Considering he’s a frigging brick wall, I inwardly whimper while rubbing my hand under the table. Damn, that hurt.
Still snickering, he goes to the fridge but pauses when he opens the door. After a beat, he grabs two beers and returns, offering me one. I’m going to have to restock the alcohol after tonight.
“We should get going,” Maggie says, still grinning.
Carmen waves at us, her smile matching Maggie’s, and they walk out hand-in-hand. The girls all stare at the door for a moment until Ash finally says, “I think she has the right idea.”
Rain starts to grin, but covers it quickly with a serious face. “Yeah. Men suck.”
Rye drops his head to his hands while groaning and mumbling something about burying me alive.
***
BRIN
“It’s not like I’m opposed to having another child. Tag is an incredible father, and I love the hell out of him. I just wanted us to plan out our next baby,” Ash says, drinking her virgin margarita. “We’ll be fine. Tag should have told me, but he didn’t want me worrying. Trip is still in diapers, and he’s a handful, so Tag didn’t want me to freak out unless I had to.”
I’m positive that she’s the only sober person at this table.
Rye rolls his eyes and rests his head on my shoulder as he tries his best to keep quiet. He’s been saying that for most of the night. But every time he opens his mouth, he’s berated by the drunken women. He’s like the only metal rod in the middle of a lightning storm.
Ash was stressed about the fact she’s been taking her birth control this whole time, worried about the effect it might have on the baby, but Rye assured her that Tag swapped the pills for water pills the second the condom broke. He has a friend in the pharmacy who managed to package them up just like her birth control. Tag really did go all out. And that’s why he’s still wearing condoms—just in case she wasn’t pregnant. I suppose that is rather pointless now.
You’d think the revelation would have been comforting, but she blew up at Rye after he told her—like it was his fault Tag confided in him and didn’t tell her. I found the entire tirade rather entertaining, especially since Rye kept tugging on me like he expected me to defend him.
I didn’t. At all.
In fact, I might have possibly encouraged her to be madder at him.
I’m also fairly certain that Rye has learned more about everyone’s sex life than he ever wanted to know. Well, not my sex life—or lack thereof. I’ve not once mentioned anything about my past drama.
The girls finally seem to be calming down.
“Maybe Kade will eventually open up to me. He’s grieving, and everyone deals with grief differently, right?” Raya asks, earning a growl from Rye.
He said the same thing forty minutes ago, and she unleashed hell on him before she broke into tears. I think he’ll have PTSD after this night.
Tria sighs after finishing the last of her latest glass of margarita. “The guy shouldn’t have touched me. I mean, I sure as hell didn’t want him to, but I was trying to handle it more subtly. Kode can’t lose his temper on every guy with a wandering hand, but he only did it because he loves me. Would I really want him to just stand by while some guy grabbed my ass right in front of him?”
Rye glares at her while keeping his head on my shoulder, but he wisely says nothing. Again, he pointed out this same logic less than an hour ago and she told him he was just like any other man.
Someone bangs on the door, and Rye says, “Finally,” under his breath.
“It’s ope—”
Before I can fully get the words out of my mouth, Tag’s body is filling the doorway, his eyes going soft the second they find his wife. Ash gives him a tight smile as more tears fill her eyes, and she stands as he quickly closes the distance between them.
“Ash,” he says softly, pulling her to him and looking at her in a way I’ve never known, “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you and it be a false alarm. But I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than have another child with you.”
She smiles up at him as he wipes away her tears, and she pulls him down until their lips touch. “No,” she says in a reverent breath. “I’m sorry. I just... freaked out a little. I needed... a minute.”
He nods, his smile growing. “I completely understand. I’ve been on an anxiety rollercoaster, but I love you, and I actually want another baby. I get to be a part of it from start to finish this time. It’s... exciting. Really exciting.”
A soft sigh graces my lips, and Rye raises his head and puts his finger in his mouth, mocking a silent gag. I elbow him, and he snickers quietly as Ash comes over. “I’m going home with my husband. We have a lot to do and discuss.”