“Where’s Jeff?” I asked my friend before Bailey could act on the glare she was shooting Dahlia, who only made matters worse by laughing into her drink.
“Working. He’ll be here after the kids’ party for the barbecue.”
“I could take Cat,” Bailey huffed.
“Take me where?”
We turned to see Cat coming down the steps with a birthday gift in hand. Joey was noticeably absent. He was a teenager now, one who looked like a miniature Cooper, and the kind of teenager who could befriend anyone. He hung around with kids from all different cliques, which meant he was always on the go doing something.
Or dating someone.
Once I married Jack, Joey moved on to girls his own age.
“Nowhere,” Bailey answered quickly.
“Give me a glass of that,” Cat huffed, gesturing to the mimosas. “My brother depresses the crap out of me. It’s his kid’s fourth birthday party, and he and his wife can’t keep their hands off each other long enough for even that.”
My lips twitched at her mock-disgusted glower.
“They’re going at it in the bathroom.” Her smirk turned wicked. “That is, they were going at each other. Until I hammered on the door and told them I was calling the cops for public indecency.”
We chuckled, but my laughter died when I saw Cat case the backyard as if she were searching for someone.
“He’s not here,” I told her.
She shrugged. “Who isn’t?”
Letting her have it her way, I stayed silent as she strode across the yard to her nephew.
“I’m telling you, it’ll be another nine years unless I intervene,” Bailey muttered.
“Intervene in what?” Vaughn’s voice called to us.
We turned to see him and Michael striding down the steps toward us, baby girls in their arms.
“I thought they were napping?” Bailey said as she reached for Lily.
He held his daughter close. “I’ve got her,” he assured her.
Dahlia reached up for Michael’s free hand. Jenna was curled in his other arm, her head resting sleepily on his shoulder.
“Uh … I don’t think Coop and Jess knew we were in the house.” Vaughn’s lips twitched. “We thought it best to give them some privacy.”
“Jess is pregnant,” Bailey explained.
“We heard. There was some yelling … but ultimately Coop seems to be taking the news well,” Michael murmured.
“I don’t know why,” Dahlia said. “Her pregnancy was the worst.”
We shot her reproving looks and she glared at us. “Uh, please, like you all weren’t scared shitless of her when she was pregnant the first time.”
We grumbled. But it was true.
“Another baby.” Ivy grimaced. “This is just going to make Jeff so broody.”
“I thought you wanted kids?” Bails frowned in confusion.
“I do. And I know we should start soon.” She shrugged. “But I’m enjoying my time alone with the sheriff. I quite like being able to have sex with him whenever I damn well please.”
Jack and I shared a look, and I knew we were both thinking about this morning and the fact that it was the first time we’d had sex in three weeks. That wasn’t a huge amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but it was unusual for us.
He’d just been so exhausted lately.
And … well … I had a lot on my mind.
A little while later, Cooper and Jess returned to the backyard looking disheveled and pleased with themselves. They explained they wanted to keep the pregnancy just between us so as not to take away from Tyler’s big day. So we didn’t make an enormous deal out of congratulating them, but I was over the moon for my friend. And I really, really hoped her second pregnancy was easier than the first.
“Can we talk?” Jack whispered in my ear, his hand closing around my wrist.
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, I nodded. We excused ourselves, heading into the house. Jack led me upstairs to Tyler’s room and closed the door behind us.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He rested his hands on his hips, his expression unreadable. “When were you planning on telling me?”
I blinked in confusion. “About Jess?”
“No.” His expression softened. “No, sunrise, about you.”
The light of knowledge in his eyes caught me completely off guard. “How do you know?”
“I enjoy having sex with my wife, so I tend to keep track of your period. And then I saw you waving off that mimosa …”
Before I could stop it, a smile pushed at my lips. Excitement unfurled in my belly. “I haven’t been to see Jess yet, but I took two tests. Both positive.”