Kane buttoned up his trousers as he walked towards me. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I looked away from him. “I know, but I just don’t think any talk of kissin’ or sex is good around us. We have more important things to focus on, right?”

I wasn’t looking at Kane’s face, but I could imagine his jaw set as he said, “Whatever you say, babydoll.”

I sighed, “Okay, so... just come by tomorrow for your injections. I’ve a bunch of things to figure out before I go back to work on Monday.”

“Fine.”

I heard a rapid pace of footsteps storm down the hallway outside my apartment just as Kane stepped outside. I jumped back when, out of nowhere, Keela dived onto his back.

“I told you I’d be back!” she bellowed.

Kane swung around and wheezed when Keela’s arm locked around his neck. “Can’t... breathe.”

More footsteps sounded then.

“Damn it, Keela!” Alec’s voice snapped. “Get off him.”

“Since when can she run so fast?” Nico’s voice rasped. “She is like a fucking bullet.”

I stood and watched Kane swing around with Keela still on his back. Alec pulled at Keela but she didn’t break her hold. Nico shook his head and put his hands under her armpits and tickled her. I think she was off Kane and in Nico’s arms in less than a second.

“You fucker!” Keela snapped at Nico then shivered and locked her arms at her sides so he couldn’t tickle her again.

“I was leaving!” Kane snapped and rubbed at his neck.

Keela looked at me when Nico sat her on the ground. “Are you okay?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah... b-but can you stay tonight? I don’t really want to be on me own.”

“Of course. I have me overnight bag in the car,” she said and looked at Alec. “Will you grab it for me, please?”

“Apologise to Kane first.”

Keela snarled at Kane, “Trick me again and I’ll kill you for real.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Close enough, I’ll be right back.”

I couldn’t help but snort as Alec walked down the hallway. I looked to Nico and found him looking at my cheek. I waved him off. “It’s fine.”

“It’s bruised and a little swollen.”

“So is your face, and Kane’s.”

“We’re fine though.”

“So am I.”

I felt Kane look at me then so I again waved Nico off. “Honestly, it’s okay. It was an accident.”

Nico smiled at me. “You can tell him that all you like but he will still feel like crap for causing it.”

I frowned. “And you know that because?”

“Because I accidentally hit Bronagh during a fight with Jason Bane a few days after I first met her. And even though I didn’t mean to do it, I still feel like shit when I think about it, and it’s been years since it happened. I won’t ever forgive myself for hurting her.”

I didn’t know why, but I thought that was really sweet.

I looked from Nico to Kane. “I’m really okay. Trust me on that, please?”

He nodded his head, but I could see he still felt bad about the bruise.

I looked back at Nico when he laughed, “Told you so.”

I rolled my eyes. “When he sees me in labour it will overshadow some stupid bruise. When I’m screaming in pain, you can feel bad and be fully aware that you’re the cause of it.”

“Jesus, Aideen,” Kane groaned. “You were on top of me the majority of the time so technically speaking you brought this upon yourself—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, you won’t live to see the birth of your child if you do,” Keela said and held her hands up in warning.

We all laughed at her.

“Have a boy,” Nico said to me, his tone dead serious.

I laughed, “It doesn’t work like that, sweetie.”

“Just keep thinking of the baby being a boy and he will be.”

I laughed, “Okay, I’ll do that for you.”

Nico smiled happily.

Keela nudged him. “When Bronagh eventually gets pregnant, you both might have twin girls since you’re a twin.”

Nico grabbed his chest. “Don’t wish that upon me, I can’t have one girl let alone two.”

“Why not?” I giggled and leaned against my door frame.

Nico gave me a duh look. “You’ve seen Bronagh, she’s stunningly beautiful. Any girls she’d have would take after her and I cannot live my life fighting off every stupid boy that sniffs around my girls. I feel sick just thinking about it.”

I smiled. “Not all teenage boys are creepers.”

“No, but I know what all teenage boys think about. It’s all I could think about when I first met Bronagh. It’s all I still think about and I’m a grown man so yeah, I want boys, not girls. All boys. Ten of them.”

Kane groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “Please God, I don’t want any of what Dominic just said. Please bless me with a boy. Please.”

Myself and Keela fell around laughing.

“I want a girl just to torture you,” I said to Kane.

He growled at me, “She-devil.”

I laughed so hard I gave myself a stitch.

“Stop,” I wheezed. “I’ll wet meself.”

Kane smiled at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Please don’t worry about things—it really will be okay. I promise.”

I felt the other two look at me, but I focused on Kane and said, “I’m holdin’ you to that promise.”

And I did.

8 weeks later...

“Make sure you get the DVD, Aideen. Pregnant or not, I’ll kick your arse if you don’t. I want to see me niece in all her 4D glory.”

I saluted my oddly aggressive best friend. “I’ve got this, Kay. Trust me.”

Keela nodded her head to me once and then switched her gaze to Kane. That was when her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists.

Uh-oh.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Kane said to her, his tone firm. “You went to the first big appointment, the rest are mine.”

He sounded manly, but really he was being a bitch because he wouldn’t look at Keela directly in the eye when he spoke to her.

“Don’t talk to me, you,” she growled.

I wanted to smile, but I knew better so I didn’t.

I simply leaned over to the passenger door of Kane’s SUV, or now the family SUV, opened it and proceeded to get into the car. Keela, Alec, and Kane, however, thought sliding into the passenger seat was more like climbing Mount Everest for me. The three of them reached for me and held onto some part of my body and tried to ease my already easy transition into the car.

“Oh, my God,” I grumbled. “I’m not a doll, I won’t break.”

Alec snapped his fingers at me. “Don’t jinx yourself.”

I snorted, “Stop it. You’re all being way overboard with me. I’m pregnant, not disabled. I can do things meself and not cause any bodily harm, you know?”

“We know, Ado, but you can’t blame us for wantin’ to keep you extra safe.”

I grinned. “If your over-protectiveness causes me to lose the plot and go crazy, I’ll blame all of your for drivin’ me to the point of being coo-coo.”

Alec raised his eyebrow at me and said, “You’ll be fine.”

I chortled, “Please, for all you know I could suffer from a mental illness. That means I could kill you, plead insanity, and get away with it. I’d think about that if I was you.”

Silence.

“Keela, why are you friends with her?” Alec murmured to his fiancée without taking his eyes away from me.

My best friend turned, looked him dead in the eye and said, “I honestly have no idea.”

I gleefully laughed, “I do. It’s because I’m the glue that holds this fucked up group together.”

“Or you’re just the incubator to my nephew and that’s the only reason I, and everyone else, puts up with you,” Alec countered.

“Kiss me arse, Slater!” I snapped.

Kane sighed, closed my door and gestured Keela and Alec away from the car. He shook his head and walked around to the driver’s side of the car and got in. I glared at Alec through the window and then stuck my middle finger up at him. Keela burst into laughter while Alec shook his head at me while grinning.