She turns it over in her hand, and says, “Who’s Mark Jacobson? It has a Baltimore address.”
“I said leave it.” I drop the tools and walk to where she stands. I grab the envelope and stuff it back into the drawer before slamming it shut.
She blinks to me in confusion. “Who was that letter from?”
“It’s seriously nothing, Lynsey,” I grumble, my jaw clenched as memories from the past creep up in my mind. “Old garbage I need to throw out. I told you I’d take care of this desk, and I will.”
She stares at me, her brown eyes blinking rapidly. “Why are you acting so cagey?”
I exhale heavily. “Because some shit just doesn’t need to involve you, okay?”
“Seriously?” she replies, shaking her head in disbelief.
“What?” I say harsher and louder than I meant to. Why does she have to make a fuss over a fucking unopened letter?
I cringe when she touches her belly protectively in response to my sharp tone. My gaze drifts to eyes that reveal more questions. But instead of fighting with me, she simply juts her chin and moves past me to exit the room, leaving behind nothing but silence.
The sun is still up as I step onto the party bus. This obnoxious monstrosity even has a stripper pole and a mirrored ceiling with glittery lights dancing all over the interior. It’s full of several friends of mine and Kate’s from college who Dean has bonded with over the past couple of years, a few of Dean’s stock market buddies, plus the Tire Depot crew, Miles, Sam, and Maggie.
Kate’s bright blue eyes find mine as she stands to point at me. “Look, everybody, the stripper’s here!”
Everyone erupts into laughter, and as if on cue, the song from Magic Mike booms through the speakers.
I shake my head and laugh, grabbing the shiny pole and doing a careful twirl while holding my belly. My black high-low maternity dress swirls around my legs, and I pray to the pie gods that the off-the-shoulder straps don’t slip because I’m not exactly wearing a bra right now.
You’d think getting dressed up with a basketball on your front half would be the hard part, but oddly enough, it’s my swollen tits that are giving me drama. None of my bras fit anymore, and I hate the idea of spending money on new ones, so I’ve been going without whenever I can.
I finish my twirl and point at my belly. “Two strippers for the price of one!” The bus erupts into laughter.
Josh glowers at me.
I bite my lip and shrug. “Too soon for stripper jokes about our kid?”
He nods and squeezes my sides. “I think it will always be too soon.”
He shoots me a wink that shows me he’s not really mad, and I’m grateful for it. Things have been a little tense since I found that letter in his desk, but tonight before we left, he touched my belly and told me I looked really pretty. It was so simple and sweet that I resigned myself to be grateful for what I have with him, even if it’s not all of him.
Josh holds my waist protectively as we move to the back of the bus to join Kate, Miles, Sam, and Maggie. I wrinkle my nose at the seat before sitting down in the open area next to Kate. “Man, I bet a blue light would reveal some serious jizz stains on this shaggin’ wagon.”
“Same goes for your uterus,” Kate replies, throwing her hands up in the air for a high five from Josh who begrudgingly gives her one.
I turn to Miles sitting on the other side of her. “How much has she had to drink?”
He shakes his head with a smile. “That’s her first drink.”
I roll my eyes and then glance around the bus for Dean. “Where’s the birthday boy?”
Kate points at the front of the bus just as Dean steps on, wearing one of his signature anchor button-downs with the sleeves cuffed around his biceps. His mountain man beard is trimmed short, and his dark eyeglasses are firmly in place as he walks in, saying hello to everyone.
Josh hands me a bottle of water while cracking a beer for himself. I eye it enviously. “Tell me what it tastes like. Describe it in vivid detail.”
“It’s IPA,” he grumbles, wincing slightly at his first sip, “which means it tastes like piss.”
I sigh dopily. “Sounds magical.”
Josh smirks and drapes his arm around my shoulders. I like him smirking. It’s maybe not a full smile, but it’s getting there, slowly but surely, and that’s a good sign for us.
Kate elbows my arm. “You two look shockingly happy.”
“Shockingly?” I ask, furrowing my brows at her.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying…for a sex-only arrangement, you two sure appear to actually like each other.”
“We do like each other,” I reply with an eye roll. “Which is very convenient on the account of me bearing his one and only heir.”
“Oh!” Kate squeals with delight. “I didn’t know you were having a royal baby. Have we dreamed up a name for this little golden-diapered peanut yet?”
“No,” Josh interjects, leaning over to eye Kate. “And please convince her to give up on the name Spector. I don’t care how many times she’s watched Suits, I’m not naming my kid something that sounds like Inspector.”
“But his middle name could be Gadget!” Kate retorts, and Josh’s face falls.
“I’m so fucked,” he grumbles before taking a sip of his beer.
Miles leans across Kate to get Josh’s attention. “It’s better to just let them have their little rants. They’re impossible to go up against when they’re together.”
Kate giggles and nuzzles into me before shouting, “Let’s get this show on the road, Dean! Your old man balls are starting to show!”
Dean glances at his smart watch. “Max says he’s almost here. Said he’s bringing me a special gift.”
“A gift?” I ask, watching Dean curiously.
He shrugs, and then, all of our attention is diverted to the front of the bus again when Ken doll Max climbs aboard with a pint-sized Barbie in tow.
“Everyone, this is Norah!” Max calls out.
“The Rise and Shine Bakery owner!” Kate exclaims, standing with her jaw dropped. “Your croinuts have changed my life. Seriously, I worshiped the devil before I found your pastry goodness, and now my soul has been saved by Donut Jesus.”
“Thank you?” Norah replies with a polite smile.
“No, thank you…did you happen to bring any with—”
Miles pulls Kate down onto his lap, and she giggles as he pinches her sides.
“Ow! What did I just sit on?” Kate yelps, reaching back to hold her butt cheek. “Is that some sort of tool in your pocket or did your dick morph into a cube shape?”
Miles gets an awkward expression and turns to Sam.
Sam says, “Kate, will you grab me another beer?”
Kate slips off Miles’s lap to head to the cooler. Miles and Sam exchange quiet words, but then the bus moves, so I face forward, enjoying the madness of everyone around me getting drunk. Norah and Max are seated across from Dean who looks decidedly more tense than he did a moment ago. I wonder if something’s happening there?
The bus takes off, and the music is so loud we all have to shout to talk to each other. I smile and enjoy the view of Josh and Kate connecting over Game of Thrones and discussing the finale in vivid detail. And Josh laughs harder than I’ve ever heard him laugh when I tell him the story about how Kate bought a burnt tire candle when she and Miles were in a fight and she couldn’t bring herself to go into Tire Depot to write. Even Dean chimes in on that story, telling Josh that he caught Kate and me wrestling over the candle, and while I thought Josh might get jealous, he actually just shook his head and took it all in stride. Hopefully, my urgings for Josh to give Dean a chance are not falling on deaf ears.