“Tomorrow.” He kisses my nose. “I can’t go a day without my girl.” My sister starts her annoying gagging sounds, but I ignore her and walk him out. The minute he leaves, I grab my little pooch and try my best to make up my absence to her. It still takes two days for my stubborn little dog to forgive me.
True to his word, Cash makes sure we see each other every day.
The Friday after we return from our trip, Cash brings me to the clubhouse to meet his brothers. At least the four that are in town. “I hope they like me.” I worry as we walk to the front door.
“Don’t worry, kitten.” He kisses my nose. “They will love you.”
He pushes the door open and leads me into the living room. I swallow when I see all the hot males in the room. Holy cow. It’s like a smorgasbord of tall, handsome, rich men.
One of them turns and smiles at me. “Hi.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Tate Grimes, but you can call me Hands.” I reach for his hand, but Cash stops me.
“If you want to continue to use those hands to perform surgery, you’ll keep them off of my girl,” he growls at his friend.
“Down, boy.” The other man throws back his head laughing. I guess he’s used to Cash because he doesn’t seem upset or offended at all. “You’ve always been a selfish asshole.”
“Stop riling him up.” Another man walks up and waves. “I won’t make the mistake of touching you.” He smiles. “I’m Landon Rickman, but please call me Cowboy.” The other two men also come up to introduce themselves. Andreas “Playboy” Romano looks familiar, and I wonder if I’ve run into him in town. Rulie Davis is a sweet older man who helps take care of these men.
Gloria comes breezing into the room to let us know dinner is ready. Cash holds me close as we walk to the table. As I sit between him and Rulie, Cash reaches under the table and places his hand on my knee. My pulse pounds as his finger slides across my skin in small circles. I don’t taste a bite of the steak, and I’m ready to self-combust by the time Gloria serves chocolate cake for dessert.
When we leave, Cash leans over me to hook my seatbelt, and I almost jump his bones. The Cash-induced sexual frustration has turned me grumpy. “You were awful rude to your brothers. They only wanted to shake my hand,” I grumble as he drives toward town.
“Tonight, I discovered that I can’t stomach the thought of another man touching you. My brothers will just have to get over it.” He glances over at me. “I fucking love you, and other men aren’t allowed to touch you.”
“Well, I love you, too,” I agree with him. “Don’t let any other women touch you either.” What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
“You don’t have to worry,” he assures me. “You’re the only woman I’ll ever crave.”
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
HADLEY
I’m missing Cash. He’s been buried under problems at work, and I haven’t seen him for three days. He left unexpectedly yesterday to fly to New York for an emergency meeting. He called me and promised to explain everything once he gets home. I’m worried about what’s going on with Cash’s company while missing him like crazy.
The next day, I’m putting the final touches on a flower arrangement when my phone rings. Cash’s picture flashes across the screen, and relief flows through me.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hello, kitten.” He sounds exhausted.
“How’s your trip going?” I hope he’s almost done.
“I’m actually back in town,” he tells me, and I do a little happy dance at his news. “And I miss you like crazy.”
“I miss you, too.”
That night, I stay with him at his apartment in town, and he explains why he had to take the last-minute trip. Evidently, one of the lawyers working for Montoya Investments and the club screwed up big time. That’s why Cash has been putting in all the extra hours lately. He went to New York to meet with his brother. Fifth has offered Zane a position at his law firm, and Cash wanted to talk to his brother about the job. I can see excitement in his eyes as he explains the situation. My hunky hottie hopes his brother moves to Silver Spoon Falls.
Over the next few days, my stomach starts rebelling. All the time. When I’m hungry, nothing appeals to me, and I have a hard time forcing myself to eat. My sister finally takes me aside. “You’re pregnant.” She rolls her eyes and I start counting dates.
“Oh my God.” How could I miss that possibility? I’ve been worrying about every other thing in the world that could make me feel this way, but I never once considered that.
“I’ll have Rachel watch the shop while I run to the Silver Spoon Falls Apothecary to grab you a test.” My twin takes control. “You sit there and decide how you’re going to tell the big lug he knocked you up.”
She returns a little while later with a bag full of tests. “Mr. Ackley at the pharmacy thinks I’m a loose woman.” She glances over and wiggles her eyebrow. “You’ve ruined my reputation.” Kyra pulls one of the tests out and hands it to me. “I’ll have to do something to earn the scarlet letter on my chest.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” I lay the stick on the counter and start pacing while the time counts down.
An hour, a bottle of water, and three tests later, I’m about to hyperventilate. “Yep. That’s definitely a second line.” Kyra stares down at the little white plastic stick in her hand and shakes her head. “Okay. You’ve peed on three sticks, and all three have turned positive.” She sits on the little loveseat and throws an arm over my shoulders. “I’m going to be an aunt.” And I’m going to be a mother. At least one of the most important people in my life is excited. Now, let’s see how the love of my life takes it.