Seriously?”

“Canyon used the L word?” Bailey breathes in disbelief.

“We didn’t use the word, we discussed it,” I say patiently. “Like, we talked about the feelings we’re having, how intense it is, and he admitted he’s never been in love as an adult. So we’re on the verge of love, but not in love.”

“I can’t believe it,” Harper says with a laugh. “Canyon is the consummate bachelor.”

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