Page 64 of Bellini Bound

My companion lifted one shoulder. “Eat, drink, and watch hockey, I suppose.”

“Seems like a strange choice for a venue,” I remarked. “Why—”

“Gemma, hey!” Summer exclaimed, cutting me off.

Wait, wasn’t that Enzo’s sister’s name?

Turning around, I came face-to-face with my raven-haired sister-in-law, whom I hadn’t seen since my wedding. She was just as stunningly beautiful as I remembered, and as I scanned her appearance, my eyes got hung up on the basketball-sized bump under her shirt.

Summer was quick to hug Gemma, and when they broke apart, I couldn’t help but breathe out in wonder, “Oh wow. I had no idea you were expecting.”

A tint of pink colored the tall woman’s cheeks, and she rubbed a palm over her protruding stomach. “Yeah, we only found out a couple of days before your wedding.”

“No kidding. How far along are you now?”

“Twenty-one weeks.”

My eyes bulged. She could have easily passed for seven or eight months along, when she was only halfway done. But I knew better than to ask if she was carrying multiples.

“You look great,” I gushed.

Gemma’s lips pulled into a wry smile. “You don’t have to lie. I know I’m as big as a whale already.” A heavy exhale lifted the hair away from her face. “If you think I’m tall, you should see my husband.”

Without warning, I began to picture what I might look like with a belly that size, since Enzo had almost a foot on me and I was woefully short-waisted.

Gemma laughed. “Good thing you won’t have to worry about that.”

“Huh?” I blinked at her.

“The giant baby ripping you in two on the way out. You know, since Enzo’s firmly on the no-baby train.”

My dreams of motherhood, which had been rekindled since Enzo and I started sleeping together, went up in smoke at her casual statement, and it took a minute to find my voice again. I plastered on a fake smile eventhough it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. “Right. Lucky me.”

“Drinks! We need drinks!” Summer declared, her voice breaking through the awkward tension that had descended upon us. “What’ll it be, girls?”

“I would kill for something stiffer than a cola, especially with Sasha back in net, but alas . . .” Gemma sighed dramatically, gesturing to her belly.

“How about you, Allie?” Summer prompted.

“A glass of wine would be great, preferably white.”

“A cola and a white wine coming right up.” She turned and headed for the makeshift bar on the other end of the suite.

Even though I was married to Gemma’s brother, we barely knew each other, so with Summer gone, an uncomfortable silence descended between us. But then I noticed Gemma placing a hand to her lower back with a wince, and nurse mode kicked in.

“You wanna sit down?”

Relief softened Gemma’s features. “Yeah, actually. That would be great, if you don’t mind.”

I smiled at her. “Not at all.”

We walked to a set of high-top chairs positioned before a counter overlooking the ice arena below.

Gemma plopped down on one with an exhausted huff. “Pregnancy this close to forty is kicking my ass. Everything hurts all the time.”

“Is this your first?” I questioned, folding my arms on the tabletop’s surface.

She hummed in confirmation, a hand splayed over her stomach. “Might be my only. We’ll see how it goes.”