Page 113 of Hitting the Gap

“I’m just saying,” Smitty mumbled.

“Can we just pretend I didn’t tell you guys? Then when Kendall gives me the all clear, you can act all excited?” Pete asked hopefully.

Ryan glanced at him, then back at Pete. “Do you really think this guy can pull that off?” He flicked his thumb toward Gonzo.

“Hey,” Gonzo complained.

Ryan raised his eyebrow at him. “Am I wrong?”

“No, probably not,” he grumbled. “What? I’m excited to be an uncle again.”

“I know and you fucking suck at keeping secrets.”

“No, I don’t. I’m just not good at keeping the good ones. I get too excited.” He looked at Pete. “Sorry, man, there’s no way she’s not gonna know.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s all good.” Pete wrapped his arm around Gonzo’s shoulder. “If you think about it really, it’s her own fault. What was she thinking telling me when I was on the road? It’s almost like she was begging me to tell you.”

“Exactly, she’s got no one but herself to blame,” he agreed.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “I’d love to hear you explain that to my sister.”

Pete winced. “I might not say it exactly that way.”

“No shit,” Ryan chuckled.

Smitty wrapped his arm around Pete’s shoulder. “Alright, boys, let’s go get that beer.”

Between tonight’s win and Pete’s news, he should be flying high. But he wasn’t. Yeah, things with Bailey were fucked up, but in the other areas of his life, they were pretty good. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. Somehow, the Bailey piece felt bigger than all the rest.

Inside the pub, he scanned the room. The place was practically empty. Eying a table in the corner by the window, he led the way through the pub. Gonzo slid onto the bench and Smitty took the seat beside him.

He picked up the cardboard coaster on the table, absently noted the name of the beer and tapped it against the wood. His phone burned in his pocket. What if his sound wasn’t turned on and Bailey texted?

A brunette in a tight black T-shirt walked up to their table. “You eating or just here for drinks?” she asked as she held up the menus in her hand.

“We’re just having beer,” Smitty replied.

“What can I get ya?” she asked.

Smitty snaked the coaster out of Gonzo’s hand. “Is this any good?”

“It’s pretty dark, kind of like a cross between a stout and a dark ale.”

Smitty glanced around the table, then looked back at the server. “Sounds good. Let’s do a jug of that.”

“Coming up.” Order in hand, she turned and headed toward the bar.

“Okay, so.” Smitty turned in his seat to face him. “You gonna tell us what’s going on with you?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Pete just found out he’s gonna be a dad, I don’t want to bring that down.”

“It’s fine. I need to chill out about this anyway, otherwise I’m gonna announce it to some reporter or something and then Kendall will have my nuts. It’s one thing to tell you guys, something else if I tell the rest of the team.”

“Good plan. My sister might look sweet, but she’s not. She’s really not. You cross that woman and she’s damn right evil.”

“She’s not evil.” Pete rolled his eyes.

“Evil,” Ryan stated, then looked at Gonzo. “So what’s going on?”

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