I could only stare at her.
“You could have told me, jackass.”
“There’s the Mia I know and love!” I snorted. “I know I could have. She didn’t want me to tell anyone else. She wanted to be here, I guess.”
“Yeah. I get her.” Mouth quirked, she nodded. “I’ll pretend to be surprised when you make your announcement.”
“Thanks, brat.” I went over to give her another side hug. “You look like you actually are doing better.”
“I am. There are hard days, especially when Pierce is gone for a couple days. But I love him, and for some reason he loves me enough to push me to be better.” She shrugged. I didn’t know Pierce had to be gone for days at a time. I made a mental note to talk to him about it and whether Mia was actually doing okay. “If Kate is that person for you, you should stick with her.”
That had me belting out a laugh to cover how close it hit me. “I don’t know about that. We’ll just see where it goes.”
“Sure.” She rolled her eyes, patting my shoulder. “I’m heading back down. Just wanted to warn you. It’s gonna be a clusterfuck.”
“Yeah, I know.”
With that, she left my room.
Seeing her in such good spirits was a huge contrast from what she had been, even the last time I saw her. After she was taken by the drug operation boss to one of his dope houses and pumped full of drugs, we weren’t sure how she would claw herself out of that darkness even though Pierce saved her. He used to call me every once in a while just to see what else he could do to help her get better. The calls had dwindled, which I’d been glad for, but now I was wondering how much she still struggled.
At least her smiling with that love in her eyes for my best friend told me there was still light there, and it gave me hope that things could somehow work with Kate. I did care about her, after all, and we also gave each other a hard time like Mia and Pierce had from day one.
After sneaking two cigarettes behind the tree at the side of the house, I hung out in the kitchen, joking with my sister, chatting with my buddy, and waiting. My shoulders tensed more with every minute that passed.
It was only an hour later when the front door burst open and Ava came rushing in carrying a few bags. Cade followed behind her with even more luggage, holding the door open for Kate. My nerve endings crackled as she stood at the threshold.
Ava hugged me and said something I didn’t hear; everything had zeroed in on Kate. There was nothing around me. Just. Her.
Bermuda shorts covered so little of her long bronzed legs. Her perfect full lips were pursed, her honey-colored hair in a messy bun on top of her head. The green tank top she wore showed off the bump.
She seemed too thin, the roundness of her cheeks gone, her sharp cheekbones more accentuated. I had thought pregnant women took on much more roundness. Though she still looked like a supermodel with those golden eyes, perfectly shaped dark brows, and flawless skin. None of that mattered, though. With that bump and the way her light eyes captivated me, possessiveness overwhelmed me. I couldn’t give two shits who was there, who was watching.
I took the few strides to her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and swallowed her gasp with my mouth. At first she was tense, didn’t move or breathe, but then she sagged against me, humming against my lips. The scents of jasmine and orange fogged my mind.
Someone cleared their throat behind us, muttering my name, but I held one finger up, kissing her senseless like it was my damn mission in life. When the throat was cleared again, she pressed her hands to my chest, pushing me back. Amusement danced in her glazed eyes.
“Hey, cowboy.” Her mouth quirked, eyes sparkling.
A sigh of relief escaped me. I hadn’t been sure, couldn’t know what she would act like when we were finally in person. Her not shoving me away eased the tension in my shoulders.
“Mom!” Ava exclaimed from closer to the kitchen.
My hands dropped to my sides as I shifted out of the way so Kate could come farther inside. The terror and uncertainty that replaced her amusement made my shoulders stiffen back up.
Mom came through the archway right as I said, “Come on in, Kate.”
“Everyone’s here!” Mom exclaimed. She hugged Ava and Cade, then gave Kate a kind smile before her gaze dropped to the bump. Her eyes narrowed, brow creasing.
Kate just kept standing there with my mom ogling her, until I grabbed her elbow and pulled her over the threshold. She looked sideways at me, and I gave her an encouraging nod.
“Mom,” Mia snapped, which caused me to look up at the audience gathered in the entryway. Everyone but Dad stood there, but the only one staring was my mom, at my hand that grasped Kate’s elbow. I dropped my hand right before she looked at Mia and blinked a few times.
Shit storm of the century.
Mia stared at Mom, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline.
Mom shook her head, muttering, “Right,” before clapping her hands together. “Everyone’s here. Now we can eat.”
“Sounds great,” Ava exclaimed with a bit too much gusto from next to our mom.
Mia gave me a wink and a click of her mouth before grabbing Pierce’s hand and herding everyone out back, effectively giving us a minute.
When I glanced back at Kate, she had one hand pressed to her stomach, the other to her chest, taking short breaths.
Standing in front of her, I put one hand over the one she had on her belly. That perfect little bump with my kid growing in there. The amount of passion I had for this woman simply because she was carrying my child was staggering. But her gaze shifted away from mine, looking over my shoulder with detachment. It stung, as if she were detaching from me.
“This was a mistake,” she murmured, taking a few steps back. “I shouldn’t have come.”
I stepped forward. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Why did you do that?” she snapped, smacking my shoulder. Hands held out, my eyebrows hitched up. “Why did you kiss me like that in front of all of them?”
“Because I’ve missed the shit out of you. You’ve been on my mind all day, every day. You and that baby are my every thought.”
Arms crossed over her chest, she glared. “That doesn’t mean you get to kiss me. We’re not a thing, Kai. We’re just having a baby together.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk about that later.” I grabbed her hand, dragging her reluctant body through the kitchen and living room to the back door while she huffed and stammered inaudibly behind me. “It’s going to be okay. I promise you. We just tell them, and if they don’t like it, fuck ’em.”
She chewed on her bottom lip but gave me a timid nod before I led her outside, still holding her hand. The sun was setting beyond the leafy trees that filled our backyard. Two worn picnic tables were set up in the vibrant green grass. The scent of barbecue chicken made my mouth water, but the sight of everyone’s eyes resting on us about ruined my appetite.
Mom’s granite gaze zeroed in on our joined hands while Dad’s switched between our hands and the bump, as if he were calculating something.
“It’s about time. I’m fucking starving,” Mia announced.
“Mia!” Mom gasped and Dad’s gaze jerked to her, while Ava, Cade, and Pierce shook with silent laughter.