Merrick just shrugged. “Told you I like the guy, Vi. Kinda hard to bet against a guy determined to win back the love of his life.”
Her temper began to vibrate, driven by those pesky hormones. Before she could explode, Reaux ran a soothing hand down her back and commandeered the conversation again, holding his other hand up to bring the group to silence once more. “We’re losing track of our direction here. You can kick their asses later, Bennie, if you still feel inclined, but I think Sierra has been extremely patient this evening, waiting for Fordham and Levi to arrive.”
Of course, he was right. If they didn’t change course now, Sierra and her surprise were going to fade into the chaos of everything else. Tomorrow was soon enough to rip her friends a new one for betting on a private matter that didn’t involve them.
“All right, sweetheart,” Reaux continued when the chatter died down, sweeping his hand toward the group once Fordham and Levi squeezed in. “We’re all ears.”
The little redhead looked at her Daddies for reassurance, chewing her lip nervously. She got a nod from Liam, a wink from Mack, and shakily got to her feet, whispering, “We are pleased to announce—”
“Speak up, little one, we can’t hear you,” Elias coaxed gently, showing his rarely-displayed-in-public tender side.
A blush roasted her cheeks. Flustered, her hands fluttered in front of her stomach until Liam took one, Mack the other, as they both rose to flank her with big, shit-eating grins they couldn’t contain.
“Daddy, you do it.” Sierra implored Liam with huge, damp eyes.
Violet wanted to hug the poor woman. After waiting so long to carry her own baby, the prospect of it being real, announcing it to her friends and family who’d been there every time the trio’s efforts to get pregnant failed, could only be frighteningly overwhelming.
Liam shook his head. “This is your moment, babygirl.”
“Daddy Mack?”
“Liam and I are together on this, pixie.”
Struggling to keep a straight face when she felt Reaux twitch, she peeked at him and murmured, “Tamsyn might be a pixie in your eyes, but Sierra’s always been Mack’s.”
“I don’t hold dominion over the name, Bennie.” Reaux kissed her neck, finding the sweet spot that made everything inside curl tight, ready to detonate with a simple touch. “Just you.”
“You wish,” she hissed, then smacked his thigh to prevent a comeback when Sierra cleared her throat and prepared to try again. “Shush.”
“We are pleased to announce,” Sierra said in a stronger voice, “that Baby Carradine-Morehead should be making an appearance on April twenty-first… give or take a few days.”
In that moment, the group defined the wordfamily. A roar of sound erupted—hoots and cheers from the men, a particularly loud scream of excitement from Callie—before the trio were enveloped from all sides by the people who loved them most.
The tables were shoved out of the way as Sierra was plucked from her Daddies and swaddled in a hug from Fordham, then passed into Levi’s arms for a sweet embrace. By the time the Masters were done with her, she was glowing neon red, crying happy tears, as she was swept into the comforting embrace of her friends.
Meanwhile, Liam and Mack were being treated to bear hugs and back slaps loud enough to make Violet wince. Steaks in a five-star restaurant were tenderized with less force.
It pleased her to see Reaux joining in with the congratulations, merging into the circle as if he’d been part of them since the beginning. More, they accepted him the same way, welcoming him into the celebrations like a brother.
Violet slipped in, kissing both Liam and Mack on the cheek, then left the men to whatever ritual teasing was necessary. Shejoined the subs, running her hand down Sierra’s arm lightly, then found herself with another armful of submissive.
Hugging her tightly, Violet said, “I am so proud of you, Sierra.”
“Why?” It was asked so simply, as though she couldn’t understand why anyone would be proud of her.
“Because you’re going to be a mom,” Violet told her, adoration in her tone. “After all this time, everything you’ve been through, you haven’t stopped fighting for what you truly wanted. You’ve been so strong, so brave. You didn’t give up even when the odds were against you.” She rested her cheek against Sierra’s damp one. “My girl, you kicked ass. That is why I’m so proud of you.”
“Don’t go. Please.”
“I have to go at some point, sweetheart. Getting married, remember? As ridiculous as that seems, even to me, it makes sense I should be with the guy I’m getting marriedto. The South is calling me home, Sierra, and I think she sent Reaux as her messenger.”
“What am I going to do without you?”
Scoffing, Violet set her hands on Sierra’s shoulders and eased her back to arm’s length. “Carry on being the beautiful, brilliant Little you are, of course. Fix all those stuffies that get thrown away, broken and torn, and give them a new lease of life.”
“But you—”
“You’ve never needed me, not the way you think. I’m not the one who faced an immense challenge and tackled it to the ground. I’m not the one who survived heartbreak over and over again, the one who overcame everything in her path to achieve the one thing she desired. You did that, Sierra.You.” Even though her throat was tightening, Violet continued in the most supportive voice she could muster. “Just because I won’t be here physically doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t be here for you. I’ll be on the other end of the phone, the receiving end of an email,available day or night by video call. If you need the personal touch, planes go both ways.”
