Page 58 of Dirty Grovel

“I need some ibuprofen,” Faye blurts by way of greeting. “Here, take the baby.”

“Wait, no?—”

She ignores me completely, pushing the sleeping baby into my arms. Then she makes a show of rummaging around her bag, even though the ibuprofen never actually appears.

“Your wife has ulterior motives,” I mutter, looking down at the baby.

Artem chuckles. “Might as well get some practice now that it’s official.” He grins, slapping me on the back. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Why?” Noah asks, looking between us.

I can’t stop staring at the tiny sleeping face nestled against my chest. It’s ridiculous how small she is. One little hand is resting against my shoulder, only slightly bigger than the buttons holding my shirt together.

“Because I’m going to have a baby.”

“With who?” Lily asks immediately, her frown turned on me.

“Uh…”

“With Sutton, of course,” Faye answers smoothly. “Who else?”

Noah and Sutton exchange a glance and then they start jumping up and down.

“I told you he would marry her!” Lily cries, clearly elated. “Now, I get to be the flower girl, the flower girl, the flower g?—”

“Whoa, there, hold your horses, little miss,” I interject. “No one’s going to be the flower girl because I’m not getting married.”

Lily’s eyes wrinkle in confusion. “B-but… you’re having a baby.”

“Which doesn’t require marriage. What have your parents taught you?”

Artem snorts but Faye doesn’t look amused in the least.

“She’s a beauty, Faye,” I declare, looking back down at the only person in my life who doesn’t have an agenda.

“Isn’t she? Has Artem told you her name yet?”

“No. Hit me.”

Faye smiles softly. “Aria Oriana Savin.”

My eyes bulge. “You’re joking.”

“It was Faye’s idea.”

Faye locks eyes with me. “I never met her, but from everything that Artem has told me about her, she’s exactly the type of person I hope my girls will be someday.”

Ignoring the stinging in my eyes, I give Faye a one-armed hug. “It’s a great name, guys. You did well. Now, come on—it’s a long drive back to the villa.”

I hand the baby back to Faye, deposit Noah and his fat backpack on my shoulders, and take Lily’s hand as we make our way back to the parking lot where my SUV is parked.

“Does Sutton know we’re coming?”

“No,” I admit. “Not yet anyway.”

“Aw, you wanted to surprise her. That’s sweet of you,” she says pointedly, if with a bit of sarcasm.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “My intention was not to be sweet. I simply forgot to tell her. We haven’t been talking very much lately.”

---