Page 96 of Between Commitment and Betrayal

He narrowed his eyes. “My sisters will practically beg you to have a child with me.”

I couldn’t help the small smile. “I’m good at defense.” I shrugged. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I always worry about you, Drop,” he murmured and then told me, “So, you’re going to this charity gala with me, Everly.”

It wasn’t a question, but I still nodded, and his shoulders visibly relaxed as he turned to open the door.

Izzy in red and another woman in a black evening gown plowed through. Izzy held her visibly larger stomach as a tiny little human that looked a lot like who I assumed was Lilah barreled in. She had curly hair and wide eyes that matched the man walking in behind Lilah. Behind him was Cade, his head bent to his phone.

“Evie, meet Lilah, my sister,” Izzy announced as she walked over to wrap me in her arms. “I’ve turned into a hugger since pregnancy. Plus, we’re technically sisters. Lilah, why aren’t you hugging us?”

I laughed awkwardly as Lilah rolled her eyes and came in for a weird three-way hug. Lilah’s child toddled over and hugged my leg too, like she needed to be a part of it. “Hug!”

I smiled down at her. “Nice to meet you, Lilah. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Oh, Carolina.” Lilah chuckled. “She’s fourteen months and thinks everyone loves to be climbed.”

“Carolina, nice to meet you.” I squatted down to pick her up as she tried to crawl up my leg. “I’m Evie.”

“Ee-be!” She pronounced my name as best she could before grabbing my face and kissing my cheek fiercely. Then she pouted, saying, “Down.”

I chuckled and set her back on the ground. Immediately, the child headed straight for the table where there was a vase, and Lilah gave her husband a look. The man didn’t even bat an eye or look perturbed at all. He smiled down at his daughter with a look of the utmost love as he maneuvered the vase up onto the island countertop. “Not today, minion. Not today.”

“She’s very cute,” I said to Lilah just as Dom walked in, also dressed in a suit, and Declan walked over to give him a hug and murmur something in his ear.

Dom glanced over at me with a smile. “You ditching me, Evie?”

Izzy heard the exchange and pointed at her two brothers. Then she turned and winked at me, “If you have a choice, which I know youreallydo, go with Dom.”

“Izzy,” Cade chastised, “you weren’t supposed to bring up the will.”

“You showed me. So, I’m bringing it up.” She shrugged as Declan swore.

“What is going on?” Lilah asked like she wanted everyone to calm down.

My eyes got wider and wider. I wanted Declan to tell his family, but not while I was present.

Izzy’s filter was truly gone, though. Her etiquette had flown out the window. She plopped down on the couch and waved over her niece as she announced, “Evie needs to get pregnant to save HEAT shares—any Hardy brother will do. Oh fuck! Declan needs a baby too. So if Evie won’t have him, he needs Anastasia. So, I change my mind. I hate Anastasia.” She glanced at me. “No offense to you. Now, to her, I mean that totally disrespectfully—”

“Izzy!” Lilah was waving her off. “Please stop.”

“What?” Izzy continued. “She’s a fucking piranha for an Instagram photo. She tried to take one with Cade one time. I will cut a bitch.”

“Babe, I didn’t take the photo with her,” Cade tried to console.

“You thought about it.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Only to piss you off.” He shrugged and went back to his phone as he sat down next to her and rubbed her thigh.

She shoved his hand off, but he just chuckled and put it around her shoulders where she left it while their niece climbed between them. Cade immediately tucked the little girl into his arm and started playing some baby songs on his phone.

“Anyway, Declan, you want kids, right?”

“Fuck, Izzy.” Declan shook his head at her. As I glanced around the room, I saw their looks ping-pong to one another. “You tell everyone about the will?”

“Yep.” She popped thepand smiled wide. “Except Mom and Dad because they will freak.”

Declan walked up to me and threaded his fingers through my hand to pull me into the kitchen with him. “You’re really a tornado of a person while pregnant, Izzy.”