Page 30 of Stand Your Ground

“Liv will join me in the cool auntie club,” Grace said with finality. “We’ll be here to spoil all your kids with sugar and then send them home to you.”

And though it didn’t make a single bit of sense, it was that comment that made me snap.

“Have any of you considered letting me answer the fucking question,” I said, voice low and sharp, “since it was me she asked?”

What remained of the laughter immediately halted, a cold silence dropping over us like a cloudy night.

Mia’s eyes grew wide. Grace paused with her beer bottle halfway to her lips and Chloe swallowed, her face turning beet red.

Maven turned to me slowly, brows drawing together. “Sorry, Liv, we were just—”

“Assuming there’s no way in hell I could ever manage a pregnancy, let alone the task of being a mother?”

Her expression was horrified then. “That’s not—”

“I’ll have you all know the I’m actually in the process of freezing my eggs right now.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could think better of saying them, my defensive instinct too strong to fight. The news landed like a bomb, and I tilted my chin higher like they all should have seen it coming when Iknewthey had every right to make the assumptions they had.

Technically, I hadn’t officially started the process — but I had the plan in place. I had this agreement with Carter, cash to stash away, and finally, the security I’d needed to feel confident to take the next steps.

I hadn’t made the appointment with my doctor yet, but I would.

And now, the cat was out of the bag.

I turned my attention back to where my hands were crafting the bracelet as the aftershocks of that truth settled over the room like dust after an explosion. I didn’t want to look at any of them when I knew they were all looking at each other with expressions ofwhat the fuck just happened?

“Liv…” Grace finally broke the silence, her tone apologetic. “We didn’t know.”

“No one did. And I’d appreciate it if it stayed in this circle until I’m ready to tell anyone else.”

“Of course,” Chloe said automatically. She ditched the swimsuit in her hand and rushed over to me, forcing me to drop the bracelet as she took my hands in hers. I had to resist the instinct to rip away from her touch.

I hated being vulnerable.

And I really despised being touched in the rare instance that I let myself be.

“I… I think that’s amazing, Livia. I really do,” she said, smiling.

“Me, too,” Mia chimed in. “I think you’d make a great mom.”

“We all do,” Maven said from beside me, but I saw the hurt in her eyes, the betrayal of not knowing something she felt like shehad a right to know as my best friend. Fortunately, she wassucha good friend that she didn’t make it about her. “Does this mean you want to start… dating?”

I snorted. “Oh,hellno. We all know men are incompetent of anything past providing an orgasm, and most of them struggle even with that.” I paused. “Your lovely men excluded, of course.”

Grace chuckled. “So… on your own then?”

I held my chin higher with a sharp nod. “On my own. When I’m ready.” I pointed a finger at Mia. “And you can bet your sparkly little ass that she’ll wear designer clothes just like you said.”

“Little Nike shoes!” Mia squeaked.

The tension in the room melted with the next wave of laughter, and then we were back to helping Chloe sort through clothes, the attention off me at least for the moment.

Although I didn’t miss the way Maven held me tighter, how she laid her head on my shoulder and rubbed my arm when I picked up the bracelet to work again. She was comforting me now, letting me know she was there for me — but I knew she’d want more details soon.

When my stomach settled, I took a sip of my wine, happy to return to our task of getting Chloe packed and ready to go.

But that happiness didn’t get the chance to dip more than its toes before a text message on my phone was tearing it away again.