by BJ Harvey
Faith shakes her head. “He’s a live-in-the-moment kind of guy. But he’s determined, too. If he sets his mind to something, he works his ass off to make it happen.”
April nods. “It seems to be a thing with these men of ours.”
“Okay. So how do we get Gilly and Ezra back to a place where my sister’s getting the good stuff on the regular?” Ronnie asks, getting back to the matter at hand.
“I’m thinking you meet him at the door on your knees,” Abi offers, with a smirk. “Works every time.”
“Lie on the couch naked and ask him to paint you like one of his French girls,” Marcy says with a laugh, and I snicker along with her.
April studies me, a knowing look in her eye. “I know exactly what you should do.”
“Okay…”
“Give him what he wants,” she says.
My head jerks back, and I stare at her.
April’s eyes soften. “Jamie has told me Ez is a chronic over-thinker. He just does it after the fact.”
“Hence the two failed marriages,” I add and everyone in the room nods.
April continues, “You guys are dating now, so just date. If he’s living in the moment, then live in it with him. Don’t worry about the what-ifs and maybes. Focus on the right nows and definitelys.”
“What’s stopping you, Gilly? What’s holding you back?” Abi asks.
“I just wonder why we didn’t date before I got pregnant.”
“Did you go into it as you would a normal romantic relationship?” Abi asks. “Because Cade and I were a one-night stand. I didn’t get a second night till ten months later.”
My mouth drops open at that and she grins at me.
“So, you and Ez didn’t start off with any plans to date. That’s not to say you can’t give it a good go now, right?” Abi asks.
Faith nods. “Take it from three of us who have known Ez for most of our lives. Whatever happens, it won’t stop him from being there for his child if things don’t work.”
And there’s the proof that Ezra Baker is a genuine good guy.
“At least you’re not at the stage when you can’t do your favorite things. This giant Buddha belly of mine may well be the death of me by the time I give birth,” Ronnie says, changing the subject, as she’s prone to do.
“That’s something to look forward to,” Faith replies dryly. “Mine is already getting in the way.”
“You guys aren’t filling me with confidence here,” I say, sounding a lot less scared than I’m really feeling.
“You’re what—thirteen weeks? You’ve just hit the fun trimester.”
“Not as much fun as I’d like to be having,” I mutter.
Abi bounces up and down in her chair, holding her wine glass out in the air. “I know. If all else fails, tell him part of his baby daddy duties is to meet your orgasm needs. Say it reduces stress and that it’s good for the baby.”
I point her way. “Now that could be the best suggestion yet. I’m not usually this sex-crazed, I swear. It’s these damn—”
“Hormones,” we all say in unison, huge grins on our faces.
“It’s gonna happen. I’m feeling good sex vibes,” Ronnie says, a twinkle in her eye and her phone in hand.
“I thought cock-blocking was the Cook family tradition, not pimping.”
“It is. But the Nelson tradition—well, this former Nelson, anyway—is to get her sister laid.”
“What are you doing, baby sister?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says, looking a little too innocent.
“Stay out of it…” I warn.
“Too late. Let’s just say I’m the little birdie whispering in my big birdie’s ear, who will—in turn—tell your baby daddy to man the hell up and give my sister orgasms.”
I look to the ceiling with a groan and offer up a silent prayer to the universe.
Please God, save me from good intentions and best-laid plans—well maybe not the laid part. Don’t save me from that.
In fact, just let it happen.
Amen.
9
Ezra
“You’re an idiot,” Jax mutters as he walks up the stairs beside me on the way to the bar.
“Oww.” I rub the spot where he hit me. “What did I do now?”
“You’re holding out on Gilly.”
I stop him with a hand on his arm. “What did you say?”
“First, you hook up secretly for eight months, and now you’re not hooking up at all. What gives?”
My mouth gapes wide open before I snap it shut. I glare at him. “You called me away to talk about my girlfriend?”
