“Shit. I need coffee.” Dylan bumped shoulders as he past. “C’mon, my shout.”
“Really?” Tris asked as he followed.
“Hell no. It’s the rookie’s job to fetch the coffee, right chief?”
Chief Jake Maguire smiled. “Normally I’d say yes, but I have it on good authority you’re about to come into some money.”
Tris groaned. He knew what the Chief was talking about. His workmates might have thought they were being stealthy, but he’d known about the betting pool the first day it had opened. And Cov had confirmed it after Deanna had revealed details at book club on Saturday night.
He didn’t like that he’d been the subject of conjecture, but it was nothing less than he expected. Although he was used to being in on the betting, not the subject of it.
“Don’t worry, Harding. They’ve started a new pool.”
“Don’t tell me.” He held up a hand. “I don’t want to know.”
“Oh, I think you’ll want in on this one.”
Tris eyed his boss’s smug grin. “Okay. Fine. What is it?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Tris shook his head.
“They’re betting on how long it’ll take you to get your woman in front of a preacher.”
***
Covington watched the snow coming down outside and wondered if it was safe to venture out there yet. She’d never seen snow before driving to Hope Falls and the way the flakes fluttered to the ground intrigued her.
Of course she’d promised Tris she wouldn’t leave the house until he returned and so far she’d stuck to that.
She glanced at the clock. Only a few hours until he was home.
She’d begun counting down from the minute she’d woken on Monday. She thought their early morning exchange had been a dream until he’d called her midmorning. They’d been texting and calling for the last two days and in two hours and fifteen minutes, give or take a few, he’d be walking in the door.
She couldn’t remember ever anticipating Dirk’s arrival this much. Not even in the early days of their relationship had she watched the clock or held her breath.
The last two days had given her a lot of time to think, to contemplate, to sort out what she wanted. For herself and the babies. For her and Tristan as a couple.
More than anything she wanted to see if they could be a family. She thought he had feelings for her, she definitely had them for him, and the babies weren’t in question. She loved her two little beans more than she’d ever thought possible. And she figured their daddy would love them just as much.
But could he love her too?
Could they go from friends to lovers and keep both relationships? Keep them growing, thriving?
Snuggling under the blanket she watched the snow flutter past the window. It was brighter out today. And the weatherman said the storm had moved on and the snow would stop by early afternoon. Hopefully, she could convince Tris to take her out before it quit falling. She wanted to turn her face up to the sky and feel the wet flakes on her cheeks. Taste it on her tongue.
It seemed like a childish desire but she didn’t care. She planned to channel her inner child so she’d be prepared to give her babies the best childhood she could. Closing her eye, she imagined the three—no four—or them outside, building snowmen and making snow angels.
A loud bang startled her enough that she kicked the blanket off her legs. Her gaze shot to the clock.
Seven-fifteen.
She must have fallen asleep.
Somebody thumped the front door several times.
It couldn’t be Tris. He didn’t finish until seven-thirty and he had a key.
