Page 38 of Baby, Be Mine

“I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Not at all.” I tapped in the coordinates for Emma’s address on my in-dash screen. I didn’t think there was a road in Crescent Cove that I hadn’t been on at least once, but the population boom meant more housing was popping up all over.

“So, my sisters really want me to have a bachelorette party.”

I winced. I didn’t want to think about my brother’s fiancée partying it up. Especially since I was learning just how loud and rambunctious the Ramos women could be.

“Isn’t this usually the maid of honor’s deal?”

“First of all, with as many sisters as I have, there’s no official maid of honor—period. Just a bunch of bridesmaids driving me crazy.”

I snorted. “I can only imagine. I have quite a few emails from them and your mom.”

She muttered something in Spanish I didn’t catch. At least I thought it was Spanish. The Ramos clan spoke a bastardized version of Spanish and Italian that I could never quite figure out.

“They’re driving me crazy. But I was thinking, maybe I could make it a combo engagement party, bachelorette, bachelor party all in one.”

“Oh.” I didn’t exactly know what I was going to do for Jared’s bachelor party, but I hadn’t figured on a Jack and Jill shindig.

“I know, I know—hear me out. Brooks and I aren’t really much for the partying thing. Between the station house and Caden’s sleep regression, we’re cross-eyed.”

“Sleep what?” I vaguely recognized the term from the baby books. I’d been more worried about learning pre-baby and baby birth stuff than what came next. I’d been a little busy lately and had fallen off on my studies.

“Regression. Every few months a baby’s sleep schedule can go out the window thanks to hormones, growth spurts, or the freaking planets misaligning. I don’t even know, all I can tell you is that I haven’t slept in four days.”

That sounded heinous. “Not teething?”

“Hush your mouth and don’t say that word. We just got a bottom tooth to come in and I need half a second before we go for another round of that, thanks.”

I heard the pure terror in her voice and swallowed any other comments on sleeping. “Okay, so what’s the idea?”

“Could we use the new boat? Next week?”

Well, damn. That was an idea. Much easier than trying to rearrange The Mason Jar for a big shindig. “I’d be honored to have the maiden voyage be with my family.”

“Oh, Mason—don’t make me cry.”

“It was your idea, Bee.”

“I know, but you’re just the sweetest. I know it’s an inconvenience.” Her voice got thicker through the speakers of my car.

“No, not really. I have some things scheduled for the holiday weekend and into June, so this is perfect actually.”

“Really?” She sniffled.

“Really. Figure out a theme with your sisters, because I know they probably already have ideas.”

She laughed and it came out dangerously close to a sob. “You’re right about that.”

“And we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

“I don’t know what we’d do without you, Mase.”

“You’ll never find out. Now give Caden a big hug from me and then email me with details, all right?”

“Yes, more than all right.”

“Good. Now, I gotta go make a delivery.”

---