Maybe also something I never knew I wanted.
"Eat your lunch," Kieran orders, moving toward the door. "I'll reschedule Eastside and confirm dinner with Navy."
"You're too good to me."
"I know. You're lucky I love you."
Six o'clock comes too fast. I've changed clothes three times, trying to find something that says "I'm a responsible adult you can trust with your brother" and not "I spent last night getting absolutely railed by said brother."
Kasen's truck pulls up right on time. I grab my purse, take a deep breath, and head out to face my doom.
"You look beautiful," he says when I climb in.
I glance down at my outfit—a dress that actually fits my bump, one of the only nice things I've bought so far. "I look like I swallowed a basketball."
"You look like you're carrying my son." His hand finds mine across the console. "It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
"You're biased."
"Definitely." He brings my hand to his lips. "Doesn't make it less true."
The drive passes too quickly. Before I know it, we're parked outside a Craftsman bungalow with toys scattered on the porch and warm light spilling from the windows.
"I can't do this," I say, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Yes, you can." Kasen squeezes my hand. "They're going to love you."
"They're going to think I'm the enemy who trapped you with a baby."
"First of all, no one thinks that. Second, if anyone got trapped here, it's you." His thumb rubs circles on my palm. "I'm the one who couldn't keep his hands off you in Vegas."
"Pretty sure I was an active participant."
"Very active," he agrees with a grin that makes heat sink down between my thighs. "Enthusiastically active. Creatively active."
"Stop." But I'm fighting a smile now.
"Come on. Let's go face the firing squad."
The door opens before we can knock. Clover stands there with Noble on her hip, and her blue eyes—exactly like Kasen's—go comically wide when she sees my belly.
"Holy shit,” she breathes, looking between Kasen and me. "You weren't kidding."
Kasen shifts beside me, his hand coming up to lightly grip the back of my neck. "Told you I wasn't."
"You're pregnant. With my brother's baby." She turns to me, and I brace myself for... something. Judgment? Hostility? Accusations?
Instead, she breaks into a massive grin. "This is amazing! Noble's going to have a cousin!" She practically vibrates with excitement. "Come in! Everyone's here. Banks is grilling. Reed brought good beer. Navy's already three drinks in and telling everyone about her latest Tinder disaster."
She ushers us inside, talking a mile a minute. The house is warm and lived-in, with that comfortable chaos that comes from actual happiness. It's everything my childhood home wasn't. It smells like grilled meat and freshly baked bread, and the sound of laughter drifts in from what must be the backyard.
"Sorry about the whirlwind," Kasen murmurs in my ear. "She's excited about being an aunt."
"It's fine." And weirdly, it is. Her enthusiasm is so genuine it's impossible to feel defensive.
The backyard is strung with lights and filled with laughter. Banks mans a grill, Reed lounges in a chair with a beer in his hands, and Navy sits cross-legged on a blanket playing with what looks like a mini-basketball hoop set up for Noble. They all look up when we step outside, and I have to fight the urge to turn and run.
This is Kasen's family. His people. And I'm the outsider who's here only because I’m carrying his child.
