No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,81

or something else? I thought of ways to ask her but decided against it. I wasn’t sure it had to do with her own personal decision against being a mother. As she continued to move from week to week, month to month, business as usual, I continued to pretend everything was normal.

Even though it was Saturday, I’d put in too many hours to count, working in my office while she slept so peacefully. When I heard the shower turn on, I went back to bed to wait for her.

A wave of vanilla wafted into the room just before she appeared. “Hey, honey,” she said with a smile.

“Hey, baby.” Damp hair hung around her bare shoulders, making me want to kiss them and more. “Come here.”

The smile morphed into a sassy smirk. Although she hadn’t questioned my suddenly slamming the brakes on our daily intimate routine, I knew that she knew it had to do with her doctor’s visit. One thing that book was also good for: clearing up any confusions I had about sex during pregnancy.

She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over for a kiss. “Happy birthday eve.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry about our getaway.”

“Baby, it doesn’t matter where we are.”

“I know. I just think you would’ve loved it. I’m not going to tell you what it is, because I will be taking you there… hopefully next month.” I hoped the same, not for the trip as much as for her sake. I knew she hated being stuck at home.

“It doesn’t matter where we ended up for this weekend or any weekend, as long as there is nakedness involved.” I skimmed my hands beneath the edge of her towel, inching them up her thighs. “Having said that… can we start celebrating now?”

“Right after the baby reveal.” A giggle erupted after I groaned. “Look at the bright side… I saved you from having to attend in person.”

“This is true.” Cooper insisted Riana join them via video chat at the time they would be slicing into a cake. Those guys were incorrigible, quickly inviting about a dozen people to an elaborate soiree in just a few days’ time to witness the spectacle. I squeezed the silky-smooth skin beneath my touch, and she stealthily removed herself from my hold to stand a few feet away and out of my reach.

“We need to call them in thirty minutes. I have to get ready, and so do you.”

Another groan came before I threw my arm over my eyes. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

For the next half hour, I steered clear of her to avoid temptation, showered, and dressed before joining her on the couch. Wearing a pale-pink flowy dress, she looked stunning, sitting with her laptop opened to the proper app.

“Ready?” she asked after I plopped down beside her.

“As I’ll ever be.”

A few seconds later, Ricky connected on the call with a grin. “Hey… we’re all set.”

“We’re excited,” Riana said, smiling brightly. Thankfully, her enthusiasm seeped into me, and I appeared to share in it with her. Ricky twisted his screen and propped it on a stand, where it faced a large sheet cake. What looked like a pink-and-blue edible bootie adorned each corner, and across the cake EITHER PINK OR BLUE… ONE OR TWO… WE LOVE YOU was written in icing. There were pink and blue balloons in every corner of the room, and a huge banner behind the guys reading, THE BIG REVEAL.

Ricky moved to stand next to Cooper, who stood waiting with a large cake knife in hand. Riana squeezed in closer to me, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. There was excited chatter in the background as Cooper said, “Here we go.”

Ricky placed his hand over Cooper’s, and together they sliced into the cake, creating a perfect square, and lifted it out. The crowd gasped when they saw a pink layer of cake, separating it by a layer of white icing from the bottom pink layer of cake.

“Girls!” Cooper shouted before throwing his arms around Ricky. Pandemonium hit their party, everyone cheering and hugging. When Riana raised a hand to her eye, I first noticed the tears that formed and kissed her cheek.

The somber moment was killed when Marco appeared on the screen to congratulate the guys, and in a serious tone said, “You two are fucked.”

Their guests went into hysterics, more so after Ricky nodded, shrugged, and said, “No doubt.”

Once they all calmed enough for a conversation to be had, Ricky and Cooper raised their