Always been You

by Mia Scott

  A little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He so rarely talked openly like this with her. She only pressed him on occasion for more information because she didn't want to come off as overbearing. This felt like real growth in their relationship. (That was also something she'd never say to him, because he would be relentless in teasing her for sounding like a nerd.) "Why did you move here?"

  He averted his eyes again. "Wanted to be a musician."

  "You are," she said simply.

  "Not in a cover band, Larrington," he grumbled. "I wanted to make the big time, tour with my band, have people buy my music—all of that."

  Alisha nodded and her heart broke a little for him. She knew those dreams all too well—they were her dreams, too, after all. "What stopped you from trying?"

  "Being broke all the fucking time and living in cramped, shitty apartments that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. James and I both got jobs with the department thinking we could make some money and work on our music part time until that took off. I don't know, life just went a different way, I guess."

  She didn't say anything for a moment. Her path hadn't exactly been the same. Sure, she had the big dreams, but she moved to the city with money in her pocket and a best friend with a trust fund. There'd never been roach-infested apartments at any turn in her life. Maybe if there had been, she, too, might have wavered on her dreams a little when things weren't going her way. She really couldn't say for certain.

  "What's stopping you now?" she asked pointedly.

  "I dunno," he shrugged again. "Too old I guess."

  A scowl broke out on her face and her brows Adam together tightly. "To use your own colorful language, Jake, fuck that! Fuck. That. I'm only two years younger than you and if you think that I've achieved all I want to in the music industry you're sorely mistaken. I've wanted Broadway for as long as I can remember, but it was never the only thing that I hoped to accomplish in my career. I've been giving serious thought lately to leaving Chicago and trying to get my solo career going."

  Big looked surprised. "What? I didn't know that."

  "I love playing Velma Kelly, I do, but after 15 months of it, I'm ready for something new. I'm just weighing my options right now. But this isn't about me. All I'm saying, Jake, is if you want music, go after it."

  (Has he mentioned that his girl is awesome?)

  "Thanks, baby. I don't know that I do. I do love my job with FDNY and Fire Extinguishers is a pretty kick ass band," he grinned roguishly. "But it's nice to know you've got my back if I want to do something else."

  "I'll support you with anything you want to do," she said with a warm smile. "Well, unless you decide to do drugs or any other illegal activities."

  He rolled his eyes and laughed at his pragmatic girl. Cupping her chin, he pulled her mouth to his and kissed her deep. "Thanks," he murmured against her lips.

  Alisha's phone beeped with a text message and she leaned forward to grab it off her end table. "It's from Maggie," she said, feeling the nerves bundle in her stomach again. She quickly hit the button to read the message.

  Big Daddy knows. We're both excited about our baby. BABY…holy shit!

  She smiled and showed Jake the message.

  "Big Daddy?" he snorted.

  Alisha giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. "I called him that earlier before I was leaving Maggie's and she liked it."

  "I can't believe they're having a kid. Fucking James Keller with a kid. That's nuts."

  She smiled brightly. "I think they'll be great."

  Big shrugged again. Maggie maybe, but he had his doubts about James. Dude pulled some epically stupid shit in his time. He hoped that the baby inherited more of Maggie's genes. "So, Shorty, how 'bout we go in your room and I make you call me daddy?"

  Chapter 23

  The city was quieter than normal, thanks to a heavy blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. But Alisha was more than happy to brave the weather (she'd always loved snow) to meet her best friends for brunch before her shows. Russell had just returned from his sunny vacation in Mexico with Adam and she definitely didn't want to miss his reaction when Maggie told him the news about the baby.

  So she trudged along the snowy sidewalk on Amsterdam Avenue, pulling her hat down further over her ears when the wind picked up and whipped her hair around wildly. It was bitterly cold out and while she adored snow, the frigid temperature left a lot to be desired. Her teeth were starting to chatter when she blissfully spotted the familiar navy-blue awning outside Sarabeth's. This was, without a doubt, their favorite brunch spot in the city and they met there a couple times a month.

