Page 9 (1/2)

Chapter 1

I'm not sure why, but I've always assuant, classy affair

Apparently, I rong

"It was either this or Pin the Penis on the Hunk," Cass explains to my best friend, Jamie, as my sister-in-law, Sylvia, holds her hands over her belly, which is huge at thirty-seven weeks into her pregnancy Honestly, I'hter at bay, or prevent her unborn infant fro all our crazy banter

Ja a cock while blindfolded"

"Uh, lesbian here," Cass says with a devious grin toward her girlfriend, Siobhan "Plus I can claie" She nods toward the table where two dozen paper spere of a wo

Forget Pin the Penis on the Hunk For thatPin the Sper Which may have areat time

Jamie turns to look at me "Told you, Nik You and I should totally have planned this party"

"I offered, but Cass pulled rank on me"

"I played the best friend card," Cass adalow, for one thing Not toSyl to the island"

"It wasn't easy," I say "The woman's a workaholic" I'd told Sylvia we needed to take a faetaway before the baby arrived--just me and Damien joined by her and Jackson and their four-year-old, Ronnie--but she insisted she couldn't afford the ti

I even felt a bit guilty about my ulterior motives when Syl confessed that she was a little nervous

"I' birth," she clarified, then immediately corrected herself "Well, actually, yeah That's kind of got ure it is what it is, and there's always drugs, right?"

"Absolutely," I agreed

"It's just, the whole thing about being a "

"But you're already a great mom," I pointed out, since Jackson, her husband and Dahter

Syl lifted a shoulder "I guess I mean, I hope so I try, that's for sure And I love Ronnie sobreath, and when she looked e "I was so scared at first Scared enough that I almost blew it And I think I' with Ronnie I mean, she was already a little person But a baby? And one who's inheriting all of e? It's a little scary"

"It's wonderful," I assured her "Any baby would be lucky to have you and Jackson as parents"

Her senuine, and when she held out her ared her close "Thanks," she whispered "I pro down, and every book says doubt is normal But it's just so much responsibility, you know?"

I did know Hell, I do know Even Sunshine, Damien's and my cat, is one hell of a lot of responsibility More than that, I understand the fear of passing on all that fae I don't know all the details about Syl's relationship with her parents, but I do know there's some bad blood And it's the same with me and Damien Frankly, any child we had would be buried under a boatload of crap

Honestly, it scares me

Not that I' about that I' pains at theAunt Nikki But sometimes I can't help but wonder

At any rate, it was my role as Aunt Nikki to Syl's unborn child that had et Syl to the island for her secret shower And since I'd had no luck with the fauns and having Damien fabricate some bullshit crisis that could only be handled on the island

"I would have been more compliant if I'd had any sort of a clue what you all were cooking up," Sylvia ad a second shower"

"You had the boring work one," Cass tells her "And now you're getting the fabulous girlfriend one"

"U work one was so not boring"