“I found out I’m having a girl.” I pull out the sonogram picture and show it to them.
Their reactions are similar to Grizz’s, minus the part where he picked me up and twirled me around. Their big, strong, handsome faces, with the hard lines and serious expressions, temporarily turn into sweet puddles of goo.
“Congratulations.” Atlas pulls me into an embrace that’s every bit as enjoyable as Grizz’s, and also far too brief.
For a moment, Viper looks like he might hug me, too, but instead, he nods. I can tell he’s happy for me, but his smile doesn’t seem to come easy.
I don’t have much time to wonder about his reaction, though, because Atlas redirects my attention to the yarn. “Can you make a baby blanket? How many of these do you need?”
When I admire a variegated pastel colorway, Atlas insists I get it.
“Maybe just one,” I say.
“You must need more for a whole blanket.” His gaze drifts to my belly. “No matter how tiny she is.”
I tell him three skeins will be plenty, and he tosses them into the basket. “What other colors would you like? You need a hook, too, right?”
A set of three basic hooks doesn’t cost much, and as I put that in the basket, my eye catches on a particular shade of grayish-blue yarn that reminds me of Atlas’s eyes. After all they’ve done for me, it would be really niceto be able to make something for them, even if it does unfortunately require them to buy the supplies.
I end up selecting the blue, along with a forest green, and a warm heathered charcoal. As the men take the skeins from me and add them to their basket, I say, “I promise I’m not trying to bankrupt you.”
“You’d have to try harder,” Viper says.
In fact, they try to buy more things for me before we’re done shopping, and I have to be careful not to look at any one item for too long, so they don’t put it in the basket. Despite my protests, they insist on getting me a soft flannel shirt and a notebook with mountain artwork on the cover.
When Grizz eyes me as he picks up a candle that smells like flowers, I put my foot down. “Nothing else today. You’ve already gotten me more than enough.”
He sighs dramatically, teasing me. “You’re no fun.”
I direct his attention to the peanut butter, something I recall him mentioning, and he puts three jars of it on top of the nearly-full basket. “For emergencies,” he explains.
As we wait to check out, Atlas steps close enough so no one outside of our little group can hear him. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
He tips his head toward the door. “There’s a good lunch spot down the street, if you’re up for it.”
My wig is a little itchy, but I’m mostly used to it. The excitement of seeing my baby made it easy to ignore my disguise. “I’m good with that, if you think it’s okay.”
“Haven’t seen anything that concerns me,” Atlas says.
Viper’s gaze locks on mine. “If anyone looks twice at you, we’ll be on them.”
Comfort and danger, all wrapped in one calm statement.
“Lunch sounds good,” I tell them.
CHAPTER 16
KIRA
According to Grizz, Moon Ridge only has one restaurant, and it’s exactly what I expect, from the wooden floorboards to the cracked leather booths along the walls, to the age-worn wooden chairs surrounding the tables that fill the center of the space.
A bell over the door jingles as we come in. There’s a chalkboard menu near the entrance that already has a few of the specials smudged out.
A woman in her fifties with silver-streaked hair hustles over with a handful of menus. “Afternoon, boys. You brought a lady today. Miracles do happen.”
All three men nod a greeting, and Atlas says, “Ruth. How are you?”
