Page 26 of Found By You

Maci covers her mouth, nearly spitting out her drink. I quickly hand her a napkin from the dispenser on the table. She takes it with a cough. “Thank you.”

Cassidy laughs, waving Stan away. “Don’t mind him, he’s an ass,” she says to her. “You’re welcome to take my birthday shots, though. They’re free all night.”

“You’re pregnant?” Maci asks in surprise.

Cassidy nods with a bright smile. “Yeah, seven weeks tomorrow.”

Maci looks at me with wide eyes, and I wish more than ever I could read her mind at this very moment. “Oh,” she breathes. “Congratulations.”

Stan huffs. “Sooo, is that a yes or no to the shots? You know what, fuck it, I’ll get ‘em anyway. Someone will drink that shit.” He leaves for the bar.

Cassidy leans over the table, pointing to Maci’s drink. “I am curious. What are you drinking? It looks amazing.”

“Oh, it’s a raspberry mojito. Did you want to try it?”

Cassidy shakes her head. “I can’t, but thank you.”

“No, no. It’s, um, a virgin. No alcohol,” she tells her.

“You got a drinkin’ problem?” Butch questions out of fucking nowhere. Of course, that’d be his first question on top of making her uncomfortable with his damn leering.

“Really, man?” I bite out. “Does she look like she’s got a drinkin’ problem?”

Maci bites her lip nervously. Her gaze darts around the table as a flush comes over her chest and neck.

“You don’t need to answer that,” I tell her, glaring at my brother.

“No, I—well, I wasn’t going to say anything.” She sighs. “But, yeah, I’m…pregnant. That’s why I’m not drinking.”

Every head at the table snaps to me with eyes as wide as saucers.

Idiots. The whole lot of them. It was a mistake coming out tonight. I should’ve faked stomach pain and left an hour ago. I’m too irritated as it is for this shit.

“No, it’s not—” Maci waves her hands frantically. “I’m not from here. My car broke down on the side of the road last night, and Duke stopped to help me. I’m staying at Whitetail Motel while I’m stuck here,” she rapid fires, feigning a pained smile. “Happy Birthday, by the way.”

“Wait. You’re stuck here?” Alison chimes in. “Where are you from?”

“Oklahoma. And yeah, sort of. At least until I decide what I want to do.”

“Where’s the father?” Butch asks bluntly. My hands fist in plain sight on the table. If he wasn’t about to be a father himself, I’d kill him.

Cassidy swats him on the arm. “Will you stop,” she scolds, turning her attention to a flustered Maci. “How far along are you?”

“Ten weeks, four days,” she replies.

“Where were you going before you got here?” Alison asks curiously with a giddy-for-the-gossip expression I’ve seen far too many times. I hate it.

I hate it so much I jerk my chair back to stand and get Maci the hell out of here when Stan returns with a tray full of shots. “Shots, motherfuckers. Drink up.”

The tension strung tight in my chest doesn’t ebb until Maci reaches for me. She gives me a faint smile, her hand resting on my thigh once I retake my seat beside her. I lean in to whisper in her ear, “Say the word, and we’ll go.”

Everyone takes a shot—except for Cassidy and Maci, of course. We raise the shots and shout a booming Happy Birthday to Cass. The night takes off from there, and I fight hard to ignore my brother and his talent of getting under my skin these last few weeks. Cassidy’s sole attention seems to be on Maci, though, and Butch clearly has nothing better to do but eavesdrop on their conversation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a man spinning some girl around and around and around until she’s far too close to where Maci’s sitting. I grab her, but I’m not fast enough. Maci gasps when the woman collides with her back and jolts her forward. I pull her to me—yet again—before she can hit the table. The chick apologizes up and down to Maci, then goes right back to dancing.

“Jesus.” Maci blows out an exaggerated breath, looking up at me with my arms wrapped around her. “I thought you said it was country night, not bumper cars.”

I should’ve known a packed bar wasn’t the safest place for her. But hell if all I wanted was an excuse to see her. Keeping her here feels selfish now… Yet I can’t seem to find it in me to force her to leave with me until she’s ready.

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