Page 5 of I Want Crazy (Loco, Texas 3)

“Come on in,” Jake called from the direction of the kitchen, and Red walked into the room to find his best friend in front of the stove, flipping a quesadilla.

“Where’s Rand?” Red asked as he flopped down at the table.

Jake placed the quesadilla on a plate and turned around, his expression nervous. “She’s in the bathroom.”

“You okay? You look like you’re going to hurl.”

“No, that would be me,” Rand said, coming in behind him.

Red turned in the chair, and his heart skipped a beat at her pallor. Her normally tan skin was almost green, and her dark-brown eyes seemed too big for her face, with dark circles underneath them. Her brown hair was up in a messy topknot, and even her lips looked colorless.

Standing up, he helped her to a chair. “What’s the matter with you? Are you sick?”

Rand shot him an amused, tired smile. “You could say that.”

Jake grabbed a can of something from the fridge and handed it to her, kissing her forehead. Red watched the two of them, Jake’s face softening as he stroked her cheek and smoothed back a brown strand of hair from her face. Envy churned in his gut, but it was more than just his feelings for Rand. It was every time he was around them, he realized how lonely he was. Coming from a big family, he was used to being around people, and although he couldn’t wait to get out of his parents’ house, he missed the loud exchanges and having someone care where you’ve been. Their love made him wish he had someone in his life besides his damn cat.

“Well, are you going to tell me what’s going on, or am I just supposed to stand here with my thumb up my ass while you two snuggle?”

A soft smile spread across Rand’s face, brightening her eyes, and Red waited for the blow he knew was coming. “I’m pregnant.”

Red looked from Jake to Rand, and his chest squeezed. “Are you serious?”

Jake grinned. “Believe me, man, we would not joke about this.” Red stared between them, taking in the news and trying to fight the sadness eating at him. He’d known Rand was in love with Jake, married to him, and they were happy, but this news crushed that small part of him that had been holding out. That hadn’t wanted to move on in case she changed her mind.

What kind of man hopes his best friends don’t stay happy? He felt like a grade A asshole.

Realizing he had taken too long to react, he overcompensated with a loud whoop. Leaping across the room, he picked Jake up and danced him around the room, giving him a few hard back slaps. He was hoping he hadn’t given away anything with his hesitation. It wasn’t as if he’d ever told Rand how he’d really felt.

Red set Jake back on his feet and kneeled down next to Rand, taking her hand in his. “That is fantastic! I’m so happy for you both.”

“Yeah, it’s great, except for me, morning sickness is pretty much all-damn-day sickness.”

Red squeezed her hand gently. “Ahhh, you better watch your mouth, little mama. You keep talking like that and that kid will come out swearing.”

In typical Rand fashioned, she pulled her hand away just to flip him off. “You’re an idiot. If you were puking up three quarters of what you ate, you’d curse too.”

“It will pass. Remember how sick Martha Stanton was the first few months? Then it just stopped.” Of course, Red couldn’t help adding with a grin, “Too bad she blew up like a hot air—ouch!”

Rand punched him in the shoulder, and Jake, laughing behind him, said, “You better watch it, she’s meaner than usual.”

The menacing look she sent her husband made Red glad he’d gotten off with a punch. He gave Rand a gentle hug. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled against his shoulder.

Red stood up, another teasing smile on his face. “So, did you get Knocked Up or Juno? Is Rand finally going to start watching chick flicks?”

“I will never get that addle brained.” Rand held up a stack of DVDs, grinning evilly. “It’s a Tarantino night!”

Jake slapped him on the back. “I am the luckiest man in the world.”

Red winced inwardly but agreed. Jake was a damn lucky man.

A few hours later, Red was driving back to his two-bedroom mobile home and decided it was about time to start getting his life on track. His feelings for Rand would probably never go away, but he couldn’t keep dwelling on unrequited love. Even the hero in his second book moved on from the woman who had broken his heart. Granted, that was fiction, but still, if he was ever going to start a life of his own, he needed to put his hurt behind him. Even if Rand and Jake didn’t know how much their love had affected him, they had probably felt his withdrawal the last year. Both Rand and Jake had been there for him through everything. He didn’t want to lose that.

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sp; He needed to stop thinking about finding someone to make him feel better and concentrate on himself. He was a best-selling author. He was making good money, and he had just bought his own five-acre parcel eight months ago, and instead of building a house with the money he’d been saving, he’d bought a used modular to plunk down out there. He was getting close to thirty years old. He needed to grow up, because eventually it would be nice to come home to a wife instead of a cat.

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