Siena laughed and held her at arm’s length. “Of course I can be up. Just not for long periods of time. Doc doesn’t want me to take any chances. I’m not exactly running races. He said I can be in the swimming pool lazing around. And I can go for short walks. No shifting. My poor girl can’t go running at night, but she understands we have to protect the babies. I haven’t told Elijah yet, but she says they’re females.”

Emma burst out laughing. “Jake is going to have a field day giving him a bad time. He thinks one daughter is bad enough.”

Evangeline wanted to help Siena back to her chair but didn’t know how to make her go without acting bossy. “Do you know what you’re having yet, Catarina?” She tried not to sound desperate for conversation, and in any case she genuinely wanted to know.

“We’re havin’ a boy. Eli’s all happy about that because he says a girl should have an older brother to look out for her. He’s not exactly hip to this century.”

“None of them are,” Emma said. “Come sit down, Evangeline. Really, it’s so nice to have another woman to join us. We’re in our own little world here, and we have to be. Having friends and knowing our children will have friends is such a bonus. I wouldn’t trade Jake or our life for anything, but it did get lonely before Catarina and Siena came along.”

Siena put her arm around Evangeline’s waist and walked her back to the others. The couches and chairs looked very comfortable. Evangeline took the chair between where Siena had been sitting and Catarina.

“Elijah said you and Joshua are first cousins. Joshua doesn’t say much. Emma knows him better than Catarina and I,” Siena said. “He worked for Jake for a long time before he took over Rafe Cordeau’s territory.”

Evangeline tried not to think about that too much. She knew there was far more to Alonzo’s business than met the eye but she didn’t know the entire story and she didn’t want the other women to know that.

“Joshua was raised in Borneo. I was raised in Louisiana. We actually don’ really know each other.”

“He’s always been really quiet. Not like Alonzo,” Emma said. “I never heard Alonzo talk until he did here in this room.”

Siena laughed. “He was my bodyguard ever since I was fifteen, and I don’t think I heard him say more than three sentences. But if he looked at one of the men they did exactly what he wanted them to do. I guess he didn’t need to actually talk.”

Jake and Eli walked in and closed the door behind them. Both men went straight to their respective wives and kissed them before turning to Evangeline. Siena made the introductions.