Chapter Four
CHAPTER FOUR
The three sisters stared at each other wide-eyed, then at Keeley.
“ Oh my god,” Keeley said. “I’m right?”
“ I peed on a stick yesterday morning.” Delaney spoke in a hushed voice, her hands crossing over her chest like she was trying to contain her heart. “It came back positive. Walker and I are dazed. We’re elated, a little scared, and still processing. We weren’t going to say anything for a couple weeks in case, you know, something goes wrong.”
Keeley ignored the brief sting of sorrow as Delaney’s words brought up a memory that made her heart ache. She jumped from her seat and rounded the island to grab her friend in a fierce hug. “You’re going to be a mom. Oh my gosh, this is so exciting.”
“ I know this might be hard for you,” Delaney whispered.
Keeley took her friend’s face in her hands, shaking her head. “It’s wonderful and beautiful, and I’m so happy for you.”
“ We totally didn’t expect for it to happen this quick.”
Keeley beamed at her. “You know how babies are made, right?”
“ But we just started trying.” Delaney gave a flustered laugh. “And I know that’s silly because it only takes one time, but we really didn’t think it would happen this fast.”
“ How was Walker with the news?” Cam asked.
“ Oh my god, he’s so happy. You’d think he was the first man to be a baby daddy.”
Delaney turned to the other women. “Are you both pregnant too? ”
“ I’m three days late for my period so yesterday I bought a test kit.” Emery’s smile lit up her face. “I peed on a stick this morning too, and it came up with two little lines. But the second one is kind of faint.” She dug into her purse. “I brought it with me to get a second opinion. Is this gross? I don’t want it to be gross.”
“ It’s not gross. Let’s see.”
Emery removed the test stick from the box. She showed the picture printed on the side. “See their lines? Now look at my test.”
“ Friend, those are two red lines. The second one is fainter, but it’s still there.” Keeley gave Emery an arm-across-the-shoulder hug. “You’re pregnant.”
“ That’s what Shane said.” She wore a secret smile. “He was over the roof.”
“ I bet that’s what led to morning nookie,” Cam teased.
“ You wouldn’t be wrong. Shane was especially, um, reverent.” Emery beamed again. “He’ll be such a good dad,” she said dreamily.
“ What about you?” Delaney asked Cam.
“ I don’t know if I’m pregnant. I mean, I could be since Sawyer and I decided we wanted to try to start a family. I’m late too, but I’ve never been super regular. I’m going to the drugstore to pick up a test as soon as we’re done with our emergency meeting.”
“ Oh my god, we’re baking pie and you don’t know if you’re pregnant?”
Cam had Keeley’s recipe card and was turning it over and over in her hands. “I was going to go tomorrow to buy a test thinking I’d give it another day, but I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s all I can think about, so I decided to go buy one today. Or have Sawyer pick one up on his way home from work. But now I’m nervous because I don’t want to be disappointed.” She put the card down and began tapping the countertop.
“ This kit came with two tests.” Emery pulled the extra foil-wrapped test from the box. “Use it. Go pee on the stick. ”
“ I don’t know.” Cam took the test and box, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she frowned over the directions. “Don’t you have to do this first thing in the morning?”
“ The hormone it detects is stronger in the morning, but you’re more likely to get a false negative than a false positive.” Emery patted Cam’s shoulders. “We’re not pressuring you. You can keep the test if you like and use it later so you can have Sawyer with you.”
She picked up her phone. “Let me call Sawyer and see if he wants to be with me when I do the test.”
She walked into the living room, returning minutes later with a tentative smile on her face. “Sawyer says he’s on his way home anyway, and he’s fine if I don’t wait for him to do the test.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. I’m fine too,” she said the words like she was trying to build up her nerve. “I’m going to do it.”
Cam disappeared down the hall, and Keeley had to force herself not to bounce on her toes. “I can hardly stand the suspense. How long does it take?”
“ Three minutes.”
Cam returned from the bathroom and placed the test on the counter. The women gathered around. All of them were focused on the tiny window.
Cam put her hands over her eyes. “I can’t look.”
Delaney and Emery each gripped one of Cam’s shoulders.
“ We’ll look for you. The first line is showing,” Emery reported.
“ What about the second line? Is the second line showing?” Cam pulled down her hands. “I can’t not look.”
The faintest second line appeared, a collective gasp sounding as it darkened.
