by T. L. Haddix
WHEN WYATT CALLED EARLIER TO pass along the time and location for the get-together, Stacy was hesitant. “I don’t want to cause Beth any distress.”
Wyatt assured her they wouldn’t. “Ethan knew you’d say that. He told me to let you know that she’s looking forward to seeing you, and she’s been driving him crazy since she’s been home on bed rest. You’d be doing him a favor.”
Stacy didn’t quite buy that explanation, but she conceded. She knew Beth wouldn’t do anything that would endanger the babies.
When Stacy and Gordon got to the Moores’ house that evening, Wyatt and Maria were already there. As she parked her car next to Wyatt’s SUV, a flutter of nerves overcame her. She glanced at Gordon out of the corner of her eye. She was glad he didn’t seem to have picked up on her anxiety. She felt ridiculous enough as it was. She’d been to Beth and Ethan’s before, and there was no reason this time should be any different. Of course, before, she hadn’t arrived with Gordon.
Ethan met them at the door with an apron tied around his waist. “Hey, come on in. I’m getting ready to put the burgers on the grill. Wyatt had to take a call, but he said to tell you hi.”
“Hi, back.”
“Chop chop. We’re starving, so snap to it, Detective Moore. That food won’t fix itself,” Beth teased from the couch as Gordon hugged her. She was settled into a corner of the sectional, looking even more pregnant than she had the other day. Stacy wasn’t sure how that was possible, and as happy as Beth seemed, she knew the other woman had to be miserable. Maria, who was tucked into the other end of the couch, didn’t bother to hide her laughter at Beth’s pronouncement.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ethan responded with a salute. “Stacy, do you need anything to drink?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Okay, then. Gordon, you’re with me and Wyatt. I have strict orders to let the women have some girl time.”
From the look Gordon sent her, Stacy thought he might be hesitant to leave her alone with Beth and Maria. She sat down on the couch between them and looked at him with a quizzical smile. “What?”
“Nothing.” With a nod, he turned and followed Ethan onto the deck, where Wyatt was finishing up his call. Ethan closed the French doors, and as soon as the men were shut outside, Beth wiggled excitedly.
“So. Tell me all about this arrangement you have. Has he kissed you yet? Please say yes.”
Stacy laughed at the other woman’s eagerness. “No, I’m sorry. Not yet.”
“Oh, damn. And there goes another quarter. I’m going to owe my mother’s Swear Jar a thousand dollars at this rate. So why hasn’t he kissed you? Has he tried? If he hasn’t at least tried, I’m going to have to have a talk with him.”
Not knowing whether to be amused or mortified, Stacy turned to her best friend. Maria was grinning, and seeing the question in Stacy’s eyes, she shrugged. “Just go with it. She’s been giddy with waiting for details since we got here.”
Beth touched Stacy’s hand briefly. “I don’t mean to offend you. I swear, I don’t. I’m not the most subtle person even when I’m not out to here with twins, but pregnancy brain has really loosened my tongue. I’m sorry.”
“You’re fine,” Stacy assured her. “I’m not used to having anything to share. And I still don’t, not really.” She told them about the almost-kiss. “And he doesn’t need a study partner. He sort of made that up. I’m not sure what I think about that.”
“I knew it!” Maria surprised Stacy by saying. “I didn’t think he’d need to study, not like that, for the bar. But I was so happy to get the two of you together for any reason, I didn’t argue.”
Stacy stared at her, knowing her mouth had to be hanging open. “You stinker. Why didn’t you say something?”
“Would you have let him help you without that excuse?”
“No, probably not,” she admitted.
“That’s why I didn’t say anything. You can thank me now, or later. Your choice.” Maria’s smugness tickled Stacy’s funny bone, and she laughed. Maria and Beth quickly joined in.
“I will reserve judgment, thank you,” Stacy told her friend once the humor had died down. “But I did get to see him without his shirt.”
Beth’s reaction was exactly what Stacy had expected. “What? When? How was it?” she squealed.
