A sound to our left distracts us and Jax peels away from me like I’m on fire. He easily lifts me up with one hand. I bounce on the mat into his chest and he steadies me with a hand on the middle of my lower back pulling me in close. We look up noticing Piper and a chorus of clearing throats ensues. Okay, maybe I’m not fire, but Jax looks like he’s suddenly guilty of something and we just got caught doing something we shouldn’t which is strange since Piper set this up.
“Huh.” The sound comes from Piper who is balancing a baby wrapped in blue on one hip, while my daughter Maisy helps push the double stroller where Danika is sleeping wrapped in a purple blanket.
I scrunch my face up mouthing, what, from behind Jax’s back. She’s supposed to be at the house, what is she doing at the gym now? My cheeks heat feeling guilty over nothing. I wasn’t…Jax wasn’t…ugh we weren’t doing anything wrong.
Jax moves past me, his hand drifting off my back and I’m chilled when it’s gone. “Hey Piper. Hey little man.” Jax takes her son Dmitri and holds him. The sight is something that makes my ovaries burst. His muscles bunch and the baby pumps his little fists in the air.
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“Interesting.” Piper says looking me over. I cross my arms over my chest because damn if my nipples don’t feel rock hard and poking through my sports bra. I lost my shirt when we wrestled earlier practicing moves but I don’t tell her that.
“What is it Pip?” Jax glances at us both.
“Oh nothing, but I thought you guys would be hungry after training.” Understatement of the year. “Milo is picking up steaks to grill. Want to come over?”
I’m saying no with my hands, my mouth, and my body language waving like a lunatic tree back and forth in the wind, but Piper is smiling like an evil witch completely disregarding me.
“Sure.” Jax smiles at the baby and I sigh.
“Come on Di, I know you’re not suddenly a vegetarian.” I hate her right now and I wave her off again.
“Mommy has funny dance moves.” My daughter laughs and Jax turns to see me as I straighten up grinning like an idiot. Inside I’m trying to burn Piper with my laser focused glare, but nothing happens, not even a damn singe to her perfect post-pregnancy hair. Six weeks to the day since she delivered her twin bundles and back to her pre-baby weight. She wiggles her even more perfect eyebrows and I trip over my own legs.
“Whoa there.” Jax manages to hold the baby and reach for me.
“Yes, your mother does honey bear, must be some kind of interpretive yoga.” Piper doesn’t even try to contain her smile while Jax extends a hand to help me up, more than capable of balancing us both and my girl parts quiver.
“So dinner? Shall we?” I brush them all off giving Piper a well-deserved scowl.
***
It’s not until we all get back to The Lazare homestead, a nice brownstone house in Federal Hill with a tiny backyard that I get cornered by Piper.
“So what was all that back at the gym.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She uncorks the bottle of wine and pours us a glass giving me the stare down I knew was coming. “Hey, are you pumping and dumping tonight.” I watch her take a swig of wine concerned.
“Oh, I had to switch to formula this week because the little vampires suck me dry. I think Milo is the only one disappointed by this.” Piper refills her glass and tops mine off.
“Poor Milo.” I mutter trying not to think about my best friend and her husband getting it on like a normal happy married couple. The last time I had sex was before Maisy was born. Allen wasn’t interested when I was pregnant making his revulsion obvious and afterwards, well his cheating and Maisy’s cancer made sex a sure thing that was not going to happen.
“Yes, poor me, what are we lamenting now?” Milo carries a platter of steaks with Jax on his heels. Jax holds a beer and little Dmitri who is wrapped up like a burrito against his Uncle. It’s overwhelmingly adorable and I gulp my wine to keep from saying so. I don’t think I’ve been buzzed since my wedding reception.
“Only my breasts.” Piper says.
I cough and she whacks me on the back on auto pilot.
“Pip.” Jax groans.
“Oh please, it’s not as if you haven’t seen them before.” She waves the guys off, but Milo pauses looking at his wife and then at Jax while he’s got the tongs holding up a steak.
“Hmm.” Milo hums.
Our friendship has no boundaries whatsoever. It’s disturbing and yet normal.
“Dude, no way.” Jax tries to save himself looking equally embarrassed.
“Breastfeeding?” Milo asks non-pulsed.