by Melissa Blue
“The first two answers are easy. Emphatic yes, which is why the third one is blurry.”
Eva pressed her hands together and put them to her lips to hide a grin. “So you think you might be in love?”
“I think my hormones are making my brain and heart mush.”
Her friend winced. “It has. I won’t lie and say my love for Grady wasn’t deeper when I was pregnant, but my anger toward him was sharper.” Eva scooped up a handful of popcorn. “And I don’t know what to tell you. I already loved Grady. I could see the difference. If that makes sense.”
Unfortunately. “Everything I feel for him is clouded. And...” Iris glanced back toward the hall to see if Ashley was peeking around the corner. “I don’t want it.”
Eva blinked. “I see.”
Iris waited for the judgment. Eva had a soft spot for the Goon Squad. They became the family she’d always wanted. Iris had only talked to Oliver at length. Wade and Victor, they sort of watched her like they weren’t sure about her just yet. They were polite, but distant.
Eva handed over the bowl. Iris picked at the kernels.
“I’m just going to give you this advice,” Eva said, “be selfish until the baby comes. What I mean by that is take care of you. You’re going to have to give your everything when the baby comes, whether you like it or not. Newborns are hard work, and then they won’t be. Or rather they become hard work in a different way. When your head is a little clearer, look at how you feel then.”
Dammit. Her eyes were burning again. “Why can’t I stop crying? This shit is embarrassing.”
Eva laughed. “It’s okay, little mama.”
Ashley walked into the living room and stopped. “I leave for three minutes and you make her cry?”
“I didn’t. I swear.”
Iris’s laugh was watery with unspent tears. “Hormones. Not her fault.”
Ashley still frowned at them. “Do I want to know?”
They both said, “No.”
“I can live with that.” Ashley glanced at the TV. “Let’s watch Fifty Shades. I heard there was spanking.”
Iris waved her arms, rejecting that idea. “Can we not? I’m trying to avoid anything sex-related.”
Ashley smirked. “Do I need to go back to the bathroom for this part?”
“You’re fine. Let’s just skip that movie. Also, I can’t drink, but you guys can. I have makings for margaritas. I have about two bottles that’ve been there in my cabinets for a while. They should still be good, though.”
Eva brightened. “Now you’re talking.”
“I’ll make them.” Ashley made a beeline for the kitchen. She yelled back, “You don’t put enough booze in them, Eva.”
“You put too much!”
“Our men can come pick us up.”
At that, Eva shrugged. “Another tip, store up reserves of breast milk. Once you drop this load you’re going to want to let loose.”
“Noted.”
And what did it mean if her idea of letting loose was jumping Porter after a few drinks? That only fanned the fear it wasn’t just hormones making her heart soft.
*****
Porter did his best to annihilate Victor in the game, but that was pointless. The only person who could beat him was Ashley. It’s why he only shook his head when Victor pulled his phone from his pocket, read a text, and grunted. His friend was only paying half attention and still kicking Porter’s ass.
He’d invited the Goon Squad over once he hadn’t heard from Iris. He didn’t want to think about what that meant. A year ago, after a long trip, his first stop would have been Grady’s. He’d have brought beer, made a home on the couch and played a few rounds of whatever game was already on the TV.
Nope. He’d come straight home, sent Iris a text and when she hadn’t sent so much as a smoke signal back, he called his friends over. Only Victor and Grady were free. Oliver had a deadline. Sophie was home from a long trip and that meant Wade would likely spend the next few days lost in his fiancee.
It was a new era, all right.
Victor tucked his cell back in his pocket. “Grady!”
The reply came from the kitchen, and Grady’s voice was muffled by a mouth filled with food. “I know. Eva just texted me.”
“What is it?” Porter asked.
“The girls are drunk.”
“Oh.”
“Your girl filled them with tequila.”
His girl. He grunted at that inaccuracy. If she was his girl, she’d be here with him right now.
Victor added like he was twisting a knife, “She’s dropping them off.”
That got his attention. “Iris?”
“Yup.”
Porter tried to concentrate on the game and not the way his heart had started to thunder in his chest. “When?”
“Should be here in ten minutes or so.”
“Oh.”
Victor hit the pause button and stared at him. “Is that a problem?”
“Nope.”
“You look like it’s a problem.”
Porter held down the PS button to wrest control and turned the game back on. “Drop it.”
“If you don’t want Iris over here, just say it. I’ll send a text and let her know I can pick Ash up from her place.”
Porter paused the game and hoped his stare conveyed his irritation. “I said it was fine.”
Grady strolled in with his plate piled high with wings and pizza. “Why do you guys look like you’re about to fight?”
“Because numbnuts has his panties twisted in a bunch over Iris.”
Grady took in Porter then nodded. “Yeah. He’s got that look.”
Porter knew he’d regret asking but he did. “What look?”
Grady sat down on the love seat. “How would Wade put it? Pussy-whipped and likes it.”
Porter snorted. “I promise you don’t have to fill in for Wade when he’s not here.”
