Kai’s voice cuts her off again.
“That’s it. I think you’re ready for me, baby?—”
I fumble to pause the video, cheeks burning. My heart pounds against my ribs like a war drum.
They’re together.
I can barely string the thought together through the haze of disbelief and… relief?
The ache in my chest shifts, like the weight has momentarily lifted, but the longing rushes in twice as hard.
They’re together. Without me.
A part of me feels left out, ridiculous as it is. But mostly, I just want to be there.
I grip my phone tightly.
“You okay?” Stella asks, tilting her head.
“I—yeah. Just surprised.”
“It’s okay. Miles accidentally sent a picture of his spunk coming out of my fanny to my gynecologist last month.”
This makes me burst out laughing. “What?!”
Stella shrugs. “Yeah. It was awkward. To be fair, he meant to send it to me, but her name isEstrella, and the old man needs glasses. But on the bright side, she congratulated him on knowing when my fertile window was.”
I bend in half from laughing so hard, and when I stand up to look at my friend, she’s watching me with a soft expression. Stella is the best at diffusing any situation, and right now I’m so grateful we’ve gotten close over the last few months.
She makes me feel like I have a little slice of home right here in Crestwood, and I’m sure if I’d known her in London, we would’ve been fast friends.
“You should go. Leave me the key and I’ll lock up. I won’t be long—I need to pick Bea up from Liam and Zoe’s house soon anyway.”
“Okay. Yeah. Thank you,” I say, still feeling frazzled.
Where are they? And are they still together?
I hand the key to Stella, and she pockets it with a bright smile. “Go have fun. And for the love of God, I hope this means you’ll all stop moping around.”
“What? I’m not moping around?—”
She lets out an exasperated chortle. “Okay, whatever you say. I saw you crying the other day when ‘Take Me to Church’came on.”
“That’s— I— It’s a sad song.”
Arching a brow, she points to the door. “Go get your men. Lock that shit down, because Kai’s been moping even harder.”
Her words cause me to swallow thickly. “He has?”
Nodding, she tugs me toward the door. “But no more. Go suck some cock and put those sexy lips to work.”
I laugh as she shoves me out the door. Just as it’s beginning to close, I realize what she was saying earlier.
“Wait, what do you mean your fertile window?” I ask, brow furrowed. “Are you and Miles…”
She nods shyly. “He’s on a mission to knock me up before the end of the year.”
This makes me smile. I know how much she loves Beatrix.
