Page 39 of Give Me a Reason

Frederick smothered a yawn in one hand as he maneuvered the steering wheel with the other. The festivities had continued late into the night, and the morning after was brutal—for some more than others—but Anne promised a day trip to Cambria would be worth the early start.

Being the least hungover of the four men, he was designated as their driver for the trip to the coastal town, while she volunteered to drive the more civilized half of their group.

Last night, he had made sure to pace himself once the limo dropped them off at the villa, because he couldn’t risk making any more suggestive comments to Anne. He was a firefighter—he knew better than to play with fire.

He still couldn’t believe he’d said he would take advantage of her for his amusement .

Cringe factor aside, he would never take advantage of her, no matter how desperately he wanted her.

Hypothetically speaking, of course. He wasn’t really desperate for her.

They were just friends, even though the memory of her sultry smile had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

The last bit of winding road to Cambria distracted him from thoughts of Anne. Not that he thought about Anne all the time or anything. Besides, friends could think about each other as much as they wanted. In a friendly, non-desperate kind of way. Frederick almost groaned out loud.

He was not desperate for Anne, and he could prove it.

He would spend the day with her—as friends—without being weird.

His heart pounded with nervous anticipation, which wasn’t weird at all.

Friends got excited about spending time with each other all the time.

For fuck’s sake. He blew out a long breath and shoved his fingers through his hair.

“A little hungover, are we?” Pete smirked from the passenger seat.

“You’re one to speak.” Frederick scoffed. “Besides, you’re just miffed that Katie abandoned you to drive down with the ladies.”

“I respect her boundaries. She needs time with her friends, because I can’t meet all her needs.” Pete slouched in his seat. “Maybe I’m a little miffed, but I’m mostly worried.”

“Worried?” Frederick shot him a surprised glance. “About what?”

His friend checked to make sure that Joe and Aiden, who were definitely hungover, remained asleep in the back seat. They were out cold, filling the car with their quiet snoring.

Even so, Pete lowered his voice. “Don’t tell Katie I said anything.”

“Why would I—”

“Just promise me you won’t tell her I told you,” Pete said with an urgency that made Frederick glance sideways at him.

“All right. I won’t tell her.” He returned his eyes to the road. “What the hell is going on?”

“Katie is pregnant.”

“She’s what?” Frederick half shouted, surprised and delighted. “You guys are having a baby?”

“Shh.” Pete held his finger to his lips. “You’re going to wake them up.”

“That’s great news, man. Congratulations,” he said in a quieter voice, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Frederick chuckled, shaking his head. Pete and Katie would make amazing parents. “Why all the secrecy?”

“At first, we wanted to keep the news to ourselves because it was so precious. We just wanted to hold it against our hearts, you know?” Pete continued when Frederick nodded. “But now, Katie doesn’t want to tell anyone because she doesn’t want to steal Joe and Coraline’s thunder.”

“Are you kidding?” Frederick threw one hand in the air, keeping the other on the steering wheel. “Joe and Coraline will be thrilled for you two.”

“That’s what I said.” Pete shrugged with a sappy smile. “But you know Katie. I think she’ll be ready to tell everyone after this trip. For now, she wants the wedding party to enjoy themselves and celebrate the happy couple.”

“Wait, why are you worried, then?” Frederick frowned.

“She’s been having morning sickness, which is a misnomer because it’s actually all-day sickness.” Pete sighed. “I’m worried this winding road will make her feel worse.”

“I see what you mean.” Frederick rubbed his jaw. “But don’t worry. Katie won’t be struggling alone. Anne will take good care of her. She’s unbelievably empathetic, kind, and competent.”

Pete hummed a loaded hmm , crossing his arms and cocking his head to stare at Frederick.

“You were right, you know.” Frederick cleared his throat, glancing at the rearview mirror to check on the sleeping duo. “Spending time with Anne helped me move on from the past. In fact, I told her yesterday that I wanted us to be friends.”

“Friends? You and Anne?” Pete didn’t even try to hide his skepticism. “After ten years of heartache, all it took was a Thanksgiving dinner and a wine-tasting tour for you to get over her? So utterly that you’re ready to be friends with her?”

“That’s a lot of questions over a simple statement.” Frederick scowled. “Besides, weren’t you the one who told me that we should talk things through and even become friends ?”

“Well, did you talk to her?” Pete quirked his eyebrow. “Really talk?”

