Dustin steps in, carrying his walker in his hands. I’m assuming it was so he wouldn’t coat the wheels with wetness. “Hey, Jasper. It smells amazing in here,” he says, stepping out of the way and taking off his coat.
“Throw your coats in that closet,” I say, nodding to the space behind me. “We’re in the kitchen.”
They both take off their winter coats and hang them up before following me to where all my friends are gathered. “You guys remember Lyndee and Dustin, right?”
“Hey!” everyone cheers, a few heading over to greet her with a hug.
My friends are assholes.
“Lyndee, Dustin, this is Savannah,” Numbers says, holding out a hand to the woman beside him. Clearly, she’s too busy on her phone to stop typing for one second to greet the last guests to arrive.
“Nice to meet you,” Lyndee says pleasantly.
“You too,” Savannah replies, barely glancing up to offer a smile.
Dustin heads over to Jameson, who’s seated at the kitchen table, Lizzie on his lap. She instantly starts telling him all about her new book, pretending to read him the story, even though she can’t read the words.
“I think you know everyone else, right?” I ask Lyndee as she steps up beside me and starts opening the containers I placed on the counter.
“I think so,” she says, a hint of nervousness in her reply.
“Well, make yourself at home. Anything you want, it’s yours. I was just going to put the appetizers on the island. There’s wine and beer in the fridge.”
“I probably shouldn’t drink,” she mumbles, more to herself than to anyone in the room.
“Hey, go ahead and have one. There’ll be plenty of time between now and when you leave. Plus, you’ll have appetizers and dinner. One drink won’t hurt. Everyone will have a few early and then switch to something non-alcoholic later.”
She considers my words, and I can’t help but wonder if she’ll actually do it. According to Dustin, she never drinks if there’s a chance she’ll have to get behind the wheel.
“And if you don’t feel comfortable driving home, you guys can stay here. I have a guest room upstairs and a fold-out couch in my office,” I state, trying to hide any excitement I might feel at that prospect. Of course, in my mind, she’s curling up under the comforter in my bed, not in the guest room.
“I suppose one won’t hurt,” she concedes. “It’s still early, and I’ll have plenty of food in my belly before I leave.”
“Right,” I nod, reaching into the fridge. “What’s your pleasure? Wine or beer?”
Her eyes flare with something that looks a lot like desire at my reference to pleasure. Though, if I have my pick, the pleasure she receives won’t be from alcohol, but from me. My mouth. My tongue. My hands. My cock.
“Beer, please,” she whispers, swallowing hard and making my cock twitch.
“Dustin?”
“Beer is good,” he hollers, barely looking up from the book he’s being shown.
I grab two bottles of my favorite brew from the refrigerator shelf as Mallory comes up beside me. “Really? You gave her a gift before dinner? You’re just as bad as Walker.”
I hold up my hands—with a bottle in each one—in surrender. “Hey, it was just one little gift. A book, Mal. I mean, you can never go wrong with books. They’re educational. If anything, it’s not really a gift, but more of a tool to unlock the imagination in her mind.”
She gives me a look and crosses her arms. “Really?”
“Really. I was totally thinking about her future,” I reply, somehow keeping myself from smiling.
She moves her hands to her hips and narrows her eyes. “So that big gift beside the tree isn’t the big kitchen playset you hinted about last week?”
I feign innocence. “Of course it’s not. You told me not to get it because there are tons of pieces and you’d forever be picking them up.”
She rolls her eyes so big I can only see white. “You’re such a liar.”
I bark out a laugh. “You love me.”
“I don’t know why,” she mutters, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a second bottle of water.
“You know. Hey, I bought that weird girly beer, just for you,” I inform her, handing Lyndee the two beers. Our fingers touch as she takes them, causing heat to shoot through my veins.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Thanks. I’m not in the mood for that right now,” she mumbles as she quickly looks away, seeming a little uncomfortable all of a sudden.
“What? I bought that nasty fruit beer just for you,” I tease, pulling the trays of finger foods from my fridge.
“I’m just not drinking,” she whispers, taking a quick sip of her water and stepping away.
“Why, are you pregnant?” I ask with a snicker, a little too loudly.
Suddenly, the entire room goes silent, and Mallory looks like she touched a spider. The color drains from her face, her wild eyes landing on Walker. You could hear a pin drop as everyone looks around, no one really knowing what to say.
Walker doesn’t look nearly as freaked out as Mallory does. In fact, he seems downright happy. Even though our friend is smugly grinning, his next words still shock me and everyone in the room. “Surprise! We’re having a baby.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lyndee
My eyes are wide as I glance around the room. Something major is happening, and I have no clue what I should do or say. I mean, I barely know these people, and a pregnancy announcement seems like a pretty big deal.
“Are you shittin’ me?” Jameson breaks the silence, a big grin spreading across his scruffy face.
Mallory groans. “Let’s not make a big deal about this,” she argues, chugging her water.
“Not a big deal? This is huge,” Jasper declares, pulling her into a hug. “Congratulations.”
Walker grumbles as Isaac moves her way and hugs her too. “Keep those hands at a respectable ten and two position.”
I arch my eyebrows in question, glancing at Jasper. He seems just as curious about his statement. “Ten and two? She’s not a car.”
Jameson stands up from the table, Lizzie in his arms, as he approaches Mallory and gives her a hug too.
I can’t help glancing at Walker, looking for an explanation. “No, but ten and two are the perfect positions on her back so you don’t get your ass beat,” Walker states his eyes focused only on Mallory.
Feeling like I’m an outsider in a very private, family moment, I move around Jasper and start taking care of the appetizers. Most are already prepared, and all I have to do is take them from the oven warmer or the refrigerator. Platters of smoked salmon and cheese, mini beef tourtières, shrimp bruschetta, and veggie tartlets with what looks like a Greek cheese on top. Plus, fruit skewers, perfect for little hands. I smile as I help arrange the food on the counter.
“I can do that,” Jasper says as he approaches.
“You were busy, and I wanted to help. That’s some news, huh?” I ask, changing the layout of the food twice before I settle on the way I like. When he doesn’t reply to my question, I finally glance his way, only to find him smiling.