Page 88 of The Roommate Experiment

We move to the kitchen where, sure enough, Nina and Tristan are bickering over the napkin placement.

“I’m telling you, folding them into flowers is the way to go,” Nina insists, keeping her hands on her round belly; at thirty-six weeks pregnant, she could pop out my niece at any time. “It’s classic, elegant.”

Tristan shakes his head. “Rolling them is trendier. Plus, it saves time.”

Nina scoffs. “Are you in a hurry?”

Nina looks up as we enter, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “What’s with the faces? You two look like you robbed a bank and can’t decide whether to feel guilty or excited about it.”

Hunter shoots me a smile that reads,I told you so.Yeah, we could’ve never kept such a huge secret from our friends.

“Nothing that dramatic.”

Tristan abandons the half-rolled napkin in his hands—I have to say, Nina might be right, her technique is superior—and everyone else stares at us expectantly.

“What did we miss?” Tristan asks, his sharp blue eyes darting between Hunter and me. “Please tell me Soleil did something embarrassing we can record for her wedding slideshow.”

“Not yet,” Adrian pipes up, lowering his son so Rowena can stamp a kiss on his tiny head. “But Dylan and Hunter have news.”

Nina perks up, her gaze narrowing on me with the precision of a heat-seeking missile. “What news? Wait, are you guys…?”

“No,” Hunter blurts out, her face going crimson. “Well, not exactly.”

Everyone leans in, their collective anticipation palpable. I glance at Hunter, and she gives me the tiniest nod.

“We’ve applied to adopt,” I announce.

For a split second, they’re all silent. Then Nina lets out a delighted squeal. “Oh my gosh! That’s amazing!” She sets the napkins down and wraps Hunter in an awkward side hug, her belly preventing a full range of motion. “I’m so proud of you guys!”

Even Tristan looks touched, though his default setting is sarcastic. “Wow. That’s wonderful. I didn’t know you two were ready for sleepless nights and a permanent glitter explosion in your house.”

“Just as ready as you are,” I quip back.

Rowena steps forward, her eyes tender as she wraps us in a three-way hug. “You’ll be amazing parents. And if you need any advice on the adoption process…” She glances at Adrian, who’s busy preventing Soleil from stealing the baby’s bottle.

Hunter laughs, returning Rowena’s hug. “Thanks, Winnie. And don’t worry, we plan to be those annoying friends who constantly ask for parenting tips, then ignore all of them.”

Her heist thwarted, Soleil tugs on my sleeve. “Uncle Dylan, can I show you my new dress?”

“Later, sweetie, I promise.”

Nina points a finger at Tristan. “If you want a second one, we’re adopting, too. I can’t be pregnant again.”

My sister has been complaining for the entire nine months that instead of a pregnancy glow, she got a pregnancy rot. Her gestation has had a few complications; she could’ve lost the baby. Nina jokes about it, but it hasn’t been easy.

My sister throws up her arms. “I’m carrying the Prince of Darkness’s spawn, what else did I expect?”

Tristan loops his arm protectively around Nina’s back. “Been a few years since you called me that, Princess.”

She turns to him, smiling like a love-struck idiot. “It’s not foreplay, and stop fussing, I’m fine.”

“You’re carrying precious cargo,” Tristan retorts, his tone half-serious.

Adrian snorts. “Is this your first reminder today, or are we past double digits?”

“I’ve lost count,” Nina says dryly, but her eyes sparkle as she looks at Tristan—my actual brother-in-law now.

“Mommy, what is foreplay?”

---