I smiled, loving Cole’s ambition. We’d already had sex three times today, but far be it from me to deny my man a shower.
“Yes, please.”
“So what did Cole get you for Christmas?” Evie asked.
“A whole new set of Williams Sonoma pots and pans for his kitchen.”
“Pots and pans? Oh, brother, no. You don’t buy your girlfriend cookware for your first Christmas together.”
I laughed. “Probably not most girlfriends, but for me, it was the perfect gift. His pots and pans were atrocious and all my good stuff is at the restaurant. Since I’ve laid claim to his kitchen for my recipe experiments, they were just what I wanted.”
She looked at me like I was crazy for not wanting jewelry. “What did you get him?”
“A tool chest for his garage. Your dad actually helped me pick it out.”
Cole had started searching for an old car to restore and I wanted him to be able to work in his own garage this time. That way, when I was in the kitchen with my new gear, he could be in the garage with his.
“Tools.” Evie shook her head. “You guys are the least romantic new couple on the planet.”
I smiled. “Maybe.” Or maybe not. If she had any idea what we’d been doing all day, she’d probably think differently.
But I kept that to myself and took a sip of beer.
Evie and I were sitting at the island in Brad and Mia’s kitchen. Mia had refused to let me help cook, so while Evie and I chatted, Mia was at the sink peeling potatoes. Cole, Brad and Zack had all gone to the basement—with Nazboo at their heels—to get more drinks from Brad’s wet bar.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Evie. At nearly six months pregnant with triplets, she had a beautiful pregnant glow, but she looked ready to topple over when standing.
“Enormous.” She rubbed her belly. “I’m just grateful for every day the doctor doesn’t put me on bed rest.”
“Bed rest won’t be so bad,” Mia said from the sink. “Think of how much fun you’ll have ordering Zack around while you watch TV.”
She laughed. “Good point, Mom. Maybe I should buy a little bell so I can ring for him.”
“What’s this?” Zack appeared at Evie’s side, kissing her temple before splaying his hand on her stomach.
“Oh, nothing.” She grinned into her water glass.
Zack’s hand stayed on her belly as it rubbed slow circles.
The image of Cole’s hand on my pregnant belly popped into my head, and I jerked, surprised for a moment, until a sense of longing chased it away. I wanted his hand on my growing belly. On our baby. I wanted his hand to have a band like Zack’s, something that showed the world he was mine.
“Poppy?”
My head whipped up to Cole. “Yeah?”
“I asked if you wanted another beer.”
“Oh.” My cheeks flushed as I came back to reality. “Sorry.”
His forehead creased. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and smiled. “I’m great. And yes, please. I’ll take one more.”
“I’ll get it.” Brad grabbed me a bottle from the fridge before turning to Cole. “So I talked to the city manager again this morning. He’d like you to start sitting in on meetings.”
Cole tensed at my side. “Dad. No.”
“It’s just a few meetings. It won’t interfere with your caseload. But if you want to be chief, you need to get to know him.”
“Dad, I never said—”
“Hold that thought.” Brad held up a finger as he emptied the bottle of wine into Mia’s glass. “Let me get another bottle of wine.” He smiled at me, then walked out of the kitchen, heading back downstairs to their wine cooler.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to Cole when Brad was out of sight.
Cole pushed out a loud breath and nodded toward the living room.
I followed him out of the kitchen, waiting to speak until we were alone. “I thought you didn’t want to be chief of police.”
“I don’t. But I’m having a hard time getting through to Dad. I just . . . he’s got these plans for me and I hate letting him down.”
I gave him a sad smile. “I think the only way you could let him down would be by taking a job you don’t want just to make him happy. Don’t you think it would be better if you were honest with him about how you feel?”
Cole ran his hand over his face as he considered my advice. “You’re right,” he breathed. “I need to make him hear me. I’ll tell him when he comes back upstairs.”
I stepped into his space, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Want me to stay?”
He hugged me back and kissed my hair. “No. Thanks, beautiful. But I’ll handle it.”
“Okay.” I let him go and went back to the kitchen just as Brad was coming back upstairs. When Cole called him into the living room, Mia shut off the water in the sink and came to the island.
“Is Cole finally going to make Brad listen to him? It’s about time.”
“What?” My chin dropped. “You knew?” I hadn’t even known.
Mia shrugged and took a sip of wine as Evie laughed. “Oh, Poppy. Mom knows everything.”
“Just wait until we do presents later,” Zack said. “We make her tell us what’s in every one of her boxes before she opens them. In all the Christmases and birthdays I’ve seen, Mia has never gotten one wrong.”
“It’s true.” Evie nodded. “She’s been like that forever. None of us can pull off a surprise. Maybe you’ll be the one family member who can stump her.”
Family member. Those two words sent a surge of warmth through my heart as I realized just how true they were. I was a part of Cole’s family, just like he’d become a part of mine. Brad and Mia. Evie and Zack. They’d let me into their lives, their family, taking the love that Jamie’s parents no longer wanted.
I smiled at Evie, glad I could be part of this tradition. “Maybe I will get to surprise her. I doubt she’ll guess what we bought
