Sinful Ever After (Sinful Serenade Book 5) (15 page)

Must be harder for Drew.

It's difficult to get over the difference in pre- and post-Willow Tom. He always seemed like he knew what he wanted, but the way he looks at her—it's like she hung the moon.

They'll be a good aunt and uncle. Tom will play with the kid. He'll spoil the shit out of the kid. Willow will be a more even-tempered caretaker. She's a little shy—we're all shy compared to Tom—but she's loving and sweet.

The tightness in my chest fades. I really love the two of them. Like they're my brother and sister.

They'll help with this.

Oh fuck. I'm crying. I turn before anyone can see. God damn hormones. Probably. "Give me five minutes to change. You guys can watch TV or talk. Whatever you want. Just keep it in your pants."

"Well, I never..." Tom feigns offense.

"No one's buying that, sweetie." Willow laughs. "You're like a puppy today."

He licks her cheek. She laughs.

"I can try that a little lower and a lot softer," he murmurs.

She turns even more red.

I grab Drew before he can start growling.

***

T
he air outside isn't exactly fresh—there's far too much cigarette smoke to call it fresh—but it's in the ballpark.

I inhale my last bit of not exactly fresh air as we step into the Wynn. Apparently, the restaurants here are well-known for their vegan and vegetarian options.

"Tom, you know I can order a vegetable omelet anywhere." Willow looks around the opulent casino lobby and presses her lips together. "If you guys want that five-dollar steak and eggs downtown or whatever."

"Drew doesn't eat cheap food." Tom clears his throat. "Place has great reviews and a view of the hotel garden."

"It's fine, Wil." Drew nods to the restaurant in the corner. "Looks like a nice place."

She looks at me. "He spent the entire drive talking about the vegetarian friendly restaurants." She looks back to Tom. "I'm not picky. I can get a salad or a grilled cheese anywhere."

He pouts. "You're not eating grilled cheese in Vegas. This city is known for its dining, and you're not gonna miss out on my watch."

She smiles.

They're sickeningly cute. I'm glad. I may give Drew a hard time about his temper, but I feel that same urge to protect Willow. I'll destroy anyone who hurts her.

Drew frowns as we walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke. He fans the air in front of me. Damn, this city really is all cigarettes and booze. There isn't much for a hypothetically pregnant woman to do.

Tom and Willow are a few paces in front of us. Tom looks back, studying us. His green eyes light up and connect with mine.

He shoots me a knowing look.

But there's no way he knows...

How could he possibly know?

I check my purse. The test is in there, but the handbag is zipped tightly. I wouldn't necessarily put snooping in a purse past Tom, but he hasn't had a chance. The thing has been on my shoulder the entire walk here.

"Something on your mind, Tom?" I ask.

"Nah. Nothing important." He looks to Drew then back to me. "You?"

"My stomach is growling." Okay, it's saying
Ugh, throwing up is a good idea,
but it is saying something. "I'm starving. Hope you don't mind me copying your veggie omelet, Willow."

She throws her arm out like she's a queen presenting a crown to her subjects. "Veggie omelets for everyone."

We stop in front of the host stand. There's a small line curling around the corner—there are lines everywhere in Vegas—but Tom ignores it.

A college-aged woman in the line tugs at her friend's t-shirt. She points to Tom then to Drew and whispers in her friend’s ear.

The boys have been spotted. Usually, I don't mind random shows of celebrity—sometimes it's kinda funny watching Drew turn red over the attention—but I'm not in the mood right now. I'm in more of a sit down and throw up kind of mood.

There's no way this is allergies.

Thankfully, Tom has some kind of VIP pass. Or the host recognizes him as a VIP—he
is
famous on Instagram in addition to his usual rock star thing. Helps that his boudoir photographer wife loves shooting artsy black and white nudes for his page. There's nothing showing—not that I check.

The host leads us through the restaurant to a secluded corner. The non-smoking section, thankfully. Drew pulls my chair out for me and fusses to help me sit. Tom and Willow are staring, but they say nothing about it.

