Free To Want A Billionaire (The Billionaire's Baby Series Book 1) by Ava Claire

pepper locks were pulled into a beehive inspired bun, and she was wearing cooler glasses than I was, the retro wings studded with pearls and crystals.
    Alicia, of course, was dressed in a crisp sheath dress that was chambray colored with an ivory sweater draped across her bare shoulders. From the way she stormed in and out of our lives, I’d always pictured her in permanent shoulder pads, leaving nothing but a trail of bodies and destruction in her wake. Today, she was on her best behavior, fixing her freshly cut and colored hair in a compact. She was a newly minted blonde, with baby blue designer shades to match.
    I eyed them suspiciously as my mother roped an arm around her new BFF.
    “Smile, Alicia! This is for The Facebook!”
    I wiggled out of my chair, headed toward Megan. She was helping the waiter, Holden, stir and pour lemonade in pink and blue tumblers.
    “It is weird that they’re getting along, right?” I asked, even though I knew the answer to my question.
    Megan finished stirring, making sure the level of drink was uniform across the board. “I’m confused—I thought you were worried they wouldn’t get along? Now you’re freaking because they are?”
    I picked up one of the glasses, bringing it to my lips. “The last time they were together, I had to hide anything sharp and weapon-like, and-” I stopped mid-sentence, my taste buds exploding with delight. This wasn’t your basic, run-of-the-mill lemonade. I tasted lemon, mint, and a hint of strawberry. Even the little one seemed to give the lemonade a thumbs up. “Oh my God, this is delicious!”
    Megan stopped fussing with the spread, beaming. “Top secret recipe, dusted off for my bestie and god baby!” She reached towards my belly and stopped a few inches short of touching it, like she hit an electric fence with a sign posted that read, ‘NO TRESPASSING’.
    Smiling, I gently pulled her hand the rest of the way. “Keep the lemonade coming and you can cop all the feels you want.”
    Her olive eyes sparkled with joy when she made contact. “We can’t wait to meet you, Megan!” I swept her hand off with a chuckle and she shrugged nonchalantly. “Or Cade, if it’s a boy.”
    I rolled my eyes and swiped another lemonade. “You’re about as bad as my mom.” Speaking of my mom...
    I glanced back over, expecting whatever spell had been cast on the two of them to have faded a bit, revealing a barbed comment or scowl or two. I came up empty. They were huddled over their phones, giggling like they were the best of friends.
    I cast an incredulous look back at Megan, but she was nonplussed, rounding up refreshments. “Just look at them, Meg!”
    Holden was ready to take the drinks over, but Megan took over the honors. She paused long enough to toss a frown over her shoulder before heading toward the newly chummy duo. “They look happy, Leila. Jesus, it’s almost like you wish they were throwing down right now, like some trashy reality TV show.”
    I shook my head and stubbornly crossed my arms against chest. “No, it’s not that-”
    “You know how I threatened to take anyone out who disrupted your day?” Megan gave me a stern look that transported us to her classroom and I was on thin ice. “That includes you.”
    And with that, she joined our guests. All of them smiling brightly like a glistening ad for new beginnings.
    I watched the scene in silence, slurping on my lemonade suspiciously. Was I ruining my own party? Sabotaging it with my surly attitude, living in the past? Had my brattiness spilled into my social life, too?
    I nibbled on my bottom lip, still unwilling to let go of my skepticism. Hadn’t my mother all but said she was hoping Alicia would catch that bug a few days ago? And I hadn’t even seen Alicia in over a month. But here we all were, letting bygones be bygones.
    For the baby.
    I let my eyes drop to my belly, the baby girl (or boy) that had brought us all together. We’d all been through so much, hurt each other, all