“God, I fucking missed you,” he softly presses against my mouth. “Missed this so much.”
“Hey, if you two want to see Chase, knock that shit off and get in here.”
We both turn our heads, locking onto a very amused looking Ben. Luke grabs my hand and pulls me off the wall, moving us in the direction we need to be going.
Ben raises an eyebrow as he looks between the two of us. “Are we happy now?”
“Yes,” I answer, blending with Luke’s teasing, “Fuck off.”
We follow behind Ben as he walks into one of the birthing suites. My dad and mom are standing beside the bed, looking down at Mia and the tiny baby in her arms. Nolan is sitting next to her, perched on his knees and leaning to get closer.
Mia looks up at the sound of our entrance, glances between Luke and I, and smiles. “Hey, you made it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Luke replies, walking with me to the side of the bed. Ben walks to the other side and sits on the edge behind Nolan.
My hand curls around the bedrail as we both look down at Chase.
“He’s really small. Is that normal?” Luke asks, concern softening his voice.
“He’s perfect. I was only six pounds when I was born, but he’s a healthy seven,” Mia replies, shifting Chase so he’s now on her chest. “Do you want to hold him?”
I’m expecting Luke to decline. Most guys aren’t into holding babies unless it’s their own.
“Yeah, I would,” he says, extending his arms and leaning over the bed to allow Mia an easy transfer.
“Just make sure you support his head. Like this.” She adjusts Luke’s elbow, tucking it closer to his body. “There you go.”
He straightens up slowly, releasing his breath on a soft exhale. His lips tease into a smile and he drops his chin, running his nose along the top of Chase’s head.
Goodbye, ovaries.
“Dude, did you just sniff my kid?” Ben asks.
Everyone in the room laughs, while Luke shrugs unapologetically. “He smells good. Better than you.”
A hand touches mine, and I drag my gaze off Luke to look down at Mia.
You okay? she mouths.
I let my smile answer for me, and she rests her head back, her eyes misting over.
A knock on the door alerts everyone of company, seconds before Reed and Mason step into the room, quietly arguing about something.
Reed tosses up a mini football into the air and catches it again, looking behind his shoulder at Mason. “Whatever, man. She was clearly looking at me. If you had opened your mouth, and said something in that accent of yours, I’d give it to you.”
Mason lowers the giant gift basket he’s holding to see in front of him. “You wouldn’t even know what to do with a woman like that.”
“Oh, I’d know exactly what to do with her,” Reed counters.
“Did you two idiots forget you walked into a room?” Ben asks, standing from the bed.
Reed doesn’t seem fazed by that, but Mason tenses.
“Sorry, mate.” He hands over the gift basket to Ben, slapping a hand on his back. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Good God. What all is in here?” Ben holds the basket up and begins examining the contents through the cellophane.
“Candy!” Nolan yells, scrambling off the bed. “Can I have a pop, Daddy?” He jumps up and down, trying to poke the bottom of the basket with his finger.
“Here, Nolan. Look what I brought you.” Reed bends down, reaches into his back pocket, and produces a small airplane. “It’s a fighter jet. My granddad used to fly these.”
Nolan snatches it out of Reed’s hands. “Cool! Daddy, look! Look what Uncle Weed bwought me!”
“Uncle Weed is awesome,” Ben teases. “He should be legalized.”
“Benjamin,” my mother scolds with a glare. “You’re in law enforcement, for Christ’s sake.”
“How did you guys get back here past Nurse Ratchet?” Mia asks through a yawn. She drops her head back on the pillow, looking half ready to pass out. “I thought only family was allowed in here this late.”
“I sweet-talked her. Didn’t take much,” Reed says, shooting her his familiar flirty smile. He points to his face. “This will get me in anywhere.”
I suddenly realize Luke’s attention is fixated on Mason, and Mason only. I remember Mason telling me what Luke had said to him on the phone the night before he left. How he was basically giving Mason permission to be with me, to let me love him instead of Luke, and the tension wrinkling his brow begins to make sense.
I give Luke’s arm a gentle squeeze, gaining his attention. “We’re just friends,” I say for only him to hear.
“Hey, good to see ya, mate,” Mason greets Luke with a friendly smile.
