Page 39 of Slow Ride

Van shook his head, though he wandered toward the snacks as if they were some sort of consolation prize.To be fair, the food was incredible.

“Hi,” Wren said to Kason with a smile.“I’m glad you made it, though I don’t like hearing you were reckless just to get here.”

“You’re worth the risk.”Kason grinned at Wren.

She reached for Kason, smothering him in one of her famous hugs.She was a great hugger.She put her whole body into it, nuzzling Kason’s collarbone as she rubbed his back.

Jordan had to turn around so he wouldn’t get hard seeing her in another man’s arms.

It hurt too much to do that.

Before they could get carried away, someone—Sally, Jordan thought—whistled loud enough to get the attention of every person in attendance plus the woodland creatures in a two-mile radius.Then she shouted, “Before we bring out the cake, Amber has something she wants to say, so pay attention!”

Gavyn, the owner of Hot Rides and Amber’s husband, whipped his head around to find his wife.She was standing near the front of the gathering and gave everyone a jaunty finger wave.Gavyn joined her there.With everyone’s attention on them, she was clearly heard by everyone at the party.

“I know it’s Trevon’s birthday.”Amber met her husband’s bewildered stare.The smile she gave him was so dazzling that Gavyn seemed temporarily stunned, content to look at it and be near her.“But he said he wouldn’t mind if I gave you a present since our friends and family are here with us today.”

Gavyn canted his head and asked, “Me?”

“Oh my God,” Wren whispered.Whether she thought about what she was doing or acted on instinct, she threw a hand out to each side, clasping Jordan’s wrist in one of her hands and Kason’s in the other.“Is she…”

Amber handed Gavyn the glossy black gift bag dangling from one of her fingers.“Go ahead, open it.”

Gavyn made quick work of the tissue paper.And when he withdrew a onesie from inside it, the baby garment looked like doll’s clothing in his huge hand.He stared at it, then looked at Amber, then stared at the onesie again as if he’d seen it wrong, inspiring most of the crowd gathered to crack up.

“A baby?”he asked Amber, with wide eyes, as if afraid to believe it could really be true.“We’re having a baby?”

Jordan couldn’t imagine what that feeling might be like, but the iron bracelet of Wren’s fingers around his wrist told him plainly that she definitely could.He hadn’t realized that was another dream he might have trampled on when he’d left her.

He’d made so many fucking mistakes.

Amber, completely unable to speak further, nodded and threw herself at her husband, who caught her and spun her around while laughing and crying.After he set her down carefully, he showed the onesie to the gathering.A tricycle with flames coming out the back had been imprinted on the garment.

Nola and Ms.Brown—Amber’s sister and mother—rushed the woman while Tom, Quinn, Trevon, and too many other people to keep track of swarmed Gavyn.There was a lot of back slapping and cheering plus excited conversation.

From where they were playing on the sidelines, one of the bigger kids that belonged to the Hot Rods and Powertools—he thought he’d heard Joe call him Nathan—shouted, “Uncle Gavyn, what’s going on?”

The man blinked and grinned as he said, “Looks like you’re going to have another friend to play with.”

Ambrose, Nola and Kaige’s daughter, asked, “Could you make sure it’s a girl this time?”

Everyone cracked up at that, including Holden, who shook his head at his wife, Sabra.“I guess she’s not impressed with our sons, huh?”

“That’s okay, Swinger.I am.”She kissed her husband’s cheek as she watched their twins playing with a toy sailboat in the stream.

“I have no idea how I’m going to remember who’s who around here,” Kason said under his breath with a low whistle.

Jordan could relate.It had taken him a while to get to know everyone.Now that he had, he felt like he had a family again for the first time since his mother had passed away of a heart attack less than a year after his father had lost his battle with brain cancer.

After that, he’d kept to himself until he’d been assigned Johnny as a partner.

And when he’d lost his best friend, too, well… That had been all he could stand.Maybe that was part of why he’d walked away from Wren.He couldn’t bear the thought of loving her more each day only for her to be taken away, so he’d cut his losses on his own terms.

Except he hadn’t really, because here he was, standing right next to her thinking about how gorgeous she was and how sweet she smelled, like her signature lilies.

That’s about when Wren realized she was clutching Kason…and Jordan.She blushed furiously and dropped both of their hands.“Sorry.I got carried away.”

“I like it when you do that.”Kason winked at her.

---