it because they’ve been friends forever, but how you can tolerate it is beyond me.”
Kat was horrified – no, appalled – to feel a few pinpricks behind her eyelids.
But she despised everything Danny MacDonough represented and, worse than that, she’d had a filthy, wrong, embarrassingly detailed dream about him and that was really pissing her off.
She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “But you don’t have to worry about me, Stell. Unlike other people, I am fully capable of acting like a grown-up. And, while he might be important to you and Nathan, he is completely insignificant to me, which means I couldn’t care less whether he is here or not. Makes zero difference to me. I just figured there was a woman left unscrewed or a bottle left unopened somewhere he’d be more interested in, that’s all.”
When Stella didn’t say anything, Kat knew she was in trouble, because the only time Stella was quiet was when she was sleeping.
Kat turned to face her and found Stella’s mouth gaping.
“ Oh. My. God .” Stella’s dark-brown eyes widened. “You like him, Kat.” She leaned forward dramatically. “ Don’t you? ”
“Likes who?” Gigi asked.
Their eldest sisters, Gigi and Nina, walked into the kitchen.
“Probably that dude who asked her out on a pseudo-date the other day,” Nina said, grabbing a handful of forks out of the silverware drawer.
Kat narrowed her eyes at Stella…but Stella was way too shell-shocked to feel any shame about blabbing Kat’s business. Her mouth was still open and her eyes were still wide.
Like she’d just seen a damn ghost.
Or caught Kat having an actual feeling.
Gigi dropped a quick kiss on Kat’s head before grabbing a water pitcher out of the cupboard. “Fi told me that guy at work finally made a move. You’ll have to tell us all about him later, Kat.”
Kat shrugged and continued manically chopping.
“Stell, why are you staring at her like that?” Nina asked. “You look like you’re performing one of your Vulcan mind probes.”
Kat couldn’t take it anymore: the feel of Stella’s eyes on her, Gigi’s well-intentioned fawning, and Nina’s dogged curiosity. She set down the knife, wiped her hands on a dish towel, and walked out of the kitchen…
Smack-dab into Gigi’s husband, Marco.
Even thought the guy was built like a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, Marco was as gentle and kind as any person Kat had ever met. She’d never, in the almost twenty years Marco and Gigi had been together, seen Marco get angry. Or frustrated. Or even semi-aggravated. He was always smiling and loved to hug – almost as much as he liked to eat.
Kat wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but even she couldn’t resist one of Marco’s big bear hugs.
He smiled warmly down at Kat. “I think I heard a car. I’m gonna see if Nathan needs any help with-”
“ Gi- a ! Gi- a ! Gi- a ! ”
Gabby and Sam whipped around the corner and raced to the front door. After a few seconds of hand-to-hand combat to determine who would open it, one of them finally managed to get the job done.
Stella came in from the kitchen and pushed her way through the rabid fan club, grinning as Nathan carried in a bundled-up Gia. After giving Nathan and Gia quick kisses, Stella looked down to find Gabby and Sam jumping around Nathan’s long legs like a couple of wild puppies.
He held Gia up over his head, teasing them, and cracked a tiny Nathan smile as the girls went nuts.
“Uncle Nathan, we want Gia! We want Gia!”
All the while, Gia was laughing hysterically and flailing her little arms and legs. She looked like a big poof of cotton candy in her light pink snowsuit, hat, and mittens.
Kat really couldn’t blame Gabby and Sam; she wanted a chance to cuddle the hell out of Gia, too. But trying to take cuts in front of those two would have been asking for the beat down of a lifetime, so Kat’s turn would have to wait.
“You’d better give them that baby,
Kat was horrified – no, appalled – to feel a few pinpricks behind her eyelids.
But she despised everything Danny MacDonough represented and, worse than that, she’d had a filthy, wrong, embarrassingly detailed dream about him and that was really pissing her off.
She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “But you don’t have to worry about me, Stell. Unlike other people, I am fully capable of acting like a grown-up. And, while he might be important to you and Nathan, he is completely insignificant to me, which means I couldn’t care less whether he is here or not. Makes zero difference to me. I just figured there was a woman left unscrewed or a bottle left unopened somewhere he’d be more interested in, that’s all.”
When Stella didn’t say anything, Kat knew she was in trouble, because the only time Stella was quiet was when she was sleeping.
Kat turned to face her and found Stella’s mouth gaping.
“ Oh. My. God .” Stella’s dark-brown eyes widened. “You like him, Kat.” She leaned forward dramatically. “ Don’t you? ”
“Likes who?” Gigi asked.
Their eldest sisters, Gigi and Nina, walked into the kitchen.
“Probably that dude who asked her out on a pseudo-date the other day,” Nina said, grabbing a handful of forks out of the silverware drawer.
Kat narrowed her eyes at Stella…but Stella was way too shell-shocked to feel any shame about blabbing Kat’s business. Her mouth was still open and her eyes were still wide.
Like she’d just seen a damn ghost.
Or caught Kat having an actual feeling.
Gigi dropped a quick kiss on Kat’s head before grabbing a water pitcher out of the cupboard. “Fi told me that guy at work finally made a move. You’ll have to tell us all about him later, Kat.”
Kat shrugged and continued manically chopping.
“Stell, why are you staring at her like that?” Nina asked. “You look like you’re performing one of your Vulcan mind probes.”
Kat couldn’t take it anymore: the feel of Stella’s eyes on her, Gigi’s well-intentioned fawning, and Nina’s dogged curiosity. She set down the knife, wiped her hands on a dish towel, and walked out of the kitchen…
Smack-dab into Gigi’s husband, Marco.
Even thought the guy was built like a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, Marco was as gentle and kind as any person Kat had ever met. She’d never, in the almost twenty years Marco and Gigi had been together, seen Marco get angry. Or frustrated. Or even semi-aggravated. He was always smiling and loved to hug – almost as much as he liked to eat.
Kat wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but even she couldn’t resist one of Marco’s big bear hugs.
He smiled warmly down at Kat. “I think I heard a car. I’m gonna see if Nathan needs any help with-”
“ Gi- a ! Gi- a ! Gi- a ! ”
Gabby and Sam whipped around the corner and raced to the front door. After a few seconds of hand-to-hand combat to determine who would open it, one of them finally managed to get the job done.
Stella came in from the kitchen and pushed her way through the rabid fan club, grinning as Nathan carried in a bundled-up Gia. After giving Nathan and Gia quick kisses, Stella looked down to find Gabby and Sam jumping around Nathan’s long legs like a couple of wild puppies.
He held Gia up over his head, teasing them, and cracked a tiny Nathan smile as the girls went nuts.
“Uncle Nathan, we want Gia! We want Gia!”
All the while, Gia was laughing hysterically and flailing her little arms and legs. She looked like a big poof of cotton candy in her light pink snowsuit, hat, and mittens.
Kat really couldn’t blame Gabby and Sam; she wanted a chance to cuddle the hell out of Gia, too. But trying to take cuts in front of those two would have been asking for the beat down of a lifetime, so Kat’s turn would have to wait.
“You’d better give them that baby,
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