Malachi grabs my wrist and yanks me away from the bar.
“What are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer. He drags me through the crowd of drunk guests doing the Cha Cha Slide, ignoring all the hands that try to grab him to dance. We reach the hall, and he stops to turn around and scan the crowd.
“Harlow,” he shouts to be heard over the music. I follow his gaze and see her head pop up from a conversation she’s having. “Meeting room. Now!”
Malachi shoves me into the room, causing me to stumble.
“What the fuck, man?” I gripe.
“What is your problem?” Harlow demands when she walks in shortly after us.
“Someone better start talking,” Malachi seethes, glaring at both of us.
“Why aren’t you happy about this?” I ask, starting to get pissed off.
More like jealous as fuck that he’s getting the life you want.
“Mal, what is he talking about? Why aren’t you happy?”
“I am happy,” he snaps. “But I’d be happier if it had been mywifewho told me I’m going to be a daddy.”
“Oh,” she says, and then her eyes widen comically. “Oh.”
“Damn, Harlow, I’m sorry. I thought you told him. You said you were going to tell him after the ceremony.”
“No, no I didn’t,” she says. Her face scrunches up.
“Yes, you did. You said—”
“Ididn’t say anything,” she corrects. “Peppermint did most of the talking, if you’ll recall.”
“Okay, fine. Peppermint said it. It hardly matters.”
“Will someone please fucking explain what is going on before I have a goddamn heart attack?” Malachi shouts.
Harlow takes a deep breath and lifts Malachi’s hands into hers. “Mal, I love you. And I want to have babies with you… someday.”
“Someday is here,” I remind her.
“It is,” she agrees. “But not for me and Malachi.”
“Wait. So you’re not pregnant?” Malachi asks.
“No, I’m not. But I’m all for practicing as often as it takes to get the whole baby making process just right.”
“But if you’re not pregnant, what was this morning all about? Who were you and Peppermint talking about being a father?”
Harlow drops one of Malachi’s hands to pick up one of mine.
“Nico, use that beautiful brain of yours,” she says. “If we weren’t talking about me and Malachi, who else co—”
Realization dawns. “No.”
“Yeah.”
“She’s on the pill. She said she’s on the pill.”