Page 62 of Reclaimed

A server stops by, so I order a mocktail and the others refresh their drinks.

“How much longer do you have?” I ask Whitney on Juniper’s right. She’s also drinking a virgin margarita, and it must be good because the black straw hasn’t left her mouth since I sat down.

She pats her swollen belly. “About five weeks, give or take a couple. Both Lucy and Bennett were early by about two and a half weeks, so I won’t be surprised if this one comes a little sooner.”

“You could end up with a Halloween baby.” Juniper bumps her shoulder against Whitney’s.

“Jack’s already making all the pumpkin jokes.”

“I planted my seed with pristine timing,” Jack shouts across the table.

“Help me.” Whitney makes big eyes and groans, dropping her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I love him to death, but this third trimester has me wanting to slap him and rip his clothes off at the same time.”

The girls all laugh, except Cortney who makes a gagging face.

“Please nix the sex talk about any of my brothers while I’m here. I already had enough witnessing their little entrance.” She twirls her finger at Aiden and me.

“Aw, give the new lovebirds a break,” Bree says around her straw. She hiccups and sets down the glass hard enough some sloshes up the side. “Oops.”

“How are you already so messy?” Frankie slaps some napkins down.

Juniper and Bree giggle.

“I don’t get out much anymore.” Bree tucks her blond hair behind her ear. “Scarlett is a fantastic babysitter, but she’s extra busy with her senior year of college. I’ve turned into a lightweight.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a cheap date, baby,” Corjan replies.

The fakeness of my relationship is stark in contrast to the amount of love floating around this table. These men are so gone for their woman. Guilt squeezes my heart, and I nearly drop Aiden’s hand. He deserves what his brothers have. He shouldn’t be wasting his time hanging around someone who can’t give him what he needs.

But what if you could?

I can’t. Not pregnant. Not while I need to figure out how I’m going to take care of a newborn and work and live. I have a comfortable amount in savings but it isn’t enough. I don’t think it ever will be.

“Excuse me.” The legs of my chair scrape across the floor. My fingers slipping through Aiden’s feel like an emotional loss as much as a physical one.

I burst into the bathroom, grateful to find it empty. I run cool water over my hands and blot them across my neck. Thecoolness helps chase away some of the anxiety creeping through me.

Approximately three minutes pass before the door opens and I brace for whoever is on the other side.

Whitney emerges with a kind smile. “Pregnancy bladder is a bitch, isn’t it?”

“It sure is.” I force a laugh.

The stall door bangs behind her and I crank on the faucet to give her some privacy. When she’s finished, she moves directly to the sink. Her eyes meet mine in the mirror.

“He’s really happy with you.” She twists off the faucet and lets her fingers drain in the sink. “I suspect you came in here to escape our craziness, which I can understand, but I didn’t want you to think you’re totally alone. Whatever it is you’re dealing with.”

“Were you scared? The first time?”

“We don’t know each other that well, but I was married to the biggest douchebag to ever exist. No, seriously. If I ever get around to sharing that story with you, your jaw will hit the floor, he was that bad. All that to say, at the time, I didn’t know just how bad of a man he was, so while I was scared, I wasn’t alone. I was just naïve thinking I had a partner when I really didn’t.”

I twist my fingers together. “I’m sorry you went through that.”

“For a while I was too. Then I met Jack.” She fights a smile, but she can’t hide the light in her eyes. “I think he fell in love with my kids first. The most shocking thing was experiencing how a real partner should act. I never have to ask that man for anything. He just knows how to care for us.”

I wouldn’t know what that’s like. I’ve never been cared for by anyone except for myself.

Except…

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