The Sweetest Gift - Scarlett Cole Page 0,13
more epic, more treacherous.
He climbed out of the bath and joined her in the shower to rinse off the suds. With his hands on her hips, he turned her to face him. “Did we really just do that?” he asked, suddenly feeling uncertain of himself.
Drea’s serene smile was all he needed to see. “Yes, Brody. We did. It’s still what you want, right?”
Cujo nodded, slightly dumbstruck.
“Thank you,” Drea said. “You’ve been so supportive, patient even, encouraging me to follow my dream. You helped me through college. And you never complain when work bleeds over into our time together. I know how much you want kids. I see it every time you’re around our friends’ kids. And even if we were lucky enough to get pregnant quickly, I would still have had this job for a year and a half before I had to go off on mat leave.”
“That’s one hell of a Christmas gift, Drea.”
Drea laughed. “Yeah, well, you still have tomorrow to make sure you are compensating me accordingly.”
“I think my dick just compensated you more than enough.”
She splashed water in his face. “You are such an idiot.”
He grabbed her around the waist. “Yeah, but I’m your idiot.” He kissed her. Gently. “And I’m going to get started on a mini-skateboard park in the yard. You know. Just in case.”
Two hours later, with the house smelling of evergreen and lasagna, the doorbell rang.
Dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, Cujo opened the door.
“Hey, Harp,” he said, hugging his best friend’s wife around the bump that would be a new baby in the spring. The thought that Drea could be pregnant by then made him grin.
“Hey, Sweetie. Smells good in here.” Harper slid out of her jacket, and Cujo took it from her.
“Drea’s in the kitchen. If she asks you if two garlic baguettes are enough, tell her you think she should do four, would you?”
Harper laughed. “I still don’t get, after all these years, how you manage to eat so much food. It’s one of the universe’s great mysteries.”
“Dude, you need a haircut,” he said, hugging Trent as he stepped through the door.
“Fucker. I’m growing it. Pain in my ass right now, though. And Travis likes grabbing mittfuls of it when I’m not paying attention.”
Cujo knew firsthand just how hard two-year-old Travis could grip onto clumps of hair.
“Well, I like it,” Harper said before she headed toward the kitchen.
Cujo studied Trent as his friend watched her go. “You are such a pussy.”
“Says the guy who grew out a shaved head because your wife thought you looked like a criminal.”
“Fair play. We’re both fucking whipped. Maybe we should warn Reid—”
“Warn me about what?” Reid said, placing his hand on Lia’s lower back to guide her into the house ahead of him.
Lia kissed Trent and Cujo on the cheek. “Hey, guys. Kitchen?”
Cujo nodded and took the bottle of wine she handed him. Wisely, he waited for Lia to disappear from earshot before continuing. “Don’t do it, mate,” Cujo said, grinning. “We’ve just concluded we’re pussy-whipped and wanted to warn you. Run to Albuquerque while you can and stay single.”
Reid laughed and slapped Trent on the back. “Sorry, guys, but I can’t wait to marry her. She can whip my pussy all she wants. Or let me whip hers. Whatever.”
“Jesus Christ,” Trent said, covering his ears. “I don’t need to hear more about your sex life. I heard plenty of it at the beach house we rented this summer.”
Cujo grinned. “I’m so glad we ended up on the other side of the hall.”
“What can I say? We verbalize. From the radio silence from your rooms, I can only conclude no pussy-whipping was going on.”
“What the heck are you three discussing in the hallway?” Drea asked, a tray of canapés in her hand.
Cujo grabbed two off the plate and popped them in his mouth. “How much we love and respect our wives and wife-to-be.”
Drea rolled her eyes. “Well, come and love and respect your wives and wife-to-be in the family room.”
Trent kissed the top of her head as he walked by. “Hey, Sweetheart.”
Reid grinned and stole a pastry off the tray, following Trent’s lead.
“Pussy-whipped, is it?” she asked playfully.
“Joke, Shortcake. You know I would never take anything harder than my dick to your pussy. I love it too much.”
Drea snorted and shook her head. “It’s a good job I love you,” she said. She followed Trent and Reid to the family room, but before she turned the corner, she glanced over her shoulder