Page 120 of Force Play

“Or not,” he adds carefully.

“Not pregnant.” I push my hair back from where it’s fallen over my forehead. “A couple weeks ago, Indie had genetic testing done. The results weren’t great. She carries an inherited gene that makes it much more likely for her to develop cancer, like her mom.”

“Fuck,” Dean draws the word out.

“Yeah. That pretty much sums it up,” I tell him, before I go over what the testing meant for us and everything we are facing, to make sure that Indie has the best chance at a long, healthy life.

“She’s gone through a lot in the past two weeks. Learning that she could have to battle like her mom did was hard enough, but the treatments and surgeries, that shit is expensive as hell. I couldn’t stand by and watch more of her dreams be taken away. I already knew she was it for me, so I offered to help the best way I knew how.”

“By marrying her?” Hendrix asks, sounding a little more doubtful than I’d like.

“It wasn’t like that. I mean, okay, it kind of was when I first came up with the idea. But it’s so much more than that. She needed the insurance. And yes, marrying me helped with that, but I was already head over heels for her. This just accelerated that timeline.”

“Not to be a dick, man, but does she feel the same way?” Xavier asks.

“Dude.” Cruz kicks his shin making him flinch.

“I just want to make sure he’s not going to get his heart broken.”

“She was a half step behind me when I suggested it. But she’s right there with me now. Indie’s not great at accepting help. She never would have married me just for the insurance. Her stubborn ass would have gone out and gotten another job with insurance to try to cover it while she continued trying to build up her portfolio of freelance work.”

“You obviously know your wife better than I do.” Dean smirks, and he’s lucky I’m required to be a boy scout right now or I might put him in a headlock for that. “But Mia said something similar after the game. That whatever happened, Indie needed to be all in or she would never have gone through with it.”

“She might be reckless in a lot of ways, but never with her feelings for you. She fought those hard,” Cruz contributes thoughtfully.

“Is she going to be okay?” Hendrix asks, his eyes filled with a genuine concern.

“I really fucking hope so, because I can’t lose her.” My voice breaks and I fight to keep my composure. “My wife is tough as hell, but we’re doing everything in our power to make sure I can annoy the crap out of her until she’s old and gray.”

Chapter 44

Indie

There’s a gentle breeze in the air, a telltale sign that fall is coming, but my palms are clammy as I walk up the path to meet the girls at Mia’s. I’d love to blame hot flashes, but I’m not deluded enough to pretend it’s not also about the fact that I feel like I’m walking into a firing squad. A very friendly firing squad whose ammo is just a boatload of questions.

I wipe my palms on my jeans, unsure if I want to be the first one here or the last. Or I could turn around and run, except it would have to be a fast walk and they’d definitely catch me, stupid restrictions.

Nope, there is no other choice but to woman up and face them. It’s time. In our group chat earlier, Mia told everyone just to let themselves in. So I do just that, walking through the kitchen and following the sound of voices to the back patio.

I’m the last one here, and there are four sets of eyes on me as I join them at the outdoor table where Poppy, Mia, Willa, and Lilah wait. I take the open spot between Mia and Poppy, leaving Willa and Lilah on the other side of the table.

“Hey,” I offer in greeting as I pull my chair forward, wincing when it scraps loudly.

Poppy’s hand covers mine, flipping it over in hers and rubbing a thumb over the simple gold band. “You got married and didn’t tell me.” She tries to hide it, but there’s a hint of pain in her words.

“I never imagined it would happen like this, or quite so fast,” I tell her, covering her hand with my other one and squeezing. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, and I’m sorry if any of it hurts you. That was never my plan. A lot happened all at once and I needed some time to come to terms with it.” I laugh weakly, realizing I sound like a broken record.

When I look around the table, everyone is waiting for me. Maybe I was wrong about the firing squad. Mia’s brows are pinched as she studies me with concern. She’s always been the most observant of the group.

I shift in my chair so I’m looking at Poppy for this part. It’s going to hit her the hardest. “I had the genetic test done.”

Her face pales, and her eyes go wide. “When?”

My throat is dry when I try to answer her and I have to swallow to get the words out. “Two and a half weeks ago. The results came back positive.”

Her head drops to where our hands are still joined and her back heaves. I watch my best friend struggle not to fall apart and my heart splinters. This is why I didn’t want to tell her. My mom’s illness impacted her almost as much as it did my dad and I. She was more of a mother to Poppy than her own was. I wanted to protect her from this as long as I could, the same way she tried to do when Jensen broke me.

“It’s going to be okay. I’ve already met with my doctors. Dom helped me make a plan. We’re going to be okay.” My hand rubs circles over her back and she slowly lifts her head.

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