Page 92 of Luck of the Draw

ALGIERS POINT, NEW ORLEANS

By Easter Sunday, Skye and Brennan had been acquainted for a little more than two months, though four weeks of that had been stolen from her by a coma. Her broken bones had healed to the point that she only needed to wear a small foot brace, an elbow brace, and a strap that fit around her shoulders like a bra without the cups. And she and Brennan, who had started out as lovers, had become roommates who shared a bed.

It was weird, but it was necessary. Because it was one-hundred percent obvious that Brennan was one-hundred percent falling in love with her, and that was something Skye didn’t have the emotional capacity to deal with.

To make matters worse, she had to accompany him to a very family-oriented gathering with Connor, Liza, and all their other close friends who lived in Algiers Point. She would also accompany him to brunch at his parents’ house the following weekend. It was all verycouple-y.

But they weren’t a couple. They would never be a couple. And these outings weren’t helping. He was totally catching feels for her, and she was going to break his heart, and she’d just have to live with knowing she did that to him after he’d literally saved her life.

After a relatively silent drive over the river—in Brennan’s utterly fuckingridiculousgunmetal silver BMW that was worth more money than Skye would see in a lifetime—they were welcomed into the home of his friends, Scott and Ophelia McCarthy-Latimer, with an explosion of laughter, music, clattering dishes, and loud, jovial conversation.

“Hey, y’all,” Liza greeted them with a bright smile. She scampered barefoot across the hardwood, weaving around a long table that was set up in the center of the living room and stopped in front of Skye, clasping her upper arms and giving them a gentle squeeze. “How are you, honey?” She cupped Skye’s cheek for a second before brushing her hair away from her face. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Skye returned her smile. When Liza wasn’t harping on the wholeyou-guys-should-be-togetherthing, she was seriously the nicest person ever. And it sure would be extra nice if Skye could somehow have a friend like her, but that was as impossible as Skye and Brennan being together. “I’m good. How are you?”

“Oh, fine. I guess.” She shrugged. “Just sleeping way more than I feel like I should.” Liza moved to Brennan, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his collar bone, hugging him like he was her older brother—which, of course, reminded Skye that Liza might’ve been that other person who’d unknowingly broken his heart. But even if she had been that person, he was obviously an old pro at concealing any feelings he had before, and all he did was drop a totally platonic kiss on top of her head while he returned her hug.

He gave her back a quick rub before clasping the sides of her waist and taking a dramatic step back. “Whoa…is that a baby in your belly or are you just happy to see me? Or have you been eating too many beignets?”

Skye’s jaw fell open as she scoffed. “Brennan. Are you for real?”

Liza just laughed. “I have been eating a lot of beignets lately, but…” She paused, holding her thin, lavender sun dress snug against her abdomen to show them both an adorable little tummy bump. “It’s not that.”

A warm sensation filled Skye’s chest, and she offered Liza a wide smile. “Oh mygosh.” A giggle escaped her throat. “That’s seriously so cute, Liza.”

Liza squealed. “I know! I woke up yesterday morning, and it had just sort of poked out. I’m so excited. And thank you.”

Brennan released Liza’s waist but continued to stare at the little bump beneath a drawn brow. “L…” He chuckled gleefully like Skye hadn’t heard yet. “That’scrazy.”

Liza matched his tickled laugh. “I know!”

He inclined his head to one side, still peering at the baby bump. “We only saw you the day before yesterday. And it’s suddenly…” He reached his arm forward as though he was about to place his hand on her lower abdomen but retracted it at the last second and opted to rub his stubbly cheek instead. “That’s wild. Is that all baby in there? How big is she now? Or he?”

Liza looked down at her tummy and grinned back up at them. “I’ve been calling her a she, too, even though we won’t find out the sex until next month. I think it’s a girl. Andsheis about the size of a taco right now. According to my little pregnant lady app.”

“A taco,” he repeated quietly, his smile persisting.

“Yeah, a taco,” Liza echoed, smiling so wide that little crinkles formed at the sides of her hazel eyes.

He finally dragged his gaze away from the bump to look at Liza’s face. “I told you it would all work out.”

The tip of Liza’s nose turned pink, and her eyes glittered. “Yeah, you did.”

For all of two seconds, Brennan wore an expression that almost hinted at whatever feelings might have been there, and Skye could only imagine that it probably wasn’t an awesome feeling. Watching the person you’d loved experience that kind of happiness and not with you. Her heart ached for him, and to make matters worse, Brennan flicked his gaze to Skye’s face, and a similar expression overtook his features. As though, on some level, he was wishing that could be them. And that only caused the pang in her heart to increase.

“Okay-okay-okay, stop,” Liza hastily added, fanning her eyes with her hand. “I can’t let myself spend all of Easter crying.” She looped her arm around Skye’s and held her hand. “If you’re still around in the summer, I’d really love it if you came to the shower. Ophelia’s planning to go nuts.”

The heartache doubled in intensity at the idea of so many things Skye wanted but couldn’t have. Things like having actual good friends like Liza and all their friends. Things like going to the baby shower. Things like having a baby shower thrown in her honor one day. Things like being able to have a baby at all. Things like being able to enjoy nice, normal, family-oriented gatherings such as the Easter get together. Things that people like Skye just couldn’t have.

She did her best to smile genuinely. “If I’m still here, you can bet your cute little baby bump that I’ll be there.”

“Oh good. Yay!” Liza began tugging Skye toward the kitchen

On reflex, Skye glanced back Brennan as he followed them.

He offered her a quick, sad smile before raking his hand through his dark, tousled hair and then adjusting his steel blue tie as he donned a casual smile.

The tiny kitchen was packed with people. Scott, whom Skye had briefly met a couple of times when he’d stopped by the record label house-slash-office-building, stood next to a slender, pretty, brunette woman peeling hardboiled eggs at the sink. They were smiling and talking quietly while he drew his hand up and down her spine, so she must’ve been his wife, Ophelia. Luke and Connor were in one corner holding beers and chatting with a handsome middle-aged man, whom Skye guessed was probably Connor’s dad, given that he was like the still-hot but older version of Connor. A beautiful little girl with a long, dark brunette ponytail, around ten or eleven years old, sat at the table with a pile of fancy pens and a rack of eggs, focused with laser-like intensity as she drew a design on one. A pretty, middle-aged woman and a frail, yet spirited older woman sat on both sides of the little girl, and an elderly man sat next to the old woman with the posture and behavior of a devoted husband.

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