Breaking Even (Sterling Shore 5)

“Why are you killing Tag?” I ask softly, serving her the first strong glass of margarita.

“Because I’m pregnant and he didn’t tell me!” she barks, and I slide the margarita away from her. Obviously she can’t drink that in her condition.

Everyone at the table goes still and silent. Apparently no one knew. But... isn’t that something the girl tells the guy? Not the other way around?

“It’s payback. For Trip. I know it is. I’m going to kill him,” she groans, dropping her head to her hands.

“I thought you were on the pill,” Rain says quietly.

“I am. But I had to change my prescription two months ago. Whenever you change your pills, there’s a major possibility that you can get pregnant. So, we used condoms during that period of time. One of the condoms broke the last time I got drunk. My fertile son of a bitch husband knew it, but he kept it a secret.

“For two months he’s acted differently. He has constantly stopped me from drinking alcohol, limited my caffeine intake, and has even made me eat healthy shit. And he did it all with stealth so that I didn’t notice. He’s crafty like that. It’s one of the things I love and hate about him. But you have to tell a girl there’s another body growing inside of her if you’re suspicious!”

Whoa.

“You’re sure you’re pregnant?” Tria asks.

“Positive. I took ten tests. Not one of them said negative. My bladder has shriveled up in fear because I tried to take more tests. One time—the condom only broke one time.”

She scrubs her face with her hands and glances down to her stomach while we all search for the right thing to say.

“Wow. He really is fertile. Or maybe it’s the two of you combined, considering you’re the first and only girl he’s ever gotten pregnant,” Rain says, looking just as shocked as I feel.

Ash’s eyes change, anger fleeing as regret fills them. “I’m so sorry, Rain. This is... I’m an insensitive bitch for griping about this in front of you.”

I forgot Rain can’t have children, and I’m sure this is hard for her to sit in on.

Rain smiles warmly and rubs Ash’s hand in hers. “You’re not an insensitive bitch. I don’t think you know how to be. You were surprised, then a little freaked out, and now you’re venting. It’s allowed.”

Something crashes to the ground in my room, and a series of muttered curses and yelps of pain ring out in sequence. Then I hear the window in my room opening and slamming within seconds apart. Did he just call someone or something a vile bastard?

“What was that?” Ash asks, recoiling in alarm.

“That would be my very annoying neighbor trying to carry out some nefarious plan of revenge. Apparently things went awry. Pun intended.”

I grin as they all chuckle, and Ash says, “Come on out, Rye. We could use advice from a man right now.”

“No thank you. I’ll just stay in here until you all leave,” he calls back, and I stifle a laugh.

“Does he sneak into your room often?” Tria asks. I don’t like her teasing smile right now, because she’s giving me way too much credit if she thinks Rye is into me.

I grin while joking, “Usually he waits until after I go to sleep, and then he breaks in and breathes heavily in my ear.”

“That’s bullshit! I never breathe heavily. I’m afraid it’ll wake you up,” he says, playing along instead of being defensive, and everyone laughs again.

“I’ve never heard him joke before,” Rain says, her eyes on Tria.

“Me neither,” Tria says, grinning.

They apparently don’t know him very well, because that’s all the man knows how to do.

“Come have a beer,” I say to him as I stand and head to the fridge. I return to the table with two beers and a pitcher of margaritas.

With a reluctant sigh, he comes out, eyeing the table full of women. His arms have spots of blood on them, and so do his hands. What the hell has he been doing? He looks like he got into a fight with a thorn bush.

“What happened to you?” Tria gasps, staring at the same red flakes of blood that I am.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbles, sulking.