Down and Dirty(16)

This elicited the desired chuckle from her friend, and the tension in Cat’s gut eased. “You were made for motherhood, Lace, and I have no doubt you’ll be able to get pregnant. If something down the line makes that an issue, there are still so many options out there nowadays. I’ll be crazy Auntie Cat before you know it, and I can’t wait.”

Lacey smiled and nodded. “I’m just being paranoid. I know you’re right.” A car door slammed, and she pulled away. “Galen must be back with the food.” She swiped a hand over her eyes and blinked at Cat. “Is my mascara running?”

“Nope, all clear.”

She jabbed a finger in Cat’s face and frowned. “Do not think you’re in the clear, sister. I’m not done with you by a long shot. We’ll pick this Shane discussion up later.”

Lacey made her way to the door to help Galen with the sandwiches and Cat let out a sigh of relief. Later was good. Later was a hundred times better than now. It would give her a chance to fine-tune her argument, and then Lacey wouldn’t stand a chance. She’d spent a lifetime convincing her friend to see things her way. This would be no different.

If she could just avoid running into Shane over the next month, she’d be home free.

…

“Look who I found,” Galen called down the long hallway.

Lacey threw her arms around Shane and squeezed. “Hey, you! I thought you were going over to your sister’s tonight to see the twins?”

Shane shifted the bag of sandwiches to his other arm and hugged her back. “Abby has the stomach flu, so we had to postpone.” He released her, and Galen ducked in to give his fiancée a quick kiss.

“Yeah, and I saw him at Sam’s Subs getting a meatball grinder for the game, so I dragged him home with me. The only thing better than the Patriots beating the Giants is Shane being here when it happens.”

Shane shook his head mournfully. “I feel sorry for you, man. And for you, Lace, having to live with this delusional bastard. The Pats are going down. The reaming Tom Brady is about to take from the Giants D is going to leave him sore for a week.”

“Put your money where your mouth is, son.”

Lacey rolled her eyes and smiled. “You two are ridiculous. Come on, let’s get this stuff put out so we can eat.” She took the bag from Shane and started down the photo-lined hallway. “Make sure you guys take your boots off if they’re muddy and hang your coats in the closet,” she called over her shoulder.

They complied before following her into the kitchen, where Cat stood at the island, laying out sandwich toppings. His pulse kicked up a notch when she turned to face him.

“Mary Catherine,” he said with a nod, taking in her thunderous expression and full, glossy lips. In the past forty-eight hours, it had been his biggest regret that they hadn’t really kissed that night in Atlantic City. Granted there were other—a million other—things he wanted to do with her…to her, that he hadn’t had the chance to do, but the fact that he hadn’t tasted those lips for real in almost ten years? It was a fucking crime, and he wouldn’t let it stand. But she didn’t need to know that. Not yet, at any rate.

“It’s Cat. And I thought you weren’t going to be here?”

She said it with a smile, but there was no mistaking the tightness in her voice. Lacey set the bag down and stepped between them, hands fluttering. “Abby is sick, so we’re lucky to have Shane with us tonight. Isn’t that great?”

The daggers those soft brown eyes were shooting at Cat said it all. Lacey knew what had happened between them. Interesting. He’d wondered if Cat would keep it to herself and try to pretend it never happened, but apparently, she had been compelled to share it with her best friend. Maybe that was a good sign? Although judging by the way her arms were crossed over her chest and from the expression on her face, he was guessing not.

“Yeah. Great,” Cat replied flatly. “Is the rest of the crew coming?”

“Rafe was supposed to come, but he got stuck at the precinct, and Mick is away on business, so it’s just us. Mom and Dad might swing by for the second half, but that’s about it.”

“Lovely.”

Clearly the idea of a foursome didn’t sit well with her, but it was fine by him.

Galen set his bag down on the counter and frowned at his sister. “What crawled up your ass and died?”

Cat unfolded her arms and shook her head. “Nothing, I’m good. Just tired.”

“Tired from what? Aren’t you on vacation this week?” he asked.

She made a show of fussing with the napkins. “Yes, but I still got up early and went to the gym. Plus I had a lot of errands to run.”