Drilled - Jayne Rylon Page 0,15

to talk about. The rest will work itself out. You’ll see.”

“That’s a good idea.” Joe nodded. “I think I can manage not to fuck shit up if you get out of here for a few hours.”

Mike huffed. “Cut that out. You don’t need me.”

But the reality was that in the crew, they all needed each other. Being separated was going to be harder than they’d imagined. They’d have to figure out a way to make it work.

Just thinking about it sapped the last of Kate’s strength. She had to find somewhere quiet to snuggle in her husband’s arms so she could figure out if he really was as happy as she was to be going on this adventure in parenthood with him, one more time.

Mike noticed and scooped her into his arms, not waiting for her to collapse again. He nodded to everyone and said, “I’ll see you all tomorrow, and you when you get off work tonight.”

He jerked his chin at Joe, who nodded.

That’s right! Kate remembered Mike was staying with Joe and Morgan as he deposited her in the passenger seat of her car and clicked her seatbelt into place. Then he jogged around to the driver’s side and moved the seat back what seemed like ten notches before joining her. She waved to everyone as they shouted congratulations and warm wishes.

Mike’s fingers entwined with hers. The heat and strength in his grasp drew the last of her nervous energy from her, and before she realized it, she’d closed her eyes. The pretty moss-colored light filtering through the canopy above as they wound through the woods toward Morgan and Joe’s rental house was the last thing she remembered before she dozed off.

6

“Is it true? Is it true?”

Mike was only half awake when someone, a woman from the feel of her soft body, piled on top of him and Kate where they’d been dozing after she’d made her announcement at Hot Rods. The revelation rushed back in to his awakening mind. A baby! They were having another baby. Whoa.

“Morgan?” Kate scrubbed her eyes and blinked up at her best friend, a wide smile spreading across her face as she hugged the other woman.

Mike stretched and looked up at Joe. He grinned at his wife, who’d wedged herself between Mike and Kate in bed. Hell, it wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together a hundred times in the past fourteen years or so. Joe rounded the carved four-poster and sat on the edge of the mattress behind Kate.

“Yeah, it’s me. So tell me.” Morgan put her hand on Kate’s stomach. “It’s not some kind of joke, right?”

“Nope.” Kate beamed, looking more gorgeous than ever. “I’m pregnant.”

Hearing the words from his wife stole Mike’s breath all over again. It seemed like some kind of dream. A nice one, though. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t look at Abby and see the woman she’d be in another few blinks of his eye. He missed having little ones around. A child who actually needed him and enjoyed the attention he paid to the adorable things they did. But now he’d have not only Eli’s kid and some of the others at Hot Rides to spoil when he saw them on occasion, but his own to raise day in and day out.

It was overwhelming to think of starting fresh, but also exciting.

Maybe Joe had been right to consider moving to Middletown and doing things differently than they had been for so long now. Sure, the years they’d been a crew had been awesome. So good that they hadn’t had any desire to shake things up. But they’d gotten stale. Things had become routine. Maybe they’d settled for good enough when they could have pushed for greatness.

If Mike was going to give his kid the life he wanted for him or her, he might have to think about what else needed to change and evolve. He should be setting an example for Abby, Landry, and now this new baby. Seeing the scale of the Hot Rods project and the additional challenges and prosperity an operation of that magnitude could bring, Mike was already buzzing with ideas for new opportunities.

As he surrounded his wife and her best friend—both giddy with joy—in his arms, he wondered if staying in Middletown longer than a week or even a summer might be best for the four of them.

“Oh my God!” Morgan sniffled and Kate wiped a tear from her cheek. “That’s such incredible news. I’m so happy for