Page 29 of Reluctantly Ever After (The Oops Baby Club #2)

Six o'clock comes too fast. I've changed clothes three times, trying to find something that says "I'm a responsible adult you can trust with your brother" and not "I spent last night getting absolutely railed by said brother."

Kasen's truck pulls up right on time. I grab my purse, take a deep breath, and head out to face my doom.

"You look beautiful," he says when I climb in.

I glance down at my outfit—a dress that actually fits my bump, one of the only nice things I've bought so far. "I look like I swallowed a basketball."

"You look like you're carrying my son." His hand finds mine across the console. "It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

"You're biased."

"Definitely." He brings my hand to his lips. "Doesn't make it less true."

The drive passes too quickly. Before I know it, we're parked outside a Craftsman bungalow with toys scattered on the porch and warm light spilling from the windows.

"I can't do this," I say, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Yes, you can." Kasen squeezes my hand. "They're going to love you."

"They're going to think I'm the enemy who trapped you with a baby."

"First of all, no one thinks that. Second, if anyone got trapped here, it's you." His thumb rubs circles on my palm. "I'm the one who couldn't keep his hands off you in Vegas."

"Pretty sure I was an active participant."

"Very active," he agrees with a grin that makes heat sink down between my thighs. "Enthusiastically active. Creatively active."

"Stop." But I'm fighting a smile now.

"Come on. Let's go face the firing squad."

The door opens before we can knock. Clover stands there with Noble on her hip, and her blue eyes—exactly like Kasen's—go comically wide when she sees my belly.

"Holy shit,” she breathes, looking between Kasen and me. "You weren't kidding."

Kasen shifts beside me, his hand coming up to lightly grip the back of my neck. "Told you I wasn't."

"You're pregnant. With my brother's baby." She turns to me, and I brace myself for... something. Judgment? Hostility? Accusations?

Instead, she breaks into a massive grin. "This is amazing! Noble's going to have a cousin!" She practically vibrates with excitement. "Come in! Everyone's here. Banks is grilling. Reed brought good beer. Navy's already three drinks in and telling everyone about her latest Tinder disaster."

She ushers us inside, talking a mile a minute.

The house is warm and lived-in, with that comfortable chaos that comes from actual happiness.

It's everything my childhood home wasn't. It smells like grilled meat and freshly baked bread, and the sound of laughter drifts in from what must be the backyard.

"Sorry about the whirlwind," Kasen murmurs in my ear. "She's excited about being an aunt."

"It's fine." And weirdly, it is. Her enthusiasm is so genuine it's impossible to feel defensive.

The backyard is strung with lights and filled with laughter.

Banks mans a grill, Reed lounges in a chair with a beer in his hands, and Navy sits cross-legged on a blanket playing with what looks like a mini-basketball hoop set up for Noble.

They all look up when we step outside, and I have to fight the urge to turn and run.

This is Kasen's family. His people. And I'm the outsider who's here only because I’m carrying his child.

"Holy shit, Wren!" Navy launches herself at me, pulling me into a hug before I can react. "You didn't tell me it was this serious! I thought you hated him."

"I—we—it's complicated," I stammer, awkwardly patting her back.

"Complicated my ass. That," she points at my belly, "is pretty straightforward."

"Navy, let her breathe," Reed says, standing to offer me his chair. "She's already had a long day without you interrogating her."

"How do you know what kind of day I've had?"

"Because someone," Reed shoots Kasen a look, "has been texting me every two hours with questions about your blood pressure, stress levels, and whether you're eating enough protein."

I turn to glare at Kasen. "You've been doing what now?"

Kasen stares me dead in my eyes without a single hint of remorse. “Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

Banks’ laugh interrupts our stare off. "Welcome to the family, Wren. Fair warning—we're all up in each other's business whether you like it or not."

Family. The word hits me square in the chest. Is that what this is? What I've stumbled into?

"And speaking of your blood pressure," Reed says before I can reply to that . "I'm guessing it’s spiking right about now, so how about we let you sit?"

Kasen's hand wraps around my waist, guiding me toward the chair Reed gave up for me. "He's right. You should sit."

"I'm fine," I protest, but I sink into the chair anyway, and bite back the groan from the relief of getting off my feet.

"Beer?" Banks offers Kasen, holding up a bottle with a Timber label.