Grady grinned. “He’s not here because Sophie’s home for the first time in two weeks. He’s gone two weeks without touching her, smelling her. He’s been in a shit mood since she left. I bet you wouldn’t know anything about that though.”
“You’re both dicks,” Porter said.
Grady took another big bite of the pizza. “We never get to tease you. Let us have our moment.”
Victor grinned too. One cheek indented with a dimple. “Grady can be a real dick when he wants you to confess your feelings. Just confess them so we can game until Iris gets here with our wives.”
Porter slouched and did his best to kill Victor in the game. They let him stew in his ugly mood. By the time his doorbell rang, he was ready to rip off a head or two.
Except laughter hit him square in the chest—Iris’s. Her face glowed. She stood on his doorstep with a hand on her hip, her stomach a sight to behold, while her friends drunkenly walked arm over shoulder together.
“I can’t help you guys if you fall on your faces,” she said. “I can’t pick up my keys if they drop a foot in front of me.”
Porter had to prop against the doorjamb because his knees weren’t steady. The dress Iris wore clung to her tits, her hips and round stomach. She had one of those long sweaters that looked more like a cape. Instead of heels, she wore flats with red bows.
“Iris,” he said.
Her hand went to her stomach but she glanced at him. “Hey.”
He wanted to pull her into the house, carry her up the stairs and make up for lost time. A month’s worth of lost time. He crossed his arms.
“How drunk are they?”
“The fact they can’t walk a straight line and into a door should tell you. Thankfully, they are fun drunks.”
“We are!” Ashley said then giggled.
“Fuck, yes!” Eva laughed after putting a hand over her mouth. “I think we’re screaming.”
Porter looked behind him into the house and both of their husbands continued to play the game. He pushed from the door and made his way back to the couch. And hoped. He didn’t
relax until Iris sat beside him, sitting the arm of the couch.
“Need me to move?” he asked.
“Only if you want to.”
He scooted over and she plopped beside him. He inhaled deeply and her scent went into him. He breathed again, feeling content.
“Where’s Izzie? she asked.
“In Junior’s room, sleeping.” He motioned to the baby monitor that sat next to Grady’s foot. “We’re gaming like adults with children.”
His sister’s laugh filtered into the house. He said, “You left your drunk friends outside.”
She craned her neck to check the door. “They are coming. It might take them a while though. Ashley just tripped on air.”
He looked at that and laughed. “Have fun with them?”
“By proxy. That was until Eva went into gory detail about her labor and delivery. I swear it’s a thing.”
“What’s a thing?”
“Pregnancy war stories.”
“What exactly is that?”
“A thing. It happened at the baby shower. Every single woman who gave birth told me their labor story. It was like they went off to war and finally they found another veteran to tell their story to.”
“Makes sense.” Though it kind of didn’t.
“I’m being rude. Victor, Grady, hi.”
They both threw a hey in her direction, their attention on the TV. She scoffed, shaking her head. “What is it with men and video games? It’s like they lose half of their hearing.”
“It’s addictive.” He thought about her leaving, going home and leaving him. “I can show you?”
She opened her mouth, closed it for a second, and then a grin spread. “Yeah. Show me.”
“Grady, hand the controller over, and go get your wife.”
Grady leaned back in the loveseat until he had an unobstructed view of outside. “She’s fine.”
Porter checked. “She’s laying in the grass with Ashley.”
“They are looking at the stars.”
Iris rested her arm along his, whispering, “You know your family is weird, right?”
“Fully aware,” he said without bothering to lower his voice in return. “Control, Grady. I want to teach Iris how to play.”
Grady looked at Iris then laughed. “Victor, give Porter the remote. He’s going to teach Iris how to play.”
Victor frowned at Iris and laughed. “Let me get Ashley.”
Porter slid his gaze to Iris. Her eyes were bright like she was holding in a laugh. He asked, “What?”
“You’re trying to flex for me?”
Maybe. Ashley’s loud laugh drew his attention. Victor had crouched down beside her. After another chuckle, she took his hand so he could help her up. It took both Victor and Ashley to help Eva.
Porter smiled. Yeah. His family was weird as shit, but he loved them. “Give me a second to switch games. This one is a little hard.”
“Let’s do this one,” Iris said. “I think I can get the hang of it really easy if you just show me what buttons to push.”
Grady’s cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Ashley came through the door first. “I’m putting a hundred on Iris.”
Iris patted Porter’s knee. “Friends, so supportive.”
Grady said, “No bet for me.” Then he smiled at Eva. “Want in?”
She smiled back at him, looking soft and happy. “Let me drop the same on Iris.”
Victor pulled Ashley with him to the loveseat and onto his lap. “No bet.”
“I guess I’ll take it,” Porter said. “My friends aren’t worth shit.”
“They love you,” she said. “They just know better.”
He took her in and she was...beautiful. And not to be trusted, if her smirk told him anything. “What does that mean?”
“Are we going to play or not?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, but he walked her through which buttons to push and when. “Ready?”
“So ready.”
He remained suspicious, and those feelings were confirmed within two minutes. She knew how to fucking play. She knew how to win. They went at least three rounds before he rolled his shoulders and stood from the couch.
