Kelsi whispers, “He has a secret girlfriend named Alba.”
Taylor and I share a smile before I sigh. “Ah, old Alba is back. The fake girlfriend he uses to get people to stop asking him questions. He also has fake hobbies and a fake vacation home in Missouri.”
“Yeah, baby,” Taylor says to a confused Kelsi, “you really can’t trust anything Maverick tells you. He’s full of shit.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t feel bad for believing the lies he told other people. He’s very convincing.”
“I saw him tell Dione about Alba, and he looks so sad as if he missed her a lot.”
Taylor and I laugh at Kelsi’s poor romantic notions. “All fake. He’s probably nailing a few chicks in nearby towns and doesn’t want anyone to know his business. It’s a con.”
“Well, then I’m not believing anything he says again,” Kelsi declares, really piling on the faux outrage.
“Unless he says you’re hot,” Taylor murmurs and takes her hand, “then he’s not bullshitting.”
I try not to make any rude noises or gestures while the tongues belonging to my best friend and her lady noisily comingle. I mean, shit, am I invisible?
“No, Shelby, you’re very visible,” Taylor answers. “Also, you’re not nearly as lowkey as you think you are when you’re annoyed.”
Grinning, I rest my head on her shoulder. “I know you think me getting plowed by the giant is a mistake, but it’ll only be for a few months. Once I get fat, I can’t chance his huge dick injuring the placenta or some other gross baby stuff.”
“I will support anything you do,” Taylor promises. “But only to your face. Behind your back, I will rant and rave about what a dipshit you’re being. I’ll make threats against Goliath. Might get your brother riled up some too. But, to your face, I will treat this decision as if it wasn’t made out of jealousy and desperation.”
“Exactly! I’m desperate for dick. Is that so wrong?” I demand dramatically, ensuring Shane, River, and Maverick hear nearby.
Shane frowns. River nods. Maverick gives me an approving wink. Only the not-really-lonely younger Majors understands me.
“I understand you just fine,” Taylor mutters. “I’m just not kissing your ass twenty-four-seven like that suck-up.”
Laughing, I get up and shove my ass between her and Kelsi so I can hug them to me. “I love you blonde bitches with all my heart. So much love. All the love right here.”
I continue to torment my friends until River announces dinner is ready. Then the conversation turns to topics other than my deep admiration for Goliath’s dick.
But I’m still thinking about it around one a.m. when Maude joins me in the TV room to have her cocoa and mini muffins.
“Max’s cooking will make me fat before the baby does,” she says and gets cozy on another couch in the seating-overstuffed room.
“You said the hot guy you made a baby with isn’t from around here. If he was and wanted to hook up, no-strings-attached, would you do it?”
Maude considers my question and rubs her flat belly. “Probably. He was fine as hell, and I came really hard.”
“But wouldn’t you want to date him for real, though?”
“I assumed that wasn’t an option based on your question.”
“Good point. Still, would you feel as if you were getting the short end by just being a hookup?”
“I really don’t want to be in a relationship. I was married for a long time to a man I didn’t love for half that time,” Maude says and sighs. “But if the baby’s dad was local and interested in dating for real, I wouldn’t say no. Is this about Goliath?”
“Yeah. He wants a booty call situation. I mean, that could work, right? I’m busy. I don’t have time for a boyfriend anyway. A hookup would give me the sex, and I did like the sex. I’m just not sure if it comes off desperate on my part. I don’t feel pathetic, you know? I feel as if I’m okay with using Goliath’s hot bod for my needs.”
“Then, you should use it when the mood suits you.”
Giving her a bright smile, I admit, “I’ve always wanted a friend who told me what I wanted to hear. Fucking Taylor throws facts and hard truths at me. It’s awful.”
Maude grins as she pops a muffin in her mouth. She’s more relaxed around people lately. When she moved in, Maude was as high-strung as Max, just in a different way. Max was obviously nervous, hiding her face, afraid to speak up. Maude was fake