My Bad (Bear Bottom Guardians MC 4)

The longer I could keep this a secret, the better.

I just wanted Hoax to be the first to know, and I wanted him to find out in person.

He assured me that they were only there for about two more months. Surely, I could keep it a secret from everyone at work, as well as his motorcycle club that had simply forced their way into my life—not that I didn’t like them being there for me.

“I mean, I know that Phoebe was telling me that you were, but Jesus. You really are. You can tell.” She shook her head. “When are you going to tell him?”

Piper was currently in uniform, staring at me like I had an alien attached to my chest, and not a baby belly.

I’d answered her call while I’d been in the shower, so excited to hear from her that I’d hit the button that answered, and accidentally turned on Facetime—apparently, I was good at calling people and showing them my secrets. Because I most certainly wouldn’t have chosen for Hoax to know that Kelley had done what he’d done. I would’ve kept that secret until he’d come home, because I really hated that he felt guilty for being there and not here when I needed him.

“I’m going to tell him when the time is right,” I told her, shrugging. “I was going to wait until he came home, but then I got a call from him today. He said that he might be there a little longer than expected because of something happening that shouldn’t. I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do.”

“Make a doctor appointment,” she suggested.

I nodded. “I did. It’s in three weeks. I had no idea how hard it was to get into an obstetrician. That was their earliest appointment. And I made that three weeks ago.”

Piper shook her head. “You could come up here, and I could work you into our schedule.”

I snorted. “Yes, I’ll just get right on that. Germany’s how far away? Twenty-hour flight?”

Piper shrugged. “I’ll let you know in two weeks.”

I blinked. “What?”

Piper’s grin grew. “I have leave. I’m coming home for two weeks.”

I hadn’t seen my sister in a very long time. Much longer than I was used to.

“What?” I screeched.

“Two weeks,” she repeated. “My leave was approved today. Which was why I was calling. Can you pick me up at the airport?”

My grin was so wide that I couldn’t contain myself. “Yes!”

That was about the time that the shampoo that I still hadn’t washed out of my hair started to fall into my eyes.

I stepped back in the shower, put the phone on the shower caddy, and rinsed the soap out of my eyes.

“Yes, yes, fuck me!”

We both froze.

“Let me guess, you’re watching porn now in the birds’ presence?” Piper asked, mirth sparkling in her eyes.

I slicked my hair back and glanced over at the bird that was sitting on the toilet seat. I’d tried to shoo him out before I’d taken my shower, but he’d refused to leave.

I’d counted it as a win since I’d managed to close the door before Doohickey or Bacon made their way inside.

“I wasn’t watching porn,” I muttered, reaching for the conditioner. “Stop staring at my boobs.”

“You have the phone in the shower with you. And your nipples look huge. And dark. What else am I supposed to stare at?” she asked. “Those really should’ve been the first things that were like a big ‘oh shit, I’m pregnant’ to you.”

I ignored her and turned the phone slightly so she only saw me from the throat up.

She sat back in a chair, and I saw the sparse room around her. “Are you not going to decorate your space or anything?”

She glanced around her. “No. What’s the point? I’m just waiting here in limbo until they move me off base. That should be within the next couple of months, they said. Then I’ll actually be able to cook something other than a microwave dinner.”

I was about to reply when my phone made a weird sound, and an icon saying ‘Hoax is calling’ had me squealing.

After explaining what was going on, I promised to call Piper back and quickly ended her call and navigated my way into Messenger.

After accidentally realizing that you could video call through Messenger, we’d done it twice since then.

Pressing the button that connected me to him, I waited.

It didn’t take long for his beautiful face to fill up my screen.

His beard was poofier, his hair longer, and his face was dirty.

But he looked good.

So good.

Too good.

I grinned. “Hoax.”

He didn’t say a word while he took me in.

I was thankful that I’d positioned the phone so that the only thing that could be seen was my head and part of my neck.

“Showering?” he rumbled.

His voice sent shivers down my spine. “Yes.”

His lips spread into a mouthwatering smile.