Page 26 of Play Hard
Ethan laughed. “And yet, you sound like you already know what I’m about to say.”
“Some bullshit,” I chimed.
I couldn’t be falling in love with Serra, because I’d never fallen out of love with her.
Before either of us could say another word, the song ended abruptly and was replaced by a voice coming through the mic.
“Alright, alright, guys and gals, we interrupt our regularly scheduled good time for a very special announcement.”
We all turned our attention to the stage where Camy now stood. Del’s little sister was all of our little sister. There was nothing any of us wouldn’t do to protect and take care of her. Her overly cheerful ass could be annoying, but her heart was big and pure, and she would give anyone the shirt off her back if they needed it. She would also draw her knife on anybody who pissed her off. None of us had any doubt about that, although we wereall on deck to fuck up anybody who dared piss her off in the first place.
“Who gave her ass permission to get up there?” Lance asked when he joined us in our favored meeting spot.
Del came from the kitchen chewing something. “Hey, did I hear…shit, what’s she doing up there?” he asked glancing toward the stage.
“I’m sure most, if not all of you here tonight, know my brothers own this bar,” Camy said. “But let me go ahead and give them a shout out. Raise your hands, guys. Noah, Jeret, Lance, Del, and Rock.”
I hesitated all of three seconds before I shot my hand up for a brief wave. The last thing I wanted to hear was Camy cussin’ me out for not doing what she asked. Jeret had followed Del out of the kitchen and raised a fist before giving a head nod. Lance and Del, with similar questioning gazes on their faces, waved. Rock folded his beefy arms over his chest and glared toward the stage.
“So, what am I, chopped liver?” Ethan asked with a frown.
“But tonight is all about my favorite green-eyed brother,” Camy continued.
Lance picked up a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the bar and tossed them in Ethan’s direction. “You happy now, crybaby?” he asked with a grin.
“You’re sweeping the floors tonight, dickhead,” Ethan shot back.
“Come on up here, Ethan!” Camy shouted into the mic.
“What the hell?” Ethan asked with a frown.
I shrugged. “l don’t know, bruh, but you better get up there before she commands one of us to carry your ass up there.”
“I’m not carrying his bigheaded ass,” Rock said.
Ethan gave him the finger and moved around where Rock was blocking the exit from behind the bar. As he weaved through the tables and then crossed the dance floor to the stage, all eyesfollowed him. When he stepped onto the stage, Camy extended her arm and the mic to Portia, who stepped up onto the stage from the other side.
“Hi,” Portia said softly, but since she was speaking into the mic, we all heard it.
“Hey, beautiful,” Ethan said in response. He moved closer to her, and she extended her free hand to him.
“Umm,” Portia started. She looked out to the crowd. “Hey, everybody.”
She smiled and I grinned. While Camy was a natural born extrovert, it was clear that Portia wasn’t. A fact that still amazed me since she taught sold-out classes on how to give the perfect blow job.
“Well, I wanted to share this happy news with my husband, and since this bar and all of you are part of our extended family, I guess it’s only right to share it with you, too,” Portia said.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked. His voice was lower, but since everyone in the place was quiet and watching to see what was going to happen next, we heard him.
Portia turned her attention back to her husband. She swung their joined hands and grinned at him. “Ethan, my love,” she said and pulled the hand she was holding forward to place on her flat stomach. “We’re having a baby!”
“Holy shit!” Jeret said from where he stood behind me.
“Lucky bastard,” Del replied with a grin.
“Say what now?” Ethan asked from the stage.
Applause had broken out in the bar, but Ethan had immediately stepped closer to Portia, so his voice traveled through the mic.
