Page 36 of The Secret

Bell.

Case closed.

I reached over to a brown envelope on the table, which I hadn’t noticed until now. “What’s this?”

“That is your revised will and the trust fund set up for Bell. You need to go through the changes and sign it with witnesses,” Rafe replied.

“Amazing. Thanks, buddy. Can I sign it now?”

“No, do it later. I can’t be one of the witnesses and you need two. Come on, let’s go out.” He stood up, Bell still in his arms. “I rarely see Saturday this early and I’m keen to discover what it’s like. Then we can decide what you’re going to do.”

“I’ll carry Bells. I want to test the theory that babies are better at getting pussy than dogs.” Penn looked over to Barclay. “No offense, Barc.”

“You’re not using my baby as an alternative to Raya,” I snapped.

“Fine, you carry her then. I’ll take Barclay, and we’ll test it that way,” he reasoned, giving zero shits about the point I was trying to make.

* * *

Two hours later, we walked through to our regular table at our favorite brunch spot, situated on a secluded street off Central Park, following the waitress and ignoring the heads that turned as we passed the diners already seated. We were here at some point most weekends, although not quite so early, so while our presence wasn’t unusual, we hadn’t been here for a month, and our party had now expanded to include Bell, currently strapped to my chest.

“Here you are, gentlemen. I’ll bring your usual bottle over and some water for Barc.” She bent to stroke his head from where he was already laying under the table.

“Thanks, Ally.” Rafe sat down, watching her ass sway as she walked off.

Penn took a seat, putting down the enormous bag which contained all of Bell’s things. I passed her over to him before removing the sling and my jacket, as Penn removed Bell’s snow suit and sat down. I’d never realized how much longer everything took with a baby. Or how much stuff they came with. I’d discovered I had to add a bare minimum of thirty minutes onto any plans just to be on time.

I looked up to find the pair of them staring at me. “What?”

“Are you wearing a cardigan?” Penn blinked through his question, shuffling Bell so she was comfortable.

I looked down as if needing to confirm that yes, I was indeed wearing a cardigan. “I’m a dad now. This is what dads wear.”

Rafe failed to hold back his glee. “It’s to hide his dad bod.”

I leaned back in my chair, stretching out. “If by ‘dad bod’ you mean a better six pack than yours, then you would be correct.”

“Better six pack,” he scoffed, patting his stomach to check it was still there. “No fucking chance.”

Ally returned with a bottle of champagne, pouring out three glasses. “I’ve put an order in for Eggs Benedict too.”

“Good girl.” Rafe picked up his glass, glancing up at her but her eyes were fixed on Penn who was still holding Bell.

“Who’s this beauty? Is she yours?”

“She’s mine, Penn’s just practicing, so get the word around he’s looking for someone to help him with that.” I could feel my smile reaching from ear to ear, knowing he was currently wishing me a slow death at the prospect. Pennington Cabot James Shepherd the Third was never short of women wanting to bear his children, and a rumor spreading like that would be a battle cry for all his fans.

She jolted very slightly in surprise, before she composed herself. “Wow, Murray, she’s beautiful. What’s her name?”

“Bell.”

“Congratulations.” Her voice carried an edge that hadn’t been present before.

I tipped my head with a smile. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” She stood there waiting for me to respond, which I didn’t, until it bordered on awkward. “Right, I’ll go and check on your breakfast.”

“Is that how it’s going to be now? Women on the verge of tears when they find out Murray’s already got a woman in his life?” Penn scoffed.

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