To Professor, With Love (Forbidden Men 2)

“I’m inclined to agree with her,” Aspen spoke up, startling me.

I turned, curious about her input. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think she was lying, too.”

“Exactly,” the pregnant blonde cried, lifting her hand in a thank-you gesture to Aspen. Her mouth was muffled by nuts as she added, “I mean, hello, she’d have to be nearly as far along as I am, right? Everyone I needed to tell about my baby was told months ago. Why would she wait this long to drop the bomb now?”

Reese zipped her gaze to Lowe, her eyes sparkling with hope. “Eva has a good point. And what about her fiancé? How does she know it’s not his?”

Lowe pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, looking thoughtful. “Maybe it took her a while to find me.”

“Yeah, right.” Reese snorted. “You know, good and well, that bitch has known every step you’ve made since leaving Waterford. She found out everything there was to know about me within a month. There’s no way she lost track of you.”

“So wait, wait, wait.” Ten waved his hands. “Lowe, you seriously fucked another woman, maybe even knocked her up, and you...” He set his gaze on Reese, “aren’t pissed as hell right now?”

“Oh, I’m pissed,” Reese was adamant to claim. “But not at Mason. Besides, this particular...event happened before we hooked up.” Then she cleared her throat and lowered her face before mumbling, “Technically.”

Lowe winced and reached out to run his hand over her hair before leaning over the bar to kiss her temple. “I can’t believe this is happening. You are the only person I’ve ever wanted to have babies with. Jesus, Reese...” He squeezed his eyes closed and pressed his brow to hers. “Can’t we just rewind everything so I can go back do it right the first time?”

I glanced at Aspen because, hell, seeing Reese and Mason’s connection simply drew me to her, wanting a taste of the same bond they shared.

She glanced at me as if she felt the same pull. Her eyes glittered with tears. Then she turned back to the grieving couple. “I’ve had a lot of experience with people like this...Mrs. Garrison, is it?”

Reese turned toward Aspen, wiping her wet cheeks. “That’s right.”

“Right,” Aspen murmured on a soft note. “And I’ve come to learn they give away certain tells when they’re lying. Each person’s may be different, but they always do something to denote the lie. And from her behavior, I don’t even believe she was pregnant, much less honest about the child’s paternity.”

Lowe blew out a relieved breath. “Really?”

She shook her head.

“But her fucking belly was out to here.” Ten held out his hand and pretended to waddle. Next to him, Ham nodded, thinking the cougar had looked pregnant too.

“It wasn’t shaped quite right, though,” Aspen insisted. She pointed at the blonde. “Her stomach looks almost perfectly round, while the other woman’s was more...oblong.”

Propping his elbows on the bar, Pick leaned over the counter to check out the blonde’s belly. “You do have the most adorable baby bump I’ve ever seen.”

“And the other woman’s breasts didn’t look nearly as swollen as hers,” Aspen went on.

Pick snorted. “I’d say.”

The blonde shot him a glare. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

He grinned at her. “Pick.”

She blinked. “Pick what? I’m not picking out your name.”

“No, that’s my name, Tinker Bell. Pick, short for Patrick Jason Ryan. You like?”

“Anyway.” Aspen lifted her voice to speak over Pick’s strange flirting with the preggo. “She didn’t have any of the water retention this girl has in her face.”

The preggo gasped, grasping her cheeks as she whirled to Reese. “I have water retention?”

“What? No! No, sweetie. Barely any at all.”

“So I do then?”

Gritting her teeth, Reese sent Aspen a scowl. I thought I was going to have to jump over the bar to defend her, but the front door opened again.