Stacy decided to torment the expectant mother and answered with a question. “Why are you so obsessed with… with whatever this thing is?”
“Because,” Beth said with a groan. “I want to see him happy. I want to see you happy. And I am not allowed to have sex or anything like it until after these babies are born. Since I have another month before my due date and six weeks or so after that, I have to live vicariously through people around me. So please, please give me details. Make things up if you have to.”
Stacy pretended to think. “Hmm, let’s see. I showed up, and he was covered in… No, you don’t want to hear about that. And then he took a shower.”
“She texted me while he was in the shower,” Maria interjected. “Sharing a shower came up.”
“Ooh, that’s fun,” Beth said, a silly grin crossing her face. “Continue, please.”
“Well, then Jason and Robbie showed up.”
Beth held up her hand. “Stop. This is fantasy land. No appearances by my brothers, please.”
Fighting to hold back her laughter, Stacy corrected herself. “Okay. Robbie showed up. He left. I went upstairs and was looking under the bed when Gordon came out of the bathroom, shirtless.”
“Pants. Was he wearing pants?”
Stacy blushed. “Unfortunately, yes. But good Lord, his chest was enough to…” She covered her cheeks. “I almost drooled. Have you seen him without a shirt?”
Beth nodded. “Yes. A couple of times at the parents’ house for barbecues. It’s not a sight to be missed. We’ll have to make sure you and Wyatt are invited next time,” she told Maria, who was grinning.
“I’ll make sure we’re there with bells on. I’m assuming Ethan and the rest of the guys aren’t similarly affected by the sight of Gordon shirtless?”
“You know, it’s odd, but they aren’t,” Beth answered, tongue-in-cheek.
“I can’t imagine why. Now back to the story…” Stacy started.
Before she could continue, Beth held up her hand. “Okay, as nice as this fantasy is, my curiosity is interfering. Why were Jason and Robbie there?”
“Because your fur-nephew stole the phone and called nine-one-one.” That set off another round of snickering, and as Stacy told them about Gordon’s escapades with the cat, the laughter grew. “The poor man. You should see his hand. Murphy did a number on it.”
“Oh, dear, God. I can’t stand it. Raw chicken?” Maria was breathless with laughter. “You do realize that as soon as word got out at the department that Murphy made the call, the plotting started, right? Gordon’s liable to find himself the proud owner of half a dozen stuffed toy cats, at the very least.”
“I know. What do you think I’m planning on buying him the first chance I get?” Stacy asked.
They ended up laughing so hard, they were all crying. From outside, the men kept glancing up to see what the commotion was, and every time they looked toward the house, it set off the laughter again.
“You know they think we’re talking about them,” Maria said. “Guarantee you, tonight after we go home, we’ll all get quizzed on what was so funny.”
“Uh-huh,” Beth agreed. “I don’t know if Gordon will ask you or not,” she told Stacy. “He might be too afraid of the answer.”
“You can tell him we were talking about pregnancy if he does ask,” Maria said.
“How many women around the sheriff’s department are pregnant now?” Beth asked. “It’s almost getting to be an epidemic. There seems to be something in the water there these days. You had better be careful,” Beth told Stacy. “If you don’t, you’ll end up pregnant.”
Stacy cleared her throat. “Uh, I hate to break it to you, but drinking water
is not how one becomes pregnant.”
Beth sent her a disbelieving look, then pointed at Gordon. He was leaning up against the rail, talking to Ethan and Wyatt. He frowned when he saw her pointing, but he didn’t move from where he stood. “Stacy. Honey. That man could get a woman pregnant with a look if he wanted to. And he looks at you like you’re lunch, dinner, and dessert. If you’re not on the pill, you’d better get there quick if you don’t want to find yourself waddling around in a few months.”
“She can’t take the pill,” Maria said. “She’s allergic.”
“I’m not allergic,” Stacy corrected. “I have a bad reaction to the hormones. Ditto for the shot. I tried them a few years back and couldn’t tolerate them.” She frowned as it dawned on her that if things did progress with Gordon, she was going to have to figure out a plan for birth control. It wasn’t a problem she’d ever had before. “What should I do?”
