however, neither of them really knew how to use it as she rarely got off. The one time she’d encountered Alex’s cock was in a dark room, so she didn’t get a good look at it, but for a few glorious seconds, she’d had her fingers wrapped around perfection—massively large, velvety hard perfection.
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” LuLu replied.
“I think that’s the point,” Sage muttered.
Reyn grinned at her. “You’re no longer crying, are you?” she directed at LuLu.
Rolling her eyes at Reyn, LuLu made her way over to Sage and gave her a delicate hug. “It’s good to have you back, honey. You were missed.”
Sage’s nose twinged and her eyes burned. She had to take a deep breath to keep from turning into a blubbering mess. She coughed to clear the lump from her throat. “Thanks. I-uh-love what you did with the place.”
LuLu laughed. “The guys hate it.”
“They don’t hate it,” Reyn said.
“Yes, they do.” LuLu rubbed her pregnant belly.
Sage’s heart squeezed with envy. She wished she could stay.
“How far along are you now?” Aimee asked.
“A little over five months. Steele wants to know what we’re having, but I don’t. What do you think, should I give in?”
Sage’s smile turned brittle. Gibbs was barely interested in her pregnancy, much less the sex of the baby. LuLu was lucky. Hopefully, she realized it.
“I think you should,” Aimee replied.
“Same,” Reyn agreed.
LuLu’s eyes came to her. “I think you should do what you want.”
Treena walked in and asked for more chips. This was her chance to escape. She needed to find Lucy. She slid out the door and immediately spotted Taz standing across the patio talking to Arson. Montana and Zoe were setting up the buffet while Buck, Ink, Sledge, and Chopper stood off to one side in a huddle. Petal was running around with Taz and Lucy’s boys, Baston and Benji, which meant that Lucy was where, exactly?
She turned to go back inside and nearly tripped over Doc.
“How’s the wrist?”
“It hurts,” she answered honestly.
He shot her an exasperated look. “It’ll hurt less if you take the pain pills.”
“They make me tired. Have you seen Lucy?”
“I imagine she’s around here somewhere.”
“Great, thanks.”
Smiling at her dry response, he said, “You need to let your body heal, sweetheart.”
What she needed was to find Lucy. She gave him a quick hug before heading back inside, this time through the living room and not the kitchen. Laughter rang through the house. It wasn’t that she didn’t want friends; it was that she couldn’t afford to have them. She spotted Lucy coming her way. Right behind her was Alex. His dark hair looked messy, like he’d been riding on his bike. He had a panty-melting smile on his stubbled face, but what caught her attention was the tall, gorgeous blonde clinging to his arm.
“Sorry,” Lucy mouthed.
“Alex!” Petal called out, the same time his eyes connected with hers.
“Hey, Sweet Pea,” he replied in that sexy-deep voice that made her insides quiver.
Petal took one look at the woman, and blurted, “Who are you?”
Sage stood frozen to the floor—her eyes stinging, her nose burning, and her heart aching—as she watched the guy she was madly in love with introduce her daughter to his girlfriend.
Chapter Nine
AX STOOD BESIDE the bonfire staring at the flames. Bringing Emma here was a mistake. She was a great girl, and he cared about her and all, but Steele was right. She wasn’t Sage. Hell, right now Sage wasn’t even Sage, at least, not the Sage he remembered. Once mouthy and resilient, she was now cautious and fragile. It was as if he didn’t know her anymore, and he didn’t like it. The look on her face when he introduced her to Emma made his heart twist. It also made him angry. She left. If anyone should feel betrayed, it was him, so why did he feel like the bad guy? And then there was Petal. What did he expect, that she would accept Emma with open arms? He should have known better. When she stormed off, he wanted to go after her, to explain—what, exactly, he didn’t have a fucking clue.
Ink walked toward him with a beer in each hand. He scowled, hoping Ink would get the hint and find someone else to bother. No such luck.
“Where’s Emma?” Ink asked, handing him one of the bottles.
Nosy fucker. “Bathroom,” he muttered, lifting the bottle to his lips. He took a drink and waited for Ink to bestow more bullshit-relationship wisdom on him, in