"Thanks." Kasen takes it, then perches on the arm of my chair, his thigh brushing my shoulder. It's a casual possessiveness that doesn't escape anyone's notice, judging by the looks exchanged between the others.

Well, that and his fingers wrapped around the back of my neck again.

"So," Clover says, settling onto a nearby bench with Noble in her lap. "When are you due?"

"November," I answer. "Right around Thanksgiving."

"A boy, right?" Banks asks, flipping a burger. "Kase mentioned you're having a son."

Welp, it’s my fault for telling Kasen he’s in charge of telling them everything. And I guess that means everything.

"Yep." I still can't quite believe it myself. A son. A little boy who will hopefully have Kasen's blue eyes and not my stubborn streak. Or his.

Yeah, I’m not that lucky.

"That's perfect! Noble will have a little cousin close to his age," Clover gushes. "They'll grow up as best friends."

The way she automatically includes our baby in their family circle makes something twist in my chest. This easy acceptance isn't what I expected. I've spent so long building walls, expecting rejection, preparing for battle, that I don't quite know what to do when met with open arms instead.

"So, how exactly did this happen?" Navy asks, waving her hand between Kasen and me. "Last I saw, you two could barely stand to be in the same room together."

Kasen and I exchange a glance. How much do we share? How much do they already know?

"You know how it is in Vegas," Kasen says, taking a swig of his beer.

Reed snorts. "Yeah. But you two went from enemies to,” he gestures between us, “this real quick."

"It’s been an adjustment," I say, feeling defensive of our situation. Even I don’t really know where we stand. And after last night, the things Kasen said… how much of that did he mean and how much was just because the sex was life-changing?

I reach up to play with the ring hanging around my neck, but at the last minute catch myself and stop.

Do I want to be Kasen’s wife for real?

Uh, no. No! …Right?

"An adjustment," Navy repeats, eyebrows raised. "That's one way to put it."

"They're living together," Clover informs her, bouncing Noble on her knee. "Kasen told me this afternoon."

"You're living together?" Navy's eyes widen. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It's only until I find something else," I say quickly. "My building was sold. I needed a place to stay."

"Uh-huh." Navy's knowing look makes me want to sink through the chair. "And how’s the search going?"

Kasen’s fingers tighten at the nape of my neck, and for some reason I relax into it. Just fucking melt like a popsicle on the Fourth of July. Oh, and I ignore Navy’s question. The truth is I haven’t even started looking.

But should I?

The conversation mercifully shifts as Banks announces the food is ready, and soon we're all seated around the table, passing dishes and filling plates. I find myself between Kasen and Clover, with Noble now in a high chair beside his mom.

It's... nice. Surprisingly so. The conversation flows easily, with none of the awkwardness I was afraid of. They tease Kasen mercilessly, share embarrassing stories that make me laugh, and somehow manage to make me feel included rather than an intruder.

By the time we're clearing plates, I realize I'm actually enjoying myself. These people—Kasen's people—are warm and funny and genuine in a way I didn't expect.

"Come help me with dessert?" Clover asks. "Navy's useless in the kitchen."

"I resent that," Navy calls. "I can make cereal!"

"Point proven," Clover laughs, then turns expectantly to me.

"Sure," I agree, following her into the kitchen.

Once we're alone, she pulls ice cream from the freezer and homemade cookies from a container. "So. You and my brother."

Here it comes. The protective sister speech. The warnings about not hurting him. The subtle, or not-so-subtle, threats. It’s almost a relief. I’ve been waiting for it all night and finally, here it is.

"It's complicated," I say for what feels like the hundredth time today.

"Good things usually are." She hands me bowls and an ice cream scooper. "He's crazy about you, you know."

I focus on scooping ice cream instead of how my heart just went a little wild. "We're figuring things out."

"That's all any of us can do." She crumbles a cookie on top of every bowl of ice cream I scoop. "Kasen doesn't let people in easily. Not since our dad left."

I glance up, surprised by the shift in conversation. "He left?"

"Right after our mom died." Clover's expression clouds briefly. "Kasen was in college. I was sixteen. Dad just... checked out. Started drinking, staying away for days at a time. Then one day he just didn't come back."

The information rocks everything I know about Kasen James.

He’s steady and solid and I can’t imagine him ever running out on anyone, and now I guess I know why.

I knew Kasen's mother had died—it's common knowledge in the Portland beer scene that he dropped out of college to start Timber in her memory. But I never knew about his father.