“Holly!” I hear Sydney holler from her side of the truck as she shuts its door, shakes her head, reopens it to grab her purse, then closes it again before Colin locks it. Colin nods at me in hello.
“Since you’ve got her, I’m heading in. Trystan, um, needed to tell me something.” He smiles at Sydney, and she blows a kiss back.
“Man, I am so forgetful tonight. These littles are already sucking the brain cells from me, and they’re not even here yet.”
I chuckle as I loop my arm through hers.
“You look adorable, if that makes you feel any better.”
“I’d prefer hot, or smokin’, or, well, anything else that doesn’t make me picture a chipmunk with its cheeks stuffed beyond acceptable capacity.”
“You don’t…look like a chipmunk,” I voice between gulps of air as I laugh. She cracks me up.
“You, on the other hand, look great.” Sydney reaches forward, tugging on my neckline like she’s fixing the girls for me while looking me over to make sure nothing else on my outfit needs fixed. Like she’s on a mission to make sure I look presentable. Like she’s got some sort of idea hatched.
“Sydney?” I ask cautiously, “why are you checking me over like I’m getting ready to walk into an interview or something that needs closer inspection?” I look over at the bar doors like it has an answer for me.
“Oh, just doing my bestie duties. There could be a serious hottie in here or something. Anything would probably be a step up from that last date you had. He was so full of himself. Ugh…”
I calm a little. She has a point.
“He was definitely not what I’m searching for.”
“What’s taking you two so long?” Brynleigh pushes her way out the front door to meet us on the front porch.
“We’re coming! This one was performing ‘bestie duties’ and fixing my outfit.” I slide my eyes over toward Sydney.
“You look hawt! Tight jeans, kitten heels, and some cleavage! Rawr! Some heads are going to be turning, girl.” Brynleigh smirks wildly at me before swinging that smile Syd’s way too. They’re definitely up to something.
We push through the door, and I notice a big table pushed up near our regular booth. Ava’s grabbing a pitcher of margs from Mark and walking back toward Jane, who is grinning from ear to ear in the booth. This is practically her first night at the bar since Charlotte was born. That little booger is freaking adorable. I wish I could squish and nosh on those cheeks right now, but I’d have to fight about six other friends because they’re all just as crazy about that little munchkin. She’s started with this gummy smile that just melts you into a pile of goo when she recognizes you.
Brynleigh snags my hand to lead me toward the bar to put our food order in. Trystan and Colin are grabbing beers, chatting up someone I don’t recognize from the back sitting on a stool. I reach forward, bopping Trystan’s backwards hat from the back of his head.
“How’s it going, weirdo?” I ask playfully to the one dude here I now feel could’ve been my brother in another lifetime.
“Hey, Hollz! It was a long day, so this beer and you crazy people make it all better. Now we’re just missing a tiny little human that needs all the spoiling.”
“No, none of that. I need her to stay happy with Nana tonight. Daddymissesmommy. A lot.” Garrett swigs his beer standing at Trystan’s shoulder, clearly eyeing his wife, whomhe’s probably not had alone for, what, eight-ish weeks now? Ohhhh, I need to get over to that table now.
“I’ll bet you do.” I snicker aloud before leaning toward the bar to put in my order. I look over to my right and do a double take when a familiar set of green eyes catches mine, and my lungs malfunction. I look back to my left and notice Brynleigh, Colin, and Trystan grinning like fools. I slant my eyes, and they busy themselves taking swigs of beer or looking around the room. They set me up. I look back to my right.
“Hi, Holly.”
Heat flushes my face. I need a drink. I don’t have a drink.Shit.
“Dr. Reyes,” I reply cooly. Eight weeks of nothing.
“Jaxon,” he adds, pursing his lips in thought. Surely he doesn’t think he’s off the hook for sucking my face and just disappearing. I hum noncommittally before turning toward the table and the other girls. I’m not sure what to say right now. There’s a serious need for food and a drink to get my head straight. I half-expect him to reach for my hand to stop me, but I don’t think he wants to start the night off with a heart to heart. Looking back to gauge his reaction isn’t in the cards either.
I scoot into the booth after Brynleigh and silently toss up a prayer, hoping Jaxon doesn’t sit in the empty chair beside me.
“So, Jane, you excited for your first child-free night? Looks like Garrett’s already ready to leave,” I note with a hint of teasing to my voice. Jane laughs nervously.
“I think I underestimated how horny my husband could get during our postpartum dry-period.” Another edgy titter escapes her lips, and she takes another healthy gulp of her marg. There’s that. Margs and bar food always make things better. “I’m nervous. Like…what if it hurts? What if things have um, changed down there, and he doesn’t enjoy it anymore?”
“Oh, that’s crazy talk,” Ava murmurs. “It’s going to be great. That man right there wants to swallow you whole.”
I nod in agreement while eyeing that empty chair with a smidge of anxiety.