Page 28 of Accidentally in Love

She arched an eyebrow at me and flipped her pink hair over her shoulder, but she walked away and did what I asked without complaint.

“Nol, you gotta stop snapping at Gem,” my brother chastised.

I finished pouring the last beer from our current keg and handed it off to a customer. The customer gave me his money, and I placed it in the lockbox while Gemma returned with the other keg. I hadn’t expected to sell so much beer at the freaking tree lighting ceremony.

“Is your sister coming tonight?” Declan asked Gemma when she started setting up the new keg.

She shrugged.

Declan elbowed me. “Get out of here.”

Gemma hip-bumped me out of the way as she took over taking orders. I scowled and stood off to the side while looking out into the crowd gathered in the square tonight. Twenty minutes ago, the town lit up the Christmas tree, and now there was a local band playing music while the townsfolk milled about. When I looked out into the crowd, I realized I was looking for Avery.

I spotted her in front of the tree, talking to her friend Lizzie. Her smile shone brighter than the lights behind her like she was glowing. Maybe it was the pregnancy glow, or maybe it was because every time I looked at her, my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest.

I growled when I felt a jab in my ribs. “Go talk to her,” Declan urged.

“You need my help,” I told him with a hard look.

Declan gestured to Gemma and Felix, who were handling the customers while he supervised. He gave me a little shove. “Get out of here and take that grumpy attitude with you.”

I scowled at him.

“Go talk to Avery,” my brother insisted.

“Why?”

“Because she’s the only one who can get you out of that grouchy mood. Go, dude, you being all growly is driving away customers,” Gemma said as she poked my chest.

“Fine.”

“And don’t come back!” Declan yelled back at me.

If there weren’t a bunch of kids around, I probably would have given him the finger while I walked off. Instead, I clenched my jaw and strode over to Avery and Lizzie. Avery jumped when I came up to her, but then her face softened when she saw it was me. Her smile split her face, and I felt my chest constrict at the sight. When she smiled at me like that, it melted my bad moods.

“Hey, can you hold her for a second?” Lizzie asked when she noticed me and thrust her baby into my arms.

I took the baby as Lizzie searched for something in her bag. Almost immediately, the baby pulled on my beard, and it made me laugh. I wondered what it would be like when I held my own baby. Avery’s eyes got shiny when she watched me with Lizzie’s kid. She must have been thinking the same thing.

“Sorry!” Lizzie offered, and then she took the baby back from me. She put a pacifier in the baby’s mouth. “She’s getting fussy. I better find Wyatt and get out of here. Avery, call me later so we can plan a girls’ night.”

Avery nodded and sipped on her hot chocolate quietly while Lizzie took off in the other direction.

I smoothed down my beard. “Should I shave my beard?”

Avery’s eyes widened. “Hell no!”

A grin spread across my face. “I mean when the baby gets here.”

She reached out a hand and rubbed her thumb across my beard. “I can’t picture you without this. It would look… wrong. I want Peanut to know their bearded daddy.”

“Okay… I’ll keep it, but only for you.”

She gave me a tight smile.

It wasn’t lost on me that things between us were awkward. Since she rejected my proposal, I was trying to show her I was here for her, not just the baby. I wasn’t doing a good job because I was a dick to her at our last check-up. I was stressed about the brewery and money, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on her. She didn’t need the extra stress.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.