Page 57 of Knocked Up in Alaska

Chapter Seventeen

Lilah slid into the hot, swirling water, closed her eyes, and sighed.

“I know, right?” Bridget’s content voice floated to her from the opposite side of the hot tub. “Heaven.”

“I’d forgotten,” she admitted. “Or maybe I blocked it out, since I couldn’t do this while I was carrying Shayla, but I honestly didn’t remember how good it felt to just relax like this, with the heat and the bubbles.” She scooched over to position a jet between her shoulder blades, where muscles used to lift and hold her daughter, not to mention support the constant weight of her baby-feast boobs, practically sang with relief.

“Been a while, huh?” Izzy asked from her perch at the side of the hot tub. Much as Lilah had done for months, the petite, curvy brunette sat in her long T-shirt and shorts, with a towel draped over her lap, and limited herself to dangling her feet. “About nine months?”

“Longer. The last time I was in this hot tub was the night I lost my…uh…” She glanced at Bridget from beneath lowered eyelids.

“No need to remind me you and Shay got busy in the hot tub,” Bridget said and then pointed at Izzy. “Same goes for you. I clearly recognize Trace got you pregnant, somehow. You can spare me the details.”

Izzy dropped her head back and smiled up at the star-strewn sky. “You never…?”

“No. I mean, Archer and I were in here together, once, while you and Trace were on your honeymoon, but at the time I was in no condition to do anything but soak my broke ass.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” Izzy transferred her smile to Bridget. “You’ve missed out.”

Bridget rested her head against the rounded edge of the tub. “Yeah, well, you’re going to be missing out for the next nine months or so. On the tub”—she moved an arm over the water, game-show-hostess style—“and the wine”—she lifted her glass to her lips.

“That’s okay. To be honest, it’s coffee I really miss. Studying for the bar without coffee the last few weeks was tough.”

Lilah focused her attention on Izzy. Completing the bar exam earlier in the week had supplied the excuse for tonight’s gathering of the Captivity sisterhood. “How did it go?”

Izzy let out a hollow laugh. “Brutal. Morning sickness didn’t make an already stressful event any more pleasant. Even so, I think all my studying paid off. Hoop says she’s flexible on her retirement plans, which is her way of saying she’ll stick around if I need to re-take the exam before I step into her practice, but I’m hopeful that’s not going to be necessary. I’ll find out in September.”

“You got this,” Bridget said.

Lilah nodded and sent Izzy a smile. “I agree.”

“Your confidence is duly noted and appreciated. How are your studies coming along?”

Lilah secured the knot holding her hair in a messy bun at the top of her head, then sank deeper into the water and let out a breath. “Slowly. I’m only taking one online class right now. I dropped the other two when Shayla came along. Three’s just too much.”

“You still want to earn your degree, though, right?” Izzy questioned.

Could she dodge the question by sinking completely under the water? Probably not. Izzy hadn’t achieved a law degree and big firm professional success through a lack of persistence. Instead, she leaned back and stared at the winking stars. “I’m not sure. I mean, do I really need a degree in hospitality management with a minor in finance to wait tables at The Goose?”

“Oh, fuck that.” Bridget’s voice vibrated with impatience. “You’re not going to wait tables at The Goose forever. You know what you’re meant to do. We all know. You’ve worked at the inn since the time you could walk. You’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into it, same as Rose. She’ll never find a more invested, better qualified person to take over running it one day, and she can’t deny that. She just needs to get over herself and accept that you’re your own person, entitled to make your own choices, and the fact that they may not align perfectly with her preferences doesn’t mean you don’t love her and value her. I swear I’m—” She paused for breath and glanced at Izzy. “I’m ranting.” She turned away and took a sip of her wine. “I’ll stop ranting now.”

“How are things going at The Goose?” Izzy asked, obviously trying to nudge the conversation into less fraught territory.

Lilah tried her best to hold back a pained smile. Little did her friend know she’s nudged their discussion right into even more fraught territory. “Good. Mia’s amazing with Shayla, as is Ford. He’s, um…” How to describe him? “He’s incredibly flexible with my schedule and tolerant of the occasional unexpected incidents that come from employing a new mom.” Thinking about the worst unexpected on-the-job incident, a mortified groan escaped. She quickly added, “I couldn’t ask for more.”

Bridget’s brows lifted. “But?”

“No buts. It’s all good.”

“That’s not an ‘all good’ look on your face. You’re beet red.”

“I’m sitting in a hot tub!”

“I’ve known you all your life. I can read you like a book. Spill your guts to the sisterhood.”

Oh, geez. Sisterhood sucked sometimes. “Okay. Fine.” She squeezed her eyes shut and blurted, “Ford walked in on me one time when I was feeding Shayla in his office.”

Bridget shrugged. “So?”

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