Page 52 of The Lake House

I shrug. “If a kiss on the cheek counts, then yes.”

She shakes her head. “Oh, girl…”

“It was still a great night, leaving me with butterflies in my tummy. I’m excited about going out again with him on Thursday.”

A small smile breaks her serious expression. “I guess he was just being a gentleman then.” She pauses for a moment and then adds, “That sweet Mr. Declan Bell.”

Yeah, he is pretty sweet. I don’t have any complaints about him in that department. Actually, I don’t have any complaints about him in any department. He’s as perfect as it gets. That’s why I still don’t understand how Claire could have done what she did to him and her daughter. I don’t get it at all.

“I’m so happy for you, girl,” Liv says, breaking through my thoughts.

A smile pulls at the corners of my lips. “Thanks, lady.”

Liv sucks in a deep breath, and I can see the wheels turning in her head. Something’s going through her mind, and I’m literally afraid to ask her what it is.

But I do anyway.

“What?”

She just smiles and shrugs.

“I know that look. What is it?” I ask again.

Still smiling, she responds. “Well, I have some news of my own to share with you.”

Ooh, this girls’ day out just took a surprise turn.

I smile back, eyes wide. “Really?! What’s that? Tell me!”

She chuckles and sits back in her seat. “Well, I know you’ve noticed something’s been up with me lately.”

She’s right about that. I’ve noticed it for a little while now. God, I hope she doesn’t tell me she’s sick or something bad like that.

But the way she’s smiling, I don’t think it’s anything of that nature. This has to be good news.

I nod, urging her to go on.

“Well,” she begins. Then I notice her tugging at the sides of her shirts, pulling it against her stomach.

And then I see it. The tiniest bulge.

Liv has always been super skinny, and her stomach has always been flat. But this. I know exactly what this is, and I smile hard. “Oh, my God!”

“You’re going to be an auntie again!”

Overwhelming joy comes over me. I know how badly she’s always wanted a big family and how long she and Dave have been trying to get pregnant again. Not to mention the past pregnancies that ended too soon. I’m over the moon for her right now.

“Liv! I’m so happy for you, Dave, and Josie. Congrats, girl! This is amazing news!”

She smiles widely. “Thank you. We are so happy, too. We just told Josie last night.”

“How far along are you?” I ask.

“I just hit sixteen weeks last night.” Her smile shrinks. “We haven’t even told our families yet because we wanted to—well, you know, what happened before; I wanted to tell you first.”

The miscarriage.

I nod. “Yeah, I get it.”

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