Page 67 of Strike Zone

Diana: Oh. I was looking forward to snuggling with Tink.

Diana: Brooke is going to freak out.

Me: I think she’ll surprise you.

Diana: You sure you should be the one to tell Anders? We could let Brooke tell him. ;0)

Me: It has to come from me.

Diana: Okay.

Me: So… you’re only going to miss Tink?

Diana: She’s my snuggle buddy.

Me: She’ll miss you too.

She’s been avoiding any mention of us since the ultrasound. I gave her a plethora of options when it comes to our relationship moving forward, and I know which path I want her to choose, but I’m hesitant. I don’t know if I can trust her. She didn’t want a relationship when I put myself out there to begin with. If she changed her mind now, how will I know if we’re together because of the baby or because she actually has feelings for me?

* * *

Viper is packed tonight, but thankfully, the VIP room is a little more sedate—plenty of whiskey, a sprinkling of hot girls on the prowl for a roll in the hay with a VIP, and a dark corner for Anders and me to sit and nurse a few drinks with Carter.

“All right, all right. I haven’t seen you guys in months. I was hoping to catch up with you in the Hamptons, but I had a babysitter and an empty house with my naked, very hot wife in it. You’re never going to win that one.”

“No brainer on the Hamptons. Get your freak on, bro. To be fair about this place, you rarely grace it with your presence.” He’s too busy living his amazing life with his wife and kids.

“True, but have you gentlemen been here in my absence?”

“No.”

He startles at my admission. “Did you break your dick, my friend?”

“May as well have. He’s mooning over my sister-in-law. They’re ‘friends,’ according to him,” Anders interjects.

“Cazzo fi Madonna.” Carter is prone to dipping in and out of Italian during conversations. “Do I have to create a fucking paint by numbers for you two?”

“I’m married. I’m fine.” Anders has that smug grin on his face, and I want to slap it right off him.

“And I remember when you were in here ‘mooning’ over Brooke and letting her slip through your fingers. If it weren’t for Linc and my CCTV cameras, you’d be shagging everything that moves, and Brooke would’ve moved on long ago.”

“When did this become about me? He’s the one who’s pining.”

“I’m not pining, for fuck’s sake. What do I have to do to get you off my back? Fuck a woman right here on the bar?”

“That sounds more like you.”

“Jesus, Anders, you’re like a broken record.” I grab my drink and leave him and Carter to discuss my inadequacies. I may as well talk to the bartender. He doesn’t give a shit if I’m fucking or friending Diana. How the hell am I supposed to tell Anders about the baby?

The minute I sit down, a VIP chaser is pulling up a barstool at my side.

“You’re Lincoln Nash, right?”

“Yeah. And you are?” Hot. She’s hot and available, and I feel nothing.

“Becky. Want to buy me a drink?”

I take a moment to look around me. This isn’t where I want to be or who I want to be with. “No, actually. I really don’t want to buy you a drink. Or any other woman.”

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