“Are you ready for all the games we have planned?” Everleigh asks, and I groan.
“No games,” Gemma adds. “I planned activities instead because I know how much you hate them.”
“Thank you.” I sigh. “At least one of my friends listens.”
Everleigh snorts. “I listen, but that’s about as far as it goes.”
Gemma laughs.
Everleigh continues. “We got onesies to decorate and set up a photo booth and a cupcake table. Oh there’s also one small game. Guess the number of penises, I mean M&M’s in a jar,” she says, moving her arm like she’s giving me a tour. “And Belinda made your favorite sandwiches!”
“Oh my goodness,” I say, covering my mouth. “Y’all didn’t have to do all this for me. Not at all. I feel so…”
“Special?” Gemma suggests with a side hug. “’Cause you are!”
Mom comes over and offers me a bottle of water, and I laugh because she knows me so well. “If at any point you need a break, let me know,” she says with a wink. She has a way of distracting people so I can escape to the bathroom. Loretta says hello, and so does Missy, who hasn’t stopped giving me shit about being pregnant and getting the D since she found out.
The baby shower is actually more fun than I thought it would be. We do the activities that Gemma had planned and open gifts for what feels like hours. I’m overwhelmed by the kindness all the ladies have shown me and by how much stuff I’ve gotten. When it comes to celebrating having babies in Lawton Ridge, these women are all in. After that, we eat the yummy club sandwiches and chocolate cupcakes Belinda made for the event.
As things come to an end, I stand and give a small speech, thanking everyone for coming out and loving me so much. Of course, I cry, and tears splotch my dress. The room explodes into applause, then people trickle out. While some of the ladies from church stay to clean up, I sit at a table and have another cupcake, and my best friends join me. They plop down across from me, and I’m overjoyed by how amazing all of this has been. I’ve got everything I need for when the babies arrive.
“You know, this party was just missing one thing,” I admit with a snicker.
“What?” Everleigh asks around a mouthful, and Gemma meets my eyes.
“A woman coming and slapping you in the face for sleeping with her husband,” I barely get out before I burst into laughter.
Gemma nearly chokes because she’s giggling so hard.
“Oh, the thought crossed my mind,” she says, totally okay with being poked at. One thing I love about Everleigh, it’s often hard to get a rise out of her. If she can make herself the butt of a joke first, she will every single time.
“You know Archer got parole,” Gemma eventually says.
“Really?” I ask.
“Yep. He’s planning to fly here the week before Thanksgiving.”
I nudge Everleigh. “Oh, you better get your place ready.”
She licks her lips and bats her eyelashes. “I’ve been ready.”
Gemma shakes her head. “Tyler isn’t happy about the arrangement, but between you and me, I’m glad he’s staying with you. Just be aware Tyler’s been preparing his threatening speech about behaving around you.”
Everleigh groans and rolls her eyes. “I’m a grown-ass woman and will do what and who I want when I want.”
I snicker. “This is very true.”
“Of course it is,” Gemma says, then leans across the table. “And I know how you like those bad boys.”
“Damn straight,” she admits. “And honestly, Tyler can act like I’m his innocent little sister all he wants. He has no idea how dirty I can be.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I say, and my eyes go wide when Tyler walks up behind Gemma and Everleigh.
“He’s behind me, isn’t he?” Everleigh asks, and I nod.
“Maybe I should be giving you the speech then,” Tyler says as Gemma turns around and wraps her arms around his waist. He bends down and kisses her forehead. “Are we early?”
“No, you’re right on time. It officially ended about fifteen minutes ago,” I confirm.
Noah enters with Smith, Jerry, Elliot, and my dad. “The cleanup crew has arrived,” I say with a grin as they start folding chairs and tables, sweeping, and taking out the trash. Noah and my parents load the gifts in their SUV because they won’t all fit in my car.
After everything is spotless in the event center, Noah comes over to me and gives me a sweet kiss. “Did you have fun?”
“Actually, it wasn’t so bad. I had a great time. It was a beautiful party, and everyone was overly generous,” I admit.
He kisses me on my forehead. “Glad to hear that, baby.”
On the way out, I see Tyler and Gemma standing by their car with Everleigh, who looks distraught. Immediately my brows furrow as we walk toward them.
“What’s going on?” I ask, knowing something’s wrong.
Tyler sucks in a deep breath and releases it. “Eric’s been murdered.”
A knot forms in my throat, and I’m not sure I heard him correctly even though he didn’t stutter.
Noah rests his hand on my shoulder as Tyler continues. “His body was found and an acquaintance called to let me know since I was one of the last people in contact with him.”
“It was probably his wife. She was livid. I just…” Everleigh’s voice cracks, and she doesn’t continue.
A sad expression meets Tyler’s face. “I didn’t even know he got married after everything that happened with Amara. He never told me.”
Gemma swallows hard, then clears her throat. “You don’t think… I don’t even want to say it out loud.”
“What?” I ask her.
“You don’t think his wife would come after Everleigh next?”
Everleigh lifts her head, then looks directly at Gemma. “She better not.”
“No one knows who’s responsible yet, so we can’t jump to conclusions. Eric had his hand in a lot of shit. Some of it I know about, most of it I don’t. It could’ve literally been anyone.”
Somehow, Tyler’s words relieve my anxiety over the whole situation, but I can’t help but feel a surge of guilt stream through me, knowing what he risked to help us. “This makes me really sad,” I say.
“Me too,” Noah confirms. “I’m really sorry to hear this.”
“Yeah, me as well,” Tyler says. “If I find out anything else, I’ll keep you all updated.”
We give our thanks, then say our goodbyes, not leaving as happy as we should.
On the way home, Noah rests his palm on my thigh as I lean my head back on the seat.
“Owen’s still hanging out with Anthony,” he says. “Pretty sure he’s going to want to stay over there.”
“Is that code for something?” I ask.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he tells me as we pull into the driveway.
Noah leads me up the porch steps and inside to the bedroom. “Your mom and dad aren’t stopping by for at least an hour with the gifts,” he whispers across my neck, slowly undressing me.
“Oh this won’t take me long,” I say, then carefully waddle to the bed completely naked.