“Oh, shit,” Victor. “I’m in. Two-hundred on Iris.”
Grady said, “No bet.”
Eva playfully punched him. “You’re supposed to root for your friend.”
“Not when we need Pampers. Iris is a beast at this game.”
Ashley threw her arm around Victor’s shoulder and sighed. “Porter, I just want you to know I love you. Two hundred on Iris. She beats me when we play.”
Porter, stunned, stared at Iris. She winked at him. “Well, in college, when I would take a geek boy up to my room, I needed to have something in my back pocket.”
“Geek boys?”
“Dad approved of them.” She shrugged. “Just keep looking at me like that.”
His controller vibrated and he paid attention to the game. It was a tense ten minutes, and it was a damn close game. Still...
“Fuck!” Porter tossed the controller in Ashley’s direction.
She caught it and laughed. “Victory is so sweet. Pay up.”
Iris tossed hers to Eva, and Eva gave it to Grady. Then Iris grinned at him. “I would get up and do a victory dance, but gravity.”
He shook his head as he pulled out his wallet to pay up what he could. When it came to handing over cash to Iris, he shook his head.
“I’ll owe you,” he said in a way she wouldn’t miss his meaning. Her cheeks flushed.
A baby’s cry punched through the tension. Eva bumped her nose against Grady. “That’s our cue to go. Get the baby.”
Ashley climbed out of Victor’s lap. “Are there any leftovers?”
“Plenty,” Victor said. “Make a to-go plate.”
One by one, his family filed out until it was just him and Iris. She’d curled her feet onto the couch and met his gaze.
His heart was full. He felt at ease. He ached to taste her, but he was content to simply have her there, looking at him like she couldn’t get enough of him.
He bent down and brushed his mouth along hers. “I missed you.”
She closed her eyes. “Don’t talk. Just kiss me.”
He did. He would do more than that if she’d let him, but he knew, deep in his gut, it still wouldn’t fix their problem. She had only come home—to his home to drop off her friends. Not to see him.
There was the alternative. That was the only thing to eat at him.
Weevil + Veronica
MID-OCTOBER
“Whose idea was it to have sex until my due date?”
Porter only lifted a brow as he put his laundry in the drawer. This had been their ritual since she passed the thirty-two week mark a month ago. She’d waddle up his stairs, take a break against the doorjamb, mutter a curse word because the stairs weren’t getting easier to climb.
It usually took twenty minutes from her walking through his door before they had sex. Some days she fell asleep once she hit the mattress. Didn’t matter, once she was back up, she’d head for the door.
The whole thing was amusing, frustrating, and he was doing his best to take it all in stride. He still wanted her. He ached for her whenever she left.
Porter didn’t know how much longer he could tell himself he was fine with their relationship as it was. There were four weeks left of her pregnancy, if that.
He shoved in the last shirt. She’d made it to the bed. He waited to see if she’d lay on her back or side.
Iris leaned back on her elbows and smiled. “You bought more pillows.”
“I want to be on top today.” The last time she’d complained about her back, and needing more support.
She waggled her brows. “Are we being bossy today? I’ve missed Bossy Porter.” She put a hand to her stomach and made a face. “Braxton Hicks are kicking my ass.”
He stopped a few feet in front of her. “What?” he said, sure he hadn’t heard her right. “Tell me
that’s just another name you want Junior to have.”
“I’m talking about fake labor.”
He knew what it was. Why hadn’t she told him? “How long has this been happening?”
She lifted her foot for him to help her with her shoes. “Monday?”
He put his hand to her stomach. “You’re fine, though?”
She wiggled her ankle at him. “They are irritating and uncomfortable, but that’s about it.”
She guided his hand to the side where Junior kicked.
“Junior,” he said and the next kick was more like a thump.
“He’s never done that for me. I sing to him all the time.”
“Because you call him Archibald.”
“Or Quincy Sue.”
He kissed her, and she melted as always. He kissed her long enough she balled her hands in his shirt to drag him closer. He pulled back to cup her cheeks.
“I don’t care what time it is, but if you think it’s more than Braxton Hicks, call me.”
“I told you I would.” She gave him a peck that heated his blood.
“But you didn’t call me on Monday.” He bit her.
She moaned. “Porter.”
He bit her again because she was trying to distract him. “Call me.”
She broke the kiss. “Why are you making this a thing? Braxton Hicks are the dress rehearsal. It’s not the show.”
He dropped his hands. “If that’s the case then I should be mad that you didn’t think to call me during the dress rehearsal.”
She pushed him back and he was sure if she could have, Iris would have stood to have more distance between them.
“Apparently we have to talk about this,” she said. “I will call when I’m admitted into the hospital, and it’s clear it’s go time.”
Anything could happen, he wanted to point out, but her offer was a fair trade. He knew this. Yet he couldn’t stop the way his jaw clenched.
“What?” she asked, her voice sharp. “I’m not moving in with you again. So don’t even offer that.”
“I wasn’t.” But he wasn’t against the idea. From his house, the hospital was ten minutes north. “You’re going to drive yourself to the hospital, while in labor?”
