A Kiss for a Kiss (All In 4)

“And I’ll leave with you.” I need some kind of plan and a minute to get my head around this whole thing.

“Okay.” She pushes to her feet, running her hands down her thighs and then motions to her face. “Do I need to manage this? Does it look like I’ve been crying?”

“No. You look beautiful as ever.” It’s probably the first thing I’ve said to her that hasn’t made her cringe.

She gives me a small smile. “Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“Untrue. You’re always stunning, Hanna.” Out of habit, I place my fingertips at the small of her back as we step back out into the hall.

At the same time, the door to the men’s bathroom swings open and out steps Bishop.

He raises an eyebrow. “Seriously? Why is it every time there’s an event the two of you disappear together? You know you’re making it impossible for me to ignore this.”

“We were talking, just like last time,” Hanna says.

He rolls his eyes. “Uh-huh. You know, if you two are hooking up, can you please keep it on the downlow and keep me out of it? Like King’s family isn’t messed up enough as it is without you two making him and Queenie stepbrother and sister.”

And with that he turns around and stalks off.

Hanna’s eyes go wide with horror. “Oh my God, Jake. What the hell are we going to tell the kids?”

CHAPTER TEN

What’s the Plan?

Hanna

THE NEXT HALF hour is the longest of my life. To say Jake’s reaction is not what I anticipated would be an understatement. I didn’t think he’d jump for joy, but I also didn’t expect . . . that. Or maybe I’m hypersensitive. I don’t know. But it makes the time between telling him and leaving the bar tense.

“You okay?” Ryan slings his arm over my shoulders and pulls me into his side. In his other hand is a White Russian.

The thought of dairy makes my stomach turn, which is sad because I usually love all things dairy. Especially ice cream. “Yeah, just tired. You know how I am about flying. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure.” I hate that I’m lying to him. Still. Again. But I can’t stand the idea of ruining Queenie’s birthday with this kind of news. Not that it’s bad news, exactly. It’s just a shocker is all.

“You don’t have to drag yourself through to the end of the night. We’ll see you in the morning anyway. And you’re not flying out until later, right?”

“Late afternoon.” And I won’t get home until after midnight, but Monday is a work from home day and I’ve made sure all my phone meetings are scheduled in the afternoon, so I can sleep off the jet lag.

“We can get in some quality time over brunch. And I’ll drive you to the airport.” Ryan smiles down at me. He’s definitely tipsy. He doesn’t drink very often, and when he does, it’s usually dairy-based drinks that taste more like a milkshake than an alcoholic beverage.

“Okay. That sounds great.” I give him a kiss on the cheek and say my goodnight to the girls, quietly thanking Lainey, Stevie, and Violet for their help today and wishing Queenie a happy birthday. Jake uses my leaving as an excuse to take off as well, and we head out to the parking lot together, Jake calling us an Uber.

As soon as I’m in the car, I wilt. I’m beyond exhausted. My brain is a foggy mess, and I have no idea what kind of conversation to expect tonight. I dropped one hell of a bomb on Jake, not to mention myself. Everything was different when we were just sleeping together, having a bit of fun. Now our lives are irrevocably intertwined in a new way. No matter what happens, whether this baby happens, our relationship will never be the same as it was.

“How are you?” Jake asks. The ride has been pretty quiet so far, mostly because this isn’t a conversation either of us would like to have in the presence of Jett, the Uber driver with the bad haircut and terrible taste in music.

I shrug. “I’ve been better and I’ve been worse.” Reality is setting in and it scares the hell out of me. I don’t know whether I should feel any excitement at this point. There’s a part of me that’s really overjoyed, but that’s being stepped on by all my worry now.

He leans in, his lips at my ear, dropping his voice to a whisper, “Should we stop at a CVS on the way home? Should you take another test to make sure?”

I shake my head, then turn and tip my chin up as he bends so his ear is at my mouth. My nose brushes his cheek and I breathe in his cologne. Even as stressed as I am, my body warms to his proximity. “There’s no point in me taking another test. It’s rare to get a false positive when it comes to pregnancy tests. Either the hormone is there or it isn’t.”