The place is clean and well-lit. Our square table is adorned with a bright white cloth. Nothing about this feels like Vegas. It's more like a nice restaurant in Santa Monica. Except for the beeps and bops of slot machines fifty feet away, it could be any restaurant in our neighborhood.

I play with the menu. There are tons of fancy options, but none of them appeal. The vegetable omelet sounds like more than I can handle. Toast and plain tea is about all I can handle, but I've been eating nothing but bread the last few days.

I set my menu down. "You guys drove in?"

Tom nods. "Left around three A.M. We were up all night-"

Willow clears her throat. "It was a quick drive. No traffic."

"Pete come with you?" I ask.

Tom laughs. "No, he and Jess had to
catch up
. He's leaving sometime today. If they ever get out of bed."

"I'm sure they'll get to the couch or the shower," Willow says.

"He tell you that?" Tom asks.

"Girls talk." Willow smiles. "Not Kara though. She's probably sparing me from hearing about sex with my brother."

I nod. She's right. I feel weird talking about my relationship with Willow. I can talk about Drew, but only in a
we should do something special for his birthday
kind of way. Anything more intimate feels like a boundary violation.

Drew is fixed on me. It's like the two of them aren't even here.

He leans in. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Great. Just hungry," I say.

He raises a brow.

Thankfully, a waiter stops by our table with four waters. I suck on my straw. It helps ease the wave of nausea that's rising in my throat. Deep breath. I'll be fine as soon as I eat something.

Hopefully.

We take our turns ordering. Coffee for everyone else. Earl Grey for me. Omelets all around.

"This place does look good." Willow presses her lips to Tom's. "Thanks for doing so much research."

"Anytime, kid." His kiss is a hell of a lot less chaste.

Drew clears his throat. He's calm about watching his sister moan over her husband. "Did you invite us to breakfast to make out in front of us?"

"Being familial," Tom says. "The making out is a bonus for your eyes."

Willow bursts into laughter. "Where do you come up with this stuff, sweetie? You should give Drew a break, for once. You don't have to remind him about our sex life every time you see him."

Drew squeezes my hand under the table. I turn to face him. His dark eyes are intense, protective. His short hair is messy. I fix a strand that's hanging in his eyes. He never lets it get long enough to hang in his eyes.

"I like your hair longer." I run my fingers down his cheek and over his strong jaw. He's classically handsome. Good genes. Not that it matters what our kid looks like. But being attractive would put him or her at an advantage. "You should keep it like that."

He purrs as I run my fingers over his neck. "I could be convinced."

"We should get them back by making out on the table." I smile. "We could get them back even better by having sex on the table."

Drew shakes his head. He's a lot less shy with his affection than he used to be, but he's still not the PDA type.

Well, not in front of our friends.

The waiter interrupts my bliss with the coffees. They smell stronger than usual.

My stomach lurches. I push my seat back and take a long sip of water. It's not enough.

Fuck.

"Excuse me. Ladies' room."

I grab my purse and push out of my seat. The bathroom is right around the corner. It's clean, white, and empty.

I push into an empty stall just in time to throw myself on the ground and hurl into the toilet.

Fucking coffee. Okay. I can do this. Deep breath then I stand up.

I go to push myself to my feet, but it's no good. Another wave of nausea overtakes me.

I hurl again.

When I'm sure I'm done, I sink onto my feet. Sitting on a bathroom floor in Vegas. Classy. At least it's clean.

Speaking of clean, I should wipe up. As soon as I catch my breath.

The door swings open. Awesome. An audience.

"Kara, you okay?" Willow's footsteps move closer. "Are you—" Her eyes go wide. "Are you pregnant?"

––––––––

K
ara

Am I pregnant? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?

Willow takes a step backward. "Sorry. None of my business. Do you want? Here-" She pulls the stall door open. She sits next to me and pulls my hair behind my head. "You have a hair tie? I don't carry them anymore. This cut is too short for a ponytail."

"Yeah. In my purse." I reach up to flush the toilet then press my back into the wall of the stall. Willow is close, and I'm sure I don't smell like flowers at the moment. "You don't have to sit with me."

"I know." She unzips my purse and digs through it. Her eyes go wide. Must be the pregnancy test. She says nothing about it. Instead, she clears her throat and hands me a hair tie.

