"Do we want to share cars?" Ayden asked as he followed us down the stairs.
Cayden and I both looked at him, a little shocked. "You're going out with us?"
Ayden nodded. "Yeah, you think I'm missing out on a night of beer and pool? Think again."
"Aren't you on baby duty?" Cayden asked, a smirk pulled at his lips. "Isn't your wife gonna be a little pissed you're going out drinking."
Ayden glared at Cayden. "My wife and I have an understanding. How about your wife, Cayden? Does she know you are going out to a bar?"
He laughed. "Yeah, my wife knows where I'm going to be."
As we headed for the truck, I noticed Miles and Lucas playing rock, paper, scissors.
"What's up with that?" I asked.
Ayde snorted. "Well, I told them that only one of them could be drinking. A few of us still need to stay sober in case of an emergency. I'm guessing they couldn't decide who got to drink and who didn't."
"So, the loser has to stay sober?" I asked, watching the game go.
"That must be how they decided," Cayden chirped, pushing the button on his keys to start his truck. The noise made Miles jump, and he placed down the paper while Lucas put down the scissors.
"Ha!" Lucas laughed, "Sorry, you're staying sober. Loser."
"That's not fair!" Miles turned, pointing at Cayden. "You couldn't have waited five seconds to let me win? You made me lose my concentration. God damn, Cayden!"
Ayden patted him on the back. "It's rock, paper, scissors. You don't need that much concentration."
Miles grumbled, sighing heavily. "It isn't every day that Cayden is celebrating a marriage. Come on, let me join in on the fun."
"Nope," Ayden shook his head. "One person has to stay sober, and you drew the unlucky straw."
We all headed into the two vehicles that were driving and headed to the local bar, Lucky Lue. As soon as we arrived, the space was packed with people already enjoying the end of their day. There was music playing loudly but not shaking the space.
The owner, Chad, waved at us from the bar. He was a middle-aged man who gave discounts to people who worked certain jobs. "Hey, you guys! It's great to see you all."
Ayden went for him, and I looked around the space for the girls. I knew that Riley and April were going to be here. We agreed to hang out at the bar and start making public appearances to confirm our quick marriage.
I quickly spotted April, Riley, and Laura standing at one of the pool tables. I headed over, wrapping an arm around April's shoulder. She jumped, looking at me confused, but then her face shifted. I could see the forced smile as she spoke. "Took you guys long enough to get here. I can't believe we beat you."
"We ran behind on a few things," I explained, looking at Laura and Riley. "Evening ladies. You are all looking nice this evening."
"Still a lady's man, aren't ya? Where is my husband?" Laura asked, and I pointed to the bar. Ayden, Miles, and Thomas ordered food and drinks at the bar. Owen and Lucas were grabbing a large table for us all to sit at.
"Did you guys want to play?" I asked, pointing to the table. "Do I need to show you how to play?"
"We just finished," Riley chuckled. "We actually used to play this all the time growing up."
I almost forgot that April and Cayden had one growing up. We used to play on it as well before he left.
"I'm hungry," Riley said as she stretched her arms, heading over towards the table with Laura. I pulled my arm tighter, pulling April closer. "Sorry we were late," I said before letting go. "Hopefully, you guys weren't waiting too long."
April turned and gave me a side shrug. "It's fine. We were only here for one game. Do you want to play? I'm not good at this, just so you know."
"We can after eating," I offered. I was a little hungry, and my stomach was seconds away from growling.
She nodded, and we headed over to the table that the guys had grabbed. It was enough for all of us. Everyone was already seated, leaving space for April and me.
"Where is Wendy, Ashle, and Gina?" Laura asked as she leaned into Miles, sipping on a beer. She curled up close to him, and Miles draped an arm around her, holding her closer.
"Wendy and Ashley had some things they needed to get done. Wendy is putting together a charity fundraiser, and Ashley is helping her with it. I offered, but they said they would just watch the kids and focus on things."
"And Gina?"
"Uhmmm…" Lucas scratched his head. "She was visiting the doctor today."
Laura looked worried suddenly. "What for? Jesus, is something wrong? Do I need to call her?"
We had heard about their difficulty conceiving a baby. Lucas had said little about it, but we had heard about it from the girls. We knew that Gina was pregnant, but she was almost two months along now. But Lucas had explained they weren't getting excited just yet, in case.
Lucas sighed. "She's fine. She's just been having some serious acid reflux, and her weight gain has been pretty high, so she went to see the doctor. She informed us that we’re expecting twins."
"Oh my god." The girls gasped in unison, and we all looked at them shocked.
"And, of course, Wendy and Ashley aren't here to hear about this," Laura said, shaking her head. "I need to message them! Oh my god! She's having twins! Lucas, you must be so thrilled!"
"That's exciting for you guys," I said, knowing it had been weighing on Lucas a little more lately. I never saw the man wanting kids until he had mentioned the trouble they had been having.