“No, asshole. Because of this.” He pulls his phone from his back pocket and unlocks it, bringing up a message string with his wife.
Ronnie—Knock some sense into Ezra. He’s withholding the D from Gilly, and she’s getting a complex.
Ronnie—My sister deserves good sex, and just ’cause he planted a baby in her doesn’t mean she doesn’t need orgasms on the regular.
Ronnie—Tell him how good sex with a pregnant lady is.
Ronnie—And how CREATIVE we have to be. He strikes me as a man who appreciates good sex.
Jax—What are you doing thinking about Ezra having sex?
Ronnie—I’m pregnant, not dead, Ken. But they haven’t gotten naked in six weeks.
Jax—Why are we involved in this?
Ronnie—Because the consensus is he thinks his almighty sword will hurt the baby. If your trouser snake can’t do damage, I highly doubt his will.
Ronnie—Unless of course the rumors are true…
Jax—Barbie…
Ronnie—Love you, Ken. Sort Ez out. Gilly deserves some good loving.
Jax—You’re all class, Ronnie Cook.
Ronnie—So are you, big daddy.
I shake my head and hand the phone back to him. “I’m not even going there about the big daddy thing.”
Jax’s lips tip up into a telling smirk, and he shrugs. “Pregnant woman are insatiable. Have you not realized that yet?”
We reach the bar and order a round of beers for the guys and water for me.
“You still doing the ‘if she can’t drink, I won’t drink’ thing? She won’t know, dude. I swear you’re more whipped than I am, and I’m married.”
“She might not know, but I will.”
Jax cocks his head. “So, are you just going to ignore those texts?”
“No,” I grind out.
“What gives?” he asks, leaning into the bar. “Are you freaked out by the fact she’s pregnant? Seriously, I pulled that OB aside and asked him exactly what we could and couldn’t do. Short of sticking a four-inch-wide battering ram up there, normal sexual relations are absolutely fine.”
I feel like I’m in a parallel universe, one where Jaxon Cook is giving me advice about my pregnant girlfriend.
“I talked to the doctor while Gilly was getting changed too.”
He smirks at me. “Good man.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about hurting the baby. It’s…”
Jax stares at me, waiting for me to continue. When I don’t, his eyes get narrower, then he claps his hands together, the sound cracking through the room and bouncing off the walls. “Ohhhh. This isn’t a sex thing, is it? This is soooo much better.”
I roll my eyes, fighting against grinning at the man who doesn’t even realize how much of a gossiping girl he’s being right now.
“You’re worried about hurting her and messing it all up.”
“Wouldn’t you be? This isn’t just about me and her. It’s about me, her and the baby. I told her I can’t screw this up, and I meant it. But god damn does she make it hard.”
“That’s what she said,” he deadpans, making me snort.
“So you’re trying to be noble and show her that you’re dating her for her, not dating her because she’s pregnant with your baby.”
“Exactly.”
He bobs his head. “Okay, I can see the merit in that. Except yo
u forgot one thing when reading that What to Expect gospel you’re referencing.”
“And what’s that, oh wise one?” I ask as five beer bottles and my cup of water slide into view in front of us.
“Pregnant women in their second trimester are especially horny.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”
Jax shakes his head. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Definitely,” I shoot back, earning a middle finger. I grab half of the drinks, and once Jax has the rest, I tilt my head toward the stairs.
“I’m just saying,” he says, “you may have the best of intentions, and I respect you for it because it’s exactly what I’d do in your situation, but in trying to show her it’s all about her, you’ve forgotten all about her.”
“Okay. Say you’re right.”
“I am.”
“Say you are.”
“Those texts have my wife telling me to tell you to satisfy her sister. That’s all the proof you need.” We reach the bottom of the stairs, the rest of the guys coming into view.
“I’m saying, you need to do something,” he says.
I look over and meet his stare.
“I promise you, you’ll unleash her inner nympho if you do it right.”
Now my grin grows wider. “Oh, I always do it right.”