“Well, obviously, condoms aren’t the most reliable method,” Maria mused. “They work, but only if you use them. And in the heat of the moment, if you’re on the pill and it isn’t working because you had antibiotics…” She broke off with a smile and rubbed her baby bump lovingly. “What does your doctor say?”
“Dr. Garrett? After the great contraceptive debacle, we kind of let it go. I wasn’t sexually active, had no hopes of ever being, so I didn’t really worry about it. I kind of walked away from the discussion, if you want the truth,” Stacy confessed. “After everything else, not being able to take the pill felt like one more failure.”
“That’s silly,” Beth told her gently. “That’s not a failure. It isn’t like you can control your body’s reaction to medication.”
“I know. And I was all over the place emotionally from trying the various types of birth control. I don’t see it as a failure now, but at the time, I wasn’t in a good place. I guess I’ll need to stop somewhere, somehow, and get some condoms. But how do I do that when he’s with me? I don’t want him to think I’m suggesting we do anything. And how do I know what size to get?”
Beth, who had taken a drink of water, sputtered. “Don’t get smalls,” she rasped. “Get the largest ones they have. And a box of regulars, but if you end up offering him a condom, start with the biggest. Men are very sensitive about that. Besides, something tells me you’ll need the big ones.”
When they all glanced at Gordon, the laughter started again. Her face felt as if it were on fire, and Stacy shook her head in disbelief. “This feels surreal. I can’t believe I’m actually having a discussion on what form and size of prophylactics to use.”
With a genuine, happy smile, Maria touched her shoulder. “Welcome to the club. It’s good to finally have you here.”
“It’s good to finally be here,” Stacy admitted. “Although, I am not quite sure I’m really here. Do you know he lets me drive? And today, when we had to deal with the appliance order, he stood back and let me handle it. He was there if I needed help, but he didn’t try to take over.”
“I didn’t think he’d be a head patter,” Maria said.
“What’s a head patter?” Beth asked.
“You know, the kind of man who thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant, chained to the stove, can’t think, can’t drive, shouldn’t do a man’s job? Present company excluded as far as the barefoot and pregnant part goes,” Stacy added, glancing from Maria to Beth. “That’s a head patter.”
“Thank you. And yes, I’m familiar with that breed of man. Head patter. I like it. So he isn’t one. That’s good to know.”
“It is very good to know. The only time he steps in to stop me is if I’m doing something I shouldn’t be, like trying to lift a box of tile. It’s so weird, having someone look out for me like that.”
Beth’s look was sympathetic. “Well, you’re a tiny little thing, so that plays a role. Men look at you and see what they want to see.”
“And we know Gordon realizes she’s more,” Maria added. “Remember back in December at the cross-over training with the state police? She tossed Gordon ass over teakettle.”
Stacy laughed, remembering the stunned look on his face. “Ethan warned him going in, but it’s hard to believe someone my size can put someone his size on the floor. Do you know, I get more calls from the single state troopers after those training sessions? Weird, that.”
Maria grinned. “I’m not at all surprised. They like what they see. They want more.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
“It has to be a relief for Gordon to know that you can protect yourself, you know? And speaking of protection, as to the question of how to get the condoms, I have the answer.” Beth swung her feet off the couch and, after casting a furtive look at the men, eased to her feet. “Grab your purse and come with me.”
They followed her across the open living room and dining room to the short hall that led to the newly added downstairs bedroom and full bathroom that Ethan had added so that Beth didn’t have to go up and down the stairs. The room’s French doors looked out on the deck where the men were grilling. Beth went to the doors and, with a wave for the men, snapped the lever that closed the built-in blinds.
“That ought to worry them,” she said with a grin. She opened a nightstand drawer and pulled out a large box of condoms. For the first time since the outrageous conversation had started, Stacy saw that Beth’s cheeks were flushed.
“Here, take these. I certainly don’t need them. I’ll be going on the pill or the shot after the boys are born.”
She handed the box to Stacy, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Stunned, Stacy stared at the box.
