Page 8 of Keeping Promises

“Ican’t believe I missed all the excitement this morning,” Brynn pouts, sitting across from me. Tonight, we decided to check out the newest wine bar, Unwined. Cal and Ben are up by the bar getting drinks, and I used the excuse of driving as to why I just wanted water.

“It’s not like you missed all the excitement. There was still plenty of that once you arrived,” Lexi chimes in.

“Yeah, like Lexi peeing on a stick, too,” I joke.

Lexi narrows her eyes at me. “That so was not funny. Could you imagine if I was pregnant, too?” The corners of her lips turn upward in a mischievous smirk. “Actually, that could be fun. Next baby you have, can we be pregnant together?”

“Oh my God, like a pregnancy pact,” Brynn giggles. “Count me in, too. Although, I need to find a man first.”

Lexi and I both arch our eyebrows at Brynn, and she rolls her eyes. “Don’t you two start on that again. Cal and I are just friends. Which, by the way, don’t worry, Cal won’t say anything. He’s looking forward to having a DD for the next nine months.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. I told Brynn before she left the apartment earlier she had permission to tell Cal the news about the baby since I know they don’t keep secrets from each other.

“I know, I trust him.” It’s not that I don’t trust Ben, too, because I do. He’s become such an essential part of my life through Lexi, but I asked her not to say anything to him just yet because I don’t want him to be caught in the middle. I can’t force him to keep this from his brother; that wouldn’t be fair. Just another reason why I should have just stuck to my fantasies of Asher with my pussy posse instead of turning them into reality because I’m terrified it will divide our group and put a strain on Ben and Lexi’s relationship.

“And as for any hypothetical future children and pregnancy pacts, can I get through this once first before signing up?”

“You got it, mama.” Lexi rests her head against my shoulder, and I rest my head against hers. “Ooo, I call dibs on being number one aunt.”

“Hey, that’s so not fair, you can’t call dibs on that.” Brynn sticks her tongue out at us.

“Well, I just did,” Lexi responds before blowing a kiss across the table to Brynn, and we all laugh.

A throat clearing beside me makes me turn toward the group joining us. Cal and Ben are approaching the table with a round of drinks, and along with them stands Asher.

It’s been weeks since I’ve seen him, and the first glance almost takes my breath away.

The girls and I have an unspoken conversation with our eyes, encouraging me to talk to him now. I guess there’s no better time than the present as Lexi more or less shoves me out of the chair.

I walk up to where Asher and Ben are quietly conversing. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Asher spins, and I swear for a moment I see his eyes darken just like they did that night, but after I blink, it’s gone.

He nods and leads me away from our table over to a less crowded area by the bar.

He crosses his arms, and I can’t help but admire the way the material clings to his muscles.Hadley, get it together.

“What’s up?” he asks so calmly, whereas I’m internally freaking the fuck out. My heart rate increases, and I have to wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans.

He touches my arm, and it sends an electric jolt up my arm.Did he just feel that, too?

Just say it, Hadley, my inner voice screams at me.

“Look, I need to tell you—”

“Hey, baby, sorry, the line to the bathroom was crazy long,” a high-pitched voice whines as a woman I’ve never seen before approaches us, and she links her arm through his.

I take in our no-named stranger: long brown hair, flawless yet overkill makeup, and a dress with a neckline plunging so low I feel like one wrong move and we may be experiencing Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl mishap all over again.

Ignoring me, he laces his fingers into her hair and kisses her way too hot for standing in front of someone. Definitely when that someone also happens to be carrying your child.

When he pulls back, his thumb grazes over her bottom lip, fixing her smeared lipstick. I choke back a groan, remembering when he did that with me.

Reality hits me like an eighteen-wheeler. Seeing Asher with another woman is a slap to the face. It’s another reminder of who he is and that all we shared was a night of meaningless sex—lots and lots of meaningless sex. Only it turned out not to be meaningless; it resulted in a child. Seeing him with another woman draped on his arm usually wouldn’t bother me. But right now, it’s breaking my heart—fucking hormones, already messing with me.

He finally recalls that I’m still standing here. “Oh, what was it you wanted to say, Hadley?”

His date is giving me the worst version of the stink eye, and I’m tempted to ruin her night by saying,It’s lovely to meet you. Oh, by the way, your date stuck his dick in my vagina a while ago, and now his child is growing inside me. Enjoy the rest of your night.

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