Shaw laughed, a warm sound that filled the space between them. “Taryn is not a fan of Wally. She thinks our wall has a personal vendetta against her.”
Taryn crossed her arms. “It does. Let’s not argue. You know I’m right.”
He gave her a playful look and a wink. “Okay, professor. Whatever you say.”
God, she was in so much damn trouble. He was just a guy. A guy. No big deal. And she was a grown-ass woman who did not get silly around men. But she felt like a schoolgirl when she was around him like this. She must be lust-drunk or something because she wanted to walk right over there and plant a kiss on those smirking lips.
“Well, let me know if y’all need anything,” he said, schooling his attention back to her friends. “I’ll be with clients, but I can step away for a minute if need be.”
“Thanks, Lucas,” Kincaid said with a little too much enthusiasm. “You’ve been an enormous help.”
Shaw gave Taryn a quick look and then walked back into the gym, leaving them behind in the lobby. As soon as he was out of earshot, Kincaid turned on Taryn, eyes sparkling. “Girrrrl.”
“What?” Taryn said, shifting her gaze away.
“What? You slept with him,” Kincaid declared, glee in her voice. “I’m so proud of you!”
“Oh my God, Kincaid—” Taryn started, but her friends didn’t let her finish.
Liv grinned wide. “Oh, you so did. I’m sorry. It’s not my business, but it was super obvious. Y’all bantered.”
“No banter was had,” Taryn said, hands on hips.
Liv laughed. “And he was totally giving you that Hey, girl look.”
“He was not.” Taryn could feel her face getting hot.
“Oh, he was. That was freaking adorable,” Rebecca said, laughing. “And you’ve good taste. He seems sweet…and you know, mega, underwear-model hot.”
Kincaid laughed. “Bec, I’m telling the father of your child that you’re calling other men mega-hot.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes, but Taryn’s mouth fell open, and she whirled toward Rebecca. “Hold up, father of your child? Like for real?”
Rebecca chewed her lip and then broke into a grin and nodded. “For real.”
“Oh my God!” Taryn put her hands to her face like a scream emoji, but she couldn’t help it. Bec was pregnant? “How did I not know this was officially official?”
“Because you didn’t answer your phone all weekend. I nearly died holding on to this news,” Kincaid said with an eye roll. “And I was not leaving that in a message.”
Taryn spread her arms out, happiness for her friend fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest, and pulled Rebecca into a hug, the bag of tacos swinging in an arc around them. “Oh, Bec, that is fantastic news. Congratulations!” Then another thought hit. She leaned back, examining her friend’s face. “Wait, this is good news, right? Y’all wanted this to happen?”
Rebecca laughed, her eyes a little teary. “Yeah. I know it’s fast, but we’re married, we love each other, and biological clocks and all. We thought it would take a lot longer, so
it was still kind of a surprise.”
Yeah, biological clocks sucked. Taryn could almost hear that tick, tick, tick in her own head. Growing up, she’d always assumed she’d have kids, but she’d accepted a while ago that it wasn’t going to be part of her journey. She was too busy to put in time to plant seeds of what could become a family. And she was way too busy to even consider attempting single parenthood. Hell, she didn’t even trust herself with a pet.
Taryn gave Rebecca another hug. “I am so happy for you, girl. You’ll be a fantastic momma.”
“Thank you. I’m going to do my best. I’ll be learning on the fly since my mom didn’t stick around long enough to show me how it’s done,” she said wryly as Taryn released her from the hug. “But I know how it shouldn’t be done. So there’s that.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Liv said, putting her arm around Rebecca’s waist and giving her a side hug. “You and Wes will be amazing parents. And this kid is going to have three aunts who are going to smother him or her with love and presents and annoying advice. You’re all set.”
Rebecca’s eyes watered. “Oh, you guys. Don’t make the pregnant lady cry. I’m a disaster right now. I sobbed at a toilet paper commercial the other day.”
Taryn laughed, but the word aunt hit her in a tender place. It was a word she never thought would apply to her now that Nia was gone, but Liv was right. These three women were her sisters in every way but blood. They were more than friends. They were family.
Taryn swiped at her eyes before tears could escape. “All right, my sisters. Before we all completely lose it, let’s get to work. Rebecca is officially not allowed on any of the equipment.”