  Walking through the door, Alisha breathed deeply as the warmth enveloped her body and the heavenly smells of pancakes and omelets hit her nose. The restaurant, normally always crowded, was surprisingly sparse today and she easily spotted Maggie's familiar blonde head at a table in the back reading something on her phone.

  "Hey, mama," Alisha greeted when she reached the table, dropping her bags down into a vacant chair.

  Maggie glanced up and a smile broke out across her pretty face. "Hi, doll," she replied warmly as Alisha slid into the booth beside her.

  "How're you feeling?"

  The blonde scrunched up her nose. "So far okay, but just reading the words coddled eggs on the menu made my stomach roil. I think I'll pass on my usual omelet today."

  "Probably a very good idea," Alisha agreed, shrugging out of her red coat. "I really can't wait for you to tell Russell. He may very well stroke out in the middle of his frittata." They traded amused looks and giggled loudly.

  "I have brunch on the line that says he'll want to be called Aunt Russell," Maggie said laughingly, holding out her hand.

  Alisha snickered and shook Maggie's hand. "You're on, because there's no way Adam would let that happen."

  "Doesn't matter," she grinned wryly. "All he has to do is suggest it and I win." She picked up her orange juice and sipped.

  "Fair enough," Alisha conceded with a laugh. She looked down at her menu and asked, "Do you know when James plans on telling Jake about the baby?"

  "I'm not sure. Why?"

  "I forgot to tell you when you called the other day. Well, that's not actually true. I didn't forget, but I couldn't tell you because Jake was in the room with me and—"

  "Spit it out," Maggie snapped, making Alisha's eyebrows shoot up. "I'm sorry, Lisha," she sighed. "I've already become so moody and I'm barely eight weeks. This is going to be such a long pregnancy. I fucking cried over a commercial for fabric softener the other day. Fabric softener. Ridiculous."

  "Aw, honey," Alisha cooed, smoothing a hand over the blonde's head. "It's perfectly normal. Besides, it's not like this is the first time I've been Louwered," she teased, referring to the term she and Russell came up with years ago for being on the receiving end of one of Maggie's bitchy moods.

  Maggie shrugged lightly and laughed. "Good point. As you were saying," she motioned for her friend to continue her story.

  "Okay, please don't get mad at me," Alisha began slowly, "but I had to tell Jake about the baby." She bit her lip and gave her friend a guilty look.

  The blonde's lips twitched at her overly dramatic friend. "Well, obviously I hate you now," she said dryly. "He's going to find out soon enough anyway, but why did you have to tell him?"

  "Okay…see, after I left your apartment Wednesday, I went shopping and because I was so excited, I ended up buying you, James and the baby some gifts—"

  Maggie's eyes lit up. "Gifts?" She curved her hands down like paws and began panting like an excited puppy. Giggling, Alisha reached for a bag she'd brought with her and handed it to Maggie, smiling as her friend tore into the gift bag. "Cute top!" she exclaimed, studying the purple shirt. "Awwwwww!" She held up the little plush elephant as tears stung her eyes. "This is so sweet, Alisha. Oh, God," she sniffled. "I can't believe I'm crying again." She threw her arms around Alisha and hugged her tight. "Thank you."

  Alisha stifled a laugh and hugged
her back. She suspected that this was only the first of many emotional outbursts to come in the next eight months. "You're welcome. There's something in there for James, too."

  Pulling back, Maggie swiped at her eyes, feeling foolish for all the crying. She reached into the bag and pulled out the book, barking out a laugh when she read the title. "He'll love this."

  "That book is the whole reason I had to tell my boyfriend about the baby."

  Maggie's eyes sparkled with recognition. "Hell, he thought that book was for him, didn't he?"

  Alisha nodded her head and, laughing, recounted that night in her bathroom where he'd mistakenly thought he was about to become a father and that was how she'd chosen to tell him. "…so it'll be really great when James finally tells him because I know that Jake's having a hard time not calling him up and asking him about it even though he'd vehemently deny that."

  "Their bromance is adorable," Maggie giggled, placing the gifts back in the bag.

  "It really is," Alisha nodded, a smile in place. Seeing Russell walk in the door, she nudged Maggie with her elbow. "Russell's here."

