Love You, Baby (Must Love Diamonds 3)

Asher smirked. “Maybe you weren’t that good.”

“I’m always that good and then some,” he shot back.

“Maybe your ego’s too big,” Loyal chimed in.

“Facts don’t need ego.”

“Fact is, you probably could use some pointers.”

“From you two?” He scoffed. “No, thanks.”

“What?” Asher lifted his and Honor’s joined hands and kissed her palm. “I keep my woman very happy, don’t I, Butter Cream?”

“Roxanna’s got no complaints,” Loyal added with a self-satisfied smile.

“Every single one of you guys is too cocky for your own good,” Honor warned with a mock glare. This time it was Asher who took a breath to speak, but she cut him off as color flushed her cheeks. “Don’t you dare even go there in front of your brothers.”

His grin had Merit and Loyal both choking back a laugh, but Merit sobered quickly when his sister-in-law’s serious green gaze swung to him.

“You’re going to have to be patient with Mae. Give her some time to process everything. And you’re definitely going to have to not see the coffee chick again.”

He blinked in surprise that she knew. “She told you about that?”

“Yeah.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Agreed. A big one when it comes to Mae.”

He hung his head slightly, shaking it at his stupidity as that mistake kept returning to bite his ass. “All I wanted to do was try to forget her and move on.”

“How’d that work out for you?” Loyal asked.

“Nothing happened.”

“Because Mae was there telling him she’s pregnant when Lyssa showed up,” Honor pointed out.

Asher sucked air in through his teeth, and Loyal gave a low, “Ooohh, ouch.”

“I sent her home. Nothing happened,” he repeated firmly. “And nothing’s going to happen. I haven’t even thought of anyone else since the wedding, much less been with anyone.”

“You’re going to have a hard time convincing her of that after she saw Lyssa plastered against you.”

Wow. Mae had told her everything, hadn’t she? Guess it was to be expected with them being best friends…he needed to remember that in the future.

Chapter 8

Friday after dinner, Mae loaded the dishwasher to the sound of Guardian’s of the Galaxy playing in the living room. She took her time, procrastinating on the inevitable of telling Ian about the baby. She didn’t expect it to be a big deal with him, and yet she was still so nervous she’d barely been able to eat two bites of dinner

without feeling like she was going to puke.

She knew her anxiety was more a buildup of the week from hell than about telling him. Merit had been a constant presence in her thoughts and a very active participant in her dreams—especially after his stop at her work Monday morning. She’d been exhausted by Wednesday, and on top of that, the permit situation with Shelby’s clinic had messed up her whole work week until finally a guy in the county commissioner’s office pulled a few strings for them that morning.

Chad Mayer knew Shelby from her father’s senate campaign and was happy to help. Mae’s suspicion the guy was sweet on the youngest Diamond was confirmed when he asked her out after handing over the permit. Shelby had hesitated before demurely saying yes.

She closed the dishwasher door as Cherry Bomb blared from the TV speakers. The main cast was walking in slow motion on the screen as she entered the living room. Ian protested when she reached to hit pause.

“Mom!” He jumped up off the couch, his arms up in the air. “I love this part.”