Page 58 of Give Me a Reason

He still couldn’t believe he’d said he would take advantage of herfor his amusement. Cringe factor aside, he would never take advantage of her, no matter how desperately he wanted her. Hypothetically speaking, of course. He wasn’t really desperate for her. They were just friends, even though the memory of her sultry smile had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

The last bit of winding road to Cambria distracted him from thoughts of Anne. Not that he thought about Anne all the time or anything. Besides, friends could think about each other as much as they wanted. In a friendly, non-desperate kind of way. Frederick almost groaned out loud.

He wasnotdesperate for Anne, and he could prove it. He would spend the day with her—as friends—without being weird. His heart pounded with nervous anticipation, which wasn’t weird at all. Friends got excited about spending time with each other all the time.For fuck’s sake.He blew out a long breath and shoved his fingers through his hair.

“A little hungover, are we?” Pete smirked from the passenger seat.

“You’re one to speak.” Frederick scoffed. “Besides, you’re just miffed that Katie abandoned you to drive down with the ladies.”

“I respect her boundaries. She needs time with her friends, because I can’t meet all her needs.” Pete slouched in his seat. “Maybe I’m a little miffed, but I’m mostly worried.”

“Worried?” Frederick shot him a surprised glance. “About what?”

His friend checked to make sure that Joe and Aiden, who were definitely hungover, remained asleep in the back seat. They were out cold, filling the car with their quiet snoring.

Even so, Pete lowered his voice. “Don’t tell Katie I said anything.”

“Why would I—”

“Just promise me you won’t tell her I told you,” Pete said with an urgency that made Frederick glance sideways at him.

“All right. I won’t tell her.” He returned his eyes to the road. “What the hell is going on?”

“Katie is pregnant.”

“She’s what?” Frederick half shouted, surprised and delighted. “You guys are having a baby?”

“Shh.” Pete held his finger to his lips. “You’re going to wake them up.”

“That’s great news, man. Congratulations,” he said in a quieter voice, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Frederick chuckled,shaking his head. Pete and Katie would make amazing parents. “Why all the secrecy?”

“At first, we wanted to keep the news to ourselves because it was so precious. We just wanted to hold it against our hearts, you know?” Pete continued when Frederick nodded. “But now, Katie doesn’t want to tell anyone because she doesn’t want to steal Joe and Coraline’s thunder.”

“Are you kidding?” Frederick threw one hand in the air, keeping the other on the steering wheel. “Joe and Coraline will be thrilled for you two.”

“That’s what I said.” Pete shrugged with a sappy smile. “But you know Katie. I think she’ll be ready to tell everyone after this trip. For now, she wants the wedding party to enjoy themselves and celebrate the happy couple.”

“Wait, why are you worried, then?” Frederick frowned.

“She’s been having morning sickness, which is a misnomer because it’s actuallyall-daysickness.” Pete sighed. “I’m worried this winding road will make her feel worse.”

“I see what you mean.” Frederick rubbed his jaw. “But don’t worry. Katie won’t be struggling alone. Anne will take good care of her. She’s unbelievably empathetic, kind, and competent.”

Pete hummed a loadedhmm, crossing his arms and cocking his head to stare at Frederick.

“You were right, you know.” Frederick cleared his throat, glancing at the rearview mirror to check on the sleeping duo. “Spending time with Anne helped me move on from the past. In fact, I told her yesterday that I wanted us to be friends.”

“Friends? You and Anne?” Pete didn’t even try to hide his skepticism. “After ten years of heartache, all it took was a Thanksgiving dinner and a wine-tasting tour for you to get over her? So utterly that you’re ready to be friends with her?”

“That’s a lot of questions over a simple statement.”Frederick scowled. “Besides, weren’t you the one who told me that we should talk things through andeven become friends?”

“Well, did you talk to her?” Pete quirked his eyebrow. “Really talk?”

“Yes,” Frederick said testily. Anne had done most of the talking, but he’d listened to her with every cell in his body. “She explained a few things, and it helped.”

“I’m glad.” Pete hesitated for a moment. “And did you tell her how hard it was for you when she left? How much she hurt you?”

“I did.” Frederick swallowed thickly, remembering their conversation on Christmas night. “The point is we talked, and we moved on.”

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