Porter’s brows shot up. “This weekend?” Christ, he’d always known Kyler was impatient, but he had no idea he was that impatient.
Kyler nodded.
Sawyer asked with a low voice, “Not to put a damper on things, but isn’t she still married?”
Kyler turned to Aidan, who gave a nod and replied, “I took care of that. I went to law school with a judge in Savannah, so immediately after Ella’s ex signed the divorce papers, I sent them to the judge. Because of the circumstances with the abuse, he immediately granted the divorce.”
“Which is now even more of a relief,” Kyler added grimly. “If not, it would’ve taken longer, as is Savannah’s requirement by law. I’ll tell you this, there is no way Ella will be carrying my child and not be my wife.”
Porter chuckled softly. A Dom through and through. “Where is the wedding? We are invited, right?”
Kyler nodded. “We’ll be having it at the Sin City Chapel, and Ella is checking out some venues for the reception.”
“Nonsense,” Dmitri interjected, spinning his beer bottle on top of the table. “We’ll have the reception at the casino. I’ll have the chef and his team prepare a dinner in one of the private rooms and we can bring in a deejay for dancing later.”
Kyler studied Dmitri. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” Dmitri replied with a nod. “It’ll be my and Presley’s gift to you and Ella.”
Kyler smiled, appreciation enriching his voice. “Ella will be so pleased, thank you.” Then he drew in another deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “The chapel has theme weddings, and Ella picked a burlesque-style wedding. I’m sure the girls can take care of the clothing for all of you.”
Dmitri chuckled. “They are going to enjoy this, I imagine.”
Porter had no clue what burlesque clothing even looked like. Sawyer seemed equally mystified, with a pinched expression, so an idea came to mind. Porter offered, “I’ll see if Kenzie can grab us something.”
“Good,” Sawyer stated with a grin. “Thank her for me.”
Silence settled over the crowd as everyone watched the game on the television, and Porter considered all this. Happiness slid through him for Kyler, who was the first of the Club Sin Masters to have a child. He took a sip of his beer and curiosity got the better of him. “How did your family take the news?” The wedding was happening fast. Porter wondered if there had been shock all around.
“Of course it surprised them.” Kyler shrugged. “But the moment I mentioned that Ella was pregnant, my mother switched the topic to baby names.” He shook his head, laughing. “That’s when my father and I went outside to celebrate with beers.”
Porter could only smile in return. It seemed so inconceivable for Porter to even think of having a family. Not that he didn’t want to be married and have children, of course he did, but he never had a relationship that led to anything that serious. Cora was Porter’s only serious relationship, though even that relationship had fizzled out quickly. And that was just fine with him. He could do friendship. He just wasn’t very good at love. All his relationships ended on mutual terms, and the word friendship had been the outcome. He was sick of that damn word.
Dmitri rubbed his chin. “A pregnant submissive in the dungeon. This is a first. Times are changing, aren’t they?”
Aidan raised his beer. “For the better, I say.”
Porter followed the move and clashed beers with the guys, hearing laughter all around him. His gaze connected with Sawyer, and Porter could almost read the look he gave. Things were changing, but it wasn’t changing for them. Porter had never cared about that before. He wasn’t bothered by not being in a serious relationship.
For the oddest reason that he couldn’t pinpoint, it bothered him now. He didn’t have a submissive at his side because she loved him. He had one there because of an arrangement. His thoughts oddly went to Kenzie, and his heart clenched as part of him wished that she was there because she wanted to be.
Chapter Seven
Rain poured from the sky, and Kenzie turned away from the gray world outside of the book shop’s window with a sigh. She grabbed the opened box off the counter, moving to the fantasy bookshelf, where an old best seller would sit on the endcap. She grabbed one of the hardcovers from the box, and the phone started to ring. Kenzie quickly shelved the book, then rushed to the counter. She snatched up the cordless phone next to the register. “The Book Nook; how can I help you?”
“Hey, Kenz, it’s Cora.”
“Oh, you are in so much trouble for calling me from work.” Kenzie leaned a hip against the counter, staring at the rain washing down her window. “Or have you decided your weekend should start on Thursday?”
Cora chuckled softly. “Well, I’m on my lunch break, so personal calls are allowed—or at least I’ve declared they are.” Her voice lifted with obvious happiness. “I’m actually calling because Ella wanted me to share her news—she’s a busy bee at work today, but she wanted to make sure that you heard from one of the girls.”
“What news?”
“Ella’s pregnant.”
Kenzie hesitated. “Pregnant?”
“Yep, she sure is, and from what I hear she’s just a couple weeks or so. Aidan told me we’re supposed to keep quiet about it. Ella doesn’t want to make anything public until after three months, but they both wanted all of us to know. I’m guessing they’re too excited to keep it in.”