Read Online Commitment: The Beauty in Between (A Beautiful Series Novella) by Lilliana Anderson - Free Book Online

friendliness at the beach. Although she’s not ignoring me and she’s not
being rude - I guess I’ll have to see how we go.
    My parents are already there, as is my brother and his wife.
The house is decorated festively with a big tree in the corner, and garlands
and ornaments adorning walls and surfaces. We exchange hugs and cheek kisses
and place everything we’re carrying in the appropriate places.
    “Drinks?” Kathy asks us all, looking around the room at all
of our faces.
    We all accept various drinks, and then head outside where
Steve is preparing the BBQ before he needs to turn it on and cook lunch.

David
    A lot of fuss is made over Grace as she’s passed around and
cooed over like a beautiful gurgling doll. Katrina’s mother insists on her
holding the baby, and I have to laugh at the awkward look on her face as she
tries to keep hold of the wriggly babe.
    “You look good with a baby Trina,” I tease, grinning at her.
    She looks at me and smiles, although I can tell by her
expression that she’s telling me not to push my luck. I think she makes it
maybe a full minute before she hands Grace back to Paige who’s laughing at how
awkward Trina is.
    “She’s not made of glass. You won’t break her,” Paige
laughs.
    “I don’t know about that, I’ve never really been around babies
before.”
    “I’d never been around babies either. But when you have a
screaming baby thrust into your arms when they’re born – you learn pretty
fast.”
    “She really is beautiful Paige. She looks just like you.”
    “She has my hair and her daddy’s eyes and mouth. She’s nice
mix of us.”
    “She is,” Trina agrees.
    I just sit there, quietly smiling as Trina plays with Grace
and chats to Paige. When Jenny comes outside carrying a tray of nibbles she
doesn’t waste any time joining in as well. I find it amazing how something as
small as a baby can make people forget their discomfort with each other.
    Deciding to leave the women to it, I head inside to see if
there’s anything I can help with. Kathy and Carol are in the kitchen talking up
a storm while they’re handing trays of meat to Elliot and Tom. I line up
alongside them on the opposite side of the bench.
    “So Carol’s been telling me about the big plans,” Kathy says
in a low voice. She slides her eyes toward the back door to make sure Trina
isn’t in ear shot. “Not long now huh?”
    “No, not long at all,” I grin.
    “Have you got everything planned?” She asks.
    “Yes, well – mostly. We’ve hit a bit of a snag on the
celebrant, but I’m hoping to get it sorted in time.”
    She looks at me thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind, I can make
a few calls. I might know someone who could help you out.”
    “Really? Oh Kathy, if you could you’d be a real life saver,”
I gush. The mere hint of a solution is a huge relief to me.
    “I’ll see what I can do.”
    “I can talk to my dad too, he might know of someone,” puts
in Elliot.
    “That’d be great man, thanks,” I say.
    “It’s not a problem.”
    We all shut our mouths quickly as Katrina approaches the
sliding door. She stops in her tracks when she sees us all looking at her. We
must look guilty.
    “Um, Paige was just after some sort of chew toy for Grace,”
she states, causing a burst of laughter from those gathered in the kitchen.
    “You mean a teething rusk. I’ll go and grab one for her,”
Elliot says smiling.
    I move next to Trina as I carry some of the food outside and
lean in to kiss her cheek. “Chew toys are for dogs, princess,” I laugh.
    Her cheeks instantly flame red. “Oh god, I’m so sorry!”
    Elliot walks past with a baby toy and a little packet
containing the rusks. “It’s cool. I’m always commenting that she reminds me of
a puppy.” He gives us a wink and goes outside to hand the items over to Paige.
They have a short exchange during which Paige laughs loudly. When I look at
them together, I see in them how I feel about Trina and regret ever feeling