Until Cece (Happily Ever Alpha World)

“Which is why—” His sister Nalia laughs, pulling out a stack of hot pink plastic shot glasses from her bag. “—rather than becoming annoyed with men who believe we are incapable of helping, we’re going to drink until we are incapable of helping.”

“I don’t know,” I reply, looking at Mia. I feel bad for not helping clean up my house. Even when Mike and I were together, I didn’t have a housekeeper like most of our friends did. It just felt weird thinking about someone else cleaning up my mess, when I was home to do it myself.

“Trust us.” November hands me a shot. “We’ve been dealing with these guys forever. If you go back in there, you’re just going to be standing around, because they won’t let you do anything.”

At the sincerity in her eyes, and because this is the first time I’ve ever been around a group of women who welcomed me with open arms without even knowing me, I give in. “Okay!”

“What are we drinking to?” Nalia asks, holding up her glass, and we all follow her lead, lifting ours.

“To badass women who have the ability to take care of everything but more importantly take care of each other.” April throws back her shot, and everyone else does the same.

Even though I don’t have the salt and lime, the flavor of the tequila instantly brings back the memory of sitting at the bar with Winston, taking my first shots of Patrón. My heart sinks a little thinking about him. What I wouldn’t give to share just one more night like that with him, just talking and getting to know each other. And if it happened to end in a kiss the way it had that night…

No! I’ve got to stop letting myself fantasize about him. It’s never going to happen, and it only makes me long for him more. It only makes me pine for him, becoming more and more desperate to see him, to be near him, and I can’t do that. I need to get him out of my head.

“So,” Sophie interrupts my thoughts, focusing on Mia as April starts to fill everyone’s glass again. “Where are your parents today?”

“They’ve found a temporary rental in town, so they’re going to the grocery store to pick up some stuff then take it over there and have a look around.” She thankfully leaves out what happened this morning and that they probably needed some time alone to talk about it and hopefully get over what they witnessed.

“And your daughters?” November asks me before taking her shot.

“They’re with their dad. They’re staying the night with him tonight, and then we’ll stay with my parents until it’s okay for us to come back here.” Mike had surprisingly not been an asshole about having to keep the girls an extra night. Thank God. I don’t think my nerves could’ve taken having to argue with him.

“It won’t be long. The guys are determined to get you and your babies back in your house as soon as possible. Really, I wouldn’t be surprised if they all decided to camp out here until it’s done,” November tells me, then leans toward April. “Give me another one.”

My sister shoots back her tequila and then sets the glass down on the edge of the firepit between all of us before April can refill it. “I can’t drink anymore.” She covers the top with her hand when she tries to fill it anyway.

“Aw, come on.” Willow nudges her foot. “One more drink won’t hurt.”

“Mia is a lightweight.” I grin at her when she pleads with her eyes for help. “She’d probably pass out until tomorrow night if she had another shot.”

“She’s not lying.” Mia shrugs in agreement, and everyone laughs.

“Well, I’ll pay tribute for Mia.” Nalia holds out her glass, and we watch her take another shot, and then we all follow her lead.

“All the girls should get breakfast tomorrow,” November suggests, looking around the group. “If we go around eight, everyone should be able to make it, even the babies.” She starts to pull out her phone, but I interrupt her before she can make it a solid plan that includes me.

“I wish I could, but I’m picking my girls up in the morning from their dad’s and taking them to school,” I tell her, and Mia frowns at me.

“Mike can’t take the girls to school tomorrow morning?” she asks, sitting up.

“He has work,” I tell her with a shrug.

“At like nine. He can drop them before he goes to his office, so you can go out to breakfast or sleep in for once,” she argues.

“I don’t mind taking them.” I’m so used to doing everything anyway, always have, even when we were together, that it hadn’t even occurred to me to ask him to take the girls to school.