Chapter 25 Camden
TWENTY-FIVE
CAMDEN
“She said what now?” Daniel nearly stabs his face with his fork, the piece of pancake falling to his plate rather than making it into his mouth.
War gawks at me, mouth hanging open, coffee cup hovering in front of him.
Noah bursts out laughing.
I glare at them one at a time. “She said it was an ovulation calendar.”
“Because you’re getting old,” Noah says around a laugh.
Irritation simmers in my veins. “I don’t need you to repeat my words back to me.”
“He might, considering how old you are,” War mutters.
“I’m younger than you, motherfucker.”
War narrows his icy blue eyes, channeling the team captain he was so long ago, and on instinct, I shrink back into the booth.
We’re at breakfast at our usual spot, and yeah, there are kids around.
It’s a Sunday morning, so the place is packed with families.
And this is my family, so once a month we get together for breakfast. Brooks’s sons had some football thing this morning—because much to his disappointment, not one of his three boys has any interest in hockey—so he’s missing this important update in my life.
Thank fuck.
“How did you respond?” Daniel doesn’t take his eyes off me as he successfully shoves a bite of pancake into his mouth.
I shrug. “I said okay.”
War, who’s finally sipping his coffee, chokes and spits the warm liquid all over his own plate and the table in front of him.
Without a second of hesitation, Noah throws a napkin at him.
Daniel, on the other hand, slumps back and groans. “You spit on my pancakes.”
“I’ll buy you new pancakes,” he grits out. “This idiot told my daughter’s twenty-seven-year-old best friend that he’d knock her up.” War pats his face with a napkin, the glare he’s fixed on me scarier than I think I’ve ever seen from him.
“No, I said okay to the possibility. Which isn’t all that unbelievable. There’s a chance we will eventually be ready to discuss ovulation calendars and shit like that.”
Noah scowls. “That’s the least sexy way to discuss baby-making with a woman.”
“Not if you have trouble having kids,” Daniel says.
“And what the hell would you know about that?” War points out.
“Mills had trouble, and she used those things,” Daniel says with a shrug. Millie is his twin.
“Right, but Savannah hasn’t known Camden long enough to find out whether her period is even late, let alone to discuss problems with making a baby,” War grumbles.
Noah rests his forearms on the table and studies me from behind black-framed glasses. “Do you think she was serious?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. She seems so fucking normal. And she’s absolutely incredible in bed.”
“Earmuffs,” War grumbles.
“What, you can’t hear about sex because you’re married? That’s new.”
“No,” he growls. “I can’t hear about you having sex with my daughter’s best friend.”
I wipe my mouth with my napkin and toss it to the table. “Get over it. She’s hot as fuck and she’s dirty as fuck, and honestly, I’m crazy about her.”
“But she might be a little crazy,” Daniel sings.
With a pointed look at him, I shrug. “Possibly.”
Noah barks out a laugh. “She’s gotta be fucking with you.”
“She’s a little quirky, yeah. She brought up kids the first night we were together.” I don’t mention the love bear or the baby outfit. Honestly, both are a little funny on their own, but added up like this, maybe her actions are a little more on the concerning side.
War sets his napkin down and studies me like he would an opponent. The scrutiny is unnerving. “She had a rough childhood,” he says. “Parents who didn’t want her, who never bother to visit.”
My stomach drops. I kind of assumed that was the case based on some of our conversations, but she hasn’t mentioned any of that directly.
“So maybe she’s a little overeager to have a family of her own,” he adds. “What did you say when she brought up kids that night?”
That’s what’s so wild. I didn’t actually freak out. With anyone else, I’m certain I would have. “I told her that I’d always wished I had them, but that the timing was never right.”
Daniel points his fork at me. “You set yourself up for this, then. She’s just trying to give you what you want. That’s what women do.” He stabs another piece of pancake. “Women that aren’t Hannah, at least. She takes whatever the fuck she wants, and I just give it all to her.”
Noah groans. “Please don’t talk about what women do in bed while discussing my sister.”
“Knock it off,” Daniel taunts. “Your sister and I have been married for almost two decades. You should be used to this by now.”
War turns his stern look on Daniel. When he turns back to me, his expression has only softened a little. “He’s an idiot, but he’s not wrong. You asked for this.”
I push back from the table a couple of inches. “How did I ask for an ovulation calendar?”
“You basically told her your clock was ticking. She likes you and she’s trying to show you that she’s listening to you.”
I scowl. “Men don’t have clocks.”
“I’m telling you, you asked for this,” he says.
“And if you want Mav on your team, you’ve gotta make this relationship last,” Daniel reminds me through a mouthful of pancakes.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Not because I have any interest in ending things with Savannah but because the last thing I need is a reminder of that damn bet.
War points at me. “You better fix this.”
Not that I agree with him, but even if I did, what the hell am I supposed to say to her now?