She held the test stick up to the example, studying the comparison image on the box like it held the secrets to the universe. “I think I’m pregnant,” Cam whispered.
She stepped back, her expression stunned as she looked from sister to sister. “All three of us are pregnant.” They each nodded slowly, seemingly unable do anything but stare at one another. Keeley remembered finding out she was pregnant as being so monumental it was like the earth shifting on its axis.
“ How is this possible?” Cam asked.
Delaney looked at her sisters, who gazed back with wide eyes. “I don’t know. What are the odds of us all being pregnant at the same time?”
“ I think that would be really long odds.” Emery gave a shaky laugh. “Life is about to get very interesting.”
Delaney linked arms with Keeley. “We’re all going to be aunties. This will be so much fun.” This was why Keeley loved these women. Even though the three of them were sisters, she never felt like an outsider.
Delaney’s comment broke open the floodgates. With loud whoops of happiness, they met in a tangle of arms in a group hug. They broke apart when the kitchen door opened. The room suddenly felt overly crowded as four tall, gorgeous men trooped in, taking up most of the space.
“ What the hell’s going on here?” Walker dropped his scowl when he stood in front of his wife, reaching out to run a finger down the side of her face. “Hey, babe.”
Delaney leaned into him. “Hey yourself.”
Sawyer looked handsome in his uniform, the deputy star shiny on his chest. Cam grabbed his hand and pulled him back out the door. “Come on, lieutenant. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Shane dipped his head to nuzzle Emery’s neck.
Keeley scooped up Willa so she wouldn’t get trampled, dropping a kiss on the little dog’s head. Despite the pang of longing, she was absolutely, one hundred percent happy for her friends.
Three babies? That was the best kind of happiness, surpassing all others.
She wiped happy tears with her sleeve.
Owen planted himself beside her, his sharp blue gaze locked on her. “Why are you crying? ”
“ I’m not,” she said as she wiped her cheeks again. At his look, she said, “Okay, maybe a little. But these are happy tears.”
A shout sounded from outside. Keeley peeked out the window to see Sawyer lifting Cam off her feet, his face buried in her neck. When he let her down, she gestured to the house, talking fast.
Walker bracketed Delaney’s face with his hands. “I repeat, Laney, what the hell’s going on?”
“ We’re pregnant. We’re all pregnant.”
Owen jerked like he’d received an electrical shock, and his brows slammed down in a scowl.
“ What?” Shane growled, dropping an arm over Emery’s shoulders. “That’s not possible.”
Sawyer and Cam trooped back in, hand in hand, both with happy grins on their faces.
“ You too, brother?” Walker asked.
At Sawyer’s dazed nod, he, Shane, and Walker shared a moment of stunned silence much like the women had, then let loose in an exchange of bro hugs and back slapping that could’ve toppled tall buildings.
“ What the hell, princess?”
Owen’s fierce look had Keeley’s brows arching. “What?”
“ You pregnant too?”
She gave a disbelieving snort. “Not me .” She flicked her hand toward the room at large. “Them. They’ve all peed on a stick and each one came back with two lines.”
He stared hard, then shook his head. “No idea what that means. Explain.”
“ Pregnancy tests. They all took pregnancy tests, and they all came back positive.”
“ You’re not pregnant?”
“ No! No. Good grief, Owen. I’d need to have sex to get pregnant, and that’s not been happening.”
“ Good. ”
“ Good that I’m not pregnant or good that I’m not having sex?” Willa licked her chin.
He paused a beat, then shook his head. “I’m not answering that question.”
He turned to everyone else, glowering at the men. “What’d you all do, coordinate sex so you’d knock up your women at the same time?”
“ Didn’t coordinate with anyone.” This from Sawyer. “Cam and I decided we’re ready to start a family, and that was a couple months ago.”
Sawyer and Cam stood, shoulders touching, their fingers tangled together.
God, Keeley wanted that. The “I’ve got you, you’ve got me, and we’re crazy in love forever” kind of love.
She wanted someone she could love, depend on, build a life with. Someone who adored her in return. Her friends had hit gold with men who cherished them. All of which should be a strong incentive for Keeley to go through the notifications from her dating app. There’d been three that morning.
“ Nobody coordinated, but damn, it’s fucking crazy all three are pregnant.” Walker stuck his hands in his pockets and shook his head. Keeley didn’t think she’d ever seen him look uncertain. “How the hell are we going to deal with three babies?”
