Lily was in the office as well, having been similarly dropped off by Aidan. They sat at Hud’s desk in front of the radio and listened unabashedly.
Two local high school kids had broken into the resort’s cafeteria and set off the alarm. Surveillance cameras showed them carrying fistfuls of candy bars out of there with their snowboards strapped on their backs.
“High as kites,” Lily guessed, shaking her head. “Going to be a long night.” She helped herself in the supply closet, coming out with a bottle of Jack.
Bailey went brows up.
“I’ve had a long day,” Lily explained. “And now our significant others are on the mountain in the dark looking for two walking DUIs.” She stuck her head into another closet and came up with Dixie cups.
“What happened today?” Bailey asked as Lily poured them each a drink. “I mean, if it’s not too personal.”
“Oh, it’s personal.” Lily tapped her cup to Bailey’s. “It’s also a long story. Drink first.”
They each drank and Bailey promptly choked.
Lily too. “Holy shit,” she wheezed.
Bailey nearly coughed up a lung and pounded her chest.
When they could breathe, Lily spoke. “So I had a… scare,” she said.
Bailey involuntarily gasped and clasped a hand to her heart because a scare to her meant a health scare, a bad one.
“Oh no,” Lily rushed on when she saw Bailey’s reaction. “Oh, my God, I’m so insensitive! No, nothing like that!” She grimaced and then rolled her eyes. “It’s just that I thought maybe I was pregnant. Accidentally.”
“Oh,” Bailey breathed. With all the treatments she’d had over the past ten years, she wasn’t at all sure she’d be able to have babies, though she wanted them. Someday. She didn’t feel her biological clock ticking or anything, but when she pictured her future—which was something she actually did now, and often—she liked to think there was a man in it, one who’d promised to love her forever. And a baby. Or three. “I see.”
“No,” Lily said. “I don’t think you do.” She paused. “Aidan and I aren’t married. We’re not quite there yet. I mean I know he’s the one for me and I know I’m the one for him, but we aren’t rushing anything, you know? There’s no need to rush. I was never the woman who dreamed about babies, or a husband. I just…” She shook her head. “I always buried myself in work and never went there. Now I’m not buried in work and I’m… enjoying us. A lot. I like being a twosome. A tight little unit, just us.” She paused and then laughed. “Well, us and the rest of the Kincaids.” Her smile faded. “But then I didn’t get my period and I got scared.” She let out a breath. “More like terrified.”
“Did you tell Aidan?” Bailey asked.
“I did.” Lily shook her head. “I was so upset. Cried all over him and he was…” She shook her head.
“Mad?” Bailey whispered, unable to picture Aidan—who she’d seen looking at Lily like she was his entire universe—mad at Lily for anything.
Lily shook her head. “Happy,” she whispered back. Her eyes glistened. “So happy.” She smiled. “God, he’s amazing. He calmed me down. And somehow it just happened. I got on board. By the time I bought the stick to pee on this morning, I was convinced I was preggers and already in love with our baby.” Her smile faded. “But I got my period on the way home from the store.”
“Oh, Lily,” Bailey breathed, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Lily lifted a shoulder. “It’s silly. I mean how can you miss something you never really had in the first place?”
“It’s not silly,” Bailey insisted. “When the time is right, you’ll make a great mom.”
Lily sniffed. “Thanks. Now tell me about your day.”
“I got my second all clear from my doctor today,” Bailey said softly, not used to being able to share good news. For so long the news was always bad. People would ask her how things were going and she never knew what to say because there was nothing worse than saying the truth and having to bum people out. “It’s a milestone. A six-month milestone.”
Lily squeaked and grabbed her, giving her a big bear hug. “That’s wonderful! Now we have something to toast to. Another single? Or should we make it a double this time?”
“Um…”
“Double it is.” Lily carefully filled their cups to the brim. “To today’s all clear and many more.” Once again they tapped their paper cups together and drank.
“Holy crap,” Bailey gasped, and proceeded to cough up her second lung.
Lily snorted hers out her nose and they both starting laughing.
