Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
I nod. “Good. Working a lot, taking care of the bookstore, you know…doing me.”
She nods. “Good. You should come up to Nashville for a weekend. We can go to Broadway and have fun.”
Yeah, I can’t do that. “Sure! I’ll look at my schedule. With the Bears going into the postseason, I’ll be busy with all that.”
“For sure,” she agrees, squeezing my shoulder. “I love all the things you post. The thirst traps are my favorite.”
I snort. “Everyone loves them. Especially the single guys. They’re getting all the attention.”
“Speaking of single guys, Ciaran is not one, and we want to have a wedding this summer,” Louisa says, and I scoff at her proclamation. All of us grin at her as she smiles widely back at us. “We want to do it in the bookshop.”
Eliza squeals. “I love it. How incredibly sweet!”
“It’s perfect,” Clara adds. “When I get married, I’m only inviting you guys and my dog clients.”
I roll my eyes. I’m pretty sure if Clara didn’t have to talk to people and could just talk to dogs, she would. “I think it’s great,” I add, since I feel I need to.
Louisa’s face flushes, and man, she’s so in love. “It would be just us, Peepaw, and Ciaran’s mom—oh, sorry, and dates. No, Clara, you can’t bring a dog.” Clara glares as I giggle. “But I’m not sure when since Austen is going to Russia for a month, and I’m not sure what’s going on with Coleson’s surgery this summer.”
Austen waves her off. “You tell me when, and we’ll be there.”
“And Coleson’s surgery isn’t until August, so we’re good,” Eliza adds with an excited wiggle to her body. She’s so damn cute.
I should probably say that I’m due at the end of July, but that would involve me telling them that I’m pregnant.
“So, maybe for the Fourth of July?” Louisa suggests, and everyone is nodding so I do the same. “Awesome. These are the dresses I want everyone to wear. I just need sizes, and I’ll get them ordered.”
When she shows us a photo of a skintight, mermaid-style dress, I inwardly cringe. I can’t wear that. “It’s a bit tight,” I say, searching everyone’s faces. Surely someone agrees with me.
Alas, they don’t. “You have the best body out of all of us. Why would you care how tight it is?” Eliza teases, and I force a laugh.
This would be a great time to drop the bomb, but Louisa sets me with a guilty look. “You can pick the dress if you agree to move out and not hate me.”
My jaw drops. “You’re kicking me out of my digs?”
Our sisters all giggle as Louisa looks positively stricken. “I am. I’m sorry. We want our place back, just us.”
I can’t hate on her for it, but great. Now I gotta find another place. That is until Eliza pipes up. “You can have our place, El.” I look over at her, surprised, as she goes on. “Coleson actually suggested it when Louisa said she was going to ask you to move out.”
“Really?” I ask, and my anxiety dies down. It’s been really hard since I had to come off my medications for the baby. I tend to spiral quite quickly.
“Yeah, of course. We can’t use it.”
I smile widely. “Thank you,” I gush, and then I set Louisa with a look. “Thankfully, one of my sisters loves me!”
They all chime in at that, but I ignore them when my phone sounds from the table. With a grin, I reach for it to see that it’s our peepaw. I bring in my brows since he doesn’t usually call me, texting instead. Before I answer, I tell my sisters, “Sorry, it’s Peepaw.” They all nod in understanding. “Hey, Peepaw. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
I make a face. “I’m at the coffeehouse with the girls.”
“Did you not get the email?” He sounds frustrated, and my chest seizes up.
“What?” I ask as I put him on speaker to check my email. As soon as I open my app, I see an urgent message from our marketing department, and my stomach drops.
How did I miss that?
“I need you here to film Cruz’s return.”
Everything goes still around me. A ringing starts in my ears, and my heart stops in my chest. I can’t form words as I read the email quickly.
Alejandro Cruz has been sent back to the Bears from the Assassins for the postseason. We need to announce this by 3 p.m.
Alex is here.
In Knoxville.
And I’m pregnant with his kid.
Fate is a cunning little cunt.
And almost as if they want their presence known, Alex’s kid kicks me in the rib.
CHAPTER 6
Alex
To my surprise, being back on the Bears’ ice isn’t as embarrassing as I thought it would be.
Everyone welcomes me with open arms and expresses how excited they are to have me back. I’m showered with praise for how I killed it in Nashville and how we’re a sure win with me in goal. It feels good knowing that they feel how I do. Or everyone is laying it on thick to get me amped up to be back.