Alisha stifled a laugh and hugged her back. She suspected that this was only the first of many emotional outbursts to come in the next eight months. "You're welcome. There's something in there for James, too."
Pulling back, Maggie swiped at her eyes, feeling foolish for all the crying. She reached into the bag and pulled out the book, barking out a laugh when she read the title. "He'll love this."
"That book is the whole reason I had to tell my boyfriend about the baby."
Maggie's eyes sparkled with recognition. "Hell, he thought that book was for him, didn't he?"
Alisha nodded her head and, laughing, recounted that night in her bathroom where he'd mistakenly thought he was about to become a father and that was how she'd chosen to tell him. "…so it'll be really great when James finally tells him because I know that Jake's having a hard time not calling him up and asking him about it even though he'd vehemently deny that."
"Their bromance is adorable," Maggie giggled, placing the gifts back in the bag.
"It really is," Alisha nodded, a smile in place. Seeing Russell walk in the door, she nudged Maggie with her elbow. "Russell's here."
"Buenos Dias, mi amigas!" Russell greeted smoothly when he reached the table. He slipped off his stylish coat and removed his hat before easing down into the seat across from his friends.
Maggie's eyebrow arched slowly. "Are you still drunk from Mexico?"
Russell gingerly ran a hand over his hair to quell any fly-aways and playfully glared across the table. "Missed you, too, Fabs."
"Delicious," he grinned, turning his focus to the brunette.
"How was Mexico?" Alisha asked excitedly, wanting to hear all about his trip with Adam.
His eyes glinted happily and a teasing grin pulled across his lips. "Engaging."
Alisha felt Maggie's hand grasp her wrist and they both leaned forward in their seats. "Are you—"
"Betrothed?" Russell interrupted, folding his hands dramatically on the table. "Yes, yes I am."
The three friends let out a collective squeal that Adam stares from the diners around them.
"Oh, my God, Russell! I'm so happy for you!" Alisha gushed, sliding out of her seat so she could hug him.
Maggie followed suit and kissed his cheeks, feeling her eyes well up again. "How'd he propose?" she asked, slipping back into the booth.
Russell placed a hand on his chest and sighed, recounting the story of the beach at sunrise where Adam asked him if he'd spend the rest of his life with him. When he was finished, the two girls beamed at him with tears in their eyes.
"Okay, that's my news. What's been going on in NYC with you two? Lisha, how's it going with your boyfriend?"
She gave him a dimpled smile; she loved that Jake had that title now. "Things are going really well, though he has been a bit grouchy lately because of his injuries and the fact that he can't work out the way he wants to or go back to work at the station. He starts back next week, but he's on desk duty and to say he's not thrilled about that would be quite the understatement. But we're good."
"He's probably just grouchy because you two aren't able to hump like bunnies," Maggie provided casually over the top of her juice.
"When you two are allowed at it again, he'll probably reinjure himself," Russell added, making Maggie laugh wickedly.
"God, you two, would be quiet?" Alisha hissed. "We're in public." She looked around to make sure no one else was listening and leaned in closer to the table and lowered her voice. "But he's not complaining that much, thank you." She smiled a little smugly at her friends, hoping to shut them up.
"Doing a lot of this, huh?" Maggie asked, making a very obscene gesture with her mouth and hand.
Alisha's cheeks flamed crimson while Russell brayed with laughter. The waitress mercifully chose that moment to come and take their orders so she at least didn't have to give the embarrassing answer her friends already knew anyway.
Once the waitress walked away with their orders, Russell turned his attention to Maggie. "Q—any news?"
Maggie studied her manicure and lifted a shoulder. "Had a meeting with the Bergdorf's people, checked on our new collection, sketched a few things, found out I was pregnant."
Russell choked on his water and began coughing. His eyes watered and he hit his chest with a fist a few times to try and curb this fit. "What?" he managed, coughing again.
"It was just a meeting with Bergdorf's, Russell," Maggie said understatedly. "Everything is fine." She felt Alisha kick her under the table and she bit her cheek to keep from laughing when his eyes went around and pleading.
"Not that!" he snapped. "You're pregnant?"
"Oh! That!" she said, a sneaky grin forming on her pretty face. "Yes, I am. Shocked? So was I."
"Oh my god! Oh my god! OH MY GOD!" he very nearly screeched, once again earning annoyed stares from the handful of diners in the eatery. "I—I can honestly say that you've rendered me incapable of forming coherent thoughts."
"I know," Maggie nodded. "That was me when I found out, but I'm really so excited—James, too. He's going to be the best daddy." Her eyes welled up again and she groaned in frustration.
"Get used to the waterworks," Alisha told him, handing Maggie a napkin. "This isn't the first cry she's had in twenty minutes."
"Well, James may be the best daddy, but I'm going to be the best uncle there is."
"Ha!" Alisha blurted loudly, slapping her hand on the table. "You owe me breakfast," she said to Maggie.
"Dammit," Maggie frowned. "How could you let me down like that?" At his inquisitive look, she added, "You were supposed to be
