Page 33 of Til Death Do Us Part

“This house is gorgeous. Not that I’d expect anything less, but wow.” Her mouth hung open as she took in the space. “I’m glad they went to take a nap before I made a fool out of myself. I’m kind of freaking out here.”

Shaking my head at her, I went to the fridge and pulled out the lasagna and went about putting it on two plates to warm it up. “So, maybe now isn’t a good time to tell you that Colton Patrick lives in the neighborhood, and he and his wife, Anna might be coming to the party?”

“I think you should have warned me before we came,” she whisper-yelled at me from across the island. “I would have brought a lot nicer clothes if I’d known or I could’ve gone shopping. Is there anyone else who might pop in I should know about?”

I thought about that for a minute. “Gabi from Shadowed Alley and Reeves Jenner and his wife. They’ve also got some famous author as a friend, but she writes under some pen name and I don’t know what it is.”

“Leo, this is not alright! I should have been warned I was coming to some star-studded event,” she hissed.

“Why? You just met my brother and as you can tell he’s perfectly normal just like the rest of them. It’s no big deal.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve been around this for more than a minute.” Her face turned red, and she turned and walked to the window.

Was she mad at me?

Who would have thought taking her home to meet my brother would result in our first fight? She’d given in pretty quickly when I told her she was not going to go back and live in her apartment. Every day up until today she was sweet, caring, and sexy as hell, but today she was all over the place.

After putting the second plate in the microwave, I walked over to her but kept my distance by a couple of feet. “Are you mad at me?”

She turned to look over her shoulder. “You think?”

“I didn’t think it would matter. Trust me, Luke and Alex don’t surround themselves with assholes. The reason they like it here is that everyone treats them like normal everyday people.”

“I can’t deal with this. I need a little time to myself,” she whispered the last as she hung her head and walked out of the kitchen.

For a moment I was shocked. How was this happening to me? I’d come to the realization I loved Everly, and now it felt like I might lose her.

I couldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever. I did the only thing I could do. I went after my wife.

Closing the front door behind me, I found Everly sitting in the passenger seat with her hands covering her face as she cried.

Opening the door, I knelt on the ground, took her hands away from her face, and held them in one of mine while I dried her tears with the other. “Babe, what’s going on? This is so unlike you. Talk to me.”

“I think I’m pregnant.”

12

Everly

“Is everything okay out here?”a woman asked from her driveway.

Leo’s brows drew together. “Everything’s fine. Just getting some air,” Leo called back. He stood to his full height and held his hand out to me. “How about we go inside and talk about this?”

“Do you hate me? I wouldn’t blame you if you want to get a lawyer.” I spoke the last barely loud enough for him to hear, but I knew he did when his jaw clenched.

He stayed silent as we made the short trek up the sidewalk. Alex and Luke were standing in their living room with worried expressions on their faces when we walked inside.

“Are we in the same room I’ve stayed in before?” Leo asked as he bypassed them.

“Oh, I thought you might want a little extra privacy, so I set up the last bedroom in the basement if that’s okay with you.” Alex chewed on her bottom lip.

“That’s perfect.” He nodded as he guided me to a set of stairs that led down to the basement. “We’ll…I’ll be up in a little bit.”

“I shouldn’t be taking you away from your family.” I should have been able to keep myself together better, but when I realized I’d missed my period and I might be pregnant, I couldn’t stop freaking out. Now I looked like a basket case in front of Leo’s brother and sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to redeem myself with them.

Leo didn’t answer. His only response was to quicken his steps as he guided us down a hall. Once inside, he turned on a light, closed and locked the door, and then started to pace. He stopped once, and I thought he might say something only for him to start again.

“I’m sorry I’ve blown your trip to see your new niece. That was never my intention,” I started, but stop when Leo fell on the bed and covered his eyes. Tears welled up, knowing he was going to end things.

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