Chapter 50
Chapter fifty
Leavenworth: Todd
Between picking at the last bit of blue painter’s tape and refolding the baby blankets in the nursery for the fifth time, Todd glared at his watch.
Zac was cutting it damned close. He texted the guy last night to remind him when Lucy and Jon would be home, and he swore he’d be there for the big reveal.
But it was five to ten and no sign of the sprinter van.
He paced then stopped, worried he’d wear down the new plush runners he’d picked out for the main hallway.
Todd wasn’t concerned that his friend and her hubby wouldn’t love the reno—he knew Lucy’s tastes better than she did, and Jonathan loved anything that brought joy to that cankle-having-little-bundle-of-pregnant he followed around with googly eyes.
No, his nerves had little to do with the rehaul and everything to do with the future.
His best friend was about to become a mom.
The same friend who used to come out and support him when he hosted as Dirty O’Feelya at The Tackle Boxx.
The same friend who regularly sent him links for some pretty raunchy porn clips.
The same friend who got wasted at karaoke and barfed on herself while singing “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” Honestly, he was more embarrassed for her because of the song choice and how badly she was killing the crowd not-so-softly, than because of the vomit.
They’d been ride or die since her college years. Then she fell in love with her adventure guide and moved one hundred and fourteen miles (yes, he was counting) east, leaving Todd to his own devices.
Devices? More like vices.
Fine. So, he’d gone off the rails a time or two, but he’d been in mourning. That’s what you do when your best friend up and moves to BFE on a whim. Wallowing is a key part of the grief process.
It wasn’t like Todd didn’t like Jonathan. He loved the guy. Really, they had become solid friends over the last couple years. It’s just . . .
Ok, when Lucy left he was sad, but the book wasn’t closed. She still came over a few times a year to watch Dirty O’Feelya bring the house down or for a random movie night/brunch the next morning. Even once she and Jonathan had tied the knot, she’d still made the trek west.
But all of that was about to change.
She was about to become a freaking mother.
Not with just one baby, but with two fully formed screaming and puking and shitting twins. Her ally pasties wouldn’t be the things dangling from her nips at the next Pride celebration. Nope, those knockers were now property of a couple of toothless strangers that Todd hadn’t been able to vet.
It was the end of an era and honestly, Todd was nervous about what would come next.
“I know, I know,” the raspy voice of a certain almost-tardy fuck boy volleyed through the house. “But I made it.”
Todd breathed a sigh of relief and marched out to the entryway. “Cutting it a little close are we, Zachariah.” Zac flinched and Todd instantly felt bad for using the guy’s given name. “Sorry. I’m edgy this morning.”
“Tell me about it,” Zac commiserated, shoving a crumpled envelope into his back pocket.
Any other time, Todd would have pressed for more information, maybe even tried to sneak the paper from Zac’s pants to sus out what was up. But frankly, Todd was a little preoccupied at the moment. So playing Mr. Fix It Sounding Board Guy wasn’t on the agenda.
The crunch of gravel beneath tires sounded from the driveway.
“Showtime,” Todd dead-panned, though the excitement of doing something nice for his friends was starting to lighten his heart.
“Do we hide?” Zac asked, circling around the living room like a lost child at a supermarket.
“And what? Scream ‘surprise’ and jump out at the very, very pregnant woman so her water breaks all over the new floors? They’re water-resistant, but I think I'd rather avoid the mess,” Todd scolded while rolling his eyes. “Plus our vehicles are in the driveway. They know we’re here.”
Zac paused and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Right.”
A car door slammed, followed by another opening and a melodically cheery voice lilted on the summer breeze. While he had no idea what Lucy was saying exactly, he could guess it had something to do with the presence of his and Zac’s rides out front.
The couple approached the front steps just as a buzz sounded from Todd’s pocket. He pulled out his cell and peeked at the text.
His heart lunged for his throat.
Only the name showed on his lock screen. But seeing who it was, he knew what the message contained. And the knowledge did fluttery things to his belly. Things he’d address after showing off the hard work he and Zac had put in to upgrade the Miller residence for their growing family.
The front door swung open and Lucy waddled in with her hands under her big belly and a husband carrying loads of luggage mere inches behind.
“Todd! Zac!” She spread her arms wide, and Todd carefully accepted the hug, even as she squeezed the shit out of him because .
. . well . . . it was a Lucy hug. She released him after a minute and waved the other man over for the same treatment.
“What are you guys doing here? Not that you aren’t welcome, but—”
Her words cut off as she took in the open-concept design of the main living area.
Long gone were the bland white walls and a-single-dude-lives-here furniture.
In its place was a soothing spa gray with pops of color and the most comfortable (and huge) sectional that would fit in the living room.
Plenty of space for a family of four and their uncle Todd when he came to visit.
“You did all this?” She hadn’t even tried to slow the welling of tears as she looked back and forth between each man.
“We did—” Todd began.
“He designed it,” Zac interrupted. “All I did was show up with tacos and beer and paint a couple walls.”
Lucy turned to Jonathan, who stood in the entryway, still holding the luggage, mouth agape. “Did you know about this?”
He finally found his voice. “No. No, I . . . wow. This is incredible.”
They all stood in silence for far too long before Todd laughed and said, “Don’t just stand there. You need to see the nursery.”
More tears, but this time the dad-to-be added a few to the mix.
Todd stood back so Zac, Jonathan, and Lucy could walk down the hallway toward the twins’ room. He took that moment to pull out his phone and click on the notification.
LB:
Four months and counting.
Can’t wait to see you again, DO. X
There were those funny belly wobbles again. Todd swallowed his heart as it threatened to pound its way up and out of his mouth. He didn’t need to respond. It didn’t matter if he did or not because he would be there regardless. Christmas Eve.
“Hey, Todd,” Lucy’s sweet yet watery voice surprised him and he hastily tucked away his phone.
“Yes, Luce?” He snaked his arm around her shoulders and pecked a kiss on her temple.
She leaned in and whispered, a hint of shame tinging her words, “Any chance there are some tacos left?”
Todd laughed, brought completely back to the moment. “How about this, mama bear. I’ll go get you a fresh order after we finish the grand tour. Sound good?”