Hunter scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m going to go talk to Jim about something.” He then turned and left the living room.
“What the hell is going on?” Bronte asked.
“Lollipop,” Carter warned. “Stay out of it.”
My sister’s eyes widened as she rounded on her husband. “What did you say?”
Carter shook his head. “I’m going to talk to Jim about something too.”
“Great guys,” I yelled. “Leave me alone with two women who look ready to cut someone’s dick off.”
“Shut up, Shaw. Now, Ellie what’s going on with you and Hunter?”
Ellie glanced at me.
“Hey, don’t mind me. I just want you to check on my daughter is all.”
“He refused to have sex with me this morning. He said I’m too obsessed over getting pregnant and have taken the fun out of it.”
Bronte’s mouth dropped open and then closed. “Do you think that they have a pact?” she finally asked. “Because Carter said exactly the same thing.”
“He did not. Damn it, the pair of sneaky bastards.” Ellie started to pace. “Most men would like to have sex at least three times a day. But no, not my husband. He says he’s tired.” She threw her hands in the air. “He says he feels like a sex object.”
“He did not,” Bronte gasped.
Ellie nodded. “He also suggested that we stop trying to get pregnant and just see what happens.”
“He did n… hey, wait a minute.” Bronte’s eyes brightened. “He may have a point. You know if you stopped trying to might just get pregnant.”
My sister the sneaky little devil. She wanted to be the one to provide Henry and Melinda with grandchild number two, especially now I’d taken top spot on both counts from her with Mom and Dad. Ellie, however, was not stupid and I saw it dawn on her what my sister’s plan was.
“Take me to the baby,” she said, snapping her fingers and then pointing to the door. “I need to get Hunter home.”
“I thought he’d withdrawn all sex?” Bronte asked with a hint of desperation in her tone.
“Yes,” Ellie said, giving my sister a head wobble. “But I have a secret weapon.” She started to walk out of the room.
Bronte gasped. “No. You’re going to get your Belle costume out aren’t you.” She chased after Ellie. “Why you sneaky…”
“Damn it,” I groaned. “Why can’t I just live a normal life.”
A little over thirty minutes later it was official. Tia was teething. She had a rubber chew ring and Ellie told me to go and get her some teething gel from the pharmacy when it opened in the morning but also to give her frozen carrot to bite down on. She then dragged Hunter out to his truck like a woman on a mission. I think the fact that Bronte and Carter left a couple of minutes before was what spurred her on. Especially as they’d left Rett with Mom and Dad for a couple of hours, and he was now watching cartoons with them and Tia. Mom had told me to grab some shut eye, but there was too much going on in my head.
That was why when my phone rang out, I was lying on my bed contemplating the next steps for me and Tia.
“Hey, Tate.”
“Hey, Shaw, I need to speak to you on an urgent matter.”
He sounded serious and I wondered if I’d fucked up at work. I’d already run past him how I’d dealt with the issue of Ruthie and how she’d managed to get the bank. He’d seen nothing wrong with the way I’d done it so wasn’t sure why he could be sounding so off.
“Everything okay. Is there something you need me to come in for?”
I heard him let out a long exhale on the other end of the line. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it.”
My heart started to thunder, the noise of it pulsing in my ears. “W-what?”
“Mrs. Devonshire wants Tia back.”