Page 120 of Shots Fired

I swallow hard, bile rising into my throat. “No.”

He puffs out another breath, eyes dropping to the ground before rising back to mine. “You’re a fucking coward—you know that? Making up some bullshit about a chick so you could have your way in secret.”

“It’s not what you think it is,” I say, wincing because while this absolutely isn’t, it’s a classic line everyone says when they’ve been caught red-handed.

“I’ll tell you what it is,” Jack bites out, jaw ticcing, molars grinding. “It’s Archer Moore sticking his dick in whoever he wants and to hell with the consequences. You just couldn’t leave her alone, could you? She was off-limits and a conquest you had to have, even if you knew it would set fire to our friendship and the team.”

I see red. Despite understanding exactly why Jack would conclude what he has, he couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m so fucking sick of being judged for my past and the choices I made before I fell in love with Darcy.

Smoothing a palm over my mouth, I can’t suppress the sneer that pulls at my lips. “Be very,veryfucking careful what you say next, Jack. My best advice would be not to judge what you don’t understand.”

His brows pull together, face still awash with rage. “If I don’t understand and it’s not what it looks like, then why didn’t you come to me sooner? Why all the sneaking around?”

I open my mouth to tell him exactly why—that I was respecting my girl’s privacy and wishes, but also because it was really none of his goddamn business until we decided to make it.

“Because I’m pregnant, okay? I just turned twelve weeks pregnant,” Darcy bursts out, frustration lacing her voice.

Jack’s head darts to his sister, and he takes a step back from me, his eyes falling to her stomach. Beneath the oversize sweatshirt she’s wearing, you can’t see her cute bump. Tears pool in the corners of her eyes, and all I want is to gather my wife in my arms and promise everything will be okay.

“Fuck it,” I announce.

I do exactly that when I loop my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side. She buries her face into my hoodie, and my heart swells in response.

Her brother watches on, the blood draining from his face. “Y-you’re pregnant? With Archer’s child?” he finally pushes out.

“Yes,” she whispers back, one hand falling to her stomach. “So, when you ask why we haven’t said anything sooner, it’s because we wanted to find the right time, and I only just finished my first trimester.”

He points to her hand resting on her stomach, eyes growing even wider than before. “Wait, you got fucking married too?!”

I drop my head down to the floor.

What a fucking disaster.

“Yes,” I reply, looking Jack straight in the eyes. “We did. But I’ll repeat myself again: let’s not do this here.”

With a bright face and looking super excited, Kendra approaches from behind her husband. The second she registers he’s talking to us, her face drops, turning as pale as my wife’s.

“What’s going on?” Kendra asks as she sidles up next to Jack.

The atmosphere is explosive. One false move or word, and Jack is going off at the deep end.

I’m not sure if it’s the presence of his wife or he’s finally processing our surroundings, but when he swallows thickly, I can tell he’s holding back what he really wants to say. And right now, I’m grateful because I know he needs to calm down.

“Why don’t we go back to our place and talk?” I suggest again, hoping this time, he’ll accept our invitation.

I watch the way Darcy and Kendra exchange glances, wondering what Jack is going to say.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kendra agrees.

Holding up a hand, Jack shakes his head, and my hope dissolves. “No. Kendra just got off a long-haul flight, and I need some time to process what the fuck has happened so I don’t go and say something I’ll regret.”

He looks at Darcy then, a gentler meaning in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Darce, but I need a minute. I get why you didn’t tell me about the pregnancy, but … I don’t know. I just feel like you’re not thinking this whole thing through. It’s like you’re having a knee-jerk reaction to splitting with Liam and …” He trails off, not knowing what to say next.

“I’ve thought everything through,” Darcy quickly counters, her voice a touch sharper.

Tipping his head toward the ceiling, Jack then refocuses his attention back on me. “I’ve literally got nothing to say to you right now. The betrayal is too much for me to comprehend.”

“We need a time to talk, away from heightened emotions and crowds, and I’ll happily lay everything down for you,” I reply, trying once more for him to see reason.

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