“Okay, now that you’re in front of me, no more dancing around my questions. You need to tell me about you and Ryan right now. Commence.”

“What was that?” I then ask, obnoxiously loud. “You said Denny isn’t the father?”

Jen pinches my arm with savage strength and I yelp and jump away before she can get me again.

“Will you girls stop fighting?” My mom bustles past us, placing the salad on the table and picking a shopping bag up from the floor against the wall. “Kara, before we have dinner, I got these for you.” She holds out the bag and I hesitantly take it, feeling a nervous twinge in my stomach. Old habits die hard.

“Thank you, but you really don’t have to keep buying me clothes.”

“Sure I do, I buy Jen clothes all the time.”

“She does,” my sister confirms. “I’d be rocking a muumuu right now if she didn’t snag me all my cute maternity gear.”

I chuckle as I slowly open the bag, and my eyes bulge as I pull out two of the nicest sweaters I have ever seen. One is heather gray and hangs open with no buttons, feeling so smooth that it has to be cashmere. The other is made with navy blue wool and looks so warm and cozy that I want to snuggle into it indefinitely.

“I love them!” I tell her, yanking off my current green cardigan and slipping into the navy blue dream. It fits perfectly over my white T-shirt and I can already tell it’s going to be a premiere player in my weekly rotation. This is a day-to-night sweater that I will protect at all costs.

“You look wonderful,” my mom says with a smile. “And for some exciting news, I actually applied for a part-time job at Loft when I bought those last week. I was hired yesterday and I start my training at the beginning of next month.”

“Really?” Jen asks excitedly. “Does that mean you get an employee discount?”

“It does. It will also mean that I’ll have to cut back on my gym time, but maybe that’s not the worst thing. And it’ll be nice to have something else to focus on besides you two for a change.”

Jen and I raise our brows, surprised and impressed. Hearty congratulatory hugs are given by us both and a couple minutes later, we’re all sitting down at the table. I tell them the highlights of my trip, about my apartment and how I met Liam. I tell them that my publisher loves my latest historical romance and how I finished a draft of my next book. I’m convinced they’re satisfied with my vivid stories until Jen decides to stir the pot—no doubt as revenge for me playing hard to get with my relationship status.