Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Sloane
It’s Saturday afternoon. A quick glance at the clock tells me it’s been over twenty-four hours since I got the call, and I’ve yet to breathe a word of that conversation to anyone. I knew there was a chance, but I was hopeful that I’d be one of the teachers who made it through untouched.
Budget cuts.
That was the reason I was given. I no longer had a job due to budget cuts. I love what I do. I love my students, and I’m damn good at it, if I do say so myself. None of those things matter, though, when you’re the low man on the totem pole.
“Get it together, Peterson,” I mutter under my breath as I pull into Rowan and Landry’s driveway. Pulling down the visor, I check my face—no visible signs of crying. I gave myself last night to cry and worry. Today is a new day, and lying around crying won’t change the outcome.
Thankfully, I’ll be paid for the remainder of the summer since I opted to have my salary spread out.
I have until mid-August to find another job before my funds run dry.
I can do that. It’s all going to be okay.
Does it suck? Absolutely, but it could be worse, and that’s what I keep reminding myself.
Grabbing my phone, keys, and purse, I climb out of my car, then grab the triple batch of walnut brownies I made for today, and close the door with my hip.
I’m barely on the front porch before the door is being pulled open. Landry grins as he reaches for the brownie container in my hands. “I see how it is.” I laugh—this man and his need for junk food. I'll never know how he manages to stay so fit.
“Sloane, it’s good to see you,” he says, not looking at me. Instead, he’s already lifting the lid of the brownie container and peeking inside.
“Uh-huh.” I chuckle. “Leave some of those for the rest of us.”
“No promises,” he says, laughing, as he closes the door behind us.
“Landry Reynolds!” his wife, Rowan, calls out to him. “Don’t you dare eat all of those brownies.”
“Ro, babe, they’re walnut,” Landry whines.
“I’ll take those,” Reid says, grabbing the container out of his hands.
“You’re just as bad as Landry,” I tease Reid.
“Who, me?” He places his free hand on his chest as if he’s shocked at my words.
“Yes, you.” I take the container back from him and hug it tightly to my chest. “I’m cutting you both off until after dinner.”
“What?”
“Serves you right,” Bellamy, Reid’s wife, says, as she walks over to us with their baby girl, Coral, in her arms.
“Trade ya,” I tell Bellamy, and she smiles. I hand the brownies to Reid and take the baby from her arms. “Hey, sweet girl,” I coo down at her. Coral is three months old and the absolute cutest.
“Gimme,” Bellamy says, pulling the container from Reid’s hands.
“I lost the brownies and my daughter,” he pouts.
“Be good, and I’ll reward you later.” Bellamy winks and saunters off. Reid follows after her like a lovesick puppy, and it not only makes me smile, but it makes my heart ache.
I love that my best friends are finding their happily ever afters.
They’ve managed to fall in love with men who think they hung the moon.
Then there’s me, dating guys who are still living in their mom’s basement.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when you also don’t have a job and play video games all day, yeah, that’s an issue.
I want to find a man who looks at me like Knox, Landry, and Reid look at my friends.
However, I don’t have time to date or worry about dating because I need to find a job, but that’s a worry for another day.
Today, I’m going to enjoy my time with my friends and try not to think too much about what comes next.
“Hey, you,” Corie says when I take a seat next to her on the couch.
“Hey, why’s everyone inside?”
“Well, we didn’t want this little one to get too hot, so we’re in here for a while. Foster is manning the grill, and after we eat, we’ll go out and swim,” she explains. She reaches for Coral, but I turn away from her.
“No can do, Core. You’ve been here longer. You had your chance,” I say, then make a funny face at Coral, making her grin.
“But Reid was hogging her,” she complains, batting her big green eyes at me. She’s my best friend, my person, but the only individual that move works on is her husband, Knox. I’m immune, unless she’s crying. My friends don’t get to cry alone. It’s a rule.
“Since when did that ever stop you?” I ask her.
“I think we need more babies around here so y’all can stop fighting over mine,” Reid says, shoving a chip into his mouth.
“Ro?” Landry asks, also shoving a chip into his mouth.
I glance over at Rowan. “You sure you want to bring more of that into the world?” I tease.
“Stop.” She giggles as she playfully swats at my arm, mindful that I’m holding Coral.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Landry stalks toward us on the couch, scoops his wife up into his arms, and walks out of the room.
“Corie girl, I think we’re about to get a niece or nephew,” Knox jokes. “We can’t let them beat us,” he tells her, his face growing serious. “We’ve been married longer.”