“Do what right?” Cohen asks, brow quirked.
“Your mother.”
“Eww. Don’t talk about Marcy like that. It’s bad enough knowing what’s going on if there’s a damn sock on the front door.”
Bry and Cade chuckle, and Jamie groans. “It’s like they’re teenagers again now that they’re empty-nesters.”
Jax and I hand out the new drinks, and I check the scores on the computer screen. As always, Cohen is in the lead. “I bet you twenty they’ve christened every single room now that you’ve moved out.”
“You know I’m not going to take that bet,” Cohen says with a full-body shudder.
“So, how are things going with Gilly?” Cade asks, grabbing his golf club and walking up to the tee.
Due to it being so damn cold outside, we move our driving range catch-ups to this indoor virtual-reality facility. It means we don’t freeze our balls off, and Cohen can still kick our asses—unless my sister Faith tags along and wipes the floor with all of us.
“She’s good. She’s thirteen weeks now, so there’s less nausea, and she’s feeling a lot better.”
“Good,” Cade says with a nod. “I swear the first trimester is just as hard as the last one.”
“Or maybe it’s that my sister makes it harder on you just for kicks,” Bry says with a laugh.
Cade chuckles. “You might be onto something there. Abi is not a woman to let a chance go by to screw with me.”
“And that’s why you have three kids,” Jamie replies dryly.
“How about you, Jay? Are you and April looking to make it four pregnant women in the same family? Surely that’s a record waiting to be broken,” Cade says, drawing back the club then hitting the ball with a resounding thwack.
Jamie leans back in his seat, his lips twitching. “We’ve actually talked about adopting.”
Our heads all jerk his way. I do know they’ve been not trying but ’not trying to stop it’ for a little while now.
Jax cocks his head. “That’s awesome, Jay.” He leans over and gently punches his arm. “You guys would be great at that.”
Jamie’s soft smile shows me how happy he is. From where he was three years ago to now is like dark and light. Now he’s living his dream—flipping houses and making a very good living doing so, and he’s married to the love of his life and has adopted April’s son as his own.
“It’s early days, and it’ll take some time. But we figure since you lot are populating the earth with the next generation of little Cooks, we can help give another child a home.”
“You know Mom is going to be over the freaking moon,” Bry says, reaching over to shake Jamie’s hand.
“Yep. And Betty has already put her hand up to babysit. Whatever happens, whoever we bring into our home, they’re going to be very loved.”
“So, we’ve got three babies and another child hopefully joining the family. How about you, Co?” Cade asks.
Cohen’s head snaps up so fast I’m almost worried he’s given himself whiplash.
“What?” he says, clearing his throat. “Skye and I are only a month in to living together. Can I at least enjoy my life of sin before talking about marriage and children?”
Cade laughs. “Just you wait, Co. Skye will see all these babies and be ready to jump on the wagon.”
Co smirks. “As long as she’s still jumping me, I’m happy.”
“God, I walked right into that one,” Cade groans.
“Kids these days,” Jamie and I say in unison, quietly laughing at the youngest Cook.
“Ez, you’re up,” Jax says, nudging my arm and pointing to the monitor flashing my name. “Hit one hundred and fifty yards, and I’ll tell you what Barbie just texted me about your little problem,” the asshole says, nodding to my groin.
“Do you need Viagra already, old man?” Cohen says with a laugh. “I’m sure Cade can score a sample from the hospital for you.”
I look over my shoulder and glare at the lot of them. “Considering I’m the latest to impregnate my woman, you know Jax is full of shit.”
“There’s a reason they call it the little blue pill, Ez,” Cade—the doctor—says.
“Why’s that?” I ask curiously.
“Helps cure blue balls.”
I groan, and a chuckle follows.
“Can we hurry up? There are asses to kick and pregnant women to satisfy,” Jax says, waggling his brows.
I hang my head with a loud sigh, jolting when an arm lands on top of my shoulders.
