Who's the Daddy (Crescent Cove 3)

“No, but we have…stuff.”

“Stuff, huh?” Sage made a humming sound.

I glanced at Ally. “Yeah, stuff.”

“Right. She was telling me all about her teacher…stuff. Kindergarteners are hella crazy.” Ally shrugged and took another sip.

I rolled my eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Sage sat back just as Michelle returned with Sage’s seltzer and fries. “Good. Fat.” She carefully selected a fry. “I had to put on my first official pair of maternity pants. Both exciting and annoying because I have cute toes and can barely see them these days. But you know,” she rubbed her bump, “baby and…” She laughed softly, jerking her head toward Oliver at the bar. “Never thought I’d be so happy.”

She was positively glowing.

I smiled and hoped I didn’t look as green as I couldn’t help feeling. “I’m so glad for you.”

She reached for the ketchup right next to my bag. “I’d be happier if you guys told me about the baby shower you’re planning though. That would make me super happy.”

“Can’t you settle for just regular happy, dammit? You aren’t a bag of milk yet. And trying to have sex with my husband is a lesson in futility while Alex is teething.” Ally held up her glass to Michelle. “More.”

“Sure thing.” Michelle glanced at me. “You good?”

“I’ll take another.” I moved my bag to the chair beside me. Evidently, I would need tequila to make it through the interrogation. “We’re not planning anything.”

Sage made a huge pool of ketchup in the middle of the fries. “You both suck at lying.”

“No, we don’t.”

“You so do. It’s good, I like that in a pair of besties.”

My stomach flipped and I warmed from the inside out for a whole new reason. I hadn’t been someone’s bestie in a damn long time. And considering the new bestie designation, it seemed weird that I hadn’t told her about Dare.

My gaze slid back over to the bar. The guys were shouting at the television. Well, minus Oliver, who appeared bored. Dare was cupping a beer in his long, battered fingers. I remembered all the little scar lines along his skin as he molded those fingers over my breasts.

When he’d been peeking over—

“Okay, so if you’re not going to tell me about the shower, you’re definitely going to tell me about this.” Sage pointed at Dare. “You still crushing on Dare?”

I flushed. “No.”

“The heart eyeballs say differently. You were flirting with him pretty hardcore the last time we went out as a group. He is hot. You know, in a not-Oliver kind of way.”

I rolled my eyes. Yes, her husband was attractive. And by default, Ally’s was as well since they were the famed Hamilton twins in this crazy, nosy town.

Not to say I didn’t love that about Crescent Cove. I loved that everyone watched out for each other.

Except when the new schoolteacher had a white-hot one-night stand with the scruffalicious, grumpy town mechanic and wanted to keep it under wraps. Good luck there.

Yeah, that part of Nosy Town I could live without.

The white-hot part, however, I would be happy to relive. I was still walking a little funny, thanks to Dare’s above average abilities. Or maybe just average—how the hell could I know? I’d only been with two guys in my life before him. And my goodness were they underachievers compared to Dare.

“I wasn’t aware your peaches and cream complexion could go so…peach.”

I snapped my gaze to Sage. “Har-har.” I twisted the bottom of my glass in the bit of condensation from my rapidly melting drink.

“So you are crushing on him.” Sage propped her chin on both hands and leaned in. “Do I get to start carving your initials into trees?”

“God, no.” I took a healthy drink from my margarita and choked a little when the citrus hit the back of my throat.