Page 135 of The Breaking Point

“I’ve known for a little while now. I know, I know. I was being paranoid. I made Mac keep his mouth shut, and he almost exploded. After the first sonogram, I had to stop him from telling every person he ran into.”

“That’s adorable,” said Kelly.

Elodie lowered her voice. “He’d kill me if I told you this, but he cried at that first appointment. Full-on crying, even a few sobs. I was worried he regretted the baby, but no, he was just so happy.”

I felt tears rise in my eyes. “I love that.”

“He even wants to get a tattoo of the baby’s heartbeat over his heart.” Elodie sighed happily. “And don’t even get him started on strollers and car seats. He keeps sending me articles and videos of reviews. He wants to buy a few and test them out himself, even though it’s not like he’s a certified tester.”

“You guys are so lucky,” Kelly moaned. “How did you manage to find the two guys in the world who are completely obsessed with you?”

We talked a little longer about what softies Mac and Brady were, despite their outward appearance of being big and strong. Moving in with Brady had shown me another side of him. He’d often kiss me on the forehead whenever he’d leave early for practice or a game, and he’d tuck me in at night before I fell asleep. When he’d found out I loved a particular brand of yogurt, he nearly bought an entire case because it was on sale somewhere.

He’d tried cooking dinner last night, but that was still a work in progress. He’d burned the grilled cheese and then had forgotten to put water in the tomato soup, so we’d had burned sandwiches with ketchup. I’d tried my best to eat it with a smile, but Brady had caught on quickly how bad the food was. We’d ended up ordering takeout.

“So does this mean you guys are moving up your wedding date?” I asked Elodie.

“No, I just have to make sure I get a dress that can be altered easily. I was worried about Mac’s parents being upset since they’re so conservative, but Mac refused to act like we’d done anything wrong.” Elodie shrugged. “He’d be fine if I were nine months pregnant and walked down the aisle in a bikini.”

Kelly laughed. “Now that sounds like an awesome wedding.”

Once we’d discussed Elodie’s wedding, I finally found a moment to question Kelly about her dating life. “I thought you were dating that guy from your PhD program?” I asked her.

“Oh, that’s been over for a while. I’m trying a different kind of guy lately,” she said.

“What does that mean?” Elodie asked.

Kelly shrugged. “Just something different, that’s all.”

Kelly was never the type of girl to be coy. “Okay, now you’re sounding extra sus. Spill, woman,” I demanded.

“It’s not that big of a deal. You know you gave me a pass to the Scarlet Rope? Well, I went last Saturday.”

Both Elodie and I raised our eyebrows. “You know neither of us are going to judge you for that,” Elodie pointed out.

“No, it’s just ...” Kelly sighed. “I had a good time. Great, even.”

Now I was just confused. “So what’s the problem?”

“I might’ve met someone.”

I gestured for Kelly to continue.

“It’s weird because you know it was my birthday last week, right? That’s why I went. Well, this guy’s birthday happens to be the day after mine.” Kelly was almost rambling now, which wasn’t like her. “And then we got started talking, and I realized that I knew who he was. He had a mask on, though. That’s why I didn’t know who he was at first.”

“Who was he?” Elodie asked.

“Roman Gentry.”

My jaw dropped. Roman Gentry was one of Brady’s teammates, but he hadn’t played as much lately because he attended law school part-time. It’d been quite the coup when he’d stepped down from being a main player three years ago. I’d met the guy only a few times, since I’d been in college during the height of his fame.

“Holy shit.” Elodie let out a laugh. “Mac must’ve given Roman a pass. Roman called Mac up a few weeks ago, and they’re planning on going out for drinks soon.”

Kelly lowered her voice. “I also had some fun. Before I met Roman, that is. Or knew who he was. I went to one of the rooms where they blindfold you. I thought it’d be freaky in a, well, freaky way. But it was sexy as fuck. Not knowing what the other person was going to do, or how they were going to touch you.”

Kelly shivered. “Man, I never thought I was a kinky bitch, but I guess we all have a little kink in us, huh?”

I looked at Elodie. Elodie just blushed, and I burst out laughing.

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