Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
She presses a hand to her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“I mean, he had to. I was so deep in sub space I could hardly move.”
“That’s so hot.” April sighs, wistful. “I love the feeling when little space and sub space collide. I cry like a baby every time. But anyway, time for a birthday toast!”
She lifts her vodka-cranberry cocktail, and I do the same with my lemonade. Since Hollywood’s pregnant and neither of us are twenty-one, it’s up to April to keep up with Teagan.
“Here’s to friendship,” April says, “and to birthdays, and to being little no matter how big we get.”
Teagan grins. “Amen.”
We clink our glasses together.
I glance around the table as I sip my drink. I’ve never had a group of friends like this before. And it’s sad to think I could’ve had these connections a lot sooner if I hadn’t been working so hard to keep everyone but Hollywood at arm’s length. Jill, my therapist, has helped me recognize my tendency to isolate when I feel overwhelmed.
“But, Kenzie...” Hollywood touches my shoulder. “Weren’t you triggered by roleplaying something so close to what actually happened to you?”
“A little, at first. But when I remembered it was Austin, I stopped being afraid and started enjoying myself. It became something else entirely.”
“Something sexy.” April wags her eyebrows. “Jonathan and I sometimes roleplay that I’m still a cam model. I’ll get on my laptop in the guestroom, and he’ll be on his computer in the bedroom, and we’ll pretend he’s my long-distance daddy.”
“Yum,” Teagan says. She takes a long draw from her drink. “What about you, Holly?”
“What about me?”
“Have you and Cal been seizing the moment while you’re still child-free?”
“She and Cal hump like rabbits,” I say.
“We do not!” Hollywood slaps my arm playfully, but she can’t hide her smile. “Okay, we do, but I can’t help it. I’ve been insatiable since I got pregnant.”
“I believe it,” Teagan says. “When I was pregnant with Lucy, I could not get enough of Jonah’s dick. Not that he was complaining.”
Our conversation dissolves into giggles. I glance at the bar where Austin, Cal, and April’s husband, Jonathan, are nursing beers, close enough to keep an eye on us, but distant enough that it still feels like we’re out by ourselves. We spent the first half of the day getting massages and mani-pedis, followed by two rounds of minigolf and a game of laser tag. Now the plan is to stuff our faces with chicken fingers, fried pickles, and loaded tater tots while Teagan and April get their drink on.
Cal says something to Austin that makes him laugh so hard he slaps his knee. A smile teases my lips into a crescent. I’m glad Austin’s finding ways to enjoy himself. I feel guilty that he has to follow me around like a bodyguard. But with the extra attention Hollywood and I have been getting, the guys thought it’d be best to stay close in case a reporter tries to bother us.
I notice Jeremy with a group of young guys over by the pool tables, all of them standing around looking at his phone. One of them, a stocky guy in a baseball cap, glances at me and says something to Jeremy, who shakes his head.
A server delivers our appetizer spread before I can spare any significant thought to whatever the hell that’s about.
“Look at all the fried goodness,” Teagan croons.
“I’m parched just looking at it,” Hollywood says. “We should definitely ask for waters. You guys need to stay hydrated.”
“I’ll hydrate after I make room.” Teagan hops down off the high-back chair. “Who’s coming with me?”
“I’ll go,” I say.
Teagan hooks her arm through mine. On our way to the restroom, we pass Jeremy and his friends. I smile politely at Jeremy, who smiles back, and then I grimace as the stocky guy beside him leers at my chest.
“Wasn’t that Jeremy from the firm?” Teagan asks. I nod. “Who was the asshole with him?”
“No idea.” He wasn’t one of the friends Jeremy introduced me to.
“Remind me to throat punch him on the way back.”
I laugh and try to shake off the discomfort pooling in my belly.
One nice thing about going out on a Thursday is that there’s rarely a line for the bathroom. By the time I’m done taking care of business, Teagan’s already at the mirror.
I step up to the sink to wash my hands.
“Jesus, my boobs are literally filling up with vodka as we speak.” Teagan adjusts the front of her halter top, trying in vain to minimize her cleavage.
“Is that going to be a problem later, since you’re still breastfeeding?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll pump and dump before Lucy needs to eat again.”
“You’ll have to school Holly in the art of the pump and dump pretty soon.”
“I love that.” She chuckles. “Fuck it, let’s make it a group course. I’m always whipping my tits out in front of you guys anyway. Plus, the way things are going with you and Austin, you’ll probably need the lesson soon, too.”