Emerald protested but allowed Sky to pull her away. She smiled at me over her shoulder. “I won’t be long.”
I groaned, and Jess laughed at me as I turned and walked away, my cock hard and pressed against my jeans uncomfortably. I didn’t even give a shit. Skylar had my head fucked up, and it was taking all the strength I had right then and there to not turn around, and throw her over my fucking shoulder. The funny part—I knew she’d fucking love it.
I dropped down into an empty chair, reaching around Hadley to snatch Leo’s fresh beer off the table in front of him. He instantly turned to me. “Who peed in your fucking cornflakes?” he asked with an eyebrow raised before adding. “Tell them to get you a beer next time instead of stealing mine.”
Hadley rolled her eyes at her man before also turning her body to face me. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Dunno what the fuck you’re talking about,” I grumbled, chugging back half the beer before setting the bottle on the table. The bitter taste of the ice cold liquid sent a chill through me, and I wiped at my beard with the back of my hand.
“My bullshit detector is on high alert,” Hadley threw back.
I straightened my shoulders. “I have a detector that’s on high alert, too,” I threw back, enjoying the way her whole body stilled. “One that has me questioning why whenever I see you, you’re drinking soda.”
She shoved me in the arm, hard enough to throw me off balance. “Shut up!” she hissed, her eyes darting around wildly to see if anyone was paying attention. My eyes shifted to Leo who just sat at her back, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and I knew instantly that my suspicions had been on point.
I smirked as I wrapped my arm around Hadley’s shoulder and pulled her into my side. “Fucking good to hear. How pregnant are you?” I asked, chuckling as Leo pulled her out of my arms and into his. The gesture was playful, he knew Hadley and I had a different kind of friendship, but he wasn’t a man to let his woman wander too long in another man’s arms, didn’t matter who it was.
Hadley huffed. “The question is how far along, not how pregnant,” she answered, keeping her voice low, her body relaxing as Leo’s lips settled against her neck. “And the answer is fourteen weeks.”
“I thought you were starting to look a little—
“Ouch!” Hadley punched me straight in the stomach, I barely felt it, and I knew she could hit a lot harder but she pulled her fist back, turned it around and raised her middle finger.
“Stupid men and their stupid rock hard abs calling me fat,” she mumbled as she grabbed her soda, almost spilling it in her rush and drank half of it down.
Leo shook his head and chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you not to piss off a pregnant woman? Hormones man, fucking hormones.”
“Where did Skylar go? I need another girl in this testosterone filled atmosphere.”
“She went to get Emerald settled in her new room for the night,” I grumbled like a pouty fucking child and not giving one fucking shit about it.
Hadley’s face softened, and then she said something that stunned me. “I think you may have just found your purpose,” she whispered quietly.
My mind went back to the conversation we’d had when she was mourning Slider’s death.
“Remember that their purpose was done, yours is not,” I told her as I stood to my feet. “Your purpose is Leo and Macy. They need you.”
I turned to walk out of the room, feeling a wave of emotion build around me that I didn’t know what to do with. I needed to escape, but when Hadley called my name, I found myself frozen on the spot. “You survived too. So what was your purpose?” she asked, sending a pain straight to my heart.
I looked at her over my shoulder and answered truthfully. “I don’t know yet. But one day I’ll find out.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I nodded.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe I had found my purpose.