“I was trying to be cool,” Lily said, swiping a hand over her face. “But seriously, how does anyone drink this stuff?”
“No idea,” Bailey said in a hoarse whisper, having burned her vocal cords down to nubs. “Maybe we need to drink it faster.”
“You think? Let’s try that.” Lily poured them each another shot and lifted her cup. “What are we drinking to now?”
“To you peeing on a stick and getting the positive sign real soon,” Bailey said.
Lily smiled and they both tossed back and… once again choked.
“Jesus,” Lily managed, and pushed the Jack away. “I don’t think there’s a good way to do that.”
Bailey swiped her eyes and nose. Since she still couldn’t talk, she shook her head. And anyway, she didn’t need any more. The alcohol had burned a warm path to her belly and she was feeling… damn good. She smiled. “I like the aftereffect though.”
Lily grinned back. “You’re all blurry. Like, there’s kinda two of you, and also kinda none of you at the same time.” She closed one eye and then the other. “Nope, there’s three of you!”
Bailey snorted. “Does Aidan drink this stuff?”
“Yeah, once in a while he and the others drink together after a long day on the job.”
“Do they have a lot of long days?” Bailey asked, already knowing the answer. The Kincaids played hard and worked even harder.
“They’re good guys,” Lily said. “Which you already know. Take Hud, for instance.”
Bailey tried not to look fascinated and nearly fell off the desk.
Lily grinned. “Or maybe you’ve already taken Hud…” She tried to waggle a brow and went cross-eyed instead.
Bailey laughed. “Do you have a point?”
“I do,” Lily said. “But the alcohol is making it hard to keep on point. Where was I…? Oh yes! You and Hud. He’s a rock, you know. When he loves you, he’s in one hundred percent. His brothers and sister. His mom. Me and Penny. He’s in all the way and never wavers. And the same with this mountain, this resort, and every other thing in his entire life. He’s loyal and smart, and”—Lily pointed at Bailey and nearly poked out her eye—“he’s also hotter than sin on a stick.”
Bailey blinked. “What does sin on a stick look like?”
Lily paused, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought. “Hud?”
Two local high school kids had broken into the resort’s cafeteria and set off the alarm. Surveillance cameras showed them carrying fistfuls of candy bars out of there with their snowboards strapped on their backs.
“High as kites,” Lily guessed, shaking her head. “Going to be a long night.” She helped herself in the supply closet, coming out with a bottle of Jack.
Bailey went brows up.
“I’ve had a long day,” Lily explained. “And now our significant others are on the mountain in the dark looking for two walking DUIs.” She stuck her head into another closet and came up with Dixie cups.
“What happened today?” Bailey asked as Lily poured them each a drink. “I mean, if it’s not too personal.”
“Oh, it’s personal.” Lily tapped her cup to Bailey’s. “It’s also a long story. Drink first.”
They each drank and Bailey promptly choked.
Lily too. “Holy shit,” she wheezed.
Bailey nearly coughed up a lung and pounded her chest.
When they could breathe, Lily spoke. “So I had a… scare,” she said.
Bailey involuntarily gasped and clasped a hand to her heart because a scare to her meant a health scare, a bad one.
“Oh no,” Lily rushed on when she saw Bailey’s reaction. “Oh, my God, I’m so insensitive! No, nothing like that!” She grimaced and then rolled her eyes. “It’s just that I thought maybe I was pregnant. Accidentally.”
“Oh,” Bailey breathed. With all the treatments she’d had over the past ten years, she wasn’t at all sure she’d be able to have babies, though she wanted them. Someday. She didn’t feel her biological clock ticking or anything, but when she pictured her future—which was something she actually did now, and often—she liked to think there was a man in it, one who’d promised to love her forever. And a baby. Or three. “I see.”