And suddenly, the food was coming and being placed on the table. A large plate of fries and several plates of wings were placed down. Waters were placed in front of everyone besides the already passed beers.
"I think the fact that Weslie getting married is more of a shock, no offense," Miles quickly added as he grabbed a few wings, pulling them onto his plate. "I damn near choked when Cayden informed us."
I tensed up, glancing at him. "What? Why is that a shock?"
Miles simply shrugged. "It's just a shock, is all. You getting married. I don't think any of us ever thought that was going to happen. You're not the type to settle."
I snorted, waving a hand at all of them. "And what about all of you? You guys have dated plenty. I'm not the only one that's dated a lot of women."
"Yeah, but the women were aware of what they were getting into."
"Are you saying he's a handful?" April asked, forcing a smile. I could see the concern in her eyes, trying to act like it wasn't bothering her.
Cayden laughed at this. "You already knew that."
I glanced at Ayden, who didn't show any signs of knowing the truth. We had spoken to him about everything before. Cayden had been worried about what could happen since April wasn't making any moves to make herself part of the pack. Ayden agreed it was a smart move to keep it from the guys. Not that they couldn't hold a secret, but the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
April leaned into me, batting her eyelashes as she did. "Well, I think I can handle it. I had to deal with Cayden for a long time. He's a handful."
I knew she was just saying the words, but my stomach flipped at them. I ran a hand down her back, hoping we looked like that loving couple everyone needed to see.
We continued to eat and chat. We spoke about the fundraiser that Wendy and Ashley were putting together. We talked about the kids and their upcoming birthdays. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves. Riley pulled herself up and sighed. "How about a game, April?"
"Yeah," April sprung up quicker than I expected, and my stomach dipped. I wondered if she wanted away from the table that bad. I watched her and Riley get a table and set the game up.
"So, how long have you known April again?" Lucas asked. "I'm still trying to understand. The math isn't mathing for me."
"What?" I looked at Lucas, confused. "We've known each other for years." I turned back to the guys. "I grew up with her. Jesus, I've known her as long as I've known Cayden."
"And you proposed marriage?" Miles asked. He looked at the girls and then back at us. "I mean, I see why. She's a catch."
Cayden glared at him. "Really? She's a catch? Did you forget you're married?"
"I said a catch," Miles quickly said. "I didn't say anything vulgar. And she is."
I grabbed my beer and took a long swig. I knew they wanted details and any other circumstance I could give them. But this was also Cayden's sister. There was a fine line I had to walk.
I couldn't give too much information if I wanted to die, but I also had to share enough information. Otherwise, the guys weren't going to believe this. I was the type to share details.
"I'm not saying anything detailed," I said, pointing to Cayden. "He doesn't need to know the details."
Miles and Thomas laughed. "Then give us something. You guys got married! That's pretty big."
I went for an easy lie. "I've always had a crush on her, and we've been in touch. When you know, you know."
"Still hard to believe," Lucas said, taking a swig of his drink. "Because out of all of us, you've slept with more women than all of us put together."
I cringed because I couldn't deny that. I had been with a lot of women, but they were all aware I never wanted anything serious. It was just stress release.
I glanced back at April, knowing it wasn't the same for her. She was different. I would never jump in bed with her a few times and be done. I would always want more. I'd always wanted more from her. I wanted everything with April, and I always had.
She leaned over the table, hitting the eight ball. Laura and Riley were talking on the other side of the table and laughing about something.
I watched as a large man walked over to April. I saw the way his eyes scanned her. A smirk pulled at his lips. He stopped next to her, way too close to her. She pulled herself back up, turning to him. He said something to her, and she softly smiled.
It curled up my insides. I'd seen plenty of guys look at April before, but this was something else.
"Weslie," Ayden growled in a low warning, but I shot up and marched across the bar towards them. "Aw fuck," I heard Ayden curse as I walked away.
"You look like you need a little help," the guy said, reaching for the pool cue. His fingers wrapped around April. I wanted to take the stick and shove it up his ass.
Rage filled me, and I stopped just behind April. I quickly grabbed her waist, yanking her back and wrapping my arms around her. I glared at the guy and smiled. "Hey, sweetie. How's your game going?"
The guy looked at me, taking a step back. He instantly knew he'd done wrong.
April looked stunned. "Nothing. I was just about to reset the game."
I glared at the guy, tightening my hold on April. "Can I help you?" I asked him.
The guy looked at April and then back at me. He shook his head. "Was just offering the gal how to play is all."
"Well, the gal," I growled. "Is married."
He quickly retreated, and April turned, glaring at me. I gave her a smile, feeling the heat between us. I leaned closer, pulling her against me. "Would you like me to show you how to play?"
She looked at me for a moment before she set the pool cue down. She swallowed, shaking her head. "I need another drink."
She turned, breaking away from me, and walked to the bar. I sighed, watching her walk away, and I wondered if we would ever get past this messy faze.