Perfectly Toxic (Sterling Shore 9)

She’s not as full of life and fearless as Angel, but she was adopted because of neglect from her birth family. I’m sure that plays a major part in the personality differences.

“What the hell have you got?” Dane asks Carrie as she continues whispering.

He pulls something out of her hand, and Carrie grins at him.

“A thu-mom-mmeter,” Carrie says quietly with some difficulty, unable to pronounce the word right.

Hell, it’s the first time I’ve heard her spe

ak.

“I have one too! We found a whole bunch of them in the bathroom trashcan,” Angel exclaims, holding hers up.

The color drains from Bella’s face, and Allie’s eyes widen. Dane makes some strangled sound low in his throat, as Rain bursts out laughing.

Me? I have no fucking clue what’s going on, so I continue to drink my beer, trying to race to the bottom so I can drink another one.

“Holy sh—” Wren’s words are cut short when his mother slaps the back of his head. He doesn’t even acknowledge it.

“These are freaking pregnancy tests!” Maverick says, laughing hysterically as he walks away, heaving for air.

“Damn it, Mav! Shut up,” Dane hisses.

“What’s a pregnancy test?” Angel asks immediately.

“Something you shouldn’t be touching,” Wren says with a grimace. “Go wash your hands. Now. Hurry. Both of you.”

Carrie and Angel run off to do just that, and silence falls on the table as everyone looks to Rain.

“Unless somehow my uterus magically regrew, you can all stop looking at me expectantly,” she states dryly.

Right. Right. Rain had to have a hysterectomy.

Kode looks at Tria, who immediately shakes her head as though she can’t say ‘no’ quickly enough. For some reason, Kode actually looks a little disappointed.

That’s when all eyes fall on Ash, who is shifting her baby into the other arm.

“Seriously? Someone’s pregnant and everyone assumes it’s me?” she asks incredulously.

This time, Tag sputters his drink, but everyone continues staring at Ash.

“No. I’m not pregnant. Two kids are plenty,” she says, sounding annoyed. “Besides, since our daughter won’t sleep, we haven’t done any baby-making skills since before I went into labor.”

Tag groans, Maverick laughs harder, and our gazes shift down the table to Tria again, since she’s Rain’s sister and it would make sense for her to have a pregnancy test in the trashcan.

“It’s really not me,” she states assertively. “I’m currently having that wonderful time of the month.”

“Too much information,” Rye groans.

“Well, you guys won’t stop staring like you’re expecting an immediate baby bump to protrude at any second.”

She’s blushing like she’s on fire, but Kode kisses her cheek, grinning. “You’d look cute with a baby bump.”

“Not happening any time soon,” she says, but her lips twitch like she wants to smile.

Fucking baby talk everywhere.

“Who the hell is pregnant?” I finally ask, and Brin makes a startled sound that draws attention to her.