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“I’m tired of this game,” Bella declared. “Pick something else. Y’all are working up my blood pressure, and I need a drink.”
She stood, and the rest of the women rose and followed her to the kitchen, cracking jokes along the way. Chris and Martin turned to Malcolm and me.
“Y’all are on your way to being banned from Game Night,” Martin informed us. “How do you both bring newbies in and they whip our ass? I don’t like that.”
“Well, look who you have on your team,” I retorted. “A pile of hair, Chris?”
He laughed. “In my defense, you draw like a three-year-old.”
“That’s okay. My baby knew what it was.”
They all grinned at me.
“This man.” Martin shook his head. “You’ve been waiting to claim that title. Look at that smile on his face.”
“I’m happy for you, man.” Chris reached out and slapped my hand. “You two do look good together. And she’s almost completely single.”
“Yeah, man. Only a little while longer. I want to do something special for her. Maybe take her away for a weekend or something. She’s done a lot of growing in the last couple of months. I wanna celebrate that with her. I want to celebrate her.”
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in love.”
I smirked. “I might be inclined to say you’re right... almost. I care deeply about her. My feelings are strong as hell. I’m not sure if it’s love yet, but it’s the closest thing to it.”
Martin chuckled. “He’s being modest. Looking at you two, I can see it won’t last long. Seriously, man. I wish you the best of luck. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve witnessed you love and care for your sister like she was your own child. You pour into her and my daughter, and I have so much respect for you, man. You deserve to get a happy ending, finally. Pasha too. If you can find that with each other, I’m all for it.”
Malcolm and Chris nodded in agreeance.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting back tears. “I appreciate that, man.”
The girls returned with drinks for all of us. I noticed that Eva had been sipping on water and juice all night. She was sitting next to Chris at this moment, talking softly with smiles on their faces. I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“What are y’all whispering about?” Bella asked. “There’s been a lot of these lovey-dovey moments tonight.”
They looked at each other, and he nodded.
Eva surveyed the room. “Well... We were going to wait a little while before we announced it, but... We’re having a baby!”
I felt Pasha tense, then relax next to me. I looked over, and she held a smile on her face, but there was sadness in her eyes. She offered congratulations along with everyone else, but I could tell that the news was a gut punch. It was nothing personal against Chris and Eva. It was simply a reminder. I reached out and grabbed her hand. Pulling it to my lips, I kissed it.
She offered me a timid smile, but I could tell she was breaking inside.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Pasha
I felt sick to my stomach.
I didn’t want to ruin our fun, but the news of Chris and Eva expecting was like a low blow. It had nothing to do with them. I was happy for them. The ability to bring life into the world was a joyous occasion and deserved to be celebrated. I sat there and toasted them with everyone else, but I couldn’t take it when the conversation shifted to baby talk. I excused myself to the kitchen to grab another drink.
Callum and Avyn followed shortly. When they found me, I was struggling to open a bottle of wine. Tears were stinging my eyes as I tried to pry the cork out. Avyn took the bottle from my hands and set it aside while Callum wrapped his arm around me and led me outside. The moment the cool air hit my face, I felt a wave of nausea hit the pit of my stomach and quickly made its way up through my esophagus.
I sprinted away from them and over to some bushes, where I spewed out my guts.
“Get her some water and a towel,” I heard Avyn say to Callum.
In an instant, she was at my side, holding my hair back. She gently rubbed my back until I was at the point of dry heaving. Callum was standing with a cold towel to wipe my mouth and face when I stood. I tried to hold back the tears as they tended to me, but they just kept coming. Before I knew it, I was on the ground with my knees in my chest, bawling like a baby.