“Extra large. I didn’t need to know that.” Maria chuckled. “Oh, Lord.”
Beth shrugged and grinned, her blush growing. “What can I say?”
“I can’t take these,” Stacy protested halfheartedly. She ignored Maria’s snickering and tried to keep her face straight. “Won’t Ethan know you gave them to me?”
“He won’t mind.”
“But he’ll know!”
Beth laughed. “I’ll tell him I gave them to a friend, and he’ll pretend to not know anything about anything. That’s all he’ll want to know, that a friend has them.”
“He’s a detective. He’ll know. All your other friends are married.”
Maria snorted. “Married people use condoms, you know.”
Stacy rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“We do. As far as Ethan knowing, you’re like a sister to him. He won’t question me too closely. While he would be happy to see you and Gordon start a relationship, actually thinking about what you’d be doing? That’s heading into squick-factor territory. I can almost guarantee you that he won’t even tease you about it. He wouldn’t want to embarrass you like that.”
Stacy knew Beth was right. She also knew that, unless she wanted to make a secret, late-night run or tell Gordon flat out what she was doing, this was her best chance to get condoms. She sighed.
“At least let me pay you for them. This is a huge box, and it’s still almost full,” she said as she opened the box. She pulled out an unopened condom and stared at it, feeling slightly blindsided.
“Okay. Ten dollars, and they’re yours.”
“Deal.” She had just handed Beth the money when they heard the men come in the house.
“I’ll go check on them,” Ethan said, and his footsteps came down the hall toward the bedroom. “Beth?”
Moving fast, Beth tossed the money in the dresser while Stacy shoved the box of condoms into her purse. It barely fit, making a considerable lump inside the bag. Stacy pushed it back and whirled to sit down on the bed, crossing her arms as Ethan stopped in the bedroom door. He eyed them with suspicion.
“Do I even want to know?”
As one, they shook their heads.
“Nope, you don’t,” Beth assured him. “Food ready?”
“Yeah. You okay?”
She smiled at his concern. “We’re fine. But do you mind closing the door for a minute? We’ll be ri
ght out.”
He squinted, but he didn’t ask any more questions as he closed the door. For a few seconds, they were quiet, but then the laughter started.
“That was close,” Beth said with a snort.
Stacy was indignant, but amused. “You? Imagine how I feel? ‘Hey, Gordon, Wyatt, they’re in here playing with condoms. The non-pregnant one needs some. Gordon, can you oblige her?’ I can see it now.”
“Oh, if you could have seen your faces,” Maria said. She sat on the end of the bed because she was laughing so hard. “I feel like I’m back in high school, watching my sisters trying to hide condoms from my parents.”
Stacy stood and eyed her purse. “This won’t do. As soon as we go out there, they’ll know.”
“Empty the box into your purse and throw it away,” Beth suggested.
“And then hope I don’t drop my purse before I get home.” The dilemma solved, they joined the men in the dining room. Aside from a few curious looks, no one said anything.
The conversation was light and general, and the unspoken consensus was that they should wait until they’d eaten to bring up the topic that had brought them all there. Beth was answering Maria’s question about her activities being heavily restricted when Stacy’s phone rang.
“Sorry,” she apologized, digging in her purse to pull it out. When she saw Andre’s name on the display, she scowled. “What the…?” She didn’t answer, sending the call straight to voice mail instead.
“Everything okay?” Gordon asked.
“Sure. Just someone I don’t want to talk to right now. Sorry, everyone.”
Ethan waved away the apology. “If we get through a meal or a movie without someone’s phone ringing, we think something’s wrong. Don’t worry about it.”
When it rang again a few seconds later, Stacy grimaced. This time, the caller was from the sheriff’s department dispatch. “Oh, I have to answer this one. Excuse me.” She stood and moved away from the table. “Hello?”
“Hey, Stacy, it’s Carrie. I’m sorry to bother you on your vacation, but Andre Cristos called here twice. He sounded very upset. He said he’s been trying to get up with you, and it’s urgent.”