Page 85 of Isla

There's a collective intake of breath as Charlie walks into the room, all glowing skin, pink organza, and flowing curls. She looks like a fertility goddess. I glance over at Lach just in time to see hisfirst look, and it makes me all gooey inside. I'm so fucking happy for them.

"You look absolutely beautiful!" I gush, running to Charlie's side and hugging her tightly.

"Look atyou, Isla!" She turns me around, my moss-colored dress flaring out around my calves. "You're finally getting some, aren't you?" she asks, whispering into my ear.

"Charlie!" I gasp, giggling and looking around to make sure nobody heard her.

"Oh my god! You are!"

"Shhh. We'll talk about it later. Speaking of later, are you up for a family dinner tonight? You, me, Pen, and all the guys?"

"Yes! I wouldn't miss that for the world. I'm dying to get the scoop. I saw them walking in right before I got here, and they were fawning over her like she was in danger of breaking an ankle with every step she took. She was beyond pissed off." Charlie grins with glee, her blue eyes sparkling.

"That's Pen for you," I laugh. " I can't wait to get to know her crew a little better and see how they interact."

"Do you think...?" Charlie asks, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Yes, Idothink. But five??? Can you imagine?"

"Three is quite enough, thank you," she laughs.

Several hours later, the last of the guests are filtering out, and I'm giving last-minute instructions to the teens on clean-up duty before the guys help me carry the mountain of gifts to the nursery. I catch Henry eyeing the crib, a wistful look on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask, covering his hand with mine on the crib railing.

"How I can't wait to see you pregnant with our child. You're going to be an amazing mother, Isla."

"I think you're jumping the gun a bit," I protest, my heart racing.

"Am I, though?" he asks, tilting his head and looking me in the eye.

"We haven't even talked about whether I want kids or not!"

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"There you go! Now we've talked about it."

"You're infuriating sometimes, you know."

"Pot meet kettle." He smirks, holding out his hand. I go to swat him away, but he wraps me in a bear hug and squashes my complaints with his lips.

"If you guys are cooking tonight, you better get a move on," I say once he releases me, awareness prickling over my body.

"Will you come grocery shopping with us? I've never cooked for this many people before, and I want to make sure we get enough," he asks, lifting my knuckles to his mouth.

"Of course. I'll meet you out front in a second. I need to say goodbye to Charlie first."

With Charlie settled down for a nap, and Pen and her crew helping with the last of the cleanup, I climb into the car with the guys, and we head to the grocery store.

"What are you guys planning on making?" I ask, Theo as he pulls onto the road.

"We couldn't decide if we should go all-American with something like shrimp and grits with strawberry shortcake for dessert or stick to something simple that we know everyone will like."

"I'm sure everyone would appreciate something they haven't had before. I have no idea what shrimp and grits are, but I'm sure whatever you guys make will be amazing."

"You have a lot of faith in us, Sunflower." Theo grimaces, unsure of himself.

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