Page 58 of The MC's Surprise
“Aw. That’s cute. Thank you,” Sierra said blandly.
The next chick’s gift was just as bad. It was a t-shirt that was probably big enough that Butch could fit in it, with a poorly drawn cow and the words ‘not in the mooood’ on the front. I lifted my gaze to Charlotte, silently demanding answers. She looked anywhere else but at me, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.
“My gift arrives later,” Skylar said, her smile genuine unlike the other women in the room. “I got you a baby swing like mine. It was a godsend when I had Ryder. I didn’t want to give you a chore to do, so Butch is putting it together right now and we’ll deliver it to your place later.”
Finally, Sierra’s face lit up and she beamed at Skylar. “Really? Thank you! I’ve heard those are helpful, but they’re so expensive.”
“Oh, I know. Totally worth the price, though, trust me. Ryder still uses his and it’s the only way I can get anything done sometimes.”
They hugged and I was glad someone took this shit seriously. I’d have to do something big to make up for this shitshowlater. Charlotte said guys weren’t allowed at baby showers, but obviously that was just an excuse to keep me away. I was one hundred percent certain that the guys would throw a better party than this with their eyes closed.
The final present sat in Charlotte’s lap. My disappointment over this shitshow was written all over my face, and I knew whatever she had wasn’t good. She looked like she’d rather get her wisdom teeth pulled without drugs than hand over that gift.
“Your turn.”
Covering up the present with her hands, she shook her head. “I think I’ll give her my present later.”
Not a chance in hell was I letting her off the hook.
“Why? She’s right here. Why not give it to her now?”
Her eyes widened and her bottom lip stuck out. That look used to kill me. Now that she was showing her true colors, it had no effect.
“Why don’t you want to give her the present, Charlotte?” I growled.
A flash of stubbornness crossed her face and she lifted her chin. “Because I said not right now. You don’t get to demand presents, Justin. I went through the trouble to throw this party. That should be present enough, and–”
I scoffed, cutting her off. “You want to call this a party? Seriously?”
Charlotte looked like she was gearing up for a fight, and I was ready to call her out on her shit, but Sierra stopped me by grabbing my hand. When I turned to look at her, she shook her head slightly.
“I think I’m ready to go now. Can you drive me home?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. Let’s go.” I helped her to her feet, shooting one last dirty look at Charlotte. “We’ll be discussing this later.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring right back at me, but said nothing. It was the first smart thing she did all day.
34
Sierra
“Sierra, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think she’d–”
Skylar and I shared a look and burst out laughing the minute we stepped out of the community center. Vegas looked stunned, glancing between us like we’d lost our minds. Then again, he was so sweet and protective of me. I doubted he’d find the humor in it any time soon.
“Am I missing something?” he asked when we finally pulled it together. “Did you have something to do with that?”
“God, no,” Skylar denied, wiping a tear from her eyes. “But Sierra knew it’d be bad. We just went along with it to enjoy the show. I mean, how pathetic do you have to be to act like that?”
Still snickering, I nodded. “Every time I thought she’d run out of steam, she’d come up with something else. It was like middle school all over again.”
Vegas still looked confused when we stopped beside his car. Turning to face him fully, I cupped his face, stroking his cheeks with my thumbs. “It’s okay, Vegas. I didn’t need a baby shower anyway. I’m not upset.”
His hands gently wrapped around my wrists, and he looked genuinely hurt by the whole thing. I hadn’t expected that reaction and suddenly felt bad for inviting him to join us. I’d done it to expose Charlotte’s bitchiness, but I should have thought it through. Vegas thought so highly of her. It must have been hard to swallow that she wasn’t who he thought she was.
“Oh, no. You’re getting a baby shower,” Skylar cut in, making gimme hands at Vegas. “Keys. I need to get started planning this thing. No way are we letting that be your baby shower. Not on my watch.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but seeing how hurt Vegas was, I changed my mind. “Okay. But none of that ‘no men allowed’ crap. It’s Vegas’s baby too.”
