Page 134 of Recklessly Rogue

“Are you sure that’s okay?” I ask.

“You’re already worrying about her news,” he says with a smile.

“Well, if she blurts out that she’s pregnant to someone before she tells me, I’m going to be so disappointed!”

Henry looks like I just told him Scarlett and Cian are actually aliens in human suits. “Wait. She’spregnant?”

“I’m ninety percent sure.”

He’s clearly stunned. “Cian…is going to be a dad?”

“He’s already a dad to Mariah.”

“Well, yes, but she was already…Mariah. He didn’t start from scratch with her.”

I laugh. “True.”

It all seems to sink in, and Henry slowly smiles. It’s a smile full of love and pride. “Wow. They’re going to be amazing parents.”

I nod. “And we get to be an aunt and uncle. Again.”

“That’s awesome.”

He looks so happy. I press my lips together, then say, “You know, I’m really proud of us putting ourselves first and going out tonight before seeing them and not just turning our plans upside down for them the way we both have for so many years.”

He nods. “Yeah. That’s good. It’s important that we recognize that we’re just as important, and our lives can be separate from theirs.”

I nod. “Definitely. We’re the main characters in our story.”

“For sure.”

We both pause.

Then we say, “But…” at the same time.

I grin. “We could go to Autre tonight and see them. That doesn’t mean we’re putting them first all the time. We have definitely put ourselves and our new life and our relationship at the center. But we love them. And there’s something big going on. And we miss them. And that’s all totally fine.”

He leans over and kisses me deeply. “You are and always will be the most important person in my life, Gem.”

“I know. And same.”

“I know.”

And an hour later, we’re in Ellie’s bar, celebrating that Scarlett and Cian are, indeed, expecting a baby.

Scarlett pulled me to the side to tell me before they announced it to the entire group, and I immediately burst into tears. Happy tears. It was so different from the last time she told me she was pregnant.

Most importantly, this time, she has an incredible amount of support and love around her.

I love that she gets to have this experience again, this time full of positivity and celebration. I could not be happier.

Henry hugs me against his side as we watch Cian and Scarlett shining at the center of one of our many beloved communities.

“You know what?” Henry asks.

“What?”

“We are really fucking good at this.”

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