“I don’t know yet?” Those pretty brown eyes looked away. She stared down as if that dark red paint on her toes was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
Shiloh turned to her. “You don’t know? You had a plan. Whatever happened to MBA by twenty-five?”
“Sometimes plans change.”
She was right. My plan after graduation was to work for my father to ensure my siblings were taken care of. Now, I had options. But Maggie’s plan had included all her options. She wanted an empire, and the next step was her MBA.
“Maybe.” I reached out, my finger hesitating slightly before I gently lifted her chin. Her skin was so soft, I had to resist the instinct to run my thumb over her jaw. I tilted her head up, forcing her gaze to meet mine. “But then what is the change of plan? Surely, you have a new plan?”
Maggie wasn’t usually a planner. For almost every aspect of her life she went with the flow. Except her education. She believed that the only way to get where she wanted to be was to follow a certain set of steps. And here she was abandoning that.
“I don’t have a new plan.” Again her eyes dropped, as if her flip-flops were more interesting than the conversation we were having. “Not everyone is like you and Shi who have all of their lives planned out from the beginning. Holden changed his mind, and no one gave him a hard time.”
Holden whipped his head to her. “Not the same thing. I have a new plan. No one likes my plan, that doesn’t mean I don’t have one.”
“What’s going on, Mags?” Shiloh pushed me out of the way.
Her shoulders sagged and her eyes closed. Was she blinking away tears? Did that asshole boyfriend of hers hurt her? We all suspected he cheated on her but none of us had proof.
I leaned against the bar, standing alongside her. “Did Fred do something?”
“I suppose, you could say that.” She folded her arms around herself. Something she did when she was scared or nervous. “I’m pregnant.”
The world around me froze. The music blaring moments ago was suddenly muffled. I wasn’t sure I heard correctly, but judging by the glances being exchanged by my other friends, it would seem my ears were functioning as designed. Well, except for the static whooshing through them as I processed what she said.
Shiloh gave her a skeptical look. “Sorry. What?”
She forced a smile and blinked a few times. “I’m pregnant.”
It was at that point I knew I needed to get over the crush I had on her. She was going to start a family. I would support her every step of the way. Besides, just like with Shiloh’s son, I got to be the doting uncle once again.
Shiloh wasn’t even going to pretend to be enthusiastic.
“What do you mean you’re pregnant? Are you sure?” Shiloh frowned at her sister.
Maggie rolled her lip and tilted her head. “I took four tests. In seven to eight months you’re going to be an aunt.”
“Maggie.” Again from Shiloh “Are you happy?”
Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Sure, it's sooner than we would have wanted. But we were headed in this direction, right?”
“Maggie, you wanted to break up with him a few days ago.” Shiloh was doing a really bad job of being supportive. She stepped back, realizing her sister needed space.
All of us stood there for a while before I spoke. “What do you need from us?”
“Nothing.” She sighed. “Actually, that is not true. I need you all to at least try and make peace with the Rippers. They’re about to be my family. Fred’s asked me to marry him”
Holden spoke what we were all thinking. “You and that little baby will always have all my love and support. But asking us to make peace with a family full of criminals is asking a lot.”
“There is no proof that they are criminals.”
“Mags.” I was tempted to pull her close. But that wasn’t a good idea. Instead, I allowed some of my frustration to seep out. “Shiloh’s going to be a cop. I’m headed that way too, and Holden is going to be an officer in the Navy. I think separating ourselves from your future in-laws is necessary.”
Was I being harsh? Probably. But I was being fair. She wanted our support. And she would always have that. But there was no way any of us would be okay with her future husband.
She pushed away from the bar. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you all have such a negative opinion of their family because his brother cheated on Cat in high school?”
Shiloh moved her head from side to side. “No. My negative opinion of the man has to do with how often he happens to be associated with known criminals. Only so much of it can be attributed to coincidence, Mags. I may not be a cop yet, but the guy sets my teeth on edge.”