Luke’s shoulders drop, and he shifts Chase against his chest so he can shake Mason’s hand. “You too,” he replies, sincerity in his voice.
Chase gets passed around the room, spending a little more time in my hands than anyone else’s. He is small, but so was Nolan, and I doubt a guy like Ben, massive and built like a brick house, could produce anything that wouldn’t rival him in size eventually. He has Ben’s dimples, which I point out when I see Chase slip his thumb into his mouth. Mia immediately starts crying when she hears that. They hadn’t known if he had Ben’s dimples or not, and even though she says they are happy tears, Ben still kicks everyone out of the room so she can get some rest.
“Tessa, can I talk to you for a minute?” Mason asks when we all reach the parking lot.
I wave at my parents as they walk to their car before turning my head up at Luke. “Give me a minute?” I ask, releasing his hand.
He looks at Mason, nodding. “All right.” They exchange another handshake, and Luke walks off with Reed toward their trucks.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“I’m moving.”
I frown, crossing my arms disapprovingly. “Back to Australia? But you just got here.”
His hand swipes up and brushes back the hair that fell into his eye. “I’ve been here for five months. I never really planned on staying in one place that long. I like to travel, and there’s a lot I want to see in this beautiful country of yours.”
“So, you’re what? Becoming a gypsy?”
He shakes his head with a chuckle as his finger flips his keys back and forth. “No, not quite. There’s a business opportunity for me in Chicago. A buddy of mine I met at the gym told me about it. His cousin lives out there and he’s in real estate. I could open up my own yoga studio.”
“Chicago? Why can’t you open up one here?” I ask.
“Who knows how long I’d be waiting for that? Owning my own business has always been a dream of mine. I might not get a chance like this again. The building is apparently in a really hip neighborhood. I could do well there, and I’ve always wanted to go to Chicago.” He smiles. “I hear they have good pizza.”
I cut my smile with a pout. “I’ll kinda miss you, mate.”
I actually think if I begged Mason to stay, he’s the type of guy who would. We’re only friends, we’ve really only ever been friends, but just in the way he’s looking at me, like he’s afraid to disappoint me by this decision, I know he’d stay.
“Hey, if you two want to see Chase, knock that shit off and get in here.”
We both turn our heads, locking onto a very amused looking Ben. Luke grabs my hand and pulls me off the wall, moving us in the direction we need to be going.
Ben raises an eyebrow as he looks between the two of us. “Are we happy now?”
“Yes,” I answer, blending with Luke’s teasing, “Fuck off.”
We follow behind Ben as he walks into one of the birthing suites. My dad and mom are standing beside the bed, looking down at Mia and the tiny baby in her arms. Nolan is sitting next to her, perched on his knees and leaning to get closer.
Mia looks up at the sound of our entrance, glances between Luke and I, and smiles. “Hey, you made it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Luke replies, walking with me to the side of the bed. Ben walks to the other side and sits on the edge behind Nolan.
My hand curls around the bedrail as we both look down at Chase.
“He’s really small. Is that normal?” Luke asks, concern softening his voice.
“He’s perfect. I was only six pounds when I was born, but he’s a healthy seven,” Mia replies, shifting Chase so he’s now on her chest. “Do you want to hold him?”
I’m expecting Luke to decline. Most guys aren’t into holding babies unless it’s their own.
“Yeah, I would,” he says, extending his arms and leaning over the bed to allow Mia an easy transfer.
“Just make sure you support his head. Like this.” She adjusts Luke’s elbow, tucking it closer to his body. “There you go.”
He straightens up slowly, releasing his breath on a soft exhale. His lips tease into a smile and he drops his chin, running his nose along the top of Chase’s head.
Goodbye, ovaries.
“Dude, did you just sniff my kid?” Ben asks.
Everyone in the room laughs, while Luke shrugs unapologetically. “He smells good. Better than you.”
A hand touches mine, and I drag my gaze off Luke to look down at Mia.
You okay? she mouths.
I let my smile answer for me, and she rests her head back, her eyes misting over.
A knock on the door alerts everyone of company, seconds before Reed and Mason step into the room, quietly arguing about something.
