Page 97 of The B!tch List

We’d finally done it. We’d finally finished my preschool and it looked amazing. Craig, my contractor, had performed nothing short of miracles to get everything that I’d wanted done. It hadn’t helped that there’d been a huge hole in the roof of the apartment upstairs and any rain leaked in right where my bed was going to be. A new roof had been an extra expense, but thankfully I’d sold my apartment quickly so had the money available. Tate had bought the apartment as an investment, as he lived in Kitty’s house that she’d bought before she moved in with Jefferson. As soon as Tate had possession of my apartment Evie had moved in leaving the apartment above Cake Heaven. It was all wheels within wheels in Dayton Valley that was for sure.

Top and bottom of it was, I was more than pleased with KidsZone, my new business venture. I knew it was going to be hard work, but I was going to love it. Particularly as I had the support of my gorgeous, lawyer boyfriend.

Yep, Shaw and I were official. To the point that I’d stayed at his folk’s place for the last six weeks until my new apartment was ready. Tate had said I could stay at my old apartment, but funnily enough Shaw was adamant that I let Evie move in. Things were going good for us, especially as he’d been given custody of Tia. Child services had liked what they’d seen and had made their minds up quickly. They were going to keep a check on Tia for the next year, but they didn’t think anything would change. It seemed that the guy Mrs. Devonshire was supposed to be marrying had dumped her, which was why she’d suddenly wanted Tia back. When she didn’t get custody, she’d admitted it to Shaw. She thought Tia would stop her from being lonely. Since then, however, the guy was back on the scene, and they’d gone on a world cruise instead of getting married. As for Tia, well Mrs. Devonshire hadn’t once enquired after her. Proof that the right decision had been made to leave Tia with her daddy. Tia had grown fond of me too, which I loved. Maybe it was because I’d done what I’d said and helped a lot when Shaw went back to school, or maybe because I’d lived with her for the last month and a half. I didn’t really care because I loved her like she was my own. In fact, I was going to talk to Shaw about him and Tia moving in with me. Not yet, because maybe it was too soon, or maybe I’d miss them too much and do it anyway. Who knew?

There’d also been a good result for Mrs. Ranger in her custody case. I hadn’t had to take the stand because Tate had been amazing. He’d pretty much annihilated Mr. Ranger’s case through questioning him, getting him to admit that he hired a sitter for most of the time, even when he was home. Lily had found out that information through the babysitter’s club who had looked after the kids at Kitty’s party. That meant Eddie and Molly were now back with their mom and would soon be enrolling into KidZone. Mrs. Baker wasn’t happy about the number of kids that were moving to me, but then she shouldn’t have been such an old bitch.

Another bonus, Minnesota had gone back to London. Apparently, he called his fiancée and groveled a lot and she said they could try again. He’d been gone just over two months, but Jennifer told me that he was already calling his mom and complaining about the weather and the warm beer. I’d smiled, cooed over Jennifer and Alaska’s baby girl Montana and then put Minnesota Michaels out of my mind. He was of no interest to me whatsoever.

“Hey, gorgeous,” the sound of Shaw’s voice interrupted my thoughts and made my stomach swoop.

I turned to see him striding toward me, looking sexy and a little disheveled. If there weren’t other people hanging around, I might well have jumped him.

“What’s up?” I asked, as he pulled me into his arms.

“All the stuff in the main room has been put away and Mom asked if you want her to make up your bed in the apartment or are you going to stay with us one more night?”

I laughed, noticing the pout as he said it.

“I have to move upstairs sometime,” I replied, not really liking the idea any more than he did. “But I guess one more night won’t hurt if your mom is okay with that.”

“She’s fine with it,” Shaw replied, a huge smile spreading across his face. “Although, you’re looking so sexy today I really could do with making you scream tonight.”

I slapped him playfully against his chest. “Maybe we go gentle tonight, baby, and tomorrow night you make me scream.”

“You want me to stay here tomorrow?” His eyes lit up with anticipation.

Ah shoot, life was too damn short. “Shaw, I’d love you and Tia to stay here every night. You know I’ve painted my guest bedroom pink with yellow balloons on the wall. You really think I’d do that if I didn’t think that you both might spend a lot of time here.”

He let out a breath and took my mouth in the hottest of kisses, threading his fingers through my ponytail with one hand as he cupped my face with the other.

“I didn’t think you were going to ask,” he breathed out when he finally let me go.

“You don’t think it’s too soon?”

He grinned. “Damn it, Nance, we’ve been dancing around each other since we were fourteen years old. I think if we leave it any longer and we could end up in the history books as the longest session of foreplay of all time.”

“Foreplay comes before sex, and we’ve had plenty of that.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” He smacked my ass and then dropped another kiss to my lips. “Me and Tia would love to move in, although I think Mom may kidnap my daughter a couple of nights a week.”

I knew he wasn’t wrong there. Darcy and Jim adored Tia and Rett and spoiled them rotten and would continue to do so with the new baby due in a few months’ time.

As I thought about the new grandchild, they were about to have I heard voices shouting from the main entranceway. Shaw groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder.

“Here we go.”

In marched Bronte, Carter, Ellie and Hunter with the girls squabbling about gender reveal parties. Both were pretty big now although Ellie’s bump was neat and compact compared to Bronte’s which was considerably bigger. She claimed it was because she was further along, but the doctor had re-confirmed that they both had the same due date. The current argument was all about the gender and who was going to give the Maples’ their first granddaughter. Ellie insisted it should be her, but for a pediatric nurse you’d think she’d know that the sex of your baby wasn’t decided on what you felt you should or shouldn’t have.

“I want my party first,” Ellie said. “You’ve already had a baby shower.”

“And don’t we know that you’re jealous of that fact,” Bronte sighed.

“Why don’t you just have a joint one,” Hunter said, his hand rubbing up and down Ellie’s back. “We can have those gender reveal balloons and burst them at the same time. How does that sound?”

The girls looked at each other like it wasn’t the most logical solution ever and high-fived each other.

“That’s the best idea yet,” Bronte said. “We are so clever.”

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