Quentin took a long pull on his beer, humming the appropriate “mmm-hmm” to let Michael know he was listening. Even though he wasn’t.
There was a pause.
“On second thought,” Michael continued, “what Marcusreallysaid is that you’re gonna totally blow the case. He thinks you’re gonna be outmatched and outmaneuvered by the defense team’s high-powered lawyers.”
“Uh-huh,” Quentin murmured, his mind drifting thousands of miles away to Burgundy, and the balloon ride with Lexi. He remembered the way she’d gazed out across the stunning landscape, her face aglow with wonder and exhilaration. After a while, he’d found himself watching her more than the view. Because as amazing as the sights were, he knew the experience wouldn’t have been the same without her by his side.
“…planning a surprise baby shower. And Lexi says she’s going to—”
Quentin swung his head around to stare at Michael. “What’d you say?”
A knowing gleam filled his friend’s eyes. “Sothat’swhat it took to finally get your attention. Hearing Lexi’s name.”
Quentin frowned and glanced away, sipping his beer. But he could feel Michael studying him, his eyes shrewd and assessing. He instinctively braced himself for the question he knew was coming.
“What’s going on between you and Lexi?”
“Nothing,” Quentin lied without missing a beat.
“Bull. I saw the way you two were acting around each other this past weekend. There were allkindsof vibes jumping off both of you. And what about all that stuff Asha was saying over breakfast? Sounded to me like she was on to something.”
Quentin said nothing, absently rubbing his thumb back and forth against the frosty condensation lining his beer bottle. He and Michael had been best friends since childhood. Next to Lexi, no one knew Quentin better than Michael. Which meant he knew the goodandthe bad. Unfortunately, when it came to Quentin’s track record with women, there was more bad than good.
Michael blew out a long, deep breath. “Look, Q, you know nothing would please me more than to see my two best friends happy. It’d be weird as hell if you and Lexi hooked up after all these years,” he admitted with a rueful grin, “but I’d be totally cool with it—as long as both of you were committed to making the relationship work.”
Quentin knewhewas the only one whose commitment issues were in question.
“The last thing I want is for Lexi to get hurt again,” Michael said quietly. “We both know how much she went through with that cheating bastard she was married to.”
Quentin clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the neck of his beer bottle at the reminder of Adam McNamara. The worthless son of a bitch had done a number on Lexi, leaving her heartbroken and more disillusioned about men than she’d already been. Two years later, Quentin was still out for McNamara’s blood. The only reason he hadn’t killed the bastard was that Lexi had vowed she’d never visit him in prison, and he didn’t want to call her bluff. He’d promised her that he wouldn’t go after her ex-husband, and he intended to keep his word. But if he ever ran into McNamara in a dark, deserted alley, all bets were off.
“He never deserved her,” Quentin growled with renewed fury.
“Not by a long shot,” Michael agreed grimly. “Anyway, after everything she’s been through, she needs someone who’s reliable. Someone she can trust, someone she doesn’t have to check up on every hour of the day to make sure he ain’t creepin’. She needs someone who’s ready to commit to one woman.”
Quentin smiled cynically. “And you think that someone can’t be me. Because I can’t change my ways.”
Michael pinned him with a direct gaze. “Youtellme.”
They stared each other down, the air between them fraught with challenge.
Michael was the first to break eye contact, his gaze skipping past Quentin to stare across the crowded restaurant. By the way his expression softened, Quentin didn’t have to guess who’d just walked through the door.
He glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, Reese was heading straight toward them, her round belly protruding through her open lab coat, a stethoscope dangling around her neck. Customers called out friendly greetings to her, and she responded in kind.
As she reached the bar, she said warmly, “Hey, fellas.”
“Hey, baby girl,” Quentin said.
“Hiya, sweetheart.” Swiveling around on his stool, Michael tugged gently on her stethoscope and pulled her close for an affectionate kiss. “You forgot to remove this. Busy day?”
“Very. Delivered eight babies, including a set of twins.” She smiled, looping her arms around his neck. “How wasyourday?”
“Good. Even better now that you’re here.”
Quentin rolled his eyes.
Catching his expression, Reese grinned at her husband. “I think we’re grossing out our friend here.”
