Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I feel a sudden swell of appreciation and emotion at that. “Thanks,” I say, picking up the plates and taking them to the table with a very confused bundle of feelings in my chest.
“So,” Carter says around a mouthful of chicken thigh with my signature Greek sauce. “Babies, huh?”
Andi raises an eyebrow. “Babies, yes. That strange thing women sometimes pop out of their vaginas when you aren’t just sleeping around for a good time.”
Carter’s eyes bulge as Jesse, Jake, and Liam all choke back laughter.
“Sorry,” Maddox looks up from his phone, eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t paying attention, but I just heard Andi talking about vaginas. What did I miss?”
I’m smiling when my gaze slides to Nolan, who is looking at me. We both immediately stare back at our plates.
“Carter is just trying to make conversation,” Jesse says. “It’s hard for him. Especially when it comes to things he doesn’t understand… like childbirth. Or women. Or common decency and table manners.”
“Hey, now.” Carter points his fork at Jesse. “I got a perfect grade in anatomy class back in high school.”
“Wasn’t that the teacher who was always texting you dirty pictures of herself?” Maddox asks.
Carter rolls his lips in thought. “Actually, yes. It was, but if you ask me, getting dirty pictures of your anatomy teacher is like extra credit. I should have been applauded for being so studious.”
Caroline shakes her head. “This food is really good, guys. At least it was until Carter started talking and ruined my appetite.”
“If your appetite is ruined,” Carter says, “Can I finish your plate?” He tiptoes his fingers across the table to her plate and tries to grab a piece of chicken. She whacks him with the back of her fork, glaring.
Jake watches the exchange, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Keep your nasty hands off her plate, man. We all know where those have been.”
Carter tries to reach behind Caroline to rub his hand on Jake’s arm. The two guys wrestle a little as Caroline ducks and protects her plate.
The rest of dinner goes with the same constant level of good-natured banter, camaraderie, and general happy celebration for Jesse and Andi. I even forget to worry about what Nolan is thinking for close to an hour as I drink in the atmosphere and enjoy feeling like part of the big, somewhat dysfunctional family of teammates, sisters, and me, the third wheel. But they don’t make me feel like the odd woman out.
The sky darkens as another snow storm rolls through the mountains outside and Andi gets up to light candles. At least, Andi tries to get up to light candles before Jesse and the guys interrogate her to figure out why she’s trying to get on her feet and demand to do what she was trying to do.
She sits down, resting her hands on her slightly protruding belly and eyes me. “A little overkill, don’t you think?”
I laugh. Carter leans in beside me with a crumpled napkin draped over his forearm like some kind of fancy server. He sets a candle beside me, flicks a lighter a dozen times without any luck, then swears. “Fuck. Your candle wishes to remain quite unlit, ma’am. Apologies from the staff.”
“Here,” Nolan says, snatching the lighter from Carter. He gives it a few hard taps on the palm of his hand then lights it on the first try, igniting my candle.
“M’asshole,” Carter says, bowing profusely in Nolan’s direction and doing some fancy circular gesture with his hands. He drops the napkin in the act and doesn’t bother picking it up.
“The service here sucks,” Caroline jokes.
“Terrible,” I agree.
“At least the staff is hot,” Andi says. “Especially that one with the nice butt.”
“Thank you,” Maddox, Carter, and Liam all say in perfect unison.
“She’s talking about me, dumbasses,” Jesse says. He comes up from behind his pregnant wife, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. “Maybe if you guys stopped endlessly screwing around, you could have a woman like this of your own.”
“I don’t know,” Maddox says. “Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. But one hundred percent of one night stands end in happiness.”
“Not true,” Carter says. “I once slept with this girl who robbed the shit out of me after I passed out. She even stole my socks. Who steals socks?”
“Were they those fancy ones you kept bragging about?” Maddox asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because I’ve stolen some of those from you, too. You need to buy more, by the way.”
Jake is watching Caroline as Maddox and Carter start arguing and pushing each other.
“Wonder what your sister thinks of all that,” Jake says, looking from Jesse to Caroline. “You don’t seem to be in any rush to settle down, but you also don’t seem to be on team one-night stand with Carter and Maddox.”
Caroline almost chokes on her drink. “What do I think?” she asks. “I mean, sure. Marriage is great, if you have time for it. Or no ambition. I mean, if you’re a guy you can keep your time and ambitions. You just tell your lovely little wife to stay home and tend the house–to give up her dreams and desires and everything else to support you. And–” she cuts herself off, wincing. “Sorry, Andi. I didn’t mean that like–”