She secured the second earring and then slipped into her Jimmy Choo stilettos. Glancing in the mirror, she turned and studied herself from each side. Having two babies a year apart had been tough on her body but she’d returned to her pre-baby weight. Things had shifted around some but Wynn enjoyed that her breasts never shrank back to their original size.
“Daddy, put me down!” squealed Payne, their three-year-old.
Wynn turned into the bedroom, carrying the toddler under his arm like a football, as Payne’s legs swung wildly, his face flushed with happiness. Wynn eased his son to the ground and quickly said, “I know. I need to get dressed. I was on Hungry Hungry Hippos duty.”
“I want to play,” whined Payne. “They wouldn’t let me.” He wrapped his chubby arms around Scarlett’s leg.
“Sometimes, girls only like to play with other girls,” she said, ruffling his hair. “Annie will play Hippos with you.”
“I like Annie.”
Scarlett did, too. The high school junior lived across the street and proved to be a godsend. Though Scarlett missed living in Malibu fulltime, she was glad she and Keely had found houses next door to one another. Their two families spent a lot of time together, running back and forth. Knox and London lived only two blocks over and they often brought their three children to play, as well.
Wynn tossed off his golf shirt and slipped into a long-sleeved white shirt. Off went his jeans and athletic socks, quickly replaced by black tuxedo pants and dark socks. He sat a moment and pulled on the shiny black dress shoes and stood again, looking around. Locating his jacket, he threw it on and ran a hand through his hair. Picking up his tie, he handed it to her. Scarlett tied it and stepped back.
“You look sinfully handsome. It’s totally unfair how a man can get ready in under two minutes while it takes a woman two hours.”
He stepped close and pulled her to his chest. “You always look fabulous, Mrs. Gallagher. In or out of clothes. Makeup or no makeup. Pregnant or not.” Wynn kissed her.
She wondered when she should tell him.
Wynn peeled Payne off her leg. “Come on, tiger. Let’s see if Annie’s here.”
“Pizza?” Payne asked hopefully.
“It’s on the way, kid,” Wynn assured him.
Scarlett followed her two men down the stairs. Annie had arrived and helped the girls clean up their board game.
“Mommy!” Emma called and ran to her. She stopped, looking Scarlett up and down. “You look so pretty.”
Darcy hurried over. “You look very pretty, Miss Scarlett.”
Scarlett and Keely both shared a love of Jane Austen. Scarlett had named Emma after her favorite Austen book. Keely had named her daughter after Mr. Darcy. When Payne arrived, Wynn said they could keep with the Austen game plan but she told him they should name their son after the brother he’d lost to cancer. Wynn had cradled her tenderly and told her he’d never loved her more than in that moment.
“Hi, Mrs. Gallagher,” Annie said. “Are you excited about the fundraiser? It’s on all the entertainment websites. I saw Mr. Gallagher interviewed on E! last night.”
“We’re hoping it’ll raise a lot of money for the foundation,” she said. “Especially the silent auction items. The girls can stay up until eight but Payne needs to be in bed by seven-thirty.”
“Will do.”
The doorbell rang. “That’s the pizza,” Wynn said. He went to the door and collected it, saying, “Follow me into the kitchen if you want pizza!”
Scarlett texted that they were ready and she and Wynn slipped out to meet Keely and Mac while Annie distributed pizza and milk. They met at the curb and both couples climbed into the waiting limousine.
“Thanks for letting Darcy spend the night,” Mac said. “Keely and I are going to make this an early night and go home and sleep like the dead.”
Keely rubbed her growing belly. “Some people take a baby moon. We’re taking tonight.”
“How is the naming going?” Wynn asked.
Mac sighed. “After seven months of intense discussions, we’ve narrowed it down to Knight or Bennett.” He took his wife’s hand and kissed it. “That’s from George Knightley in Emma or Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. If we go Bennett, I insist upon two T’s. It’s more manly. And I’m hoping we can shorten it to Ben.”
“You could use both,” Scarlett suggested. “As a first and middle name.”
“Ooh, I like that idea,” Keely said. “Compromise works for me.” She squeezed Mac’s hand. “Knight Randall. Ben Randall. I’m good with either.” She placed her head on Mac’s shoulder.
Scarlett was glad to see Keely so happy. She’d miscarried during her second pregnancy. Thankfully, this one had gone smoothly and she’d deliver her son in a little under two months. Keely had given up acting after Darcy’s birth. She didn’t want to come home to her daughter exhausted after long days on the set and decided to find a way to work from home. Thus, her career as a writer had begun. Keely had become a successful YA author and juggled two different series, one about a teenage female detective and another that revolved around a futuristic fantasy world she’d created. It gave her plenty of time with Darcy and still fulfilled Keely creatively.
Mac had recently wrapped a film and wouldn’t work again until next year, when he and Dash had a psychological thriller lined up. Dash would play the protagonist hunting Mac’s serial killer, only to find himself and his family being stalked by a network of killers. Rhett had decided to move into directing and would helm the picture. Scarlett did the math in