Reid raises his hand. “Doesn’t really matter.” He points to where his daughter coos in my arms.
Corie shrugs. “They won’t.”
“How do you know? They’re literally trying right now,” Knox tells her. He moves to the chair, scoops her up, and starts to move toward the basement.
“Knox Alexander Beckett, put me down right now,” Corie scolds, trying to contain her laughter.
“Nope.”
“Knox.” Something in her voice changes, which has us all looking on with concern. Knox immediately places her on her feet, and she rushes down the hall to the bathroom with her husband hot on her heels.
Amanda, Bellamy’s childhood best friend, takes Coral from my arms as I stand to check on my best friend. However, before I get the chance, Knox and Corie come back into the room. Corie’s face is flushed, but Knox is smiling so big, I fear his face might crack.
I lock eyes with Corie, and tears fill her eyes as she smiles.
Remember what I said about my friends not being allowed to cry without me?
Yeah, this is one of those moments. “Core?” My voice quivers because I know what she’s about to say, and my heart feels too damn big for my chest as it balloons with happiness for my best friend and her husband.
Knox leans down and presses a kiss to her temple, and a sob falls from her lips. He pulls her in close, all while the smile never falls from his face. The entire room stands, watching and waiting for them to tell us what we already know.
Corie pulls back and peers up at Knox. He nods and kisses her forehead. She turns to face us, but Knox never takes his eyes off her. “I just found out,” she says, wiping her eyes. “Today, before we came here. I had a plan, but this guy”—she leans her head on Knox’s chest—“had other plans.”
“It was the baby, Corie girl,” he says, placing his hand over her flat belly. You can feel the love radiating from the two of them.
“What’s going on? What did we miss?” Landry says, stepping next to his sister and best friend, with his arm slung over his wife’s shoulders.
They both have swollen lips, and their hair is disheveled.
“Are you crying?” he asks his sister, his tone suddenly serious.
Before Corie has a chance to answer, we hear “Baby!” in the cutest little-boy voice, which has us all turning to see Baker following his son into the house.
Camden rushes to where Amanda is sitting on the loveseat, holding Coral, and points at her. “Baby,” he says again.
“Be easy, bud,” Baker reminds his son.
“He loves her.” Foster grins. “Food’s ready,” he tells us.
“Hey,” Reid greets. “Thought little man was with his mom starting today?”
“Yeah, so did I.” Baker sighs, running his hands through his hair. “She called about an hour before she was supposed to pick him up to tell me that she was still in Paris and was staying longer, so she’d get Cam on her next week.”
“What can we do to help?” Bellamy immediately asks.
“I have Mrs. Ward, so I should be fine. I just hate it for—” He nods toward Camden, who is placing a soft kiss on Coral’s little hand.
“That sucks, buddy, and we’re here for you.
Foster, my man, my stomach thanks you, but my sister and her husband were about to tell me why my baby sister is crying, and her husband, who might no longer be my best friend if he hurt her, is smiling at her tears.
” Landry crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Knox.
“Stop.” Corie laughs. She drops her arms from around Knox’s waist and turns to face her brother. She pulls him into a hug. “These are happy tears, big brother.”
Landry returns her hug, and his shoulders drop, the tension leaving his body. “Happy tears?” he asks, and Corie nods. She keeps one arm wrapped around her brother’s waist and holds her free hand out for her husband, who takes it, stepping close to her.
“Baker, Cam,” Corrie coos to the little boy.
“I Cam,” he says, placing his hands on his chest, making us all laugh.
Bending down, I scoop him up into my arms and place loud smacking kisses on his cheeks. He squirms until I stop, then rests his head against my shoulder. I snuggle him close as I wait for the words that I know are coming.
“We’re pregnant,” Corie says, smiling as she wipes at her tears.
Landry’s mouth falls open, but then he missed the show while he was locked away ravishing his wife. “For reals?” He places his hands on Corie’s shoulders, and she peers up at him. “You’re pregnant?”
Corie laughs. “I am. You’re going to be an uncle again.”
Baker clears his throat from his spot next to me, and I glance over at Reid and see that he, too, seems to be feeling the moment, if his hard swallow has anything to say about it.
We might not be blood, but we are family.
I’m certain that Corie adding “again” to her statement is what has these two men all up in their emotions.
Sure, they’re happy for their friends, but there is no question that their kids are our nieces and nephews by love.