Ryder (Slater Brothers 4)

Dominic nodded once, then turned his attention to Bronagh when she entered the room. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed, deeply. “I’m so fat.” She frowned. “It took me a whole sixty seconds to get meself off the toilet.”

I snickered while Dominic tilted his head to the side.

“Fat?” he questioned. “And here I thought you were pregnant. Man, you had me fooled.”

Bronagh gave him the finger. “Bite me, Fuckface. You did this to me.”

“You bet your phat ass I did,” he grinned, unfazed by the insult.

To be fair, Fuckface had made the transition from an insult to a term of endearment years ago, and I figured that was why Dominic never minded it.

I smiled while Bronagh moved to the end of the kitchen counter. She—stupidly—tried to jump up and sit on the counter like she had always done in the past, but now that she was pregnant it was dangerous, and hilarious, because she could never get up onto the counter without help.

“Dominic,” I mused. “Give her a hand.”

He got up, moved to Bronagh and carefully lifted her up on the counter. My sister watched him and smiled which caused him to smile too.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” he asked, amused.

“You didn’t struggle liftin’ me, that means I’m not that fat yet.”

Dominic snorted. “I can bench press my own weight without breaking a sweat, and even halfway through pregnancy you’re still fifty pounds or so lighter than me.”

Bronagh clapped her hands together. “I hope it stays that way.”

“It won’t,” I evilly grinned. “You’ll put on another twenty pounds by the time you have ‘er with the way you eat. Dominic has been orderin’ pizza for you at least five times a week he said.”

Bronagh scowled at me while Dominic laughed.

“You know,” he began as I stirred the spoon in my cup of tea. “It bugs me that you haven’t come around to calling me Nico like the other girls.”

I grinned. “I knew you as Dominic long before you were the Nico who was hasslin’ Bee in school.”

His lip twitched. “Hassling? Please, she loved every second of my focus on her.”

“Yeah,” Bronagh said with a playful roll of her eyes. “Interaction with your annoyin’ self was what I lived for back then.”

Dominic gestured to his body. “You can’t blame yourself. You have incredible taste, sweetheart.”

Bronagh lazily swung for him, and he easily ducked out of the way, laughing softly. He got in her face before she could jump down from the kitchen counter and start a mess fight with him.

“And now,” he murmured, resting his hands on her swollen abdomen. “We’re having a baby together.”

Bronagh leaned her head forward, and nuzzled her nose against his. I smiled at the pair of them, adoring the love they had for one another. They were still opposites in so many ways, but one thing no one could deny was how hard they loved each other. It was dangerous, the dependency they had on one another, but I understood it.

I understood what it was like to love someone so deeply that you invested your soul in theirs. I had that with Ryder, and it’s why I was so broken now that it was fading away. I was slowly dying without his unconditional love, and I only had myself to blame.

You should have guarded your heart better, my mind sneered.

I looked away from Dominic and my sister and looked down to my phone when it pinged. It was a text message from Ash. I read it and snickered. I thumbed out a reply, hit send then pocketed my phone. I looked up to find the two love birds staring at me.

“Who was that?” Dominic asked, his eyebrow raised.

Nosey git.

“A co-worker,” I responded then flicked my eyes to Bronagh. “He is pickin’ me up to head back to work, are you still collectin’ me at four?”

“Four?” she questioned. “Why not eight?”

I shrugged. “It’s trainin’ day for fourth year midwives from the university, I opted out of being part of it so I get to come home earlier. I’m exhausted and need to get some mental rest. I’m gettin’ old, it appears.”

That was a bullshit lie if I ever told one. What I wasn’t saying was that I needed some me time to figure out how I was going to break up with Ryder. I was going to do it sooner rather than later. I wanted to do it like ripping off a plaster, quick and painless. Or just quick.

Dominic waved my concerns off. “You’re still the hottest thirty-something year old I know.”

No one was allowed say my real age, thirty-something was as close as they could get.

My lip quirked. “Thanks, that makes me feel so much better.”

“He’s right,” Bronagh grinned. “You have a bangin’ body, and your boobs are still perky.”

Dominic’s eye flicked down to my chest and it made me laugh.

“He is so predictable,” I said to Bronagh.

My sister looked at him and gave him a nudge, regaining his attention.

“I’m sittin’ right here,” she scowled.

Dominic scratched his neck. “You were the one who was talking about her tits, not me.”

Bronagh shook her head, grinning. “How dare I.”

I smiled then stood up when I heard a horn beep outside. “That’s for me,” I said as I picked up my bag, and hooked the strap over my shoulder before pointing at my sister. “Four o’clock. Don’t forget, I don’t want to have to get the bus.”

Bronagh saluted me. “I’ll be there.”

I gave her a hug and poked Dominic in the sides before I left their house. I smiled when Ash came into view as I approached his car. I carefully opened the passenger door and slid into the passenger seat. When I was buckled up I turned my attention to Ash and smiled, “Hello, loser.”

He feigned hurt and his facial expression caused me to laugh, loudly.

“How was your break?” he asked as he pulled away from the kerb.

I yawned. “Not long enough, I could sleep for a year.”

“Me too,” Ash agreed, looking as tired as I felt. “I’m probably just going to hit the deli in the hospital for lunch in the future, being at home is too tempting because my bed is there.”