Page 28 of Dominate
“What is going on exactly?” I ask, frowning over to where I see Booker kneeling down beside Poppy, who’s on the sofa.
Indie rolls her eyes. “Belle brought a foetal Doppler to keep an eye on Booker and Poppy’s baby this week. Poppy isn’t due for another couple of months, but she was nervous to come on the trip. This is helping to calm her down.”
“Oh, how cool,” Sloan replies with a smile. “You and Belle are both doctors, right? I think Gareth mentioned that once.”
Indie nods. “We met in med school, and it was love at first tequila shot.”
Sloan chuckles. “That’s so cute that two friends married two brothers.”
“Cute or mental?” I retort and Indie laughs.
“It’s cute,” Camden and Tanner both growl in unison, then smile stupid smiles at each other.
Indie scoffs, “I like to claim that I met Camden before Belle met Tanner and crazy follows crazy, so I guess we’re both gluttons for punishment.”
“I love my wife’s crazy. It’s her best feature.” Tanner waggles his brows suggestively at Sloan, and I give him a shove.
“Let’s not act like you two didn’t plan to marry brothers all along,” Camden says, wrapping his arms around Indie’s waist and pulling her back to his front. “You told me all about your plans for us when we got married in Scotland, Specs.”
She giggles and pushes him off of her. “Planning is pointless when it comes to you and Tanner. We’d have better luck trying to herd cats.”
A loud, scratchy sound suddenly erupts from the living room, so we all file in to see what’s going on. Hayden and Vi give me and Sloan a quick hello as they trail behind us. Dad walks in from the back garden with Rocky on his shoulders as we all huddle around Poppy and Belle.
Dad is about to say hello, but Sloan and I are both distracted when the sound goes off again. It reminds me of a galloping horse. Sloan inhales sharply beside me, so I look over and see a knowing expression on her face.
“That, Poppy darling, is what I call a perfect heart rate,” Belle states proudly from where she’s at on the floor, holding something that resembles a microphone to Poppy’s exposed belly.
Poppy gasps, her fingers holding the swell of her stomach. “Oh my God. This is so awesome, Belle! The fact that we can hear this whenever we want is amazing.”
Poppy stares up at Booker for confirmation, and he is equally as awestruck. He remains completely silent, but I can see in his eyes that he’s doing everything he can to keep calm.
Booker clears his throat and croaks, “It’s really nice you can do this for us, Belle. Thank you.”
Belle shoots him an easy smile. “I am a foetal surgeon, guys. This is child’s play. Literally!” She laughs at her own joke as she hands the Doppler to a stunned Booker and begins teaching him how to use it.
Dad’s eyes find mine. “Magical, isn’t it?”
I frown. “Sure, I guess.”
Sloan elbows me in the side, so I look over at her. “What?”
“Be nice,” she says quietly. “It is magical.”
I clench my teeth and murmur, “I agree, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard my father use the word magical. This man is freaking me out.”
She shrugs her shoulders and replies, “Maybe he’s your vacation dad.”
“Vacation dad?”
“Yeah, like he’s more relaxed because he’s away from work.”
I frown over at him as he brings Rocky closer to Poppy for a listen. “He’s something all right,” I whisper through clenched teeth.
Once the excitement of the Doppler dies down, I introduce Sloan to the girls, who all instantly take her under their wings and steal her away to the kitchen for a glass of wine.
I watch Sloan carefully to make sure she’s handling everyone okay, and she seems to be genuinely having a laugh. My brothers shoot me lewd smirks the entire time, but I ignore them. I also do my best to ignore my father, who’s acting more like a dad seen on the telly, not the one I grew up with.
When dinner is ready, we move to the barbeque area outside. A long outdoor table with a fire-pit down the middle is situated on a flagstone patio. Above, there are several lanterns hanging from dragon trees that cast the space in a golden light.
