Page 80 of What About Now

She chuckles softly. “Later. But you’ll have to be quiet.”

“Me? You’re the one who can’t be quiet.”

“Well, we’re both going to have to if we want to practice here.”

“We’ll make it work,” I assure her, kissing her neck.

“Briar, are you going to find out what you’re having?” Maggie asks. She’s sitting on the love seat with her feet propped up on Lachlan’s lap.

“I think so. We want to be able to decorate the nursery and be prepared. I got rid of everything from when the girls were babies. I never thought I’d be here.”

“Oh, we’ll throw you a shower,” Monroe tells her.

“You’re not supposed to with second pregnancies, though, right?” Briar asks.

Monroe waves her hand in the air. “Who cares what society says? It’s been five years and you’re going to need all the things, and we are more than happy to assist you with that.”

“What she said,” Emerson chimes in.

The ladies start chatting about baby showers, and things Forrest and Briar will need, while the guys, well, we’re content just to listen to them be happy.

Three bottles of wine later, the ladies are ready for bed. As we stand, Brogan speaks up. “Thank you.” Her voice cracks, but I’m not sure anyone notices but me. I’m sure Briar hears it, too, but as for the rest of them, I doubt they can tell she’s emotional.

“Thank you for being the amazing humans you are. For bringing us into your lives, and embracing all of us so freely. I just wanted to tell you that I’m honored to be a part of this group.”

“Family,” Roman reminds her. “You’re a part of our family.”

She nods and offers him a watery smile. “Family,” she repeats.

“I’ll see you all in the morning. My wife and I have some practicing to do.” Laughter follows us up the stairs. No otherexplanation needed because I know damn good and well the rest of them are going to be doing the same thing. Maybe even Lachlan and Maggie, if the looks they’ve been giving each other all night are any indication.

I carry my wife to our room and pull open the curtains. The moonlight shines down over the mountains and gives a soft glow into the room. I take my time stripping her out of her clothes before we climb under the covers. We need to be quiet, so I slow things down and make sweet love to her before we both fall into a sated, exhausted sleep.

“Are we not going home?” Brogan asks as I drive past our road.

“No. We have one more stop to make.”

“Another surprise?”

“Dinner with my parents,” I tell her. What I don’t tell her is that Forrest, Briar, and the girls will also be there. My mom insisted that she make Brogan a birthday dinner, and that her sister and nieces be there as well. I believe her exact words were, “Maddox, she should have her entire family there.” Which led to me telling her she better be ready to feed an army because her entire family was a lot bigger than just Forrest, Briar, and the girls. Eventually we settled on just us for this time around so that Mom and Dad could get to know Brogan, Briar, River, and Rayne better.

As I pull into my parents' driveway, I park the truck. We beat Forrest, and I’m glad. That just sweetens the surprise she has no idea is coming. Today is their official twenty-fourth birthday, and I’m certain my mom has pulled out all the stops.

Hand in hand, we make our way inside. “Mom, Dad, where are you?” I call out, mainly to let them know we’re here. Trustme, my parents have been caught in compromising positions over the years that I do not want to think about or subject my wife to on her birthday.

“Happy Birthday!” Mom steps around the island and pulls Brogan into a big hug before moving to the side and making room for my dad to do the same.

“Thank you.” Brogan smiles at them. “Can I help?”

Mom gasps. “On your birthday? No, ma’am, you take a seat. Maddox, get your wife a drink.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I let my hand trail over Brogan’s ass as I move around her to the refrigerator.

“This looks amazing. Thank you so much for making dinner,” Brogan tells my mom.

“It’s not much, just spaghetti and meatballs, but a little birdie might have told me that you love Italian.”

“I do,” Brogan tells her.

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