“Ignore the lot of them and stick to your plan. You know we all want to see you happy. You’re the last cab left on the rank,” Jamie says for my ears only.
Snorting, I look up at him. “I’ve been off the rank twice, and they canceled the ride.”
His eyes are full of humor. “That’s ’cause they weren’t prepared to hold on. Gilly is the real deal.”
Jax joins us. “He’s not wrong. Ronnie cut her family off and hasn’t looked back. Gilly has to see her father every day at work, and yet she stays, doing it to further her career. She’s as real as you can get.”
“When did we get so grown up?” I ask the two of them.
“Fuck knows,” Jamie says. “Kinda scary, isn’t it?”
“Not as terrifying as knowing I’m having a baby in six months’ time.”
Jamie gives my shoulder a squeeze and steps back. “And you’re falling for the kind of woman you’ve always deserved but never thought you’d get.”
He’s absolutely right on that count. “Now, I just need to keep her.”
“Make her happy. That’s all you need to do.”
Thinking back to Ronnie’s text messages from earlier, I realize there is something I can do tonight that will make Gilly happy.
Suddenly, I can’t get back to her quickly enough.
Ezra—On our way back now. See you soon.
Gilly—Okay. Ronnie says her and Jax could drop me home.
Ezra—Is it my baby you’re growing?
Gilly—Yes…
Ezra—And is it my bed you’re going to be sleeping in tonight?
Gilly—I’d prefer not to sleep.
Ezra—Don’t worry. You let me drive you home, and I’ll make sure you sleep REAL good.
Gilly—And how do you plan on doing that?
Ezra—That’s for me to know and you to find out.
Gilly—Do I not even get a hint?
Ezra—The alphabet.
She takes a while to answer. I watch as the little dots on my phone screen tell me she’s writing a message.
Gilly—A is for ass…
Ezra—B is for butt.
Gilly—C is for cock.
/> Ezra—D is for dessert.
Gilly—How is that dirty?
Ezra—Because I’m hungry and the only thing on the menu is you.
Gilly—Damn… I’ve got nothing.
Ezra—You’ve got me.
Gilly—Then that’s all I need.
When we get to Faith and Bry’s house, I swear it’s the fastest hi and goodbye I’ve ever done. Jax and Ronnie just grin at me as I quickly give Abi, Marcy, and April kisses on the cheek. Then, with a wave over my shoulder, I lead Gilly out to my car and drive to my apartment.
As soon as we’re inside, I take her purse off her and throw it onto the couch before I grab her hand and lead her along the faintly lit corridor to my bedroom. She follows without question until we’re just inside the doorway, and she tugs her hand free.
A slow-growing smile curves my twitching lips as I turn toward her. “So…”
She places a fist on her jutted-out hip, her eyes narrowing on mine. “The entire drive here I could barely get a word out of you, now you’ve dragged me into your bedroom, and the first word you say is ‘so?’”
“It’s been brought to my attention that I’ve been neglecting some of your needs,” I say, taking a step forward.
Her eyes flash, heat following in its wake. “Oh?”
I move closer. “Mm-hmm. It seems pregnancy hormones have a lot to answer for…”
“Is that so?” she asks. She bites her lip, and my attention drops to her mouth.
“I have my sources,” I murmur, stopping in front of her and lifting my hands to frame her hips. She glides her palms up to rest on my chest.
“And what did those sources tell you?” she asks, giving me a flash of the sassy Gilly that never fails to arouse me.
“Hmm…” I run my hands up her sides, moving in to graze my thumbs over her nipples. Her eyes flutter closed, her lips parting in an invitation I don’t miss.
I cup her cheek and dip my head, slipping my tongue inside her mouth to roll against hers. She sags into me, her hands gripping my shoulders.
I devour her, taking my fill as I kiss her long and hard and deep. I tear my lips from hers and grip her hips, slowly walking her backwards as I bury my face in the crook of her neck. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I lift her up and slowly ease her onto the bed.