Page 83 of The Pass Protection
We are so close to the season being over. Just a few more weeks, and I can admit to the world that I am Crew Riggsby’s girlfriend. Then I will have to deal with the repercussions of keeping our relationship a secret from my dad and overprotective brother.
“Oh, um, I’m not really looking for anything right now. I declared this year the year of Bret.”
She eyes me skeptically. “Uh-huh.”
I shrug, gathering our wrappers and shoving them into the plastic bag to throw away later. We both move from the table to the couch. I take the end where I bring my legs up to sit cross-legged on the section in Crew’s spot. Chloe moves to the corner spot, where she tucks her legs underneath her and adjusts her dress to avoid flashing the goods.
“Speaking of guys, thanks to your book and your constant need to mention my so-called reverse harem fantasy, I had the most embarrassing thing happen to me.”
Leaning forward, Chloe’s eyes shine as excitement crosses her face. “Oh my gosh, please tell me you propositioned your roommates.”
“No.” I shake my head. “The other night JP had a study session, and Crew, Tyler, and I watched a movie in Crew’s bed. Well, I fell asleep between them and had the most erotic dream with both of them.”
“Oh my gosh.” Chloe chortles, her gleeful laugh erupting around us. “How was it?”
“I mean.” I shrug, wiggling my eyebrows.
“That’s the best thing anyone has told me in a long time.”
“Oh, and then my brother walked in on the three of us in bed.”
Tears pour down her face as she clutches her stomach from laughing so hard. Chloe wipes her face as I shake my head. The whole situation could have been avoided if she wasn’t planting reverse haremseeds in my brain. Silence falls over the room as Chloe fights to pull herself together.
“Are you good at keeping secrets?” I snort, choking on my spit, and start spluttering everywhere. Chloe stares at me with shock written all over her face. “You okay, girl?”
Patting my chest, I nod. “Ye-yeah, I’m good at keeping secrets.”
Chloe continues to eye me wearily. “Okay, perfect. I need your help with something.”
“What’s up?”
“You know that we host family dinners on Sundays…”
“Yes, Chlo, I have been at every Sunday dinner since I moved here.”
She reaches for her phone before scooting closer to me. “Well, I was thinking about throwing Brynn and Quinton a surprise baby shower next Sunday. Q has a bye week, and he’s flying in for the weekend, so it’s perfect.”
“Aw,” I gush. “That’s such a cute idea. I know I’m a newbie, but having a friend who’s having a baby is really cool.”
“You say that because you don’t have to live with her. Brynn Wilder is the strongest girl I know, and right now, she cries about everything. She’s a hormonal mess.” She snickers as I cringe. “After she announced the birth control malfunction, I made Cody go back to using condoms because I was super paranoid the pill wouldn’t work. He had to talk me off the ledge by promising me that if I ever go on any medication, he’ll wear a condom, but not until then.”
“Not ready for kids?”
Horror flashes across her face. “Oh no, I don’t even know if kids are in my future. Cody and I both have struggled with shitty parents—my mom and his dad—and it makes me nervous to have kids. I refuse to have unprotected sex.”
I nod, my thoughts trailing back to last night. Last night, when Crew and I had unprotected sex. We were caught up in the moment, and I was so desperate for him that I didn’t want him to stop. It’s probably the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever done—dread pools in my stomach at realizing how stupid I was. Based on my cycle, I should be in the all-clear, but accidents happen. And much like Chloe, I am so not ready for babies. Hell, Crew and I can’t even be in public. How would I announce that I’m pregnant? My palms are sweaty, and my chest squeezes.
“You okay over there?” Chloe’s voice pulls me back into the present.
“Totally, I just pictured being in Brynn’s shoes, and my anxiety skyrocketed,” I tell her.
Chloe scrolls on her phone before passing it over to me. I stare at the screen and take in the perfectly curated secret Pinterest board. Scrolling through the images, I absorb the color scheme of creams, tans, greens, and oranges. Table decorations of baby booties, eucalyptus runners, neutral baby onesies, and vases of baby’s breath. Games, food, and photo backdrop ideas.
“Holy shit, this is amazing,” I gush as I continue to scroll. “What do you need my help for? I think you’ve got this planned.”
She blushes, almost embarrassed at how organized she is. “I was wondering if I could ship things to your apartment and if you wouldn’t mind helping me set up?”
“Are you going to have it at the house?”