"Thanks." I pull my hair into a loose ponytail. I'm sure Willow realizes this, but I might as well say it aloud. "I haven't taken the test yet."

Willow shifts into a cross-legged position. "Why not?"

"I only started thinking it was possible a day and a half ago." I take a deep breath. "And I'm terrified."

There's understanding in her hazel eyes. "I'm not sure how much Drew told you about..." She takes a deep breath. "About my ex raping me. I took the morning after pill, but... if that hadn't worked, if I'd been pregnant..." She presses her trembling hands together. They steady. "I wouldn't think less of you if you decided to terminate."

I shake my head. "I want to have a family with Drew. I want to teach a kid how to take on the world." My exhale breaks up the tension in my chest. I really do want a family with Drew. I can see a great future for us, for our family. But it's still as scary as it is beautiful. "Just... I thought it would be in five or ten years."

"I didn't think I'd get married at twenty-two. Or ever, really. I had pretty much given up on dating and men in general." Her expression gets dreamy. "But I'm glad I did. Tom is..."

"Tom is Tom."

She laughs. "That's about right." Her eyes go to my purse then to me. "Drew has never been happy like this. At first, I couldn't believe that it was really my brother, but it is. He loves you more than anything."

"Tom either. You should have seen him before he met you. It was like... he was always Tom, but you could tell there was something missing, that he was desperate to prove himself or to find something more. The way he looks at you... I can tell you're meant for each other."

Her cheeks flush. "Tom is amazing. But even knowing that, I was nervous about getting married. Big changes are always scary." Her gaze meets mine. "Is that why you're waiting?"

"I'm hoping it will feel less terrifying in a few days. Once I'm used to the idea."

"Give me a second." She pulls her phone from her pocket and taps the screen. "Don't hate me for this?"

I shift up to glance at the cell screen. She's texting someone.

Dammit.

"You feeling better?" she asks.

"Not better enough to move."

"Here." She gets up, wets a paper towel in the sink, and brings it back to me.

The door swings open and Drew steps inside.

"This is the women's bathroom." I shoot him a
What the hell?
look then offer the same one to Willow.

Drew shrugs. "We aren't having sex in here."

"Is that something you do regularly?" Willow makes a face like she smells something bad. "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"I'm the one who has to hear about your boyfriend's cock piercing," he says.

Willow flashes her left ring finger. "Hey. That's my husband's cock piercing."

Drew shakes his head. She laughs.

I laugh too. It's a full-blown belly laugh. These two are ridiculous. But they're sweet.

They're my family. Both of them. Willow is a good sister. And she'll be a good aunt.

And my mom... things are still strained between us sometimes. She'll think I'm too young to have a kid, but she will support me. She will be happy to have a grandchild.

The door swings open. Fuck. This is bad news. Only it's not a woman who is going to get security. It's Tom.

Of course it's Tom.

I burst into another belly laugh. Drew is looking at me like I'm possessed, but I don't care.

They're my family. All of them.

Drew turns to Tom. "What are you doing?"

"Wanted to be where the party is." Tom nudges Willow. "Never realized you were into orgies, kid. Should have invited Pete to have a threesome before he found someone."

Willow blushes.

God, this is hilarious. I'm laughing so hard I can barely get words out. "Yeah, Drew would totally have an orgy with you and his sister. God, would you really have a threesome with your brother?" I shake my head. "Of course you would."

Willow looks at him. "Would you?"

Tom shrugs. "Not anymore. He's engaged."

"But before?" she asks.

"Sure. If you wanted," he says. "Whatever you want."

Her eyes go wide. "Really?"

"Want me to ask Ethan? Or Kit?" Tom teases.

"No..." Willow stammers. "That's okay. I'm... I'm good with one cock at a time."

"Can always fuck you with your vibe while you're sucking me off." Tom speaks like he's mentioning the weather.

God damn, what a family.

Drew must be worried about me, because he doesn't so much as glare at Tom.

I have to hold my stomach so I don't keel over from the laughter.

"What about you, Drew? You want to have a threesome?" I tease.