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“Shit.” Joel rushed back over. “I’ve been trying so hard to concentrate on not being nervous that I can’t believe I forgot to open my pre-wedding gift.”
“Pre-wedding gift?” Mike asked. “Who here’s grateful that they’re already married so Lattimore can’t show them up at their own wedding?”
They all raised their hands.
“Whatever.”
Joel took a seat on the nearest chair, suddenly so anxious he could taste his lunch. He reached inside the bag and pulled out a long, shiny gift box; Ayesha had numbered them in the order he was supposed to open them.
When he raised the lid, his heart gave a squeeze. Inside lay a sterling silver pen. On it, in English, were the words: “Number One Dad.”
“Shit.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure I’ll make it through these in one piece.”
“That’s fine,” Dez said. “We’ll put you back together in time to get you to the altar.”
Chuckling, Joel reached for the next gift. As he pulled it out, a T-shirt unfolded. The front faced the guys, and the room went pin-drop silent.
“What?” He turned it around. “What does it sa…”
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Underneath was an image of a battery.
His heart stopped in his chest.
He peered into the bag and removed the last gift, another long, shiny box. When he raised the lid, a pregnancy test stared back at him.
A positive pregnancy test.
He looked from the test to the shirt and back.
“Fuck.” One warm tear fell, then another. “Fuck, man. We’re…she’s…”
He didn’t know who the first was to hug him, but all he did was put his head down. They’d talked about it. She’d assured him she wanted it. But the fact that she’d given him the test as a gift spoke volumes.
The guys squeezed words of reassurance between their congratulations. He nodded and swiped at his eyes with the side of his palm. He and Ayesha had agreed that they wouldn’t call or text each other, so the first time they saw one another after opening the gifts would be as she walked down the aisle. However, it was difficult not to jog across the open green space, find her where she was, and hold her until the end of time.
He cleared his throat. “Ah. Shit. Okay. I’m…fuck, I’m ready. I’m ready.”
Gage squeezed his shoulder. “You’ve come a long way, Lattimore. First, you started as the biggest pain in the ass the earth had ever seen.”
Joel laughed, still wiping his eyes.
“Now, you’re family, and I’m proud to call you my brother, mate.”
The other guys chimed in, even Giorgio, and he nearly broke down a second time.
Ant raised a finger. “Can I ask something? I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while, but I didn’t know how to approach the subject. Have y’all, uh, ever noticed who your wives are?”
“What do you mean?” Julien asked.
“All of you married sistahs.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“Yeah. Like…allof you.” Ant pointed to Thanasis. “Well, except you, T, but hey, you never know. You and that girl in Greece broke up a while ago, right?”
