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Katie smacked at her. “I already told you, that happened before.” She smirked. “Like your honeymoon will be any different. Why do you think I left the office so quickly today?”
Erin shrugged. “Is that so weird? Nick gets all hot and bothered there, and I—”
“Christ, Erin, you know we can hear every word, right?” Blake called out. “Even Nicholas will turn red if you keep going.”
There was already a faint tinge to his ears, Malcolm noticed before nodding to Erin. “A beer for you?” he asked.
Erin nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’m not preggers.” She glanced at her two friends. “Wait, do I need three so that I can represent or something?”
Malcolm shook his head. “You get one.” He moved closer to Jami to grab another mug, expecting the whine that was coming.
“Aw, don’t be such a stick in the mud, big bro.” But by her smile, Erin didn’t look put out.
“A trip sounds wonderful,” Jami said, leaning forward on her stool. “Have you picked a destination?”
Erin sidled closer to her on the bar. “Not yet, chick. Got any recommendations?”
Malcolm had been surprised when Jami and Erin had gotten along so well, almost immediately, since they seemed so different. Then he’d remembered the brief visit from her sister at their father’s grave site. Jami accepted that people lived to the beat of their own drum, even praised other people’s beats. She just didn’t understand her own.
The reminder helped ease the last of his discomfort. That was why he hadn’t made love to her yet. He wanted her to have time to be certain.
“So you’ll come tonight?” Erin was asking, and Malcolm realized he’d missed a thread of the conversation. “You’ve still never had a girls’ night with us.” When Tanya walked up to the register, Erin grabbed her hand. “You can come too.”
Tanya laughed. “That’s sweet, but I have plans. Rain check.”
Erin released her. “Okay.” She leaned over the bar to stare at Jami. “But you have to come, chick. Malcolm can’t monopolize you all the time.”
“Hey,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m standing right here.”
“You know how you are. I’ll take care of your damsel for one night.” Her arm wrapped around Celia, hugging her as she looked down the bar. “This one, too, Trent!”
Trenton’s eyes flew to Celia, who wore a smile for her friend. His own tension wouldn’t let him reciprocate, but he nodded anyway. “Where will you be?”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Your house, of course. So bunk somewhere else.”
Jami glanced at Malcolm, and he smiled his encouragement. “You’ve got my number if you need anything.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Enough with the innuendos, Mal. You can handle being without her for one night.”
He glared at her. “That’s not—”
“Whatever, not listening.” She motioned to Jami. “Come on, chick. I’ll help you while the two pregnant chicks hold each other up.”
Jami slipped off the stool. “I can walk,” she protested as she made her way to the pass-through.
“Tell it to the choir. I’m the same way, never asking for help.” Erin’s arm wrapped around her waist.
The bar fell silent when the women had gone. Malcolm put the pulled beer in front of Blake and nodded toward Nicholas. “What are you drinking?”
Nicholas smiled as he slipped off his suit jacket. “The usual.”
Blake’s phone was already ringing on the bar. When their friend Damon answered, he called into it, “Time to drink it up, rock star!”
“Been a while,” the voice through the speaker said. “I was starting to think it was you and Trenton who were preggers.”
“My god, you sound like your sister,” Nicholas said.
Damon’s laughter filled the bar.
