Page 75 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

“I’d fire me.”

“You’re dating his sister. It’s not like you killed a man.”

“I broke his trust, so that’s pretty damn close.” I rub the back of my neck.

“Okay, all that aside. You and Eve?” Her eyes light up with an eagerness to hear my answer.

“I’m going to let the dust settle before we pick up where we left off.” I can’t keep the smile off my face. “She’s it for me. I don’t want anyone else, but?—”

“You don’t want to get between her and her brother,” Nora finishes. Her lips press together as silence fills the space between us. “Jake would never keep his sister from happiness. I’ll call him an asshole if he does. But I can’t blame him if he needs some time to let everything settle.” She rests her hand on my forearm. “Don’t give up on your happiness. You deserve it too.”

Happiness has always been out of my grasp. A brush of my fingertips away. All I needed to do was step forward, and I could clutch it with both hands. All I needed was Eve to encourage me to take that step.

THIRTY-SEVEN

OR IT’S GAS

Lach

Later in the week, Eve assured me Jake wouldn’t be home all night. I hate what I did to him. It eats me up inside that he’s mad at me. For the last decade, he’s been my one constant in life. Now I’m the asshole. I can accept that he hates me as long as there isn’t a rift between him and Eve. She needs him more than I do.

Pushing open the back door into Jake’s house unleashes a cacophony of emotions. Some are good, like the ones surrounding Eve. The cruel ones mix well with the bitter taste of betrayal. It’s only been a week since I was last here, but it feels like a lifetime. Eve jogs into the kitchen from the living room, the widest, most beautiful grin on her face. Her growing belly, round and firm, bumps against mine as her arms wrap around my neck. It seems like overnight, the baby decided to grow. Pregnancy is strange.

“I’ve been waiting all day to see you.”

“I’m here now.” I press my lips against hers. We’ve been working opposite shifts, so it’s been hard to see each other. All we get are the late-night phone calls and text messages. “Are you sure Jake won’t be doing any surprise pop-ins?”

“I bought a wireless motion detector alarm, so it will alert me of any movement in the back.”

I laugh. “We could have used that earlier.”

Her hand clasps around mine and leads me toward the living room. “Tell me about the townhome.” She lowers herself to the couch, and I take the cushion next to her. “Did you like it?”

“I did. It has two bedrooms on the second floor. They’re pretty close to each other, so the baby won’t be far. There’s a full bath upstairs and a half bath on the first floor. Both the living room and kitchen have plenty of space.”

“And cupboard space?”

“I think so.” I pull my phone from my pocket and unlock the screen. Opening the photos app, I scroll through all the pictures I took. “There’s even a small yard. I think we’ll be able to put a little sandbox over here and maybe a small swing set on this side of the yard.” I swipe my finger across the screen to show her the next photo.

She tenses, and her face drifts up to meet mine. Her lips press together.

Shit. She hates it. This isn’t what she wanted. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”

A smile takes over her face. “It’s perfect.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’d live in a cardboard box with you if I had to. Not saying I want to, but you get the gist.” She giggles. “Most importantly, you thought about the baby.” She freezes. With a flicker of uncertainty, her eyes shift back and forth, searching for something.

“What’s wrong?” I scan her body for an injury, but she’s been sitting next to me the entire time.

“I think the baby moved, or it’s gas,” she whispers. Her gaze drifts up to mine, a smile curving her lips. She grabs my handand rests it on the soft cotton shirt covering her stomach. “I don’t know if you can feel it.”

I hold my breath, afraid to move and miss it, but after several seconds pass, nothing happens. “I might feel the baby or your gas?” A giggle escapes her lips, her belly shaking with mirth. I drop my hand.

“It’s still early. Maybe no one else can feel it yet.” Her fingers grip my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze. “I’m taking that as a sign the baby also agrees.”

“Or we’re deciding based on your gas.” I raise an eyebrow.

---