Page 4 of Never To Forever

“I’ll have the same as him,” Christian says, pointing to my beer. Carl goes off to grab another and Christian looks back at me. “I suppose I can’t blame you then. Glad to hear that my label as best friend supersedes brother-in-law, though.”

“I knew you first. You were my friend before Haven’s husband, so I take precedence.”

Christian raises his bottle and clinks it against mine. “If you say so.”

“How is Haven?” I ask, as we both take a drink. “You guys had a doctor’s appointment today, didn’t you?”

“We did.” Christian nods, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “It went well. Everything with the baby is good. It’s healthy and growing and everything is right on track. Haven’s feeling great and the doctor says she’s in perfect shape.”

I smile softly. “That’s good. I’m glad it’s all going well.”

As excited as I am for my sister’s pregnancy, I’m also nervous, but I’d never say so out loud. Since Mom died, we don’t have any family left except for each other and our stepfather, Peter. Pregnancy comes with risks, and the thought of losing her terrifies me. Though, I’d never tell her or Christian this. They’ve got enough to worry about getting ready for the baby on top of taking care of Oliver, Christian’s son from a previous relationship.

“I’m sure that’s got to put your mind at ease,” I say.

“Yeah, it does. When Theresa was pregnant with Oliver, I was nervous for her, of course, but my focus was entirely on the baby. With Haven, it’s different. I just love her so fucking much. She keeps telling me I’m hovering, but I don’t want to let her out of my sight. I tried to convince her to hire full-time house staff so she’s never by herself when I’m gone, but she refuses, still insisting that having other people take care of her home all the time stresses her out.”

I let out a snort of laughter, imagining Christian as a cartoon chicken, wearing an apron and running around bawking.

“I’m sure you’re annoying the shit out of her,” I reply with a chuckle, knowing exactly how my sister is.

“Sure am,” Christian declares, tilting his chin. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Thankfully, we have you and Marie.”

At the mention of Marie Green, every muscle in my body tenses. I’ve known her since we were kids, and she’s as close to Haven as if the two were sisters. For a long time, I thought of her similarly, even though she’s made it clear over the years that she carries a torch for me. Lately, I’ve been thinking of her completely differently. Especially after the night out she and Haven had before the wedding.

Carrying her around that dance floor was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. And then when I walked her home, it took everything in me to not cross the line between us. It’s hard not to notice how beautiful she is. She’s not a little girl anymore but a gorgeous woman with dark brown hair that falls in waves down her back, dark brown eyes always filled with mischief. Her lightly tanned skin is smooth, and she has a spattering of freckles across her nose.

And her body… she’s lean and fit, but she has soft curves around her hips, and her breasts look like they’d fit perfectly in my hands.

More than her looks is her personality. She’s smart, funny, sometimes blunt, but can be a goofy tomboy who’s protective of the people she cares about most, including my sister.

“Yeah,” I reply in a rough voice. I clear my throat before continuing. “Yeah, Marie’s great.”

“She is,” Christian agrees, narrowing his eyes at me. “In fact, she’s staying with Haven and Oliver tonight so I can go out to the oil fields.”

I frown. “What? Why are you going out there? You’re not supposed to go out there for another few weeks for the semi-monthly inspection.”

Christian releases a long breath and takes another drink. “There’s a problem with some machinery, and I have to go out there to see how to fix it. We don’t have an engineer onsite at present because Joseph had an accident with the same piece of hardware and had to be taken into the hospital. I’ve got another engineer coming in from Dallas, but he won’t be here for a few days, and in the meantime, the broken machine still needs fixing. Which leaves it up to me to head out there.”

There’s an uncomfortable heaviness in my gut at the thought of Christian away from Haven, working in the oil fields in a possibly risky situation. I know how much Haven will worry about him, and the thought of her stressed and anxious fills me with dread.

“Why don’t I go for you instead?”

Both of Christian’s brows shoot up. “What?”

“As a foreman, I know how to work the machinery almost as well as you do,” I explain, with a smirk. “I can go out there and fix it, and you don’t have to worry about it.”

Christian blinks, seemingly caught off guard by my offer.

“Garrett, I appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to do that. You just got back from the fields a few days ago, and it’s your time off. I can handle it…”

“It’s not a big deal,” I reply, slapping Christian’s shoulder. “It’s just a quick out and back, right?” With a chuckle, I add, “If it makes you feel better, you can just lend me your private jet, so the trip’s even faster.”

Despite my light tone, Christian appears hesitant.

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