"You just did."
A shrug and an innocent smirk. "Well, I did tell you so." She took my hand. "Anyway, that's not really the reason I wanted to talk to you."
"What else?"
She laid a palm on her stomach, looking nervous, suddenly. "I...Roth and I--um. I'm...pregnant."
I stopped walking abruptly. "You what?"
She shrugged. "While you were gone, I lapsed on my pills."
"Does Roth know?" I asked.
She stared at me. "Does he know? He's already building a nursery. He's painted it pink. He's absolutely convinced it's a girl. I've tried telling him we won't know for sure for another ten weeks at least, but he's...just positive it's a girl." She had a dreamy grin on her face. "We'd been talking about it a little anyway, so it's just...a little sooner than we were thinking, that's all."
"You're having a baby." I blinked hard, trying to wrap my head around a mini version of Kyrie and Roth. "Damn, girl."
"That's all you have to say?"
"I'm the godmother, right? And the honorary aunt?"
She blinked away a tear. "Of course."
"Congratulations has always seemed like a weird thing to say when someone is pregnant. Like, all you did was have sex. Biology did the rest." I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her cheek. "I'm happy for you, Kyrie. That's so cool."
"What about you and Harris?"
I shuddered. "Honey, I'm still working on letting him love me without me freaking out. Ain't no babies or wedding bells happening any time soon. You'll be the first--well, the second--to know when there is. I promise."
We walked up the beach for a while, Alexei trailing behind us at a distance. When we returned, Nick was talking to Roth, and both of them had tumblers of scotch. Nick slapped Roth on the back, which led me to suspect Roth had just broken the baby news to him.
We partied late into the night. Kyrie didn't drink, of course, so I drank enough for both of us. Harris even let loose a little. Responsibly, I insisted, since he was still wounded.
All the while, though, I was ruminating on Kyrie's question.
And Harris and I?
Marriage? Kids?
I never thought it would happen to me. I never thought I'd even want it. I always assumed I'd be arranging fuck-buddies when I was in a nursing home, visiting my various geriatric booty calls. Apparently, fate or something had a different life in mind for me.
Somehow, sitting on Harris's lap, sharing a glass of scotch with him, the idea of saying "I do" didn't seem so scary or impossible. I wasn't convinced I'd be that great a mother, since the only example I had was pretty shitty. But if anyone could make an honest woman out of me, it was Nicholas Harris.
And I was willing to try.
He pulled my ear to his lips as Roth carried Kyrie up to their room. "Just so you know, I'm gonna knock you up someday."
"Someday far from now?"
"Not yet, no. You're not ready for that. But you will be."
"I'm not so sure, Nick."
He pulled back so he could meet my eyes. "I am sure. You'll be a great mother, some day."
"Can we worry about teaching me how to be a great girlfriend, first?"
He laughed. "Sure. I'm in no hurry. We've got time."
I tugged his wrist to me, pulling his suit coat sleeve back to bare his watch. "It's 2:02, Nick."
He grinned lazily at me. "Is it, now?"
I let out a breath. "Sure is. That's a good two hours past midnight."
"I have a promise to keep, don't I?" He grinned at me, a smile full of promise.
THE END
AUTHOR NOTE
Okay, so by now you're probably familiar with the outrageousness that is the ALPHA series playlists. And this one...? It's the most outrageous of all. It's full of some seriously incredible music spanning genres from indie folk to instrumental metal to classical. All the good stuff, in other words. I hope I turn you on to a new favorite band, or to an amazing song that helps you through a rough time. Or just a good tune you can blast with the windows down and do some serious steering wheel drumming. Music is my life-blood, and the pulsing heart of every book I write.
Support art. Buy music--or pay for upgraded streaming services--share good finds.
As always, thank you to the artists listed below for creating sonic inspiration.
PLAYLIST
"Mute Departure" by Cult of Luna
"Hungry Face" by Mogwai
"The Omega Suite pt.ii" by Maroon
TEN-- album by Break of Reality A String Tribute to Skillet--album by Cellofourte Evolution--album by Primitivity "Blood" by Algiers
Symphony of Shadows--album by Cello Fury COVERS--album by Break of Reality Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun--album by Red Sparowes Transcend--album by Philip Wesley "Storm" by Godspeed You Black Emperor "Partita No. 2 in D Minor BWV 1004: V. Chaconne" by Hillary Hahn "He Films the Clouds Pt. 2" by Maybeshewill "Making Love on the Mountain" by The Woodlands "Work Song" by Hozier
"Mojo Pin" by Jeff Buckley
"Revelry" by The Careful Ones
"Too Repressed" (Explicit) by Sometymes Why "Hush" Theme from Turn by Joy Williams and Matt Berninger "Vessel" by Dry the River
"The Hanging Tree" by Angus & Julia Stone "C'est Moi" by Rupa & the April Fishes "Wade in the Water" (Live at Spotify House) by Jamie N Commons "Far From Any Road" by The Handsome Family "Danger and Dread" by Brown Bird
"Snake Song" by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan "After Midnight" by Dorothy
"Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds One Cello x 16: Natoma--album by Zoe Keating "Japanese Sky Transcript" by Maybeshewill Battle Cry--album by Two Steps From Hell Phenomena--album by Audiomachine Epicon--album by Globus Evolution--album by Fringe Element Arktika--album by Pelican Sol Eye Sea I--album by Irepress "Gun In My Hand" by Dorothy
"The Railroad" by Goodnight, Texas "Lie To Me" by Johnny Lang
"Suite for Cello Solo No. 6 in D, BWV 1012: 1. Prelude" by Johann Sebastian Bach, played by Mischa Maisky "Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) by Emile Pandolfi "So Far" by Haushka
"Atlantico" by Roberto Cacciapaglia "Woman (Oh Mama)" by Joy Williams
"Goldrush" by Paper Airplanes
"Dark Side of the Heart" by Maggie Bjorklund "Lost Boys" by Paper Bird
"Nothing But the Water (I)" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnes "Bad Things" by Jace Everett
"Boy Got It Bad" by Kali Baxley
"How's It Gonna End" by Tom Waits
"Stolen Roses" by Karen Elson
Jasinda Wilder
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My other titles:
The Preacher's Son: Unbound
Unleashed
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Biker Billionaire: Wild Ride
Big Girls Do It: Better (#1), Wetter (#2), Wilder (#3), On Top (#4) Married (#5)
On Christmas (#5.5) Pregnant (#6)
Boxed Set
Rock Stars Do It: Harder
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Boxed Set
From the world of Big Girls and Rock Stars: Big Love Abroad
Delilah's Diary: A Sexy Journey
La Vita Sexy
A Sexy Surrender
The Falling Series: Falling Into You Falling Into Us
Falling Under
Falling Away
The Ever Trilogy: Forever & Always After Forever
Saving Forever
The world of Alpha:
Alpha
Beta
The world of Stripped: Stripped
Trashed
The world of
Wounded:
Wounded
Captured
The Houri Legends: Jack and Djinn
Djinn and Tonic
Jack Wilder Titles: The Missionary
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