Page 73 of Poison Apple Crisp

The crowd lets out another cheer, and I give a little squeal of excitement, too.

“Arrrgh!” Cressida spins in a circle. “Cormack!” she shrieks as her featherheaded bestie takes an apprehensive step forward. “Quick, give me your scarf. This sugar is ruining my skin!”

“Not on your life.” Cormack shrinks back in horror while clutching at the plaid swath of fabric wrapped around her neck. “This is a Hermes. You’re not getting near it.” She takes off, and Cressida gives chase.

I can’t help but indulge in a full-blown belly laugh on their behalf.

Noah offers Evie a quick embrace.

“Happy Birthday, kiddo. You’re doing it right. Great party.”

“I concur,” I say as I land a kiss to her cheek.

“Come here.” Everett pulls his baby girl in and lands a kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you for choosing such a wholesome venue. You sure you’re really okay with this?”

Evie nods up at him. Her hair is in long dark ringlets and her makeup is sparkly, and pink, and all around perfect. She’s wearing a pair of bright yellow wedges that puts her at just about her father’s height. Evie is stunning, and smart, and sweet all the way around. And I’m proud to be her mother.

I sniff back tears.

“There she goes again,” Evie teases as she pulls me in as well. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve decided to go easy on you since you’re expecting. No wild parties.” She winks over at someone, and I glance back to see Carlotta pretending to look the other way in a hurry.

“Thank you for that, Evie,” I say. “I appreciate it.”

She takes off as my mother and Wiley help cut the cake.

Meg swoops over with her phone pointed our way.

“Wave to Lainey and baby Josie.”

“Hello, girls!” I say as Noah, Everett, and I give a cheery hello. Lainey doesn’t have any plans on ever leaving the house again. She let us know flu season was just kicking off, and there was no way she was going to risk it. Lainey has been more than a little protective over her sweet angel, and now that I have a little sugar cookie growing inside of me, I understand her reasoning completely.

“Lottie!” a shrill voice calls out, and I turn to see Keelie jogging over with a baby pouch secured to her chest. I can see a pair of tiny legs dangling out the bottom with adorable fuzzy socks attached and a head poking out of the top with an orange knit pumpkin hat on. “I missed everything, didn’t I?”

“No, you’re fine.”

“Bear is getting me a caramel apple, but I made a beeline right over.” She lets us peer inside her pouch and a tiny blue-eyed baby blinks up at us.

“Oh, Keelie, he’s so precious.” My hand presses to my chest. “I’m so glad you came.”

“I’d better say hello to the birthday girl. And to think, you’ll be the one with a baby strapped to your chest this time next year. It’s all happening so fast, Lottie. Everything is going to change, but you’re going to love it,” she says as she heads toward Evie.

Carlotta comes up next. “Good party, Lot.” She looks out at the festivities underway as Evie whoops it up with her friends. “I’d like to think this is the kind of sweet sixteen I would have thrown you, but I think we both know if I’d have raised you there would have been the three B’s in play—beer, boys, and one wild bender.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” I tell her. “You just described my sweet sixteen perfectly. But there was one more B in there you left out—Bear, my cheating boyfriend.”

Carlotta pretends to gag. “Some friend you are. You gave your bestie a dud-muffin and kept a surplus of stud-muffins for yourself.” She winks at Noah and Everett. “I still can’t believe you landed two of the hottest commodities in the Western Hemisphere. I always knew you were an overachiever.” A howl goes off in the distance, and her head jerks that way. “Did you hear that?” She shudders. “A chill just went down my spine.”

A flicker of lightning brightens the sky, and the crowd lets out a collectiveooh. A rumble of thunder growls from above, and I’d swear on all that is holy the ground just shook beneath my feet.

Carlotta pulls her cardigan tight over her body. “I don’t get chills often, but when I do, I like to pair it with booze. I’d better hunt down Harry and see if he can rustle up some hard apple cider.”

Noah washes those verdant green eyes over my features.

“Lottie Lemon, you are glowing tonight.” His dimples dig in. “It’s chilly out. How about I get you some hot apple cider?”

“I’d love that.”

He takes off, and Everett cups his hand over his mouth.