Page 43 of Brighter than the Boss
Bailey wisely chose to give up that argument, but that didn't stop her from sticking her tongue out at Brinley.
Cain reached down and hauled me off the bench, only to sit down himself and then plop me down on his lap.
"I quite liked you on my lap earlier," he whispered in my ear, making my cheeks heat yet again. Darn this fair complexion.
Kai started strumming on his ukulele while we all talked about the fallout of yesterday's events. Some had car damage, some had friends who incurred injuries from the evacuation. The boys were mostly talking about the meetings Ivan and Cain would be having this week with various officials rehashing how the evacuation had gone and what needed to be altered in the future. Then we all sat back and just enjoyed the music, especially when Hessa joined in and sang some of her lyrics. After the craziness of yesterday, we all needed some time to relax and decompress.
Sage jumped up at some point, dancing around the fire pit, pulling Brinley, Esa, and Bailey up to dance with her. The girl had moves. I envied her long, sensuous limbs, knowing I'd look more like the Tin Man up there trying to shake my booty. I settled for snuggling closer to Cain and watching the way Jax couldn't look away from Sage. The boy was smitten and it was sweet to observe.
Eventually Jax jumped up and grabbed Sage, nudging her towards the house, away from the group. I looked away, assuming they were looking for privacy. Cain smirked, probably thinking the same thing. Then a loud whooping noise grabbed my attention. Sage and Jax were already exiting the house with their hands full of champagne flutes and several of those yellow bottles of bubbly I happened to like so much.
"Oh, going for the good stuff, are we?" Shasta tittered from over in her chaise lounge.
"What's the good of having millions of dollars if I can't spend it on my besties, right?" Sage giggled, looking nothing like the hard-ass businesswoman I knew she was.
"Well, if that's the case, where the fuck is the Dom?" Bailey grumbled.
"I didn't sayyou guyswere my besties..." Sage shrugged, then ducked when someone threw a hot dog bun at her head.
"Hey! No throwing food at my sugar mama!" Jax pretended to guard her with his tall body. We all knew he hated when people commented on his lack of means and his fiancée’s complete opposite financial situation. He'd been taking it in stride lately and the fact that he was joking about it now was a good sign.
Once the glasses were handed out and the champagne poured, Ivan cleared his throat and lifted his glass. "To great friends surviving a tsunami together. Let us all appreciate the time we have here with each other."
"Hear, hear!" we all cried out and lifted our glasses. One by one, we all took a sip, reflecting on how lucky we were to be there after the day we'd had yesterday.
"You don't agree, Hessa?" Shasta, always the observant one, was looking at Hessa all squinty-eyed. All heads swiveled in Hessa's direction, seeing that she hadn't taken a sip of her champagne.
She sat like a deer in headlights before her eyes misted over. Kai started rubbing her back and she bit her lip.
"Everything okay, honey?" Esa asked, looking concerned.
She jerked her head up and down, though clearly not okay. "Well, um, I wasn't sure if I was going to say anything, but Kai and I have news." She looked over at him and he smiled at her like she moved the sun and moon just for him. My eyes teared up just seeing how much they loved each other.
"We're pregnant!" Hessa blurted out.
Esa gasped and jumped out of her chair. Sage squealed and clapped her hands. Brinley looked like she was going to cry. Bailey whispered, "Shut. Up." Shasta looked sad, oddly. Seeing as I was sitting next to Hessa, I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight as tears ran down my cheeks. I was a crier, what could I say.
Then the whole crew was on their feet. Arms were flung around me and around Hessa, until there was a dog pile with the baby mama in the middle. The guys all clapped Kai on the back and congratulated him.
Shasta was the first to step back and state what was melting all of our hearts and emptying our tear ducts. "The first Beach Squad baby. Congratulations, Hessa and Kai. You'll make wonderful parents."
A cheer went up and someone turned music on, sparking to life the speakers lining the back patio. The party was in full swing now with the ladies all squealing over Hessa and already rubbing her belly. Then there was an argument over the social acceptance of rubbing a pregnant woman's belly. I didn't want to get in the middle of all that so I turned around looking for Cain.
He was off on his own, leaning up against the side fence, nursing a beer and watching the festivities from afar. His eyes were dark and brooding as he watched me approach. The man was ridiculously good-looking, standing there in his jeans and t-shirt in the dark, his tattoos making him look a shade on the dangerous side. My heart jumped at the sight, knowing this man had just been inside me this morning, then whispered his feelings to me an hour prior like they were ripped painfully from a locked-up vault inside his chest.
Some country song blared through the speakers while the wind blew my hair in my eyes. Funny to think only a month ago I hadn't lived in this town, nor knew this group of crazy friends, and hadn't met this man. The one staring at me, like I was both scary and delicious, making goose bumps pop up on my arms.
Reaching him, I came up close but didn't touch, needing to understand him before I clouded the moment with the desire crackling between us.
"Whatcha doin', Grumpy?" I softened my question with a smile.
"Hmm." The rumble of his voice ratcheted up the desire, dropping it down into my stomach and lighting a bonfire.
"Want some company over here in your moody corner?" If he wouldn't answer me, I'd simply tease him until he did. Or until he dropped the dark mood and flashed that smile at me. Either one would work just fine for me.
He huffed, then rolled his eyes. "Sure, Sunshine. Come drop some rainbows and shit on me." He hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me into his hard body, the heat from his skin warming me up even though we were far from the fire pit.
"'And shit'?? Really, Cain?" I swatted at his chest, still playful, still trying to pull him from whatever pit of despair he'd dropped into there for a hot minute. "I'll have you know my rainbows are highly regarded in this community. No need to tarnish their reputation with your negativity."
