Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Ouch.” I laugh and grin at her. “Low blow on the sports, babe.”
She wags a finger. “You remember who I used to date. Other than you, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for muscle-bound lovers of pigskin.”
“That’s because Dane was a douche burger,” I comment, “It had nothing to do with football.”
Finn nods, winking at me. “I shoulda killed that kid.”
The guy Scottie was dating when she first arrived at Dickson last fall was a real fucking piece of work. And by piece of work, I mean he was a total asshole. Hell, Finn ended up beating his ass twice because of that very fact. Oh, and the fact that Finn was in love with Scottie but refused to let himself see it. Thank goodness he eventually came around. Now, I can’t imagine a world where Finn and Scottie aren’t together.
I laugh, and Ace reaches around Julia to pat Finn on the chest, coaching, “No, no. You got in enough trouble with that tool as it is. No need to spend life in prison, buddy.”
“You would’ve gotten me out, Acer. Just last week, you told me your dad has a separate lawyer on retainer just for whatever trouble Gunnar gets into,” Finn says confidently, drinking from his glass of ice and brown liquid.
Honestly, I’m sort of surprised to see him and Scottie drinking, given their stance on it during the year and their history with alcoholic parents, but far be it for me to judge. They’ve been through enough to do whatever they want.
Ace turns to me, a mocking smile on his face. “Just when you think a guy likes you for you…you find out he’s only with you for what you put out.”
I roll my eyes, but I also laugh. Ace is the biggest fucking jokester around.
“What are you drinking, Scottie?” Julia asks, a smile the size of Texas on her cheerful face.
“It’s…oh… Well, it’s a virgin Dirty Shirley,” Scottie admits. “I’m still not big on alcohol.”
“What?” Ace snaps, the high pitch of his voice making me laugh some more. “Finn told me virgin was just part of the name. You’re not drinking?”
“Neither am I,” Finn admits softly, putting his glass to his lips. “This is just soda.”
“What!” Ace exclaims, his free hand gesturing wildly in the air and making Julia giggle.
“I’m not drinking either,” she says and flutters her eyelashes as she rubs a hand over her stomach with purposeful, gentle movements. “I can’t.”
Wait…what? Instantly, we all freeze, and I swear my heart is about to beat out of my chest. Julia keeps rubbing her hand over her stomach. You know, like a woman with child would do. And I can’t miss the fact that her normally firm belly does look a little rounded…
“You’re…you’re pregnant?” Scottie manages to ask for the rest of us.
But instead of looking at Julia, my eyes go straight to Ace.
His eyes are so wide, I swear his eyeballs are in danger of popping right out of his skull. His skin is mottled red, and his whole demeanor screams outright shock and anguish. “Jules…”
She purses her lips and then licks them dramatically. “Yes. I’m…”
“Who the hell’s baby is it?” Ace screams so loudly I have to cover one of my ears—and we’re in a NYC club without hearing protection just fine, so that’s really saying something about the volume.
“Ace—” Julia starts to explain, but he’s on a rampage.
“Whose is it, Julia? Because I’ll fucking kill him myself.”
Scottie leans toward me, clucking. “Is it just me, or has this night had a lot of talk of killing?”
“Who, Jules? Tell me who,” Ace persists. “I swear to fucking everything, I will strangle whatever motherfucker—”
“Oh my God, Acer, relax!” Julia snaps, finally breaking character and sucking in her stomach. “I’m just kidding! I’m not pregnant!”
“You’re not?” Ace’s voice shakes as he rubs at his forehead. “You’re not pregnant?” he asks again, almost like he needs the confirmation to be able to breathe again, and Julia rolls her eyes like a girl who doesn’t realize she’s given him the biggest mindfuck of the century.
“Of course I’m not freaking pregnant, Ace,” she responds through an oblivious snort. “I’m on birth control.”
Despite her efforts in putting him at ease, the words birth control make his jaw tick, and he runs a rough hand through his hair several times. It’s almost as if even thinking about the possibility of Julia having sex with another guy has his head moments away from exploding.
“Goodness, Jules,” Scottie says through a giggle. “You’re crazy, girl.”
Julia just laughs and shrugs, taking a drink from her fancy cocktail and turning to face the dance floor where the DJ is doing a remix of a familiar song I keep hearing on the radio whenever I’m in the weight room.
Ace, though, well, he’s frozen in place, his jaw still ticking and his eyes wide as they stare far off in the distance.