Page 78 of Pretty Lethal
“We’re ready, baby. Stop stressing,” Hawk reassures her.
“Yeah, it’s not good for the baby,” Wilder agrees, causing Emilia to blow out an exasperated breath.
“It’s been a week, Wilder, thereisno baby yet.”
“Though if there is, it’s definitely mine,” Hawk unnecessarily points out. His whole chest expands like he’s a proud peacock, and I have to restrain my eye roll at his posturing.
Emilia spares me a look that I swear says,can we dump these two and sail off into the sunset together?
“I’m game if you are, baby girl,” I say with a smirk, earning a soft chuckle.
Lifting her phone from the worktop, she glances at the time, her eyes widening. “Shit, Mom will be here in fifteen minutes.” She glances down at herself, looking horrified—although I have no idea why. I think she looks sexy as hell. “I need to change and do my hair and makeup.” She yanks off her gloves, tossing them carelessly onto the counter before taking off like a bat out of hell, leaving us behind in the dust.
We watch her go before Wilder turns to face Hawk and me with a calculated look in his eye. “Guess that leaves us to devise tactics for how to suck up to our new mother-in-law.”
Chapter25
EMILIA
Sweat makes my palms clammy as I hurry down the stairs ten minutes later. I’ve changed into a pale pink wraparound dress that falls to my ankles and has loose, floaty sleeves. Paired it with cute ankle boots, straightened my hair, and put on some light makeup.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous to see my mother, and it’s entirely because of the three handsome men currently standing in the kitchen, looking hot as sin. It does messed-up things to my heart that they’ve all put in the effort to dress up for her. Hawk with his soft gray chinos and pale blue shirt, Wilder with his burgundy pants and cream sweater, and Kai in his dark denim jeans, pink shirt a similar shade to mine, and navy jacket thrown over the top.
“You look beautiful, Angel,” Wilder says, sounding so sincere that it momentarily overrides my panic.
Lifting my gaze, I allow myself to be sucked into his chestnut hues, the chips of gray sparkling like diamonds and stealing all of my attention. There’s so much certainty in that gaze. So much love and devotion. It leaves me momentarily breathless. How did I get so lucky as to own all three of these mens’ hearts? To call them mine? We’ve gone to hell and back to get here, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing because all of it brought us here, to this moment, where we’re all together and fully committed to one another and this family.
This is simply one more challenge for us to overcome, one I am confident we will conquer, because we’re facing it together.
All three of them move as a unit to surround me.
“You’ve got this, Blackbird,” Kai states with zero doubt in his voice.
“And if at any point you falter, you know we’ll be here to help you through.” Hawk’s breath fans over the shell of my ear, eliciting goosebumps.
“And if things go tits up, I can always show her Marie. Then she’ll see that we’re serious about protecting you.”
“You will do no such thing, Wilder Clearwater!” I scold in my most stern teacher voice.
Hawk and Kai laugh while Wilder’s lips twitch and he shrugs. “I’m just putting it out there as an option.”
“Well, take it away. It isnotan option. You’ll be put on a time-out and have to sleep in your own room for the rest of the month if you threaten my mother with that thing.”
Wilder’s mouth parts in a silent O as he gawks at me.
“Mhm, not a bad idea, baby girl. Maybe he should sleep in his room anyway. Would be nice to get a night's sleep without being whacked in the face.”
“Hey!” Wilder chastises. “It’s not my fault I’m a deep dreamer.”
“Do you dream of being attacked by a swarm of bees often?” Kai teases. “Because that’s the only conclusion I can come to with all the arm-waving you do.”
“Killer bees are a very serious problem,” Wilder retorts with mock seriousness. “There are enough bees in the world that if they all ganged up together to attack us, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Unable to pretend any longer, Wilder’s fake-serious expression cracks into a smile, and in the next moment all four of us are howling with laughter.
We’re still laughing when the doorbell interrupts our moment of levity, and the smile slides from my face as a fresh wave of anxiety pummels through me.
Hawk gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We’ve got this,” he assures me, waiting until I give him a nod before the four of us move as a unit toward the door.
