“Thank you!” Liza squealed. “We’re so excited, too.”
Brennan found his blank gaze was trained on Liza’s face for another second or two.
Pitter-patter. Little feet. Congratulations. Exciting news.
Instantaneously, both his face and his heart melted.
A baby.
The two people he loved the most were going to have a baby.
Brennan looked at Connor, his proud smile, his enamored glance at Liza, and then Brennan slid his gaze back to Liza’s face.
A baby.
She’d been waiting ten years for this baby. The things she’d personally survived and overcome made this news monumental. For only a second he was dismayed that they’d told him while he was with a companion in a public place, because Brennan wasthiscloseto crying. Like real tears. Tears of mother fucking joy.
Liza’s hands were clasped below her chin as a wide grin stretched her cheeks and her eyes sparkled, glistening with her own happy tears. Her expression was expectant, and her glittering eyes held his, and his mind catapulted backward to a year ago and a café in the middle of the night.
Liza had been coming down with the flu. Connor had verbally assaulted her, and Brennan had to pick up the pieces as usual. He took her to a café in an attempt to feed her, but all he managed to do was put his foot in his mouth, and then she’d dropped a bomb on him.
“Connor didn’t know there was a baby. He didn’t know he caused me to wreck my car when he called me to end our relationship. He didn’t know that car accident ended the pregnancy and nearly killed me.”
Brennan had held her in the booth at that café, her body on fire with a fever, while she grieved for that first baby, sobbing harder than he’d ever seen in his life. It was the one moment when he considered the idea that, just maybe, Connor didn’t deserve a second chance with her. As much as he loved Connor, it was the most egregious, harrowing thing Brennan had ever heard, and he had beenthis closeto abandoning his matchmaking mission in favor of following through with his plan from day one to pursue Liza for himself. But Brennan loved his two friends too much to do that. He believed in them too much to do that to them. So, he just held Liza, and let her cry over the baby she lost, and he managed to hide the fact that he cried a little, too.
Back in the present, Brennan could feel the tell-tale sting of emotion on his eye rims and forced himself to look at Connor until he could compose himself.
“Dude.” Brennan gripped Connor’s arm, stepping through the center of the group as he offered his hand, and Connor clasped it firmly to shake with him. “Sarge…that’s like—”
“I know.” Connor’s proud smile persisted, and Brennan slapped his back as they released the shake.
Brennan chuckled under his breath and then leaned forward to speak discreetly in Connor’s ear. “I guess your shit still works after all, huh?”
“Yeah you fuckin’ right.”
Both men laughed heartily, and Brennan stepped back, turning to Liza again. She was still grinning way up to her teary eyes, and a lump rose in his throat.
“Congratulations, L.,” he managed to say, opening his arm and welcoming her in for a hug, which she didn’t hesitate to dive into. She squeezed her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder, and he squeezed her back, locating her ear and lowering his voice. “I can’t say all the things I want to right now, so I hope you just know.”
She squeezed him tighter and turned her face toward his neck. “I do.” She sniffled. “I love you so much, B., and I’m glad you feel like this is a bad time.” She lowered her voice completely to a whisper. “That means you really like her. And I’m really excited aboutthat. Just saying.”
That made it a hell of a lot easier to pull his shit together, and Brennan slipped away from her. “Now, now, L.”
Liza straight up giggled at that, wrapping her arm around Connor’s again. “Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
Brennan took a step back, rejoining Skye at her side and slipping his arm around her waist. Her eyes were misty and tinged red while a small smile continued to tug the corners of her closed mouth. Her reaction was as sweet as the entire moment, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her temple before speaking quietly in her ear.
“I don’t think anyone expected this. They just got married a few months ago.”
She turned her face to smile at him. “It’s so wonderful.” She looked at Liza and Connor again. “I love babies.”
“Me too!” Liza squealed, hands darting forward so she could clasp Skye’s again like they were already besties.
Oh jeez.
Something about this bothered him. Because something about this little trio of people he cared for was appealing in a heartwarming way.
Wouldn’tthatbe cute?
