Page 20 of Claimed By the Cowboys

“But how do you know?” I whisper.

Blaire leans forward. I can tell that she wants to give me a hug, and right now, I wish she could. “I don’t know, Piper. I don’t think any of us do. But we can’t control people. We can tell them what we need and see if they’ll do it, but we can’t control them.”

“Sounds like someone’s been seeing their therapist.”

Blaire smirks. “Sounds like someone has a sister who asked not to be controlled and had to have a come to Jesus talk with herself about how to be less of a controlling bitch.”

“I never called you a bitch,” I say, smiling at her.

“You didn’t have to. It was clear that I was being one. Bottom line, Piper, is that it’s a calculated risk. You want a baby. The guys are willing to give you one. If they do, great. If not, we’ll take every good egg you have and get to the nearest fertility clinic to get you knocked up.”

“Ew,” I laugh.

Blaire’s face mirrors mine. “Well. Just saying. But seriously, these guys have been there for you through it all, Piper. They’re the closest thing you have to the family you want, anyway. I know I’m a close second, but I definitely can’t do what they can. Maybe this is the start of something… else.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Well, isn’t there something to be said for love to be based on friendship?”

Love. I shake my head. “We love each other, but not like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

Because I might have misjudged the situation. Because they might not actually want me in an hour, or a year. Because they might disappear.

“Look, you’re already in a good place. At minimum, you’ll have a baby and three awesome co-parents. What’s not to want?”

That’s an excellent point. “Nothing, I guess.”

Blaire grins at me. “Exactly. But, if it makes you feel better, we can come up with some guidelines.”

“Guidelines?” I ask.

Her face turns wicked. “You know. Ways to bone your besties without changing anything in your current friendships.”

I perk up at that. “You think?”

She’s practically rubbing her hands together like an evil genius. “Oh, Piper. Come on. Let’s get a plan in place, so we can get you knocked the fuck up.”

An hour later, my mind is still spinning, but I feel a little better for one reason and one reason only.

I have a plan. It’s a good plan. And I think it’s a way to make sure that the relationship we have doesn’t change. It’s like we’ll still be friends. Good friends. Good friends who kind of have sex, and who are adding a baby to the mix.

The guys will be good dads. I know it. I mean, I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to work because there are three of them, and one baby, but I’m sure we’ll work it out.

We.

I’m finally done thinning out my carrot seedlings. Taking a look around the greenhouse, I decide that it’s time to head over to the guys’ place.

I have two tasks. One is to get more information about what they need for their businesses. I’m so proud of them, honestly. Launching this is going to be awesome for them, and I love that they’re each playing to their strengths. It’s the type of advice I would absolutely give someone if they were asking me about where to start in their marketing journey.

Second, though, is that I need to go over the plan that Blaire and I came up with. I want to reassure them that our friendship is going to stay the same.

And I think I know just how to do it.

CHAPTER 6

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