“What?” he asked innocently.
She put her hands on her hips and gave him a knowing stare. “Did you already know I was pregnant?”
His eyes slid to Jake, who was now very much aware of the conversation taking place beside him. With an indiscernible shake of his head, Jake warned Derek not to rat him out.
“No,” Derek chuckled nervously. “Of course not.”
“Oh, my God! You totally did!” Through narrow eyes, Liv looked up at Jake. “You told them, didn’t you?”
“What?” his boss lied horribly. “No. I-I...”
Derek snickered when Olivia gave Jake ‘the look’.
“Okay, fine,” he relented. “I told them.”
The man had fearlessly faced death and torture more times than Derek could remember, yet one look from his wife and he folded like a stack of cards.
“Jake!” Olivia scolded her husband.
“I know, I know. And I’m sorry.” Jake rested his hands on his wife’s hips. “I didn’t mean to, I swear. Derek guessed what was going on, and I was so excited I just couldn’t keep it in any longer. Besides”—he gave Olivia a look of his own—“you can’t be mad at me when you told Mac.”
“McKenzie Kelley!” Olivia’s head swiveled toward her friend. “You swore you wouldn’t say anything.”
“I’m sorry,” Mac cringed. “I got caught up in the moment, and it just slipped out.”
Olivia busted up laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. When she caught her breath, she addressed the entire group again. “I guess it really doesn’t matter. Either way, the cat’s out of the bag, now.”
“More like, the bun will be out of the oven in nine months,” Derek teased.
“Six and a half months, actually,” she corrected him. “I’m already ten weeks along. We wanted to wait until closer to the end of the first trimester to tell everyone.”
More cheers and well-wishes were given before everyone finally sat back down to order.
“This is a little strange,” Lexi commented while looking at the menu.
“What’s that, angel?” Trevor asked from beside her.
“Usually, I’m back in the kitchen, grabbing bites whenever I can. I’ve never sat at one of our tables to order before.” She smiled at Trevor. “It’s kinda fun.”
Trevor leaned over and kissed his wife’s temple. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Derek sat quietly, observing the two couples at the table. Jake and Liv were all smiles as they discussed the impending birth of their first child. Trevor and Lexi each stole little glances here and there, the love they felt for each other obvious.
He was truly happy for both couples, which made his guilt over his jealousy weigh even heavier on his shoulders. Needing a few minutes away from the insurmountable bliss surrounding him, Derek stood and pushed in his chair.
“Where are you going?” Grant asked without looking away from his menu.
“Bathroom. That okay, or do you want to come hold my dongle while I go?”
“Jesus Christ,” the other man grumbled. “Just go.”
Satisfied by the barely-noticeable tilt of his friend’s mouth, Derek turned and headed to the opposite side of the restaurant where the restrooms were located. A couple of minutes later, he was turning the corner at the end of the narrow hallway when he bumped into someone.
“Excuse me,” he told the woman, her long, blonde hair hiding her face. He steadied her with a hand to her elbow.
“Oh!” she said at the same time. “I’m so sorry.”
Derek’s heart kicked the inside of his chest.That voice.Though it lacked a southern drawl, it was the same, raspy tone he remembered.
