Chapter 26
Asher
The month flies by, and before I know it, it’s the end of July, and Jack and Natalie are meeting my parents halfway so Bea can spend a week in the city.
She was hesitant to leave, but after I got Uncle Ezra on the phone and he promised her she could paint his nails and play with his hair, she couldn’t strap into her booster seat fast enough.
That man is down bad for not one but two Greer girls.
“Are you excited to see your boys later today?” Claire asks as we clean up the kitchen. “What are their names again?”
“Benji, Raymond, and Zion.” I can’t fight the stupid grin on my face. “And yeah. It’s my favorite part of the summer.”
“Do they know about me? I mean, about us?”
“They do. I don’t keep secrets from those guys.”
Her eyes go wide at my admission.
Grimacing, I clarify, “Sorry. They don’t know everything everything, but they do know we’ve been—what did you call it?”
“Roomies-with-bennies?”
“Yeah, that. They know we’ve been getting it on.”
She barks out a laugh. “Oh my god. Do not say ‘getting it on,’ you dork.”
“You know you love my dorkiness.” I shoot her two finger guns, then turn and wipe flour off the counter. Claire and Bea insisted on cooking for me this morning, which was considerate, but they left behind quite the mess.
“It’s not your dorkiness I love.”
I freeze, a dirty rag mid-swipe, all the air sucked from my lungs.
Unfazed, she spanks my ass with a dish towel and says, “I love this dick.”
My lungs inflate, and I take a deep breath. “Who’s the dorky one now?” I laugh, praying I don’t sound unsettled.
Why did I think she was going to say she loves me? Like, me as a person. Not me as the body who’s fucking her. That’s impossible anyway. This is a seasonal hookup with an expiration date.
Yet I can’t deny that it stung a little when she said she loves my dick, and not me. Shit.
There’s no way I’d miss the arrival of my buddies. I doubt anyone on the property did. They’re loud. Thunderous, even. The booming footsteps up the stairs of the porch are followed by the thwack of the screen door, and then they’re calling out.
The first summer they visited, Benji walked right into my house. Raymond scolded him for invading my privacy, but Benji flippantly replied, “We’ve told each other the most fucked-up shit. Barging in is child’s play at this stage.”
And he wasn’t wrong.
The only problem with their intrusive entrance today is that I’ve currently got my pants around my ankles in the bathroom, and last I saw, Claire was relaxing on the couch in the living room.
I finish and wash up quickly, then hustle down the hall where I find Claire sandwiched between my closest friends.
Her cheeks are flushed when they finally release her, but she’s wearing a giant smile. I shouldn’t be concerned about introducing her to them. She will be nothing but pleasant and professional. But that knowledge doesn’t stop the butterflies swishing in my stomach.
When my friends spot me, they tackle me with hugs and slap me on the back.
“Where’s Dolly?” Benji asks, craning his neck so he can peer behind me.
He’s about a decade older than me and has light hair like mine, but in the last couple of years, he’s grown his out past his shoulders.
It’s wavy and unruly, and last summer, Bea got a comb stuck in it, then proceeded to cry for an hour.
“She’s with my parents for the week. I thought it would give us more time to hang out.”
Each of their faces falls a little. They love my daughter like their own, but after two beers, they’ll be thankful for a kid-free weekend.
Raymond’s stepchildren are grown and scattered across the country and Zion’s kids are in middle and high school. Benji doesn’t have any kids.
“Tell our favorite girl we missed her.” Raymond’s attention drifts from me to Claire. “Looks like you’ll have to be our favorite girl for the week, then.”
Smiling genuinely, she does a little curtsy. “Happy to fill the role.”
“Hope this egghead’s been good to you this summer,” Zion says, locking his arm around my neck and rubbing his knuckles over my head, successfully mussing my hair. He’s Black and bald, with a well-kept beard and loves ruffling me up.
Claire winks. “Oh, he’s been a very good boy.”
The three men laugh, and Zion drapes an arm around her shoulders like they’re old pals. “This is going to be a fun week. So, Claire. Tell us about yourself,” he says as he leads her to the kitchen and helps himself to a beer from the fridge.
She’s back on the clock, so she won’t drink. But I’ll check with Jessica and get her to cover one night so Claire can let loose with us.
She sticks around for a bit, holding her own with my friends, but when she receives a phone call about a guest with a hurt ankle, she scurries to the clinic.
“So,” Ray drawls once it’s just us guys. “What’s going on?”
At fifty, he’s the oldest of our crew, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that he’s the first to ask.
“What do you mean?” It pisses him off when I play dumb, but that’s half the fun.
Benji smacks me on the back of my head. “Dude, don’t be dense.”
Zion cracks open a can and passes it across the counter.
I take a long swig of the cold beer and set it on the counter. “You all just got here. Do we need to have this conversation now?”
“Fine. It can wait.” Ray sighs. “But you’re not off the hook.”
I give him a nod, grateful for the reprieve.
“In that case, I have an announcement,” Benji says.
All three of us turn to him with curious expressions.
He drags his fingers through his hair and breaks into a smirk. “Lydia is pregnant.”
