“You both found good ones. Of course, Flynn I understand because he has that whole tall, dark, and mysterious thing happening, but it’s unbelievable that Sophie settled for a bastard like you. But hey, I guess you’ve always been lucky.”
Jude nods, unperturbed. If there’s anything that doesn’t bruise his ego, it’s suggesting that he married up when it comes to Sophie. He knows it, he admits it, he’s proud of it. Which, having known the cocky bastard for nearly forty fucking years, is wild to me.
“I know,” he answers smugly. “Now I just need to knock her up.”
I choke on the swig of beer I was taking and eye him curiously. I knew the whole party was on a spawn kick, considering the reason for it, but I didn’t know Jude was ready too. “You really think you’re ready for kids? Isn’t the whole commitment to one woman thing enough for now?”
Jude shakes his head tauntingly, a look of power and knowledge in his eyes. “You just don’t get it yet, dude. Once you have the kind of thing I have with Sophie, you want to do all the stuff. The house, the babies, the growing old… It’s a weird feeling but a seriously good one.”
“Bull-shit,” I squawk, loudly enough that it gets the attention of both Flynn and Remy from across the room. They head our way immediately, after exchanging a painfully annoying “older brother” look. The fucks started rubbing in their geriatric age the moment I could talk and haven’t stopped since. I imagine they both think they’re coming over here to school me somehow.
“What’s bullshit?” Remy asks, crossing his arms over his chest in his favorite power pose, his feet planted shoulder-width apart.
“Nothing,” I say with a roll of my eyes and a swig of my beer.
Jude laughs, the traitor. “Ty here doesn’t believe me. I told him that when you find the right person, you like the idea of babies and shit. Want it, even.”
“Okay, like the idea, sure,” I correct with a wag of my finger and beer bottle. “But you’re fucking rooting for it. And that, I don’t believe.”
“It’s true. When you feel content, you want all that shit,” Rem says, totally throwing me off. Of all the guys in this group, I thought he’d at least be on my side.
“You can’t be serious, Mr. Hermit. For fuck’s sake, I don’t even think I’ve seen you learn a woman’s name since Charlotte left you at the altar a decade and a half ago.”
Jude’s eyes round, and Flynn sighs. I know, I know. The whole left at the altar thing is something we don’t ever talk about. But I’m sick of it. We’re two fortunes down at this point, and there’s no way everyone can ignore it forever. I know I can’t. Not after I found Cleo last spring.
Remy glances from Flynn to Jude and then, finally, over to me. His eyes are hard, but in a completely unexpected twist, they’re also shining with respect.
“You’re right, Ty. I haven’t settled down. I haven’t found the one. And to be frank, I haven’t even tried. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want those things. That I can’t see that Jude and Flynn are happy and what they have with Sophie and Daisy is real.”
“What the hell? They must be pumping something through the vents here,” I croon. “You’ve all lost your minds.”
Flynn rolls his eyes and walks away without comment. It’s not all that surprising since he doesn’t say much ever, but I at least expected him to tell me to fuck off or something. Somehow, his silent exit is even scarier.
Remy and Jude share a look before shrugging.
“Think what you want, man,” Jude says, unbothered. “You’ll get it one day.”
My eyes narrow at their dropping the topic so easily, and then I jump as arms loop through both of mine at the elbows. On one side, my sister Winnie. On the other, my mother.
I glance to the side to see Flynn standing there smirking, the bastard. I should have known he’d try to teach me a lesson, even if it wasn’t with words. He’s sicced the biggest romantics of the group on me.
“Ty!” Winnie cries excitedly, leaning into me and tugging on my arm. “Flynn said the shower’s got you thinking about having babies!”
My gaze jerks to the dirty, backhanded bastard again, and Jude and Remy are smiling like a bunch of amused idiots.
“No, Win. I’m not. Kind of have to settle down with a woman first, you know?”
“And when are you planning to do that, Ty?” my mom chimes in, trapping me between a rock and a hard place.
“I don’t know, Mom.”
“Oh, Ty Alexander. I swear. I’m going to be dead before you give me grandbabies, huh?” she asks on a sigh, sarcasm in her voice.