Page 62 of Reckless Devotion

Mia chuckles, placing a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry about it, we understand. I know a protective mama bear when I see one.”

“Oh, Sunny isn’t my kid,” I rush to correct her, my cheeks burning. Do I look that friggin’ old, firstly? And secondly, Chase introduced Sunny as my sister when we all arrived.

“Well, no…but from what I’ve heard and seen, she’s as good as.” Mia raises her eyebrows and smiles rather like she’s apologizing for pointing out something I didn’t want to acknowledge. “Just because you didn’t birth her doesn’t mean you’re not her mama.”

“Amen.” Chloe nods her head in vigorous agreement. “Diego isn’t biologically mine, but I love that little squirt more than life itself. Hechoseme to be his mom and that makes it even more special.”

“Call it whatever you want.” Mia waves a hand at me like the semantics don’t matter. “But just know that feeling you have, underneath it all? It’s the same thing.”

I offer them both a smile that suddenly feels watery, my chest cinching with something foreign. Is this what it could be like to have girlfriends? The idea of people standing with you in support on such an emotional level is a totally foreign concept to me. I’m a lone wolf, always have been, and I thought I always would be, too.

“Aw you guys, look at you all cute over here, bonding and shit.” A shadow appears, along with a warm and very wet arm across the top of my shoulders.

I squeal as the water droplets turn suddenly cold against my sun-warmed skin, tracing a path down the back of my legs. “Chase,” I whine, fighting to get free and failing.

Way to ruin a fucking moment, Walker.

“What? Don’t you want to cool off?” He grins from ear to ear, the sunshine turning his eyes into molten pools of amber momentarily before he dips his head and starts shaking out wet hair all over me.

“Don’t get me, I need to go check on Mason and the kids!” Mia squeaks, rapidly backing away.

“Chase, stop!” I lift my hands to try and protect my face, but it’s no use. Thick, cold water droplets pepper my skin, andmy center of gravity gets swiftly snatched away, air whistling past my ears. I slam my eyes open, seeing nothing but clear blue sky above and a tanned, muscular shoulder beneath my stomach. My heart races, my brain taking a moment to catch up to the fact I’m suddenly in a fireman’s hold.

“Don’t you dare!” I yell as we careen toward the pool, the sounds of laughter echoing in my ears, but it’s too late. Chase reaches the lip of the pool and takes a running leap off the edge, sending us both crashing down into the cool water.

***

“You’re in charge of a chopped salad.” Mia points at Chloe as we enter the slick store in town, which has slices of plump, picture-perfect watermelon displayed at the entrance at a sickening twenty-five-dollar price point.

“Thank god for that.” Chloe grins before explaining for me, “She knows Zeke is the cook in our household.”

“Sunny is mostly the cook in ours,” I admit, lifting my shoulder in a sheepish shrug.

“In that case, Pepper, can I assign you the task of making a big bowl of guac?” Mia clasps her tongue between her teeth, seemingly jotting down a list in her phone.

“Guac I can manage,” I agree, casting my eyes around at the wall of brightly colored produce that we stand next to.

“God, I am starving,” Chloe drops one hand to her stomach and bends over to peer at the fruit section. “Oh, that reminds me.” She pops back up with a large banana in her hand. “I also need to get a pregnancy test.”

For me, at this stage in my chronically single life, this would be a commiseration and good-luck-type announcement, but the happily married redhead just grins when Mia yelps, herhead snapping up from her phone in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I have nothing to tell yet! I don’t know if I am or not.” Chloe laughs, peeling open the banana skin.

“Dare I ask what reminded you?” I pluck up the courage to join in with their playful banter, testing the limit of this newfound proximity to other women my age. I mean, sure, I have the paint club, but they’re mostly older than me.

Her ocean-blue eyes slide mischievously back to the now peeled phallic fruit in her hand, and we laugh.

“You shouldn’t eat that until you’ve paid for it.” Mia clicks her tongue, pushing the cart onward.

“I’ll pay for the skin, don’t worry.” Chloe winks at me and takes a bite, her eyes drifting shut for a second as she makes an appreciative sound. “Do you know, I ate about five bananas a day when I was pregnant with Sofia.”

She takes another bite with admirable gusto, again making a small noise as she chews.

“You look like you’re enjoying that banana.” An older man hovers by the cabbages, wearing head-to-toe sports Lycra. “You really are, aren’t you?”

We all stop dead to look at him. That creep antenna every woman has slams into overdrive, weirdo alert blaring over the internal PA system in my brain.

“Well sir, they don’t sell cock at the grocery store so this banana will just have to do, won’t it?” Chloe blurts out loudly, leaning forward to make the most alarming and intense eye contact with the man I’ve ever seen.