“Yes,” Frederick said testily. Anne had done most of the talking, but he’d listened to her with every cell in his body. “She explained a few things, and it helped.”

“I’m glad.” Pete hesitated for a moment. “And did you tell her how hard it was for you when she left? How much she hurt you?”

“I did.” Frederick swallowed thickly, remembering their conversation on Christmas night. “The point is we talked, and we moved on.”

“Hmm.” Pete studied his fingernails. “Katie mentioned she saw you growling and snapping your teeth at some poor man who asked Anne for a breadstick.”

Frederick’s hands clenched around the wheel as though he were choking the life out of it. That poor man had rubbed him the wrong way. His ridiculous good looks. His ridiculous good manners. Anne smiling at his ridiculously punchable face.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Frederick lied through his teeth. “All I did was politely ask the man not to bother Anne again. He was coming on to her so fucking strongly. She was obviously uncomfortable.”

“Hmm.”

“If you make that noise again, I swear I will stuff a sock in your mouth.” Frederick pointed his finger at Pete’s face. “A damp, stinky sock that’s been sitting at the bottom of a duffel bag since the late nineteenth century.”

“Were duffel bags invented by the late nineteenth century?” His friend held his chin as he contemplated the question.

Frederick couldn’t hold back a huff of laughter. “Asshole.”

“I love you, too.” Pete grinned.

“Dude.” He tried to look disgusted but failed abysmally.

After a moment, Pete said gruffly, “I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

“I know,” Frederick replied equally gruffly.

“And as a married man and soon-to-be father, I’ll be able to offer you a wealth of wisdom that a single guy like you can’t begin to fathom.”

“Do I even have to say it?” Frederick breathed a long-suffering sigh.

“No, but my love language is words of affirmation.” Pete nodded encouragingly.

“Okay, fine.” Grinning broadly, Frederick said with relish, “Fuck you.”

“Thank you,” Aiden mumbled in his sleep.

Pete and Frederick burst out laughing, and the more they tried to stifle their mirth, the louder they got. Miraculously, Joe and Aiden slept through it all until they pulled into the parking lot at Moonstone Beach.

“Where are we?” Joe rubbed his eyes.

“Cambria.” Aiden yawned. “At least, I think we’re in Cambria. That’s where Anne said we’re going to spend the day.”

Frederick’s heart flip-flopped like an idiot’s at the mere mention of Anne’s name.

He scoured the ample parking lot and spotted her just as she stepped out of the driver’s seat.

There were only a few cars around, but he would have found her even if the lot had been full.

He didn’t shy away from the thought and kept his eyes trained on her as he got out of the car.

She gazed out at the beach, a small smile touching her lips.

She seemed lost in her thoughts until Coraline linked her arm through hers, and they walked over together at a leisurely pace.

Katie, on the other hand, made a beeline for his car with hurried steps like she couldn’t wait to see her husband.

Bethany and Tessa followed closely behind her.

“Yes, and we’re at our first stop.” Pete glanced over his shoulder at the groggy backseat passengers. “Moonstone Beach.”

“Not exactly a beach day.” Joe squinted out the window at the thick, gray clouds in the sky and the fog clinging to the cliffs.

“I kind of like it.” Aiden hauled himself out of the car. “It makes the beach feel dark and brooding.”

“I wish I were dark and brooding.” Pete shut the car door and leaned back against it, attempting a sullen scowl.

“Honey, I told you not to add milk to your coffee this morning.” Katie threw her arms around her husband and kissed his cheek. “It wasn’t lactose-free.”

Pete wrapped his arms around his wife and whispered something in her ear.

She laughed softly, burying her face in his neck.

Frederick was used to ignoring the envy that stole into his heart whenever he saw how much Pete and Katie loved each other.

But this time, the bittersweet feeling burrowed into his bones, and he looked across the parking lot, searching for Anne again.

Tessa and Bethany reached the men next and offered them a quick wave without pausing their lively chatter. Coraline and Anne brought up the rear, their heads bent in conversation, but Anne suddenly glanced up and met Frederick’s gaze, like she felt him watching her.

He didn’t bother pretending to look elsewhere.

When her eyes didn’t flit away, his lips spread into a lopsided grin, and she waved at him, returning his smile.

Apparently, friends did that. They smiled and waved at each other, even when one of their hearts—namely, his—was pounding hard enough to crack his ribs.