  "Buenos Dias, mi amigas!" Russell greeted smoothly when he reached the table. He slipped off his stylish coat and removed his hat before easing down into the seat across from his friends.

  Maggie's eyebrow arched slowly. "Are you still drunk from Mexico?"

  Russell gingerly ran a hand over his hair to quell any fly-aways and playfully glared across the table. "Missed you, too, Fabs."

  "Delicious," he grinned, turning his focus to the brunette.

  "How was Mexico?" Alisha asked excitedly, wanting to hear all about his trip with Adam.

  His eyes glinted happily and a teasing grin pulled across his lips. "Engaging."

  Alisha felt Maggie's hand grasp her wrist and they both leaned forward in their seats. "Are you—"

  "Betrothed?" Russell interrupted, folding his hands dramatically on the table. "Yes, yes I am."

  The three friends let out a collective squeal that Adam stares from the diners around them.

  "Oh, my God, Russell! I'm so happy for you!" Alisha gushed, sliding out of her seat so she could hug him.

  Maggie followed suit and kissed his cheeks, feeling her eyes well up again. "How'd he propose?" she asked, slipping back into the booth.

  Russell placed a hand on his chest and sighed, recounting the story of the beach at sunrise where Adam asked him if he'd spend the rest of his life with him. When he was finished, the two girls beamed at him with tears in their eyes.

  "Okay, that's my news. What's been going on in NYC with you two? Lisha, how's it going with your boyfriend?"

  She gave him a dimpled smile; she loved that Jake had that title now. "Things are going really well, though he has been a bit grouchy lately because of his injuries and the fact that he can't work out the way he wants to or go back to work at the station. He starts back next week, but he's on desk duty and to say he's not thrilled about that would be quite the understatement. But we're good."

  "He's probably just grouchy because you two aren't able to hump like bunnies," Maggie provided casually over the top of her juice.

  "When you two are allowed at it again, he'll probably reinjure himself," Russell added, making Maggie laugh wickedly.

  "God, you two, would be quiet?" Alisha hissed. "We're in public." She looked around to make sure no one else was listening and leaned in closer to the table and lowered her voice. "But he's not complaining that much, thank you." She smiled a little smugly at her friends, hoping to shut them up.

  "Doing a lot of this, huh?" Maggie asked, making a very obscene gesture with her mouth and hand.

  Alisha's cheeks flamed crimson while Russell brayed with laughter. The waitress mercifully chose that moment to come and take their orders so she at least didn't have to give the embarrassing answer her friends already knew anyway.

  Once the waitress walked away with their orders, Russell turned his attention to Maggie. "Q—any news?"

  Maggie studied her manicure and lifted a shoulder. "Had a meeting with the Bergdorf's people, checked on our new collection, sketched a few things, found out I was pregnant."

  Russell choked on his water and began coughing. His eyes watered and he hit his chest with a fist a few times to try and curb this fit. "What?" he managed, coughing again.

  "It was just a meeting with Bergdorf's, Russell," Maggie said understatedly. "Everything is fine." She felt Alisha kick her under the table and she bit her cheek to keep from laughing when his eyes went around and pleading.

  "Not that!" he snapped. "You're pregnant?"

  "Oh! That!" she said, a sneaky grin forming on her pretty face. "Yes, I am. Shocked? So was I."

  "Oh my god! Oh my god! OH MY GOD!" he very nearly screeched, once again earning annoyed stares from the handful of diners in the eatery. "I—I can honestly say that you've rendered me incapable of forming coherent thoughts."

  "I know," Maggie nodded. "That was me when I found out, but I'm really so excited—James, too. He's going to be the best daddy." Her eyes welled up again and she groaned in frustration.

  "Get used to the waterworks," Alisha told him, handing Maggie a napkin. "This isn't the first cry she's had in twenty minutes."

  "Well, James may be the best daddy, but I'm going to be the best uncle there is."

  "Ha!" Alisha blurted loudly, slapping her hand on the table. "You owe me breakfast," she said to Maggie.

  "Dammit," Maggie frowned. "How could you let me down like that?" At his inquisitive look, she added, "You were supposed to be Aunt Russell."

