Page 5 of Life

I shake my head, letting those thoughts disappear along with a giant swallow of my drink. The salt from the rim and the lime-flavored tequila burn a fiery path down my throat, reminding me I’m still alive.

“I forgive you. But no more secrets.” I point a finger at his chest and then at her.

Gillian widens her eyes and glances at Chase, and then at me, and then back at Chase. He’s pinching his lips together with two fingers and smirking. Sexybastardois hiding something else. Gillian licks her lips and bites down on the bottom one. Shit.

“Spit it out,cara bonita.”

She softens at my nickname for her. I’ve always called her “beautiful face” because she has the prettiest face I’ve ever seen. Even when it was black-and-blue the first day we met in group therapy over five years ago, she glowed like a battered and broken angel. Gillian has the most beautiful, pearlescent ivory skin, auburn curly hair down past her shoulders, and the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. Plus, with a set of full lips, she’s every guy’s fantasy. Definitely her husband’s, who is constantly looking at her like he’s ready to push her up against the nearest wall and fuck the daylights out of her. I like that about him. With my girl, he’s blatantly obvious in his affections. She needs it. Heck, we both do.

“Baby, tell her. Dana and Jack know.” He makes a cavalier hand gesture.

Her eyes cut to him at light speed. If I didn’t know any better, those eyes would be yelling, and what they would say would not be nice. She furrows her brows, and her nostrils flare with a hint of anger.

I want to laugh—the drinks I’ve consumed make it hard to hold it back—but I really want to know about what she’s hiding. “Gigi?”

“We’re pregnant,” she says in a big burst of air, her chest jerking with the exertion.

“Shitballs, putos sagrados! No puedo creer que usted guardó esto de mí!”I stand up, flailing my hands around, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish. My body heats up as a sense of betrayal rips through me. How could she? We’re best friends!

“In English!” Gigi stands. “If you’re going to yell at me, make sure I can understand it!”

I glare at her and get super close. She tightens her fists and puffs out her chest, ready to take whatever I’m going to throw at her. Good girl. Stand up to me. We found that fighting nature together. Lifted one another up during those hard years.

Chase stands and puts a hand over his wife’s belly again. The protective energy pumping off him could electrify anyone within a ten-foot radius. At least now the overbearing, possessive touching around me makes perfect sense.

“Maria, I don’t like the stance you’re taking so close to my wife, especially considering she’s pregnant.” His words are possessive and direct.

Protective Superman is coming out. Good. He needs to be ready all the time. Not that I’d ever in a million years lay a finger on my best friend, nor would I ever hurt her in any way. But she needs to know and understand how much this information hurts me.

Gillian bumps her booty backward, pushing Chase a step back. “Sit down. This is between me and my girl. Now, Ria, Chase and I had a lot going on. It’s not like we purposely kept information from anyone, but with Danny still roaming around and then the fire, I just couldn’t. Then Tommy… It wasn’t the right time.” Her shoulders slump, and tears roll down her cheeks.

I get close and place my hands on her shoulders and lean my forehead to hers until they touch. “You can always come to me, Gigi. You know that. You. Know. That.”

She nods against me. “I do, but it’s not just me anymore. I’ve got Chase now.” Her words crack and shake under the weight of the vulnerability they carry.

Chase. She has Chase. And I’m happy for her. Sad and uncertain about my place in her life now, but still, I’d rather she have the best of everything, and Chase will give her that, once they catch a break. It’s been nothing but hardship since they got together. They deserve some peace, and now that Danny is dead, they’ll finally, blessedly, get it.

I sigh and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “I’m happy about that. So glad you are finally free and can live with your man and your newbebe.”

“Babies.”

I frown and pull my head back enough to make sure my liquor-saturated brain didn’t misinterpret what she said.

“More than one?” I shake my head of what I thought she said, trying to focus more clearly in my inebriated state.

She nods and smiles huge, all teeth and gums. “We’re having twins.”

My mouth opens, and I realize I need another drink. Stat! “You can’t ever do anything boring, can you?”

Behind her, Chase laughs hard, so hard he smacks his thighs with the effort. “More drinks are in order.”

“Si, gracias!” I shake my head and look at my best friend in the whole world. “Two babies?”

She grins and preens, tears filling her eyes again.

I put my hand over her belly, and I’m sent a zap of cold and then one of warmth. I rub a circle around her stomach, trying to ascertain what I’m sensing. I’ve never been wrong with guessing the sex of a baby. Not ever. Usually I feel cold for a girl and warmth for a boy. Always. This time I felt both.

“What’s the matter?” Gigi places her hand over mine.

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