Shane #3
“No one is fat.” Cecilia lifts her hands, trying to appease them both. “You are both creating little lives in there, and not just one, but two each! It’s one of the most beautiful gifts life has given you.”
“BUT MY DRESS!!!” Emma sobs. “I’m getting married in eight days! There’s no way my dress is going to fit, and then I’m going to have to get married in a… A SHEET!” She weeps uncontrollably and then grabs my arms, forcing me to face her. “I don’t want to get married in a sheet!”
Okay, these pregnancy hormones are no joke. I slowly remove her claws from my arms and hold both her hands in mine. “Emma, listen to me,” I start off slowly. “Do you remember what the seamstress said after the dress fitting?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
I smile at her. “She told you that she would alter the back of the dress. Instead of it being a zipper, she would change it into a corset-style dress that laces up the back. Which means it will be adjusted to your belly size on the day of your wedding.”
When I see the hope shine in her eyes, I release one of her hands and wipe her tears. “Your dress is going to fit, and even if it didn’t and you had to wear a sheet, my brother would still marry you in a heartbeat.”
She nods, taking a deep breath as her cries slowly subside. “You’re right, he loves me.”
“He does,” I agree with her because it’s the truth. Greyson is head-over-heels in love with Emma, even if she can get a little crazy at times.
Suddenly, something flicks in her brain, and all her emotions change to something I can’t understand.
“He’d be an idiot not to; I’m the mother of his children for crying out loud!
” She takes her hand from mine and reaches into her back pocket for her phone, apparently.
“I’m going to call him right now and tell him that.
” She taps her screen, then puts it to her ear as she wanders off.
Noah blinks as he watches her leave, then scratches at his nape. His cropped brown hair still drips with water, so I’m guessing he was in the shower and rushed out when the crisis arrived. At least he’s dressed now. “Wow, Em is scary as hell pregnant.”
Cecilia giggles. “Greyson must really have the patience of a saint to deal with that.”
“I CAN HEAR YOU!” Emma shouts from somewhere.
Noah chuckles as he walks over to Morgan, who’s wiping her eyes. “I know I’m not Burkley, but do you want a hug to make you feel better?”
“Yes,” she whimpers as she tucks herself into his embrace. “Am I really fat?”
He pets her hair and kisses the top of her head, the same way Shane did to me. Is that how he sees me? As a friend? Because that’s what Morgan and Noah are; they’re friends and nothing more, yet he’s holding her the same way Shane did with me.
“Absolutely not, pretty mama. You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you, I needed that.” She sniffles against him. “God, I hate being so emotional all the time.”
“It’s almost over, Morg. Hang in there.” Ronnie pats her back and then comes back to me. “Now you, tell me what’s going on and why you were getting all emotional on me earlier too.”
My face heats as all attention turns to me, the tears welling in my eyes once more.
“He hasn’t kissed me…” I finally manage to say quietly.
“We’ve seen each other five times since, but he hasn’t tried to kiss me again, only on the forehead or cheek.
He holds me and takes my hand and tells me I’m beautiful, but he won’t kiss me again, and I don’t understand why.
Did I do something wrong? Is it because I’m bad at it?
” A tear slips out and I lift a finger to wipe it away.
“Oh, babe,” Ronnie coos as a smile spreads over her face.
That is not at all the reaction I expected, and it only confuses me more. What am I missing? She comes over, stretching her arms wide as her shiny silver curls bounce with every step she takes.
Ronnie changes her hair color every single month; this month it’s black at the roots and turns silver the rest of the way down.
Last month it was half black and half pink.
There’s been greens, yellows, oranges, reds, blues, and purples.
Honestly, any color you can imagine, she’s tried it.
I have no idea how her hair is still so healthy and holding up, but the person who does it must be amazing at their job.
“You’re forgetting one very important detail here,” she says once her arms are around me.
“What?” I sniffle.
“Shane is a gentleman. He isn’t kissing you again because he’s probably giving you time to adjust to this new stage of your relationship.” When my head pops up from against her shoulder, she chuckles.
I hadn’t even thought of that. “You think so?”
“Of course, Aubrey. Shane is crazy about you. Anyone can see that.” Cecilia comes to my side, squeezing my arm. “He’s probably afraid to go too fast and scare you off.”
“Or he might be waiting for you to make the next move,” Morgan says as she steps out of Noah’s hold and passes her fingers through my hair. “He might not be sure that you two are on the same page, and he’s waiting for you to show him that you are.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Kiss the damn man, baby Brey.” Emma comes back in with a piece of bread in her hands. Just like that, not toasted or buttered, just plain old regular bread. “What? I was hungry,” she says when she catches us all staring at her.
“What about you, Noah? What do you think his reason is?” Ronnie asks him.
He quickly raises his hands and takes a step back. “Nope. I’m not getting into this conversation. I already know how it’s going to end—with death. So, I’m gonna politely refrain from answering any questions regarding this subject.”
We all giggle, although he is kind of right; I know my brother will be completely against Shane and me. But I’m tired of fighting my attraction to him, and the more time I spend with him, the more I want to discover where this could go.
“Well, it will have to wait until after the wedding, since we’re leaving tomorrow for Toronto.” I shrug, hating that I’ll have to wait over a week before doing anything about our situation.
“Or you could confront him at the wedding,” Emma suggests as she munches on her slice of bread. “He’ll be there, and Greyson will probably be drunk by the end of the night, so will everyone else. Might as well take advantage of it.”
I think that over for a few seconds, then nod with newfound determination. “Okay, yeah. I’ll do that.” I’m not one to like confrontations, but if I want to settle this feeling in my belly, I need answers.