Page 41 of Between Commitment and Betrayal
“Of course he does,” she singsonged.
“You feeling okay?”
“Yes, no morning sickness yet. I’m sure it will come with twins.” She chuckled. “I can’t believe that I get two. And isn’t it crazy they can get all this genetic information from a blood sample now? Like, they tested them both and they’re looking healthy already.”
“That’s all we want,” I reassured her. “You healthy and the babies. Remind Cade to take care of you.”
“You got it, Dec. And when you figure out that will and the woman in it, make sure you don’t give her too much of a hard time. She seems nice. Plus, since you’remarried, you have to treat her like Dad does Mom.”
I winced. So, she found out. “Izzy—” My tone held warning.
“What? I’m not going to tell Mom and Dad. Or Lilah. But obviously our brothers know and they weren’t going to last long keeping it a secret from me. Plus, I just hacked the court system to see. Anyway, remember what I said. She’s your wife now. Treat her like it.”
Then she hung up.
Fuck.
Of course they knew. My family spread news like a virus, and I couldn’t even worry about it because my wife laughed across the gym at something her fuckboy boyfriend said.
She was meticulously laying out weights to use while everyone else stood around and stared at her ass.
She hummed around with light yoga leggings and sports bra that showed off her tan skin and curves in a way I didn’t want them to. I contemplated if Wes’s jersey would have been better draped over her rather than everyone’s eyes on that ass. The ass I knew I could redden in seconds if she’d let me.
Four sets of everything. She was thorough when she lifted, rehabbed, even when she stretched during a cool down.
No bigger than a damn fairy, yet she still got it done. Tonight, she managed to deadlift more than most of the women in the facility. Rotating between legs, arms, back, chest, and abs, she pushed her body to the limit. I knew after the bench press she’d go to trap pulls, and that she never asked for anyone to spot her.
Yet, never once was she without a spotter.
Po or Noah or fucking Wes were always there, swarming like ants around sweet sugar.
Quite frankly, they weren’t the only ones.
Men and women loved her. I even saw Clara walking over. She must have closed the bakery for the day and wanted to catch up with Everly. Clara was sweet that way when Anastasia wasn’t around.
Or maybe she was addicted to Everly like the rest of us, because Everly had that quiet magnetism that pulled people to her like moths to a flame. And she was always helping everyone. Juna barely covered the front desk when Everly was in because Everly would go up and watch for her every time she had a minute so Juna could read the latest gossip on her phone.
“Two more reps and you’re at twenty,” Po said from above her as she pushed the barbell up a bit shakier than the last.
If I were a better man, I would have been working out myself, not watching them.
Instead, I watched the woman I was technically married to get a spot from a guy I respected but didn’t give a shit about.
“Po! You think you can just take care of my girl because I’m not around?” Wes yelled across the gym while he finished a pull-up, a smile across his face as he claimed something that was actually mine.
My wife.
Even if no one knew it.
“Everly.” My voice cut through the weights clanking, the music, and the TVs going in my gym. Women and men looked over. Wes’s gaze locked on mine before he reached Everly’s side.
One last push with Po standing over her, and she finished the set, pulled herself up from the bar, and smiled brilliantly at all of us. “I did it!”
I glanced back at the bar and then her, sitting there vibrating with energy from completing a set.
“It’s more than I’ve lifted ever.” She clapped her hands together and bounced on the bench with more enthusiasm than I usually witnessed from her.
Po patted her head and then shook it a bit, messing her curls up. “You’re killing it, Evie.”
