Page 59 of Risk

I ignore that warm feeling inside me again at his total and utter sweetness and tell myself that his thoughtfulness is not about me; it’s about his children that I’m currently carrying.Before putting my drink down, I take a sip. Then, I shift on the sofa to get comfy.

“Bet you’re regretting our night together. Jesus, twins. Now, I know how my mom felt when she found out she was having me and Lo. You’ll probably want to check the next time you hook up with a woman that she’s not a twin or has a family history of them.” I laugh, nudging his thigh with my big toe.

He grabs hold of my foot and tugs it onto his lap. Then, he looks at me, my sock-covered foot in his hand. “First off, the only regret I have from our night together is the way I left it. And second, there will be no other women, period.”

I want to challenge him on what he said, especially theno other womenpart, but he pulls off my sock, tosses it aside, and then starts to give me a foot rub.

And it’s so good that I instantly forget what we were just talking about.

All I can do is stare at him.

The man is rubbing my foot. No one has ever rubbed my feet, except for the times when I’ve had a pedicure, which isn’t often, to be honest. I’m just thankful the cute pink color on my toes that I painted on a week ago is still holding strong. I feel like I should write a thank-you letter to the nail polish company for making such a fabulous product.

This honestly feels so good. He digs his thumb into my arch, and I almost groan in pleasure. I also feel a flutter of arousal down below.

Oh no. I am not getting horny over a foot rub. Even if the guy doing it is a machine in bed and hot as fuck. Sex is off the table when it comes to Kaden Scott and me. We have enough going on. And only he knows if he’d want to fuck me again. One thing Kaden definitely is, is hard to read. And I’m going to be a psychologist, for fuck’s sake. This is what I’ve been learning—still learning—for the last six years.

“Read the book, Beautiful,” he tells me, interrupting my thoughts, and I know he’s caught me staring at him in what probably looked like a mixture of wonder and arousal. “Educate us both.”

“Okay.” I clear my throat, and I start to read to the father of my babies.

Babies.

Plural.

This is really going to take some getting used to.

TWENTY-TWO

We’re in Kaden’s car, driving into Port Washington, where Zeus and Cam live. We’re going for dinner. Gigi and Thea are staying the night at Elle’s, which makes things easier, not having the distraction of the girls running around. Plus, if Zeus gets mad at me and Kaden, they won’t be here to see it. Although he wouldn’t get angry in front of them, so maybe I should have asked Cam to have the girls here.

Too late now.

Ares and Ari, Lo, and my dad are going to be here as well. I figured telling both my older brothers and my dad at the same time would be easier than one at a time.

Three birds, one stone, right?

They know I’m coming because I want to talk about something—obviously, Cam knows the reason why, but true to her word, she’s said nothing. Not even to me about the fact that she knows Kaden is the father. I’ve not talked to her about it. She’s honestly the best.

I am worried that Ari might feel a little left out.

But I wouldn’t have told Cam if it wasn’t for the fact that I was freaking out, not thinking clearly and needing someone who had been in the same situation to talk to. Which I will explain to Ari.

Kaden and I have been in his car for just under an hour, and it’s been a fairly quiet drive. I’m nervous and stuck in my own head about how Zeus and Ares are going to react to the news that I’m pregnant.

I mean, it’s stupid because I’m twenty-five years old. But I’m also doing my PhD right now, and it’s not the ideal time to have a baby, let alone two babies.

I’ll still be doing my PhD. Kaden and I have talked briefly about it. I told him that I’ll still be going to school, and he totally encouraged it, said there was no way I’d be quitting it on his watch and that he’d be here to help me take care of the babies.

Yep. Still not used to saying that word. Babies. Two of them.

Christ.

I’m not sure how things are going to work with my job at the diner. I can’t see that I’ll be able to waitress when I get closer to full-term. From what I’ve read about carrying twins, I’m going to get big. Massive, in fact. I’ll just have to see how things go. I’ll tighten my belt, metaphorically speaking, and save money and figure things out from there.

I think what’s making me a lot nervous is how Zeus is going to react when he finds out that Kaden is the man who got me pregnant. I mean, he’s his best friend.

I know Kaden is nervous about that. It affects him mostly, and I don’t want Zeus to be pissed off with him or anything. I might be a grown woman, but Zeus and Ares still view me as a little kid. Their baby sister. And there is that unwritten rule men have about how you don’t mess with your friend’s sister.

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