Cease Fire (Blackbridge Security 9)

“I flip through Modern Bride when Parker takes forever to get ready,” Jude answers.

I have to chuckle at his ignorance. Jude Morris is a brilliant man, and he’s the one tasked with patching us up when we run into trouble on jobs and get hurt. There hasn’t been much of that lately because we’re pretty much just stuck at the damn office.

I take another deep breath, once again reminded that I need to speak with Deacon about putting some miles between St. Louis and myself. Maybe it’s time for a vacation, but I know that would just be a waste of money. I could be sitting on a beach, and I’d still be thinking about Jules.

“Parker has those kinds of magazines at her place?” my best friend asks. I know his mind went to the same place mine did.

Jude shrugs. “They’re leftover from when Hayden was planning her wedding.”

“The Every Modern Bride Guide came out this month,” Wren offers from his position near the coffee pot.

My friend chuckles, his head shaking, and I have to smile at Brooks for his response. Maybe the two of them are blinded by what’s in front of them. I’d pay to be that ignorant these days.

“Who’s going to tell him?” I ask, looking at the other guys in the room.

Finnegan laughs, the sound rumbling out of his chest. “Parker is planning your wedding, dude.”

“Yeah?” Jude asks, a wide grin spreading across his face. The man seems elated by this discovery.

A rush of breath escapes my lips, because I’m irritated, and that makes me an asshole. Who gets annoyed when your closest friends find happiness? I still can’t stop the dickish thoughts from entering my head. I want love. I have plans for it, and always have. I’ve always pictured myself settling down and raising a family, and here are these assholes that have fought against that very same thing their entire lives, and they’re finding their happily ever afters.

“That’s really sweet,” I say, the fakest smile I can manage on my face. Because despite my thoughts, I’d never try to rain on someone else’s happiness.

Brooks huffs, and my lip twitches with real happiness. At least my surly best friend hasn’t gone off the deep end and sworn his love for some woman he met recently. We can be the eternal bachelors together. That cools my irritation over all the love floating around the room.

“Who’s that?” Finnegan asks, his eyes going across the room.

My throat dries up as I watch Beth and Jules walk into the room.

And then I freak out a little. My sister rarely comes to Blackbridge Security, and when she does, it’s preplanned. She always calls to make sure it’s a good time.

Jules, on the other hand, has never stepped foot in the office before, and I stiffen at the terrified look on her face.

Something terrible has happened, and instead of being the man of action I always thought I was, I’m frozen in place on the sofa.

“Beth?” I manage, my voice sounding a little broken even to my own ears. “Jules? What are you two doing here?”

Before I can will my body to stand, Brooks pops up from the sofa and crosses the room to them.

“The blushing bride,” Brooks says, pressing his lips to Beth’s temple before turning his attention to Jules. “You are one fine sight, Jules.”

Brooks flirting with Jules agitates me, and that’s exactly why he does it. He purposely tries to get a rise out of me, but I’m still in crisis mode right now, wondering just what the hell is going on, to allow that anger to flare.

Beth walks away from them, crossing the room to sit beside me in the spot Brooks just vacated.

“What are you two doing here?” I ask again, my eyes still locked on Jules, despite my sister sitting right beside me.

Beth chuckles, probably at the scowl on my face, as I watch Brooks and Jules whispering to each other while holding hands between the two of them. I hate that they’re even standing close, touching each other, but having secret conversations right in front of me makes my blood boil.

Then my world takes a dramatic turn.

“Jules just found out she’s pregnant,” my sister whispers, and my body locks up.

My pulse spikes, and if I had control over my body right now, I’d jump up from the couch and whoop in celebration.

“What?” I snap, the sound coming out a little more aggressively than I intend, considering the wonderful news that has just been delivered.

“She’s not very far along, and for the longest time, she wouldn’t confess. I talked her into telling the father, but she said she wanted to do it alone, so I did what any best friend would do. I followed her, and here we are.”

Beth’s explanation makes perfect sense. Of course, Jules is here to tell me that we’re having a baby. Only my sister hasn’t once said you when speaking about what’s going on.