“No,” Lily said. “I don’t think you do.” She paused. “Aidan and I aren’t married. We’re not quite there yet. I mean I know he’s the one for me and I know I’m the one for him, but we aren’t rushing anything, you know? There’s no need to rush. I was never the woman who dreamed about babies, or a husband. I just…” She shook her head. “I always buried myself in work and never went there. Now I’m not buried in work and I’m… enjoying us. A lot. I like being a twosome. A tight little unit, just us.” She paused and then laughed. “Well, us and the rest of the Kincaids.” Her smile faded. “But then I didn’t get my period and I got scared.” She let out a breath. “More like terrified.”
“Did you tell Aidan?” Bailey asked.
“I did.” Lily shook her head. “I was so upset. Cried all over him and he was…” She shook her head.
“Mad?” Bailey whispered, unable to picture Aidan—who she’d seen looking at Lily like she was his entire universe—mad at Lily for anything.
Lily shook her head. “Happy,” she whispered back. Her eyes glistened. “So happy.” She smiled. “God, he’s amazing. He calmed me down. And somehow it just happened. I got on board. By the time I bought the stick to pee on this morning, I was convinced I was preggers and already in love with our baby.” Her smile faded. “But I got my period on the way home from the store.”
“Oh, Lily,” Bailey breathed, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Lily lifted a shoulder. “It’s silly. I mean how can you miss something you never really had in the first place?”
“It’s not silly,” Bailey insisted. “When the time is right, you’ll make a great mom.”
Lily sniffed. “Thanks. Now tell me about your day.”
“I got my second all clear from my doctor today,” Bailey said softly, not used to being able to share good news. For so long the news was always bad. People would ask her how things were going and she never knew what to say because there was nothing worse than saying the truth and having to bum people out. “It’s a milestone. A six-month milestone.”
Lily squeaked and grabbed her, giving her a big bear hug. “That’s wonderful! Now we have something to toast to. Another single? Or should we make it a double this time?”
“Um…”
“Double it is.” Lily carefully filled their cups to the brim. “To today’s all clear and many more.” Once again they tapped their paper cups together and drank.
“Holy crap,” Bailey gasped, and proceeded to cough up her second lung.
Lily snorted hers out her nose and they both starting laughing.
“I was trying to be cool,” Lily said, swiping a hand over her face. “But seriously, how does anyone drink this stuff?”
“No idea,” Bailey said in a hoarse whisper, having burned her vocal cords down to nubs. “Maybe we need to drink it faster.”
“You think? Let’s try that.” Lily poured them each another shot and lifted her cup. “What are we drinking to now?”
“To you peeing on a stick and getting the positive sign real soon,” Bailey said.
Lily smiled and they both tossed back and… once again choked.
“Jesus,” Lily managed, and pushed the Jack away. “I don’t think there’s a good way to do that.”
Bailey swiped her eyes and nose. Since she still couldn’t talk, she shook her head. And anyway, she didn’t need any more. The alcohol had burned a warm path to her belly and she was feeling… damn good. She smiled. “I like the aftereffect though.”
Lily grinned back. “You’re all blurry. Like, there’s kinda two of you, and also kinda none of you at the same time.” She closed one eye and then the other. “Nope, there’s three of you!”
Bailey snorted. “Does Aidan drink this stuff?”
“Yeah, once in a while he and the others drink together after a long day on the job.”
“Do they have a lot of long days?” Bailey asked, already knowing the answer. The Kincaids played hard and worked even harder.
“They’re good guys,” Lily said. “Which you already know. Take Hud, for instance.”
Bailey tried not to look fascinated and nearly fell off the desk.
Lily grinned. “Or maybe you’ve already taken Hud…” She tried to waggle a brow and went cross-eyed instead.
Bailey laughed. “Do you have a point?”
“I do,” Lily said. “But the alcohol is making it hard to keep on point. Where was I…? Oh yes! You and Hud. He’s a rock, you know. When he loves you, he’s in one hundred percent. His brothers and sister. His mom. Me and Penny. He’s in all the way and never wavers. And the same with this mountain, this resort, and every other thing in his entire life. He’s loyal and smart, and”—Lily pointed at Bailey and nearly poked out her eye—“he’s also hotter than sin on a stick.”
Bailey blinked. “What does sin on a stick look like?”
Lily paused, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought. “Hud?”
