Page 36 of Slayin Villain
Fitted red dress, leather jacket, boots tall enough to kick someone’s regrets in, and a smear of red across my lips that I didn’t even try to fix when it smudged from nerves.
“You alone?”Cousin asked at the gate.
I nodded.“Ain’t we all?”
He let me through.
The burn barrel was ringed with laughter and liquor.Eve, Jassica, Cece, Mary, Connie, every Ol’ Lady in the chapter who mattered, plus Leo and Memphis who was dozing in a camping chair, baby monitor resting on her thigh like a damn pistol.
Eve looked up from her seat on a hay bale, heels kicked off, glitter clinging to her collarbone like stardust.
“Look what the moon dragged in,” she said, patting the spot beside her.
I slid in without a word as Jassica pulled a flask from her jacket and passed it around.
I refused it right off.Automatically.
“You good?”Eve asked, eyes sharper than her smile.
“You missed Rachel,” Cece said, staring off into nothing.She’d not seen me wave off a drink.
“I know.”
I stared into the fire for a beat too long.Then said it.
“I’m pregnant.”
Silence hit like a punch.Then Jassica let out a low whistle.
“Damn, girl.You sure?”
“Two tests,” I said.“One pink line shy of a panic attack.”
Eve blinked slowly.“Does he know?”
“Which one?”I muttered, too tired to flinch.
Connie actually choked on her drink.Cece just sighed and leaned back like this was the most predictable drama she’d heard all week.
“I haven’t told Villain yet,” I admitted.“Rome either.”
Mary crossed her arms.“What’re you gonna do?”
“I don’t know.”My voice cracked.“I came here hoping the fire would burn something clear into me.”
“Sometimes you don’t get clarity, sugar,” Eve said, soft now.“Sometimes you just get grit.And you hold on until the storm passes.”
“I don’t wanna do this alone.”
“You ain’t,” Eve said, slinging an arm around me.“Not anymore.”
Jassica raised her flask.“To outlaw babies, biker daddies, and women who ride out the storm.”
We all drank to that.
Except me.
Eve didn’t either.She was showing, glowing, and the sight of her gave me hope.
