Page 66 of Shaw

“Laya, this is Emi. Shaw’s wife. Emi, this is my daughter, Laya.” I stand and hold out my hand to Laya, and she gifts me with a warm smile, the beauty behind it making me blush.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were married, Shaw.” She raises a playful eyebrow, as though scolding him.

I sit back down, and Shaw places a now familiar arm over my shoulder, toying with the strands of my hair.

“You wouldn’t fucking know. You’re never home,” Owen grunts as he stares straight ahead, refusing to even look in Laya’s direction.

Laya’s jaw tics, but she masks it quickly and glances away from Owen. “Well, I’m here now and I have news.”

Dex sits with a grin that Shaw would describe as shit-eating.

“What news? Is everything okay?” Mark’s eyes trail over Laya protectively.

A smile breaks out on her face, and she sticks her hand out. “I’m married.”

The table is quiet as they all stare at her outstretched hand, apart from Owen, who still hasn’t so much as looked at Laya. Instead, he lifts another fork full of green beans into his mouth.

“And there’s more.” She bites into her bottom lip with glee.

Tate stares at her wide-eyed while Dex stretches his arms out over the backs of the chairs, as if enjoying the show.

“I’m pregnant!”

“Holy shit,” Shaw mutters.

“What the fuck, Laya?” Tate explodes while Owen’s chair slams back onto the floor while he strides outside, slamming the door behind him.

“You want to make an exit, Red?” Shaw kisses my shoulder, sending a tremor through my body.

I give him a nod, and he motions toward the door at Mase, who looks as lost as I feel right now.

We head out of the Kavannahs’, and I can’t help but feel a little relief that there’s problems in each home, no matter how well put together they are.

“You think Owen will be okay?” Shaw asks Mase as he heads toward his car.

Mase chuckles. “Not if Tate realizes. He needs to rein in his feelings, the time for showing them was back then.” Mase eyes Shaw knowingly, and Shaw sighs, making me wrap my arms around him to comfort him.

Mase glances back at the house and breathes out. “I’ll wait around for him.”

Shaw gives him a sharp nod, then bends and kisses the top of my head. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

His words cocoon me in warmth and protection, making me wish for the impossible. I glance straight into Shaw’s bright-blue eyes staring back at me, making my heart flutter and making me wonder if it’s the inevitable after all.

TWENTY-SEVEN

EMI

It’s been a week since we went to dinner at the Kavannahs’, and I didn’t ask Shaw about Owen and Laya. It’s clear whatever they had was in the past and not something that needed trudging up. Apart from whatever was going off between them, it appears Tate was blissfully unaware, and I didn’t want to risk anything to do with Tate or his family getting hurt by discussing old feelings. Let sleeping dogs lie.

Shaw hands me another onesie and I fold it, placing it in the drawers he built only an hour ago. He insisted on building them, though I haven’t told him I know Luca will send over his men to check the crib out to make sure it’s secure enough. Shaw spent way too long scratching his head at all the screws, so I humored him and told him he did a fantastic job, knowing my brother will make sure they’re secure enough.

“What the hell are these?” Shaw holds up the nipple pads, and I have to place a hand over my mouth when I make a grunting noise through laughing at his scrunched-up nose.

“They’re nipple pads.” I grab them from him and swat at him.

He pulls me into his lap, my bump huge now at thirty-two weeks. “I don’t need my woman to have nipple pads. Not when I have these pads.” He holds up his thumbs.

“You’re such a dumbass.” I smile into him as he kisses me tenderly, his smile breaking the kiss.

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