Page 35

“Okay, you can stay.” I said yes.
“I told you, Riley, I’m staying. That was non-negotiable.” I rolled my eyes at how pushy he was, and then none of us said anything for a while.
He was probably thinking too much about the whole thing. I was curious if he would let my friends and me order a pizza, or would that be too much luck?
Forget it, I’ll ask.
“Can we get a pizza?”
I guess that’s my answer because he glared at me in a dangerous way.
“No,” he said coldly.
The sound of the Masons’ shed door opening woke me up. I got up and rubbed my eyes to get rid of the tiredness.
Mason said he would tell Jake, Sierra, Raven, and Amber that I didn’t really leave after boot camp today. He said I’ve been here all along and that I’m pregnant with his baby.
That was going to be a hard pill for them to swallow, but I wasn’t scared; I was excited.
Jake was the first to come in. He looked around Mason’s shed in awe before seeing me.
When Amber, Raven, and Sierra walked in, they screamed and then ran over to hug me.
“Wow!” Mason said in his stern Lieutenant voice. “Back up.” Their mouths and feet stopped moving.
Amber squealed with joy from a distance, “I can’t believe you’re here! You’re really here!”
Mason yelled, “Soldiers, stand up straight!”
The four of them stood in a straight line, with their heads held high and their hands at their sides.
“Mason—” I stood up and let go of the blanket that was covering me. The four of them stopped what they were doing and looked down at my stomach.
They were in shock, completely and totally.
“Wow! You’re pregnant,” Sierra said slowly.
Jake yelled, “What?!” in shock.
Raven asked, “With him?”
“What?!” Jake yelled again.
“You didn’t tell them?” I asked, but Mason stood tall and in charge. He looked ahead and didn’t show any emotion or reaction on his face.
Amber asked, “Is it a girl or a boy?”
“Boy,” I said.
She looked at Mason to see what he was up to.
“Wow, that boy is going to be really hot.”
“Wh—” Jake began.
I told them, “Don’t say it again.”
Jake began to walk towards me.
“Back the hell up, Jake!” Mason yelled, and I put my hand on my face.
He whispered to me, “You have the demon spawn inside of you?” and it was clear that he wasn’t trying to hide it. I looked at Mason and could tell he was a little hurt by what I said, but he stayed in his Lieutenant stance.
I waddled over to the fridge and got out a few bottles. “Do you guys want a beer?” My friends all looked at Mason, as if they were waiting for him to say yes.
“Did I tell you that you could break attention soldiers?” They all stood up straight and put their hands on their heads again.
Mason looked them over one by one, checking their uniforms and how they were standing. I could feel myself blushing because he was being so professional when I just wanted him to be friendly.
“Is this really necessary, I mean—”
“Be careful when you get close to Rivers. Only take slow, careful steps. Don’t touch the stomach. Don’t hurt the mother or the child in any way. Do you understand, soldiers?”
“Yes, sir!” they all said at once.
“At ease.” He went to the side of the room so he could see everything that was going on but not really be a part of it.
My friends, who were all feeling really awkward, sat down around me and looked at each other, unsure of how to start a conversation.
“So… how have you been?” I asked, glancing at Mason, who was watching us like he was in charge of the cafeteria. I gave them all a beer, but no one drank it.
I knew they wanted to talk to me and ask me things. They wanted to talk about Mason and how we were doing as a couple. They wanted to drink the beer and hear the gossip, but they couldn’t. It was awkward.
We talked about how hot it’s been lately and how much they missed the taste of chocolate.
“It’s okay!” I said when Jake started talking about the cafeteria slop for the third time. “We can talk normally. He won’t care.” They were too scared of getting in trouble to even look at him.
“Jake, have you driven any cars lately?”
“Riley, no.” He gave me a look that said, “Shut the f**k up.”
“Have you girls gone back to the pub? Does the band still play there? I miss that place; we should go there sometime.”
“Riley!” Raven gasped, and Sierra shook her head at me. Amber was brave enough to look at Mason for a second.
I called out to him, “Mason, come here,” but he didn’t move an inch. He just stood still and looked straight ahead.
Jake stood up and said, “I think I’m going to go. It was nice to see you again, Riley.”
“Don’t go,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s getting late,” Raven said, yawning.
“Please stay, guys.”
“Sorry Riley, but I can’t risk my life on this. I have kids and can’t go to jail.” Sierra stood up to join Raven, and then Amber followed them.
“This is your fault,” I said, pointing a thin finger at Mason. He stopped paying attention to look at me. “I told you to be normal, so why did you bring your weird?”
“This is my normal. I told you I didn’t want this to happen. It’s making things awkward for me and for them. It’s completely unprofessional.”
Jake laughed at the irony, and Raven slapped him on the chest.
“Guys, please stay. We’ll order food and watch a movie. Mason, tell them you won’t be giving out any punishments tonight. Tell them to relax and that you don’t care what they do in secret. You’re not their Lieutenant tonight.”
My hormones built up inside me and then burst out in tears. I cried like my heart was breaking, and Mason came over and rubbed my back to make me feel better.
“F**k, Riley, are you okay? It’s okay.” He said this in a calm voice, but I could see the fear in his eyes. He hated it when I cried.