“Well, good for you,” Liliana praises. “My husband is a great guy—and he wouldn’t wear that thing to work if he had a choice between that and a vasectomy reversal. And trust me, we already have five kids as it is.”
I chuckle at that. “I’m lucky I work for Jared Hawkins.”
Liliana smiles. “We all are, but it still took guts.”
“Thanks, Lil,” I say with a squeeze of her hand. “I have to head back to my cave and do some cost-benefit analysis, but I hope to see you before I leave.”
“If I don’t, congratulations. Not sure I’ve said that yet.”
I smile. It’s the first time I’ve been given the opportunity to claim this baby as my own, and it feels fucking fantastic. “Thanks.”
We part ways and exit the room—the last two people left, seeing as all of my male coworkers beat feet a long time ago—and head to our respective offices.
I close the door behind me and consider grabbing my phone to send a text to the guys about tonight. It’s supposed to be book club slash poker night slash whatever the fuck, but I’m hoping they’ll be willing to shift the plans a little to accommodate someone else. I don’t want to leave New York without taking Rocky to meet them. Not only would they be pissed, but she could use a whole network of us in her corner. From what I’ve seen, despite a number of people on her payroll, I’m the only one she’s really got.
I take a literal load off in my desk chair and contort my body just enough to get my phone out of my jacket pocket. It’s amazing how hard everything is with this extra stuff protruding out of my front.
Instinctually, I think it’s probably a better idea to text just Kline about this. He’ll be the best at handling the rest of the clowns.
Me: Hey, man. Would you mind doing me a favor?
Kline: As long as it doesn’t involve anything illegal, I’m here for you, man.
I laugh.
Me: Nothing illegal. Though, your methods are your own business, and given the people who are involved, I can’t guarantee you won’t stoop to murder or the like.
Kline: Great. Something with Thatch and Cap.
Me: Haha. Yeah, you got it. I’m sorry, btw. But it’s important. I was hoping you could talk to the guys about tonight.
Kline: You’re not coming?
Me: No, I am. I just want to bring someone with me. The, uh, mother of my child. She could really use a support system, and for as annoying as these guys can be, it’s still the best one I know of.
His response is as reliable as the man himself.
Kline: Consider it done. I’ll make them understand. I’ll also have the ole daddy chat about them being on their best behavior.
Yeah. If there’s one guy in our group you can always count on, it’s Kline Brooks.
“Ready?” I ask before we step out of the elevator and into the hallway of Thatch’s Manhattan apartment.
“Honestly?” Rocky asks, and I nod. “I’m not sure.”
I smile softly and take her hand in both of mine. “They’re crazy. Overwhelming, inappropriate, even infuriating sometimes, but—”
“Is this supposed to be making me feel better?” she questions, cutting me off with a hand to her hip.
“I’m getting to that part.” My smile deepens. “But they’re some of the best people you’ll ever meet in your life. They will have your back—no matter what. And they will never let you down. Even if you someday decide to hate my guts, you’ll be able to count on them. Once they adopt you, they won’t falter. You’ll never escape their clutches…”
She snorts, and I laugh. “But I promise, you’ll never want to. Really. They’re such great people, Rock. You’ll be glad to have them in your corner.”
“Okay, okay,” she says with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. “I believe you.”
I squeeze her hand. “Good.”
“Should I mention that you were talking them up?”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. They’ll never let me live it down, and trust me, their egos are big enough already.”
“I feel like these reports about these men are conflicting.”
I smirk. “Now you’re getting it.”
“Is all friendship this complicated? Because I’m starting to think maybe it’s good that I don’t have much of it.”
I laugh. “I’m not sure about everyone else, but my friendships tend to be like this. It’s hard to describe how it’s worth it. Though, I guess it’s kind of like pregnancy. Morning sickness, swollen ankles, bloating, constipation, discomfort—it’s all part of the gig, right?”
She crinkles her nose and giggles. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“But you also get to feel the baby move inside you and feel a bond like no other and a whole bunch of other really amazing stuff, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Friends are cool.” She reaches out with one delicate hand to rub my fake belly with a playful grin. “Just like you.”