My Life as a Holiday Album (My Life as an Album #5) - L.J. Evans Page 0,89

couldn’t help belting out. Stephen had opened the tailgate, and Ginny was reaching in to grab some of the cleaning supplies. When I went to help, it put our lips damn near close enough to kiss again. She glanced at my lips before pulling back and responding.

“Yeah. Since guys always name their cars and boats after women, I figured I’d name mine after a guy.”

“He isn’t a guy. He’s a legend,” Khiley said, as we all took a load of supplies up the stairs.

I caught Stephen and Mayson rolling their eyes at each other, which only made me more curious.

“Who’d you name him after?” I asked.

“Brady O’Neil,” Stephen said. “Don’t even get them started on Brady.”

I frowned. I knew the name but couldn’t place it.

Ginny was full-out laughing now. “You know. The country singer.”

I raised my eyebrows once more. She’d already shocked me several times in the five minutes we’d been together this morning. Now, I was regretting, even more, the gang showing up at the bar yesterday, because my suspicion about my casual dare turned into fact. She would have kissed me.

When we got inside, it was obvious Ginny had been there for a while, because she had a card table set up in the corner with a carafe of coffee and a couple of boxes of donuts. I was itching to refill my travel mug and eat a whole box myself, but I didn’t. She still saw me eyeing them and smiled.

“Help yourself,” she said. She was in a good mood this morning, shining even brighter than the day before. As if whatever had put her down was now water under the bridge. Like she’d just let it float away so there was only sunshine left behind.

“Do not eat that donut and try to kiss me,” Khiley said, as Stephen grabbed a maple bar from the box. “I will absolutely throw up on you. Just the smell is already getting to me.”

She rushed to the other side of the room, holding her nose.

“But…it’s a maple bar, ‘Ley,” Stephen said, looking at it mournfully.

“Khiley is in the middle of terrible morning sickness because someone doesn’t know how to keep it covered,” Mayson half-growled, half-teased. “I haven’t decided if I’ve forgiven him yet.”

“Oh God, don’t go all protective brother on me now,” Khiley said, words muffled as she wound her scarf around her nose and mouth.

Stephen put the donut down and went to the corner to check on her. I looked over at Mayson. “You do know how to keep it covered, right?”

“You did not just say that!” I got my second punch of the day from Grace. On a normal day, I was lucky if I got away with only four or five.

“I’m going to have to file an abuse report if you keep treating my arm that way,” I told her.

We were halfway through the donuts and coffee while taking boxes down to the truck when the rest of the gang showed up: Ty, Maleena, and the couple who’d been causing a ruckus at the Waters’ house the day before. They were introduced to me as Eliza and Brett, and their elopement seemed to be the hottest topic of the day, even over an unplanned pregnancy and Mayson’s departure from the band.

“What did Edie say about the place when you saw her?” Eliza asked Stephen.

“She was relieved we found something. I didn’t tell her it looked like shit. I just told her not to worry about it, that we had it all under control.”

“She still hasn’t had the baby?” Maleena asked.

“Daddy called me right before I left to get ‘Ley and said it would be soon.”

“How upset is she that Garrett isn’t here?” Eliza asked.

Stephen rubbed his hand over his face again. “Somethin’ has gotta be goin’ on with the two of them. Somethin’ not good. She couldn’t get him on the phone—or at least that’s what she said.”

There was a silence as everyone took in the information. I didn’t know anything about it, but it did seem pretty bad if the father of the baby wasn’t at the delivery. If my wife were pregnant and about ready to burst, it would take hell and fire to keep me from being at her side.

For some damn reason, I was looking over at Ginny again and wondering what she would look like with a belly full of baby. It was like I could actually see her, rubbing the stomach, smiling at me, smiling at the little thing inside.