Free Justice Falling by Audrey Carlan

I’m sure we can make time for dinner or breakfast tomorrow.”
    “Fine, but that hot cowboy’s ass is mine!” He pointed to Aspen accusingly. “You haven’t allowed me any time with him, and we have a lot to go over before my baby girl arrives. We haven’t even agreed on a nanny!”
    Aspen’s placating smile widened as she winked at me. “That’s because Hank doesn’t want a nanny. He thinks maybe his Mom will come for the first couple months after the baby’s born and help out.” Oliver looked at Aspen, eyes wide, mouth agape.
    “We cannot have ’maybe’s’ with our baby. Jesus Christ on a stick! When I get my hands on his fine ass he’s going to get a licking that keeps on ticking…and it’s not going to be in a good way!”
    That was it. I couldn’t hold it back. I cracked up laughing at their comedic show. Tears pricked my eyes, and I staunched the flow with a Kleenex.
    Oliver’s eyes narrowed at me, and then he put his hands on his hips. “Well. I was promised a lunch date. So, you’re coming with us. Get your things little miss Someone-Sent-Me-Flowers-But-I’m-Being-All-Secretive. Let’s go…scoot. Every second you drag ass, Aspen loses another million.”
    My mouth dropped open, and I jumped to grab my things. Rosie was back from lunch and would catch the phones and visitors. I really had no reason not go with them. “Really?” I asked.
    Aspen smiled and held open the door for us. “Not really. Maybe a thousand or two…” her voice trailed off as we walked onto her personal elevator. Perk of owning a building. You had your own elevator that opened only to specific persons. I’d only seen Aspen, Hank, Oliver, and Dean, Oliver’s significant other, use it. The lift was very high tech. She pressed her finger on the display and said “One” into the quiet of the space. The doors shut, and it went down.
    “Since we don’t have to go to that healthy, green-seaweed, tree-hugging restaurant to please your caveman, what does my baby girl want?” He patted Aspen’s belly. She rolled her eyes and shoved his hand away.
    “You and Hank are ridiculous. I would like to have Thai food at that greasy place around the corner. Tasty Thai.” She looked at me, and I nodded. I could go Thai any time, and I wasn’t picky. “And I don’t want to hear one damn word about it! And if you tell Hank, I’ll tell Dean about that fireman’s calendar you’re googley-eyed over. I bet he’d wonder why you keep the page on October even though it’s March!”
    Oliver visibly shivered and leaned into me as we exited the elevator. “She’s really hormonal lately. Hank has been trying to force feed her all this healthy crap when all she wants to eat is a burger.” He snickered and Aspen stopped on a dime.
    “Stuff it! Come on Cami. Let’s go.” She grabbed my arm and locked hers within mine. “All right. Get my mind off this giant bowling ball pressing heavily on my bladder. Who were the flowers from?”
    I chuckled. Aspen was the first woman besides Jin who ever initiated “girl talk” with me.
    “Hey, don’t leave me out. I’m not the shitty pickle on the side of the plate that no one wants to eat.” Oliver hooked onto my other arm. I sighed, realizing there was absolutely no way of getting out of this.
    “It’s really not a big deal.” I shook my head. “Nathaniel Walker sent them to me.”
    Both of them stopped while I propelled forward, which yanked me back. It was like a game of slingshot with me as the rubber band. “Sexy-assed Brit? Has the face of my candy man, David Gandy?” Oliver confirmed.
    I shrugged. “I don’t know who that is.”
    Oliver looked stricken and pulled out his electronic whatever thingy and frantically typed “I’m hungry come on. Talk while we walk,” Aspen pulled us along to the Thai place.
     “He came to the office for a meeting with Mr. Jensen the other night.”
     Aspen nodded.
    “Then he just told me he was having lunch with me. I didn’t think