Page 51 of Bound Hearts

She smiles coyly. “I believe these discussions that we have in your car always end in one way.”

I chuckle under my breath and lean in. “I’m going to kiss you now.” And our lips touch.

Hayes is busy cutting up fruit on a pink plastic plate for his daughter, who will wake from a nap soon. Occasionally, he glances over his shoulder, expecting me to say something. He’s the one who knows more than anyone.

Julian and I sit at Hayes’s kitchen island. Elodie is out with Savannah and Sutton, who is in exactly the same position as me.

“Pass me a bagel, will ya? I’m starving. This morning’s gym session was brutal.” Julian reaches across the counter to pull the box toward him.

“Yeah, so, I need to tell you both something,” I begin. Now, I’m going to jump right in.

Julian looks at me with concern. “Sounds serious. You’re not leaving Haven Crossroads, are you?”

“No. It’s not work-related,” I clarify.

“Phew. Then what is it?”

My friends know me to be the guy who has to be coaxed to share life updates. I’m closed off that way. But my life is forever changed.

“The easiest thing is to lay it out there. Sutton is pregnant, we’re having a baby, and we are getting married.”

Hayes stops cutting the banana, and Julian slows his opening of the cream cheese lid. I’ve clearly taken them off guard.

“And married?” Hayes is definitely shocked by that unexpected part.

“Wait. Back up. You and Sutton?” Julian is confused.

I nod to confirm. “Yep. We were kind of, well, it wasn’t a one-time thing. Accidents happen, and we want to be married when the baby arrives.”

Julian snorts. “Traditional and unexpected.” He is surprised yet smiles.

Hayes turns and leans against the counter. “You’re both happy about the news?”

Scratching the back of my neck, I run through the last few months. “Took a little coming around. More for her than me. But yeah… every day excitement builds.”

“How far along is she?” Julian wonders.

“Already in the second trimester. We kind of want to keep it quiet. We’ll do what we need to due to office precautions.”

“Yeah, of course,” Hayes agrees.

“She works in legal,” I remind him. My gaze locks with his, my face remaining resolute. Maybe it registers in his head. He’s chief of operations, after all.

“Ah, shit. Breach of ethics for her license.”

Nodding, I’m hoping the friend card will help this situation.

We both look at Julian, who is the one with the most power. He shrugs. “I’m not going to say anything to rock the boat. Not sure how far that will get us, though. I’ll try.”

“Thanks.”

We sweep the topic under the rug.

“And you want to get married?” Julian is trying to digest all of my news.

My honest smile quickly reveals itself. “I do. It’s what we want. And it’s going to be simple and private.”

“No bachelor party then,” Hayes jokes. “Easton probably has a stripper’s number on speed dial.”