Reed tosses up a mini football into the air and catches it again, looking behind his shoulder at Mason. “Whatever, man. She was clearly looking at me. If you had opened your mouth, and said something in that accent of yours, I’d give it to you.”
Mason lowers the giant gift basket he’s holding to see in front of him. “You wouldn’t even know what to do with a woman like that.”
“Oh, I’d know exactly what to do with her,” Reed counters.
“Did you two idiots forget you walked into a room?” Ben asks, standing from the bed.
Reed doesn’t seem fazed by that, but Mason tenses.
“Sorry, mate.” He hands over the gift basket to Ben, slapping a hand on his back. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Good God. What all is in here?” Ben holds the basket up and begins examining the contents through the cellophane.
“Candy!” Nolan yells, scrambling off the bed. “Can I have a pop, Daddy?” He jumps up and down, trying to poke the bottom of the basket with his finger.
“Here, Nolan. Look what I brought you.” Reed bends down, reaches into his back pocket, and produces a small airplane. “It’s a fighter jet. My granddad used to fly these.”
Nolan snatches it out of Reed’s hands. “Cool! Daddy, look! Look what Uncle Weed bwought me!”
“Uncle Weed is awesome,” Ben teases. “He should be legalized.”
“Benjamin,” my mother scolds with a glare. “You’re in law enforcement, for Christ’s sake.”
“How did you guys get back here past Nurse Ratchet?” Mia asks through a yawn. She drops her head back on the pillow, looking half ready to pass out. “I thought only family was allowed in here this late.”
“I sweet-talked her. Didn’t take much,” Reed says, shooting her his familiar flirty smile. He points to his face. “This will get me in anywhere.”
I suddenly realize Luke’s attention is fixated on Mason, and Mason only. I remember Mason telling me what Luke had said to him on the phone the night before he left. How he was basically giving Mason permission to be with me, to let me love him instead of Luke, and the tension wrinkling his brow begins to make sense.
I give Luke’s arm a gentle squeeze, gaining his attention. “We’re just friends,” I say for only him to hear.
“Hey, good to see ya, mate,” Mason greets Luke with a friendly smile.
Luke’s shoulders drop, and he shifts Chase against his chest so he can shake Mason’s hand. “You too,” he replies, sincerity in his voice.
Chase gets passed around the room, spending a little more time in my hands than anyone else’s. He is small, but so was Nolan, and I doubt a guy like Ben, massive and built like a brick house, could produce anything that wouldn’t rival him in size eventually. He has Ben’s dimples, which I point out when I see Chase slip his thumb into his mouth. Mia immediately starts crying when she hears that. They hadn’t known if he had Ben’s dimples or not, and even though she says they are happy tears, Ben still kicks everyone out of the room so she can get some rest.
“Tessa, can I talk to you for a minute?” Mason asks when we all reach the parking lot.
I wave at my parents as they walk to their car before turning my head up at Luke. “Give me a minute?” I ask, releasing his hand.
He looks at Mason, nodding. “All right.” They exchange another handshake, and Luke walks off with Reed toward their trucks.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“I’m moving.”
I frown, crossing my arms disapprovingly. “Back to Australia? But you just got here.”
His hand swipes up and brushes back the hair that fell into his eye. “I’ve been here for five months. I never really planned on staying in one place that long. I like to travel, and there’s a lot I want to see in this beautiful country of yours.”
“So, you’re what? Becoming a gypsy?”
He shakes his head with a chuckle as his finger flips his keys back and forth. “No, not quite. There’s a business opportunity for me in Chicago. A buddy of mine I met at the gym told me about it. His cousin lives out there and he’s in real estate. I could open up my own yoga studio.”
“Chicago? Why can’t you open up one here?” I ask.
“Who knows how long I’d be waiting for that? Owning my own business has always been a dream of mine. I might not get a chance like this again. The building is apparently in a really hip neighborhood. I could do well there, and I’ve always wanted to go to Chicago.” He smiles. “I hear they have good pizza.”
I cut my smile with a pout. “I’ll kinda miss you, mate.”
I actually think if I begged Mason to stay, he’s the type of guy who would. We’re only friends, we’ve really only ever been friends, but just in the way he’s looking at me, like he’s afraid to disappoint me by this decision, I know he’d stay.
