Page 53 of Never Enough

“No, but it gave me a convenient opening,” TB agreed. “So… that’s her?”

Nemo’s smile disappeared. “Her, who?”

TB smacked him upside the back of the head. “Don’t play dumb. I don’t believe you’re that stupid that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Nemo shrugged. “There are a lot of ‘hers’ in my life.”

“Nah,” TB disagreed, “there’s only ever been one. We just weren’t smart enough to realize it until recently.”

They watched the dog as she totally destroyed the boxing glove, all of its stuffing now more outside than in. Once it had finally succumbed to its inevitable death, she left it where it lay and went in search of her ball.

“Glad it’s Midas’ glove and not mine,” he said with a smile. TB collected himself and reverted to the conversation he’d started. “If we meet the one we’re meant to be with, and we’re too stubborn to go after her, there are only two ways to go. The first option we have is to give up all others and become a monk. That’s who I was. From the moment I was introduced to Flame, even with it being online and never having seen her, Iknewshe was the only woman for me because she was all I could think about. Option two is where we fuck everything that moves, trying to forget her. That was your route, also because she was all you could think about. And just so you’re reassured, neither option is better than the other.”

Scheherazade dropped her ball at Nemo’s feet. He picked it up and threw it against the far wall again, up high to give it a different carom.

“Did Flame…” Nemo stopped. “Did you know she would accept you as hers?”

TB’s smile was a mile wide. “Fuck no. I knew she was attracted to me. Our chemistry was explosive, but I knew I was unworthy of her. I was terrified she’d tell me to go jump off theroof, actually. That woman never did or said what I thought she would.”

Nemo returned the smile. “I like that for you. Makes you less Hulk and more Bruce Banner.”

“Yeah, I went so Bruce Banner I threw up after killing and disposing of the asshole who kidnapped her,” the giant admitted with a grimace. “Don’t ever disbelieve that loving the right woman changes you.”

“She didn’t change you, bruh. She just unburied your conscience. Doesn’t mean you won’t still do the scary shit you do. It just means that you’ll mull it over a few extra seconds before doing it.”

“Maybe,” he mumbled. “Some things do change, though, and in ways you never think they will.”

Nemo registered TB’s change in tone and turned to him. “What’s going on?”

He assessed his teammate with concern. TB was staring at the far wall, not seeing it or anything else in the room. “I thought someone should know. In case something should happen to me,” the man finally said.

“Someone should know what?”

“You can’t tell anyone. Not Waters, and definitely not your brother. We need some time to figure out how we’re going to handle it before everyone tries to insert themselves into the situation.”

“What situation? Spit it out. It’s not like you to be so vague.”

TB frowned. “Flame’s pregnant.”

Nemo’s eyes went wide. “She’swhat?!”

“You heard me.”

“No, I don’t think I did. What I thought I heard was that Flame’s pregnant, but that can’t possibly be right.”

“Well, that’s what I said.” TB shuffled in place, then looked over at Nemo. “This was not planned. To be honest, we’re not exactly sure how it happened.”

Nemo looked at his teammate in total seriousness. He placed a hand on TB’s bicep and leaned in with a whispered, “So when a boy and a girl love each other very much…”

TB smacked him again, this time good-naturedly. “Fuck off, Needledick.”

Looking at each other like two naughty little boys, both were grinning.

“Are you good with it?” Nemo asked. “Cuz you look good with it.”

TB smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good with it. Freaked the fuck out, but good.”

“And Flame?”

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