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11
***Fiona***
2 Months Later
“What the heck is wrong with you, Fifi? Did you just throw up Chef Jamie’s homemade nut butter?” Mallory leaned over and snagged the rest of my biscuit. “You’ve lost your mind.”
I groaned. “Don’t say nut butter.”
Her curly blonde hair bounced as she shook her head. “No. No, ma’am. Something’s going on with you and I know it. You’ve ever had a weak stomach in your life. Except for-”
I grunted. “Except for when I was pregnant with Avery.”
She froze with my biscuit halfway to her mouth. “Fiona?”
I rinsed my mouth out with a glass of twenty-dollar water and spit it into the bushes next to our outdoor bistro table. Mallory has insisted we come to Lazy, a brunch spot in downtown Austin. She loved the special spring water and aforementioned nut butter that was harvested locally, or some shit.
I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and met my big sister’s serious expression. “Yep. I’m knocked up again.”
Mallory screamed and jumped out of her chair, sending it careening over and into the person sitting behind her. I mouthed an apology as Mallory grabbed me and jumped up and down with me held captive in her arms. “You’re pregnant! Holy crap! I’m going to be an aunt again!”
The people around us were forgiving of Mallory’s startling outburst after hearing what it was over. They even started clapping, like I hadn’t gotten pregnant from a one-night stand with three amazingly hot men I’d never planned on seeing again. They were doing the pure pregnancy clap, like I’d planned on getting knocked up and knew exactly what to do about it.
I pried myself out of Mallory’s arms and sank into my uncomfortable metal chair. I could feel how red my face was and wanted to hide it. My sister wouldn’t have that, though. Even when she did sit back down, she was dancing and pumping her hands in the air. I tried to grab one of her hands. “Mal! Stop! Everyone’s looking at us.”
She threw her head back and laughed. Mal didn’t mind pulling focus from the rest of the world. She was a free spirit at heart and dressed like she was on her way to Woodstock. She loved talking to people and enjoyed being the topic on everyone’s lips, in the most decent of ways. She didn’t try to garner everyone’s attention. It just happened. Even her laugh was attention grabbing. Big and boisterous, it welcomed people in with a warmth that I hoped to put out into the world.
“I can’t believe this. You’re pregnant again, Fifi! This is so exciting.” She paused. “Wait. How long have you known? If the answer is anything other than a few hours, I’m going to be mad at you.”
I sighed and sank lower in my chair. The metal bit into my thighs but I ignored it, maybe even leaned into it. Since the night I spent with Sebastian, Ryder, and Jake, I’d found myself exploring. If I pinched my nipple a little too hard just before I made myself come, I could almost recreate the bliss the guys had created. If the water in my shower was just a little too hot, I came harder. They’d introduced me to a little pain with my pleasure and I was pretty sure I was ruined for life. No other man had ever come close to making me feel the way they had.
“Hello? Earth to my baby sister!” Mal waved her hand in front of my face, making the stack of wooden bangles on her wrist clank together. “Where’d you go?”
I made a face at her. “Pregnancy hormones are already hitting me hard, Mal. I feel like a teenage boy. I’m a freaking chihuahua these days. Don’t leave me alone with your pillows.”
She snorted. “Good for you! Back to how long you’ve known about this baby on board, though.”
I winced. “Two weeks.”
She let out a dramatic wail and brought her wrist to her head like a fainting lady. “Two weeks. Two weeks and you’re just now saying something? I could punch you in the tit! Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
I licked my lips and looked past her as I tried to gather my thoughts. Just as I was opening my mouth, a city bus drove by and I made eye contact with Ryder Steele. I must’ve gasped because Mallory turned to look at what I’d seen and she let out another cackle.
Even from the side of a bus, Ryder’s gaze made me blush. Bus Ryder seemed to be staring at me like he was thinking of all the things he’d done to me. I shifted in my chair and pressed my lips together firmly.
“It’s theirs, of course. I may not be on the inside loop with your pregnancy for some reason, but I know when you sleep with someone. You haven’t been with anyone since coming back from that retreat. How funny that Ryder Steele’s face went by at that moment?” Mallory watched the bus drive away and when she looked back at me, her eyes were even brighter with excitement. “Have you already told them?”
It was my turn to snort. “No! I’ve been freaking out. That’s the only reason I haven’t already told you. I had to process this before I could talk about it. I’m still freaking out a little bit. I promised myself that I wouldn’t get pregnant again until there was a solid father figure in the picture. Even with your help, raising Avery was hard. I want to do it with the father this time.”
“So, do it.” Mallory rolled her eyes at my expression. “What? It’s not rocket science, Fifi. You just saw one of their faces on the side of a bus while sitting here. Finding them wouldn’t be hard.”
Not for the first time, I cursed not taking their numbers. I’d claimed that our night was just supposed to be a one-night vacation hookup and that was why I wouldn’t take their numbers, but really, I was in a slight panic when I left the retreat. I’d never had sex like that and I didn’t know what it meant. Since then, I’d come to the conclusion that the type of sex we’d had didn’t have to mean anything. That didn’t help me in obtaining their numbers, though.
“It’s more than just contacting them, Mal. They’re older. They have older children. What if they don’t want another baby?”
She crossed her arms and then tugged her star sign necklace out of her cleavage. “If they didn’t want another baby then maybe they shouldn’t have come in you without protection. Everyone thinks it’s so hot to raw dog until out pops a baby.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Shut up!”
