That still didn’t mean that I wasn’t horrified by the explicit details that Anna had laid out before us.
And it probably hadn’t helped that we were eating Italian food with lots of sauce.
Like, there was sauce literally everywhere.
I hadn’t finished dinner.
In fact, Anna was the only one that did. I’d even given her the rest of mine.
It’d gotten to the point where I’d actually only ended up asking two or three questions before Anna had just run with it, going in directions that I’d never thought of in my worst nightmares. I didn’t know what afterbirth was before. I sure did now.
So yes, I was startled when Creed touched my shoulder, sure it was his wife coming back for more. Most likely, it would be recipes that included placenta that she’d printed off the internet that she wanted us to try.
Creed arched an eyebrow at me. “I’m telling everyone we know that you scream like a preteen goat.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense.”
“I did call your name. Like, one time.”
I rolled my shoulder, dislodging his hand. “Where’s Anna?”
“Why?”
“No reason. I just… don’t want to be surprised by her or placenta recipes.”
Creed gagged a little. “Disgusting, right? I can’t believe people actually do that.”
“You would totally do it.”
“Well yeah. Just once, though, so I can tell people and get them to give me the look you’re giving me right now. It’s hilarious. But Anna said no, because she never lets me do anything.”
“Except get her pregnant.”
He grinned at me. “Yeah, except for that. I’m pretty good at that. Need some help?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Not much left to do.”
“Maybe I just want to spend some time with my best bro.”
“Says the guy that’s about to be a father for the second time, yikes.”
“Yeah, yeah. Seriously, though. We don’t see each other as much as we used to.” He came up to stand next to me, taking a dish out of my hand and beginning to rub it dry with a hand towel I’d set on the counter. “You have sex with my brother, and then you move in with him. We get JJ, and then you move away for years. Then you move back, and I’ve knocked up my wife again, and you’re getting ready to knock up someone too, and I figure we could use some bro-time.”
“That’s… a rather condensed version of events.”
“Bro-time,” he insisted.
“Bro-time,” I agreed.
“We could get stoned if you want and spoon. We just can’t tell Anna. Or Otter.”
“I don’t have X-Men underwear anymore.”
“For shame, dude. You’ve changed. It’s like I don’t even know you.”
I laughed quietly before I sobered a little. Creed waited, because he knew I’d come out with it eventually. I didn’t know what it was about the Thompson brothers, but they knew how I ticked.
“I’m worried,” I said finally.