Page 76 of Amor Prohibido

“Pfft,” he scoffed, leaning into the pantry looking for snack food. “Callie’s not a dog person—she would straight-up opt for a baby.”

“You thinking about having a family anytime soon?”

It was meant to be a light-hearted question, but it hung heavily around us, and I immediately regretted asking. Darren ferociously tore into a bag of chips and spread the foil wide open on the counter.

“To be honest with you, brother, I’ve got a ring waiting at home. Callie’s the one for me without a doubt. I’m just waiting for when she least expects me to pop the question. In regard to a baby… we’ve been trying for a short while already.”

He saw my brows rise, then draw together in confusion. He also read my reluctance to further question this new revelation.

“She’s got Polycystic Ovary Syndrome,” he supplied for me. “So, fertility for us is much lower than normal.”

“Fuck, Daz. Sorry, mate, I had no idea. That makes me a complete asshole for what’s happened with J. Truly. How is Callie handling this?”

He shrugged and looked me square in the eye. “She was upset at first, given the circumstances. But her condition was something she was fully upfront about when our relationship turned serious, so I understand how she feels about seeing other women pregnant when she knows it won’t come as easy for her. In saying that,” he paused to take a sip, “she’s as excited as I am about having little nieces or nephews, and when it happens for us, it happens. We’ve no idea when that will be, hence why we’re relaxed with the birth control side of things. Besides, we can practice with your kids, then be pros when we have our own.” He laughed and smiled widely, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Break them and I’ll break you,” I drawled. I took a long pull on my beer, then studied the label while trying to think of something to say.

“You know…” Darren added, his voice full of amusement. “That’s why Callie wasn’t as pissed as I thought she was going to be when she came home and found the house fucked up after our fight. You still owe me a custom-made coffee table, by the way. I need one that will hold the weight of two adults.”

I almost spat out my mouthful of beer as I tried to hold back the sudden burst of laughter. “Jesus, spare me the details! I’ll be sure to reinforce it for you, you dirty bastard.”

He spread his arms wide. “I make no apologies.”

We laughed heartily, and as our laughter died down, I reopened the previous subject. “So, what do you mean about Callie not being as pissed as you thought she would be?”

Daz’s hand paused mid-hover over the chips. “Because she wanted to beat the fuck out of you as much as I did, for different reasons, obviously. She asked if I was okay, then if I landed some decent shots. She wasn’t happy about the blood stains though.”

I gaped at him as he stuffed a load of chips into his mouth.

“Well—” I said at last, “—remind me never to mess with Callie. Sounds like she’d have my ass on a platter for the dogs before I realise it.”

He chuckled through his mouthful, dark eyes now twinkling. “Yours and mine both next time, bro.”

I accepted the second beer he offered my way, then braced when the front door clicked open, and a wave of high-pitched chatter and laughter filled the house. The trio of women appeared seconds later.

Lozza’s eyes widened. “Beers? Where’s mine, you lazy ass mofos?”

I offered her the one Darren just handed to me. “Here, I shook it. Open at your own risk.”

Loz at least had the common sense to open it over the sink, and I went to the fridge to grab myself another. “Hey Callie, want one?”

She extracted herself out from under Darren’s sweaty arm and grimaced. “Yes please, I could kill for a cold one.”

Automatically narrowing my eyes, I assessed her demeanour. Once concluding I was in no danger of physical harm, I plucked two bottles from the fridge, uncapped both, and handed one to her, complete with a kiss on the cheek. I caught her flash of surprise.

I wanted to pull her against me and hug her fertility issues away. If only it was that simple. She sent a quizzical glance at Darren, who simply shrugged. One thing Icoulddo was love J the way she deserved.

I reached for her and planted a kiss on her plump lips. “Hey, sweetheart. How was it?”

Returning my hug and ignoring my damp shirt, she did a little bounce on the balls of her feet. “Ah-mazing! We got so much stuff and it was all on special.”

Because she looked so happy, I decided not to interrogate her about how much she’d spent—yet. Shopping for two babies left no doubt in my mind that her credit card took a hammering today.

“Need a hand bringing it in?”

J nodded. “Yes, please. There are some big-ticket items in there. Thank God we took your truck, otherwise we would’ve had to call you guys to come grab it all.”

“Or not bought the entire shop,” Callie teased.

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