Sawyer, who could handle anything, still looked shellshocked and hadn’t let go of Cam since they’d come back into the kitchen. “I’ll admit to being scared shitless, but we’ll figure it out.”
“ Seems like you’ll have time to do the figuring out part. Congratulations.” Owen said the right words. but there was something about his tone that caught Keeley’s attention. He didn’t reveal much, ever, but something was there.
“ It’s still sinking in,” Emery sighed, leaning back against her hot cowboy. Shane rested his chin on her head, arms wrapped snugly around her waist .
“ We need to tell Gran. We’re early in our pregnancies, but this is too big not to tell her.” Delaney looked at her sisters. “Are you both okay with that?”
They nodded in agreement.
“ Let’s call when she stops for the night,” Emery suggested.
Owen cocked his head. “Where’s Clara?”
“ Gran and her friend DeeDee are on a bus tour of Canada. I think they’re in Alberta today with a stop scheduled at Banff.” Delaney turned to her sisters. “You all up to doing a group video chat this evening?”
“ Yep,” Cam said as Emery nodded.
Sniffing the air, Sawyer turned to Cam. “You baking something, darlin’?”
“ Keeley’s baking an apple pie for Owen.”
Walker flashed his lightning grin. “It’s like that, Keels?”
All eyes turned on her and Keeley could feel warmth flooding her cheeks, especially since Owen had parked himself at her elbow.
Why was it that she wore every emotion on her face? She cleared her throat and soldiered on. “When I had a flat tire last night, Owen was kind enough to help me as a favor to my mom.” She could feel his gaze boring into her but kept her attention determinedly on everyone else. “I’m baking him a thank-you pie.”
“ Bro, you sharing?” Shane asked. “I can go for thank-you pie.”
“ Hell no. Keep your hands off my pie.” The words may have been growled, but Keeley saw the humor in his eyes.
“ Not that I don’t appreciate four handsome men in the kitchen, but what brought you all here?” Emery tipped up her head back to look at her husband.
“ Owen’s borrowing my flatbed trailer to get Keeley’s car,” Shane answered.
“ And since Shane needs his truck today, Owen and I will take my pickup,” Walker added. “It has a V8 and can tow the flatbed. ”
Keeley turned to Owen. “I texted you my auto club membership number so you could call a tow truck.” Willa squirmed so she passed her off to Cam.
“ That’s the other reason we’re here. I called Triple A and drove down to meet the driver. He couldn’t tow it because all four tires are flat.”
“ All four tires aren’t flat.”
“ They are.” Owen’s expression hardened. “Your car’s been vandalized, princess. Looks like someone gouged the tires with a screwdriver. Several times.”
Keeley sucked in a sharp breath. “Gouged my tires? Why would anyone do that?”
“ Don’t know. Pisses me off.”
“ I’m on duty,” Sawyer said. “I’ll follow Owen to the car and do a report.”
Now she needed to deal with not one, but four flat tires. The thought that someone had maliciously punctured her tires was unsettling. “If you can wait until the pie is out of the oven, I’ll go with you.”
“ You don’t need to go.”
She speared Owen with her teacher look that every one of her students knew meant they were on thin ice. “It’s not on you to deal with my car problems.”
Owen rubbed a hand over his stubble. “No disrespect, princess, but have you ever loaded a vehicle with four flat tires onto a flatbed?”
“ No. But possessing a Y chromosome doesn’t mean you know how to do that either.”
“ It’s got nothing to do with being male and everything to do with skill sets. I couldn’t teach a kid with a learning disability strategies for reading. That’s your skill set so that’s what you do. Since I’ve loaded M1 Abrams tanks stalled with sand ingestion onto flatbeds, that’s what I can do. I’ll deal with your Honda. ”
She processed his comment and decided he wasn’t exactly praising her, more like stating a fact. She sighed glumly, elation at her friends’ baby news supplanted by the disturbing thought someone had purposefully damaged her tires. “Point taken.”
She turned to the others who seemed to be watching the back and forth between her and Owen like a tennis match. “I’m sorry for taking up your Saturday. I appreciate you all. I need to bake more thank-you pies.”
Sawyer tugged on her ponytail as he moved to the door. “No pies necessary, Keels. You’re one of us. This is what we do for our people.”