Page 74 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

Yep.

Thinking of you in your nursing outfit turns me on.

My nursing outfit? I glanced down at my bland hospital-issued scrubs.

“Is that Smoot?” Lili snatched my phone. I wouldn’t expect a pregnant woman to be so fast.

“Give it back,” I whined like a two-year-old.

Lili’s pregnant belly had reached epic proportions. She had a month and a half to go, but if her belly button was any indication, those turkeys were well past done. I couldn’t believe she managed to keep working. Most moms pregnant with twins were on bed rest at this point, not in operating rooms.

Sometimes, she snuck into the quiet of the NICU after surgeries. I think the hospital let her do whatever she wanted. They were too afraid to lose her.

Gabby huddled with Lili. “You’re such a turn on,” she teased and laughed.

“Scrubs are so hot,” Lili chimed in, tucking her chin and lifting her eyebrows at me.

“Danielis excited to see me again.” I gave up trying to get my phone.

“Yeah. After he canceled on you two weeks ago?” Gabby swiveled on her chair to face me.

“What if the guy is a closet criminal?” Ryan paused and looked at me. “I’ve heard so many app dating horror stories.”

“I already met him and kissed him, remember?” I’d told them about locking lips with Dan but not about doing the same with Remi. Given how much time my brain focused on the two, Remi’s performance far more impressed me than Dan’s. Not that Dan wasn’t a good kisser; he just wasn’t … Remi. “Besides, we all know you’ll find his social security number and take him out,” I continued.

Ryan gave me a non-committal grunt. His Ex-Navy Seal background had never left him. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be, but it all melted away when he took care of his babies.

“Look, I like Daniel. He could be the one.” I slouched back into my seat. Ironically, a few months ago, Lili was egging me on to swipe right on every profile on my screen. Now, she was the one waving the biggest caution flag.

“Are you two going to make a big deal about deleting the app from your phone together?” Gabby became more animated. “I think that’s kinda romantic.”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. After her break-up of blockbuster proportions at the end of February, she’d sworn off dating altogether. That’d lasted three months, and she was back to her hopeless romantic self.

Lili splayed her feet apart and leaned back in her chair, still looking unbearably uncomfortable.

“When are you going to start maternity leave?” I deliberately changed the subject. I finished up the note, pressed submit, and focused on my best friend.

“Once the babies are born. Blake thinks I’m crazy, but I want to work until I go into labor or until Dr. Rusk puts me on bed rest.”

I couldn’t stop the wave of jealousy that hit me. Loving husband. Not one but two babies on the way … after all Lili had been through, she deserved this level of happiness. It was just … I did too. Didn’t I?

“Can’t wait to meet these two.” Gabby leaned toward Lili’s belly and scrunched her face.

“As long as they’re not guests in our wing for too long. Hopefully, not at all,” Ryan mumbled while his fingers moved across his keyboard.

My phone buzzed again in Lili’s hand. She glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened.

“What?” I asked. “Whatever he said, it’s confidential, and you’re not allowed to tease me about it.”

“It’s not Smoot. It’s Remi. You gave him your number too?” Lili asked. She tugged at her mask. “My my … Look who’s love life has exploded.”

“Who’s Remi, again?” Ryan asked, and my other two friends shushed him.

As if he needed shushing for a text.

“He’s Angie’s drop-dead gorgeous employee she hired to help her with the farm,” Gabby answered while not looking away from my phone.

“My parents hired him,” I pointed out and focused back on Lili. “You calltwomen an explosion? I was tired of communicating through Papa. It’s easier this way.” But Remi and I had done more texting since I’d started avoiding him.

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