“Shit, man!” Zion clamps his shoulder and shakes him back and forth roughly.
“Congratulations,” Raymond roars. “That’s great news.”
It’s silent for a beat, and then my friends are staring me down. Oh. Shit. I’m the only one who hasn’t responded.
“Cheers, Benj.” I raise my beer in a toast.
The four of us tap our cans, then tip them back.
Lydia and Benji have been dating for nearly two years, and from the short amount of time I’ve spent with her, she seems really wonderful.
Memories of the day Daisy told me she was pregnant flash through my mind at lightning speed.
She yearned to start a family not long after we were married, but I wasn’t sure if we were ready.
I thought we should grow the camp before adding more responsibility to our lives.
We were young, I didn’t see the rush. But it took Daisy’s mom nearly three years to get pregnant, and she worried that we might have the same issue.
In the end, we decided to not necessarily try for a baby but not prevent it either.
One month later, we were greeted by those two blue lines.
We were both surprised, but while Daisy was elated, I was numb with shock.
A part of me felt misled, honestly. I’d convinced myself it would take longer.
That we’d have a little more time for ourselves and our marriage.
My sour mood vanished, though, when Daisy began throwing up every morning. She was utterly miserable and it killed me that she had to go through such distress.
And when I first felt the baby kick? I was a goner. What I wouldn’t give to have that feeling back.
“You okay, man?” Benji asks.
“Hmm?” I shake off my haunted thoughts and plaster on a smile. “Of course. Just happy for you. When is Lydia due? How’s she feeling?”
“Not until the end of the year. And she’s feeling great, now that she’s in the second trimester.”
“Are you going to get married?” I blurt out.
Rather than take offense, Benji just lifts one shoulder. “Lydia wants to wait until after the baby is born. Maybe even a little longer. She said she doesn’t want to endure the stress of planning a wedding while she’s pregnant.”
“And how do you feel about it?” Zion asks.
“I’m not going anywhere, so it doesn’t matter to me. I’d get married tomorrow or five years from now.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get married again. What changed your mind?” My question comes out a little brusque, but the four of us have been through so much shit that meddling questions like these don’t even faze us.
He shrugs. “I guess I realized I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. What Lydia and I have is good. More than good. What I had with Everly was special too, but she would want me to live my life.”
Beside me, Ray nods. I’m too caught up in our buddy’s words to react.
When a stray tear rolls down Benji’s cheek, Zion cuffs his neck and murmurs encouragement.
“Plus, I’m forty. I’m not getting any younger.” He forces out a pitiful laugh.
“We’re happy for you,” Ray says. “You’re going to be a wonderful father.”
“Thanks,” he murmurs, his smile sincere.
“Now you,” Ray barks, turning to me. “Let’s get this over with.”
Stomach flipping, I bury my hands in my face. “I thought you were giving me a break.”
“I changed my mind.” He grins slyly.
With a huff, I nod. Might as well get on with it because there’s no way around it. “Fine. What do you wanna know?”
“Last we heard, you’d had the hottest… what did he call it?” he asks the guys, his eyes full of mirth.
Zion winks. “Hottest fucking kiss, was it?”
“Has there been more than just kissing?” Benji waggles his brows.
“Cut it out.” I laugh, my body temperature rising and sweat breaking out at my temples.
Three sets of eyes stare back at me, waiting.
“What? We’re having fun. But when summer is over, she’s moving back home. And I have to find a new doc.”
“Why can’t she stay on?” Ray asks.
“It was never meant to be permanent. Her last job was toxic and she needed to get away. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if my sister guilt-tripped her into contacting me about the position opening in the first place.”
“Does she have another job lined up?” Zion asks.
I shrug, apprehension weaving through me. “Dunno. Haven’t asked.”
“Too much of that hot kissing going on to talk, eh?” Benji jabs. “Have you found her replacement?”
“Not yet.” I haven’t even started the search. With the camp expanding, it’s vital, but every time I tell myself it’s time to pursue a new hire, I conveniently find something else on my to-do list to check off instead.
Ray, always direct, asks, “What if you asked her to stay?”
“I can’t do that. Her life is in the city. Working here would only hold her back.”
Zion frowns. “Don’t you think that’s up to her to decide?”
“She was clear from the start that this was temporary.”
“Alrighty then, Ash.” Zion throws his hands up in defeat. “What’s on the agenda?”
“Whatever you want. Pickleball, kayaking… I can call over to the stables and see if we can ride. Have you checked in yet?”
They shake their heads.
They came to see me first. My chest tightens with gratefulness, but I keep my posture and tone casual. “How about you get settled and I’ll meet you at the front desk in thirty minutes? Is that enough time?”
“How about in an hour?” Ray pleads. “I need a power nap if I’m going to keep up with you fellas.”
I knock my shoulder against his. “C’mon, old man. You can sleep when you’re dead.”
“You mean like our wives?” he banters back.
For a moment, the room is silent, all eyes wide. Then we break into laughter over his macabre joke, the first we’ve ever heard from him.
“Who are you and what have you done with our Raymond?” I tease as I catch my breath.
“Hey. Never say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
With that, the four of us stumble out the door for a week we won’t forget.