“Yeah,” Aspen breathed out as she dropped a hand to her baby bump, and a serene smile graced her face as she peeked down at it.
Her husband, Mac, rounded the corner into the front hallway, looped his arms around his wife’s waist to place his hands atop hers over their daughter, and declared, “She’s definitely popped. Makes me so hard I’m walking around lightheaded most days.”
I hid a laugh behind a cough as my sister swatted at his chest with a hissed, “Stop it.”
Mac remained completely unfazed. “What? It’s true.”
Aspen’s eyes widened. “You know you’re speaking to my brother, right? What’s next? You gonna go tell my dad how hot you are for his pregnant daughter?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “Jett already knows what I’m going through, seeing as Daisy’s given him two babies. Tripp here hasn’t had the pleasure, so I figured I’d give him a heads-up on what to expect when that time comes.”
Tilting her face toward the ceiling, Aspen muttered, “Jesus Christ.”
“Oh, are we praying?” Mac bounced on the balls of his feet before bowing his head. “Dear Lord, please let our little jelly bean grow healthy and strong. Amen.”
There were days when my sister had unlimited patience with her husband’s quirky personality, but I had a feeling today was not one of them,so I elected to slip past them before she lost her shit. “I’m just gonna go see the birthday girl. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Tripp, wait!” Aspen called out from behind me as I stepped into the family room.
My parents and Penny’s were standing with their backs to me, but my stomach did a little flip at the glimpse of blonde hair beyond them. That girl did funny things to my insides, and we’d never even done so much as kiss.
Clutching the flowers to my chest, I cleared my throat, announcing my presence. “Surp—” The word died on my tongue when not five but six pairs of eyes turned in my direction.
Who the fuck is this guy?
“Tripp, honey, what are you doing home?” My mama rushed forward, pulling me into a hug. Over her head, I locked eyes with my father, whose jaw ticked. He was a man of few words, but I’d lived almost twenty-nine years as the man’s son, and his facial expressions spoke volumes even when his voice didn’t. Right now, he was irritated. Most likely because I hadn’t cleared it with him to leave the horses behind with my second-in-command.
When my gaze swung to Penny, she looked like a deer caught in headlights, green eyes bigger than I’d ever seen them. Then there was the man standing beside her. I didn’t know him from Adam, but my gut told me he was my worst nightmare come to life.
I was vaguely aware of those talking around me, but I couldn’t hear a word they said with my pulse pounding in my ears because I’d zeroed in on the five fingers curled around Penny’s hip.
Why the fuck was she letting him touch her like that?
The hold was possessive, like he had any right to put his hands on what was mine.
Newsflash: she’s not yours because you never worked up the courage to make a move.
In the back of my mind, I’d always known this day was coming, but I thought I had more time.
A gentle touch on my elbow had me turning to find my sister’s sad eyes filled with unshed tears. That’s when the truth hit me like a punch to the gut.
I’d waited too long. And Penny had found someone else.
“Are those for me?” the sweetest voice in the history of the world asked.
My fist tightened around the bouquet. Anger, jealousy, and mostly frustration—aimed toward my own stubborn self—rose to the surface. But I forced myself to shove all those negative emotions deep down because today was my girl’s birthday, and I wasn’t going to ruin it for her. I couldn’t be upset with Penny for finding companionship, someone to share her life with, especially when she had no clue how I felt about her.
Thrusting the floral arrangement of fuchsia and peach gerbera daisies toward my best friend, I stepped close enough to drop a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Happy Birthday, Lucky.”
When I pulled back, I extended a hand to the man on her right. “Tripp Sullivan.”
Before he could offer his name while we shook, Penny introduced him. “Tripp, this is Jake Wallace. We were in the same veterinary medicine program.”
“Nice to meet you, Jake.” It took a Herculean effort to keep my tone calm, bordering on friendly, as would be expected of me.
“Actually, we’ve met once before.” Jake the Snake dared to join the conversation.
I arched an eyebrow. “That so?”
