She starts choking before it turns to laughter. “Do tell?”
I blush a hot pink and meet the eyes of the women I trust more than anyone in the world.
“It was a little heated moment. Nothing came of it.”Because he stopped it.“He was showing me how to smooth the rough wood for my cabinets.”
“Oooh! Even that sounds hot.” Cassie giggles. Ginger and CeCe follow suit.
“It wasn’t my fault, but I lost control. He had me pressed up against the table and, well, it vibrated right in the … perfect spot.”
“Oh shit!” Ivy starts to howl. This is her first kid-free night in a while as Wade holds down the fort, so she’s already on her second sangria. “You dirty little slut you.”
“Okay, I’m a happily committed woman now.” Cassie’s blue eyes dance. She’s so relaxed and at home at Silver Pines. She slotted straight into our friendship group and has really settled into Kentucky life as she focuses on writing music now. It’s as if she’s a whole new woman since she stopped performing. “I mean, there’s no man I love more than my own, but we gotta know. That man justknowswhat he’s doing, doesn’t he?”
“I’d put money on it,” Ivy chimes in. “He’s got that same BDE I loved about Wade.”
“Gross.” CeCe covers her ears.
“Sorry.” Ivy winks at her, looking not the least bit sorrywith a tipsy glow taking over her pretty face.
“Oh, he knows,” I admit. “Too much. Even when I’m crampy and nauseous and moody, I still want him. And, God, there are moments I think he wants me too. But last night, in the wood-shop, it was like a wall went up when we got too close.”
“He’s definitely a bit of a mystery,” CeCe chimes in. “And it’s not the same thing, but Nash has trauma in his past. It took some time for him to trust that he deserved me.”
I nod, knowing now that these two men don’t share the same kind of trauma, though Asher’s story isn’t mine to tell them.
“Maybe you just need to give him a little more time,” CeCe continues. “Maybe letting someone in isn’t easy for him.”
“Asher is a lone wolf. He’s got his property, his job, his dog, and now here I am, barging in, baby in tow. I can’t ask him for more.” I smile. “Although he seems genuinely excited about the baby.”
“And it’s hard not to want him when he looks like that.” Ginger snorts as she picks up a chip from the bowl in front of her.
“That’s the problem. It’s like I can’t control myself. I almost always want him,physically,” I tell them. “Is that normal?”
“Oh hell, wait until you hit your second trimester,” CeCe says knowingly. Ivy nods but keeps her mouth shut at the other end of the table.
My eyes grow bigger with a little bit of fear. “I’m gonna want himmore?”
CeCe leans in. “Well, everyone is different, but let’s just say that there were times when I could’ve been with Nash and my vibrator in the same hour and I still wouldn’t have been satisfied.”
Ginger starts to laugh beside me. “Thanks for that picture.”
“My pleasure,” CeCe fires back.
“He’s coming with me to the doctor tomorrow. But wemade a pact: We’re just friends and the baby is the priority. Asher and I are gonna keep things as uncomplicated as possible.”
“A pact?” Cassie’s eyes twinkle. “That’s cute.”
I side-eye her. “It’s a big move, him stepping up like this. Especially when he has no desire to be married or even in a serious relationship. I’m not forcing him into any corner. I just want him to be a good dad.”
“He seems like the kind of man who will just take care of business. I think he’ll be a great dad,” Cassie observes.
“He left me pregnancy candies the other day and this tea that stops morning sickness,” I tell them. “It was sweet.”
“Ooooh, we love an acts-of-service man.Hot,” Ginger says. “That’s maybe his thing. It’s easier to show you how he feels. You know? Take care of you.”
“So he is sweet and protective, but I want to climb him like a tree? Should be theeasiestseven months ever,” I joke, throwing my hands up as the girls laugh with me. God, I love them.
“What’s his own dad like? Do you know?” Cassie asks curiously, shoving some popcorn into her mouth as the timed twinkle lights above us kick on, illuminating the darkened sky.
