Page 79 of Code Violation

She frowns—hard. “I wouldn’t say anything. I’d probably slap you across the face, and then we’d make a plan to murder him and support you as a single mom.”

I laugh so hard that I can barely breathe, garnering attention from Drew, Marley, and Mia.

“So, I just got a text from Will. Apparently, the boys are on their way over,” Drew confirms.

My laughter fades, replaced with anticipation as it pinches my thighs together. I saw the way Silas was checking me out in this dress when he gave me a ride into town earlier tonight, and I absolutely wore it on purpose. This is my favorite outfit, and I’m pretty sure it’s his too.

“You should announce your news,” June whispers so only I can hear. “I’ll wager five hundred dollars that Silas has already let it slip to the boys. If they’re anything like my brother, they’re useless when it comes to keeping secrets.”

When Kate joins the five of us in the kitchen and pinches June’s champagne glass from her hand, taking a sip and handing it back, I realize that now is actually the perfect time to share the pregnancy. I might not be twelve weeks, but I need more than just Silas and my sister around me. No, I want these women present for the journey.

I’m tired of living my life in silence, waiting for the other shoe to drop or the next person to let me down. Not everyone in this world is as self-centered as my ex. When it comes to the people in this room, Kane was the exception, not the rule.

I clear my throat and feel a wave of confidence wash over me. “Actually, while I have you all here and before the boys show up, I wanted to share something with you.”

Drew gasps, and her sister, Marley, braces a hand on Drew’s upper arm.

“Are you pregnant?” my closest friend asks. “I had this feeling when I saw you yesterday. It was like a female premonition or something.”

I nod at Drew and then cast my eyes around the group. “Yeah, I’m only in the very early stages, but we saw my OB-GYN yesterday, and I have an ultrasound scheduled for just over three weeks from now.”

“We?” Drew says with a sly grin. “As in you and …”

“Silas,” I finish for her.

A Drew-shaped blur crosses the kitchen, and two arms wrap around me in a hug. “I have genuinely never been happier for someone in my life,” she whispers into my hair. “Was the baby planned?”

I blow out a laugh. “I don’t know how to answer that question, but, no, it wasn’t planned. One night, we got carried away, and the next morning, Silas told me how he felt and said that I didn’t have to take Plan B if it wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

My girls grow hazy in front of me, and I feel the first tear as it leaves my lashes and lands in Drew’s soft hair.

“I know we’re crazy for doing everything in the reverse order. You and Will are getting married and doing things the traditional way.”

She pulls back, a hand wrapped around each of my shoulders.

“Seriously, who gives a fuck?”

My head whips to Kate as she steps forward, a defiant look on her face.

“It’s the twenty-first century, and I spend every day of my life fighting patriarchal men who perpetuate an expectation over how we, as women, should live our lives.” She takes June’s champagne glass and raises it in the air. “To living the life you want to lead and a big fuck you to those who like to dictate rules like they own a part of us.”

A second later, I’ve got three more pairs of arms around me and a whole lot of girl love.

“Do you love him?” Marley asks in a giddy voice.

I swallow thickly, more butterflies fluttering in my stomach when I think of Silas walking through the front door at any minute.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever been in love before, but I think I could be well on the way to loving my baby daddy.”

A warm, rough palm slides into mine when I step out of the downstairs bathroom in Will and Drew’s house later that night.

“Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”

I gaze up into piercing blue eyes, and my knees almost give out.

When Silas looks at me like that, he can have me for however long he wants.

“You know boys aren’t supposed to gate-crash a bachelorette party, don’t you? It’s not socially acceptable.”