Page 93 of Nanny for the SEAL

I don’t want to laugh, but I do. It’s precisely what Xaden does. He gets me to laugh and come back down when I’m running too high.

“Really?” I raise my brows. “I didn’t look like a bloated goat?”

He snorts, and I almost want to smack him for it, but I know it was a little funny.

“The only one who’s so focused on the bloat is you, babe. It’s really not that noticeable. And the doctor said it was fine to take the gas medicine.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I know. I just…didn’t want to overdo it. You know?”

He snuggles up to me again, and I melt into Xaden’s arms. “I do. Butthisis causing you more stress than it should.”

Letting my head fall down to his pec, which is just so damned firm that I hate him a little for it, I give up this dumb fight I’m having with myself.

Stupid hormones.

“Okay, fine. I give in. Go get the dress from the floor of the closet. We’ll go back to plan A.”

Xaden smiles. “Hey, think of it this way, babe, your pregnancy boobs will be on full display. Ain’t no one gonna be looking down.”

My laugh is a bark of emotion, and I can’t explain how I can feel so objectified and also kind of love it. Regardless, Xaden knew what to say again, and I’m feeling a bit better about going out now.

“Well, that is something.”

“This place is beautiful.Oh, this will make for such a lovely holiday spot when the time comes,” Bridget spins around slightly as she takes in the cozy lodge restaurant that Xaden had recommended.

“Yeah, that’s how I found it, actually. I was scouting locations for a company get-together out here in Red Lodge, away from the big city.”

Xaden smiles gently, and I’m happy to have him here, ready to help me whenever I need him. And right now, I need to eat.Soon.

It appears that the pregnancy hormones have flipped on me again, and I’m dealing with cravings and hunger as opposed to the standard nausea.

“Please tell me they do that classy thing with the bread starter,” I offer quietly.

Xaden pulls out my chair for me with a slight chuckle and tucks me in before sitting down next to me. Mason does the same for Bridget, and she’s directly to my right.

“They do, hun.” Xaden draws my attention back to him and away from the other tables that’ve been served. “I have to say I’m surprised you’re hungry. You’ve been nauseated like all day.”

“Why’s Ivy been—wait a minute.” Mason looks to me and then back to his best friend, a massive smile stretching across his admittedly handsome face. “You’re pregnant!”

Xaden and I both laugh. We knew we were telling them tonight, and both of us had decided to just see how long it took them to pick up what we were putting down.

Not long, clearly.

I nod, grinning as big as ever. “I am.”

Mason and Bridget erupt into a chorus of congrats, and I’m hugged from the side and from over the top of the table.

“Thank God that candle is fake, or you’d be on fire, Mason.”

We got to know each other a bit over the past few days and said plenty during the car ride to to the restaurant. Mason is a genuinely nice guy, and I can see why Xaden appreciates his friendship.

“Oh, my God! Congrats, man!” Mason pulls back and claps Xaden on the shoulder. The two of them indulge in a brief moment of total understanding and then immediately go back to being dudes.

“It’s funny timing,” Bridget whispers, her smile a touch different than mere congratulations might imply.

I cock my head, studying her. “Funny? Oh? And why’s that?”

Squinting, I wait for her to break. I know she’s hiding something, and if I’m right, this is going to be one heck of an evening.

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