Inked Babies (Inked Brotherhood 6)

“He knows I love my sci-fi movies.” Erin grins. “He had it all organized, from the food and drinks to the clothes he would wear, the works. My guy doesn’t like surprises. I had no idea about all this. And then… I showed him the positive pregnancy test. You should have seen his face.”

“Oh no,” Megan snickers.

“He just stared at it for the longest moment, then he knelt down and proposed. Just like that. He said, ‘Marry me?’ And of course I said yes.”

“What happened to the ring?” Audrey asks.

“He gave it to me. I wear it sometimes.”

“It’s funny,” Megan says. “Never thought I’d care about it, but there’s something about seeing the man you love on his knees, asking you to be his.”

Yeah. I kick at a pebble. That’s so… romantic. And I hate how I sound in my head. So… wistful.

Why am I wistful? It’s not like Dylan doesn’t do romantic stuff with me. When his brothers stay with our friends, he takes me out to nice restaurants and the movies. He buys me flowers for my birthday, or for our anniversaries.

He remembers them all, unlike me. When we first met. When we first kissed. When we got back together. When I moved in with him.

When I told him I loved him.

“I could swear Dylan wants to propose to you,” Audrey says, a twinkle in her eye. “And make lots of squirmy babies with you.”

“Nah, we don’t want that. Not ready yet.”

“Nothing wrong with wanting a career first,” Megan says. “Babies take lots of time. And besides, there are Dylan’s brothers. Must feel like a family already.”

It does.

We’re fine as we are. It’s true. So why obsess, why stress Dylan with that? We’re young. There’s plenty of time to think about this later on.

I’m not going to think about this any longer.

I’m not. Seriously.

Ugh.

And did you know, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

***

“Hey, Tess!” Miles is running toward me. It’s growing late, time for lunch, and we’re getting ready to leave. “What do you call a group of kids?”

“No clue. What do you call it?”

“A migraine.”

I laugh. “Did you think that one up?”

He shrugs. “Not sure. I think I read it somewhere.”

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He shades his eyes, gazing at where Erin and Audrey are gathering the kids while I watch over the babies in their strollers. “Do you want to marry Dylan and have babies with him?”

I freeze. Am I so easy to read? “Can I plead the Fifth?”

He shrugs. “You can. But I heard you talking with your friends. You told them you don’t want it. Is it true?”

“I didn’t say that. I said we don’t want it, not yet.”