Colt’s nose wrinkles. “Really, Blake? Gross.”

Ash laughs and rises onto her tiptoes, kissing Colt’s cheek. “Come on. I’m sure we can find a way to distract you in my room.”

It’s my turn to make a face. “Colt’s right. Gross.”

“So…no sex when we’re in the same house?” he offers.

I nod and let Theo go like he has cooties. “Deal.”

“Come on,” Theo argues. He grapples for my waist and tugs me against him again. “Colt’s my roommate, and Ash is yours. We’ll never get any alone time.”

“Sorry, Teddy,” I pat his chest and laugh at his mock frown, “but we’ve gotta draw the line somewhere.”

“Yeah. You should just be happy I’m cool with…” Colt’s nose scrunches again as he looks between Theo and me. “This.”

Stealing the keys from Colt’s hand, Ash tangles their fingers together and leads him to the front door. “We’ll see you at the restaurant.”

“Bye!”

As soon as the door closes, Theo pounces on me like a damn cheetah and drags me toward the bathroom. “They’re out of the house. That means we can do it.”

With a laugh, I lock the bathroom door behind us, stripping my clothes off like they’re on fire. “We’ve got one hour. Let’s put it to good use.”

46

BLAKELY

The restaurant is fancy-schmancy with a side of caesar dressing. With low lighting and a menu just for wine, it’s official. Either Ash is pregnant or they’re getting married. Hell, maybe both. I fidget with my napkin, but Theo grabs my hand and rests it on the table while the scent of garlic and parmesan makes my mouth water as the waitress sets down a basket of garlic bread.

Come to mama.

I rip off a corner of the loaf and nibble on the goodness, letting the butter and salt melt over my tongue.

So. Freaking. Good.

Theo chuckles beside me, cutting off a slice for himself.

As Mia smooths down the napkin in her lap, she asks, “So? What’s the special occasion?”

Ash turns to Colt and squeezes his hand resting on the white tablecloth. “Do you want to wait until everyone gets here or do you want to tell them right now?”

Shaking his head, Colt mutters, “I already feel weird making it a big deal by coming out to dinner. Let’s just…tell them, I guess.”

“Come on, it’s something to celebrate,” Ash argues as if none of us can hear their conversation.

“Okay, what’s going on?” I interject. With my elbows on the table, I lean closer and steeple my fingers in front of me, the bread forgotten. For now, anyway. “You guys are talking all cryptically and shit. Are you pregnant or something?”

Ash’s eyes nearly pop out of her head, and she reaches for her glass of water, chugging it down while Colt belts out a laugh, finding way too much amusement in Ash’s response. “Now, that’s a reason to celebrate. Right, Sunshine?”

Elbowing him in the ribs, Ash says, “No, we’re not pregnant. Colt finally decided where he wants to go and sent the papers this week.”

“No way,” I gush. “Where did you pick?”

“I, uh,” Colt glances at Theo, then back to me. “I decided to sign with the Lions. They’re a new franchise. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m excited to help build the team from the ground up and should get a lot of playing time.”

Practically brimming with pride, Ash grins and adds, “It’s seriously going to be perfect.”

My jaw drops. “Why didn’t you tell me?”