  His brow arched nearly to his hairline and he pursed his lips. "That's too gay even for me, Q." Alisha snorted and giggled behind her hand while Maggie just shook her head, fighting the urge to grin at him.

  "God, look at the three of us," Maggie said. "Alisha's got a hot boyfriend she's serious about, you and Adam are getting married, I'm makin' babies…Face it, we're growing up, kids." Her eyes welled for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

  "Maggie, I swear to god," Russell interrupted, holding up his hand. "I love you, but the tears are freaking me out. Take your pregnancy hormones and Louwer them into submission."

  Alisha laughed.

  Maggie frowned and cried again.

  Russell smirked and sipped his juice.

  … … …

  It had been a few days since Big found out that his best friend was going to be a father. Of course his girlfriend had let that cat out of the bag and he was supposed to pretend he didn't know anything at all about it. It hadn't been that hard to do. James had been working and they had only texted a couple times throughout the week.

  So when his buddy called him up and invited him out for pizza and beer, he was pretty sure the news was gonna drop then.

  They were sitting in their favorite pizza joint and James was acting shifty, which was his tell that something big was going on. Big had just taken a huge bite when James blurted "Maggie's pregnant." He was slightly thankful he already knew that bit of info, otherwise the choking he could have experienced would have fucking sucked. "Hey, man—congrats!" he mumbled with a mouthful.

  James cocked his head to the side and regarded his friend. "Dude, Alisha told you, didn't she?"

  Big nodded, swallowing his pizza. "Yep. In her defense, I thought I was the one having a kid and she told me before I had a goddamn heart attack." James chuckled and Big smirked, taking a swig of his beer. "How d'you feel about all this? Pretty heavy stuff, bro."

  The taller man shrugged as a smile stole across his face. "I was shocked at first, but now that it's sunk in, I'm excited, man. A little freaked, but mostly just excited."

  Big still couldn't believe that his best friend was reproducing and happy about it. But whatever. He could be happy for him. "S'weird. You're gonna be someone's dad." That word hung heavily in the air around them.

  James took a pull from his beer and nodded slightly. "Yeah."

  It dawned on him then that James would get a chance to
be something neither of them had growing up. He knew then that James would kick ass and take names in fatherhood because he would never want his child to go through what either of them did. "Think of all the cool shit we can teach your kid, dude."

  James laughed and the two knocked their beer bottles together. That was the best endorsement James could have imagined from his best friend. He hoped that Big would take his other piece of news as well as he had the baby, but he wasn't holding his breath. "I have some other news," James said slowly.

  Big grabbed another slice and took a huge bite, lifting a questioning brow.

  "Remember how I told you about the fight Maggie and I had about my job?"

  He swallowed his food and tried to ignore the weird feeling he had in his gut he knew had nothing to do with the pizza. "Yeah…"

  "I'm quitting the department," James told him, dropping his eyes to the label on the beer bottle.

  "Fuck you, man, don't joke about that. It's not funny."

  "It's not a joke, Big," James said seriously.

  His brows pinched together and he glowered across the table at his idiot best friend. "So Maggie flips her shit about the job and you're quitting? You gonna chop off your balls and hand them over to her, too?" A baby was one thing, but James quitting a job he loves because of a woman was unacceptable to him. And yeah, he'd asked Alisha if she had a problem with his job, but that wasn't code for "if you do, I'll quit" thank you very much. Fuck that noise. He'd never quit something he loved for pussy. No way. No how.

  "C'mon, dude, don't be like that," James sighed, running a hand over his jaw. "It's different now—we're having a baby."

  "I fucking know that," Big said, pouting a little as he toyed with a coaster on the table.

  "Besides, you were asking me the other day when Q and I got into that fight whether I loved her enough to choose her over the department. I told you yes. Why are you acting so surprised?"

  He frowned, not appreciating that his previous advice was coming back to bite him in the ass. "Because it was all hypothetical or whatever that shit is. I didn't think she'd actually force you to choose. The hell's that about?" He pulled another frown when he lifted the bottle to his mouth and discovered it was empty.