Page 121 of Stupid Matchmaking Love

Pane kisses Rowe’s forehead and places a hand on her swollen belly. “Where’s Natalie?” Rowe points to the meadow, and Pane nods. “Ah. Bodysurfing piggycorns again?”

“Appears so,” Rowe murmurs.

“Well, that’s not gonna stop us from eating.” He rubs his hands together. “Who’s hungry?”

“Starving,” Stone says, climbing up the steps.

“I could eat,” Rhett admits.

“Everyone likes steak, yes?” We all nod and murmur yes, to which Pane replies, “Then let’s get eating.”

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m stuffed,” Rhett says, leaning back in his chair.

It’s late spring, and the night is warm enough for us to sit outside but cool enough that I need the pashmina around my arms. Twinkle lights are strung around the top of the porch, and every once in a while, we get a glimpse of Natalie riding piggycorns into the sunset.

Just kidding. She rides around the meadow, letting the grass glow under the piggycorns’ feet. From here, it looks like a sea filled with bioluminescent creatures—one touch and they ignite.

It’s beautiful and, most of all, romantic.

“That was a wonderful meal, Rowe,” Rhett says. “Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure.”

Pane puts an arm around her shoulder and gives her a warm smile. “I told her she didn’t need to go to all this trouble. In another month, we’re going to have our hands full with the baby.”

Rowe gives him a wide smile, and my heart swells. I feel eyes on me and look over, catching Rhett watching me. One side of his mouth tips up and I smile back.

This is not the time to analyze that he was looking at me while Pane was talking to his wife about their unborn child.

Not the time.

Truth is, my new job has kept me so busy there hasn’t been time to catch up with my friends. “Do you have the nursery done?”

Rowe’s eyes widen. “That’s right, you haven’t seen it. Come in and we’ll take a look.”

We rise and Coco adds, “I’m coming, too.”

Rowe leads us upstairs and enters the first room. She flips on a light and I gasp. The walls are painted a light cream, with illustrations of hot-air balloons of different sizes and colors. The best part is that the passengers are animals, not people—elephants and lions, monkeys and armadillos.

“This is the cutest nursery ever,” I say, still breathless.

She drags her teeth over her bottom lip. “You think?”

“I know,” Coco seconds. “Adorable. It’s just . . . exactly what I think of when I picture a baby’s room.”

“Pane and I painted it together.”

“It’s amazing.” I lightly touch one of the hot-air balloons. “I might copy this one day.”

A twinkle fills Rowe’s eyes. “You mean when you and Rhett get hitched?”

“Shh!” I flap my hands, motioning for them to be quiet. “You don’t know that.”

She rolls her eyes. “Sure, I don’t. It’s not like he was looking at you when Pane was talking about the baby.”

“I caught that, too,” Coco murmurs, peeking inside the empty crib. “You just watch, he’ll be the third Maddox to get engaged. Mark my words.”

It feels like a thousand butterflies are beating delicate wings against my rib cage, and my chest expands to hold them.