"Anything, honeybun." Kyle stood and headed for the door, but stopped long enough to look over his shoulder and offer, "I know you're a private person and all that, but if you ever need to talk … about anything, I'm here. I just want you to know that."
Maybe I needed to start reevaluating my relationship with Kyle.
"YOU'RE HERE!" ELIZA squeaked as soon as she opened the door to her and Ethan's loft.
"Oh my God!" I screeched at the sight of her little baby bump. She moved in for a hug just as I ducked down and reached for her belly. It wasn't until I laid eyes on her belly that I realized how real it was. "You're going to be a mommy!"
We both let out a tiny scream and jumped in place, embracing each other tightly in celebration.
"Dear Lord," Ethan's deep voice echoed around us. "I forgot you two reach ear-bleeding decibels when you're around each other."
I laughed and disengaged from Eliza in order to hug Ethan. "And you're going to be a daddy!"
He squeezed tightly and lifted my feet off the ground for a few seconds. "We're so glad you're here," he told me once he put me back down. "Eliza's been going crazy up here without her partner in crime."
"Aw," I pinched his cheek playfully. "I've missed you too."
He swatted at my hands playfully and stepped back so Eliza could come up beside me and loop her arm across my shoulders. "It's true. We have missed you. And I can't wait to take you to the game tomorrow, you're gong to have so much fun!"
That was exactly what I was counting on. Fun. The perfect thing to keep my mind off the fact my world seemed to be spiraling out of control.
THE GAME WAS insane … in a very good way. I'd never seen Eliza as out of control as she was watching her husband on the field. Maybe it was all the extra hormones from the pregnancy, but I don't think I've ever seen her scream at Ethan to 'Kill him!'; 'Stomp him into the ground!' before. Watching the other players' wives and girlfriends shy away from my bestie had been the icing on the cake. They seriously thought she was demented. It was great.
After the game, we headed over to a dive bar a few minutes from the stadium where the guys liked to go and decompress. Luckily they'd won, so no one would be drinking their sorrows away. I was on my third IPA, Eliza on her second Shirley Temple, when she dropped the bomb.
"Don't be mad at me."
I swallowed my beer and gave her a curious look. "Why would I be mad?" I looked around the bar. Sure, it was weathered and had probably hit its heyday back in the seventies, but it was clean and bug free. "This place isn't that bad."
"No. Not about the bar." I followed her gaze through the dingy window and spotted Ethan on the sidewalk just outside. And he wasn't alone. That was when it dawned on me.
"What did you do?"
Just then, Ethan's loud, boisterous laughter rang out, resonating through the semi-empty bar.
Eliza's voice lowered to a whisper and she began talking at a fast clip. "I know you said you weren't up for any blind dates, but he's a really nice guy, I swear. His name is Alex Sanders, he's twenty-seven, single, never been married, no arrest record, and a Defensive End for the team. And I never would have done this, but he saw a picture of you and found out you were here for the weekend. He asked Ethan about setting him up."
"Shit," I hissed out, picking up my draft glass and downing the rest of the contents, then waving at the bartender for another. "I should be pissed, but I can't when you're carrying my niece or nephew." I gave her a fake glare as she burst out into laughter. "I came here to relax," I admitted quietly. "I needed to get away and de-stress for a few days, Eliza. This doesn't really help me with that."
Her eyes grew concerned and she tipped her head to the side to study me, however, Ethan and his friend reached us before she could say a word.
"Ladies." I turned around and pasted a smile on my face as Ethan introduced me to his teammate.
Alex took the barstool on my left, putting me between him and Eliza. "Can I order you another drink?" he asked just as the bartender set my fourth beer in front of me.
"Sorry." I gave him an apologetic smile. "But I'll let you get the next one?
He laughed and I noticed then that he was actually pretty cute. Tall, really flipping tall, built, light brown hair and eyes, but that spark I probably would have felt from looking at him a few months ago just wasn't there.
"I'll take you up on that." He ordered a Bud Light from the bartender and turned back to me, holding out his hand for me to shake. His entire hand engulfed mine and I almost giggled thinking of all the women who probably compared the size of his hands to the size of his penis. Okay, so maybe I was a little buzzed. "It's nice to meet you. Eliza and Ethan talk about you all the time."