After a quick glance between the two, I decided Lowe wasn’t going to get beaten to a bloody pulp for his transgressions. He looked like shit with his apologetic puppy dog eyes and his expression a mask of shame and regret. But other than the tensing of her jaw, his girl didn’t look like she wanted to kill him.
I glanced at Aspen, wondering what she’d do if we found ourselves in the same predicament. Though we kind of already had, hadn’t we, when she’d assumed Caroline had been one of my party girls. And no...no, she hadn’t been very forgiving. Lowe’s Reese looked pissed, but she remained rational.
“I had a feeling we hadn’t gotten rid of her so easily.” Reese stormed forward, her pregnant friend trailing behind her. Stopping next to Quinn, she set her hands on the countertop and let out a world-weary sigh. “I say, if a stake through the heart doesn’t work, we try cutting her head off.”
While everyone else gaped at her as if she’d lost it, Lowe actually laughed. He approached and took her hands in his so he could lift them to his mouth and kiss them reverently. Falling serious, he said, “I am so...so sorry.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, but she tried to shrug it off. “Hey, if there isn’t some insurmountable obstacle in our path, we wouldn’t be us, would we?”
Lowe shook his head and kept her hands by his mouth. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this.” He drew in a deep, shaky breath. “You shouldn’t—”
“I think she was lying,” the pregnant blonde spoke up, breaking him off. After tossing her hair over her shoulder, she slid onto the stool next to Reese and reached for bowl of beer nuts, but Pick snagged them away before she could reach them.
When she sliced him a dirty look, he merely winked. “Let me get you a fresh batch, Tinker Bell. Who knows what kind of filthy fingers have been in these all night.”
Her mouth fell open as she watched him jump over the bar and toss the old bowl, only to pull up the box and sprinkle out a new pile, just for her. Then he slid it toward her with an indulgent smile.
“I’m inclined to agree with her,” Aspen spoke up, startling me.
I turned, curious about her input. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I think she was lying, too.”
“Exactly,” the pregnant blonde cried, lifting her hand in a thank-you gesture to Aspen. Her mouth was muffled by nuts as she added, “I mean, hello, she’d have to be nearly as far along as I am, right? Everyone I needed to tell about my baby was told months ago. Why would she wait this long to drop the bomb now?”
Reese zipped her gaze to Lowe, her eyes sparkling with hope. “Eva has a good point. And what about her fiancé? How does she know it’s not his?”
Lowe pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, looking thoughtful. “Maybe it took her a while to find me.”
“Yeah, right.” Reese snorted. “You know, good and well, that bitch has known every step you’ve made since leaving Waterford. She found out everything there was to know about me within a month. There’s no way she lost track of you.”
“So wait, wait, wait.” Ten waved his hands. “Lowe, you seriously fucked another woman, maybe even knocked her up, and you...” He set his gaze on Reese, “aren’t pissed as hell right now?”
“Oh, I’m pissed,” Reese was adamant to claim. “But not at Mason. Besides, this particular...event happened before we hooked up.” Then she cleared her throat and lowered her face before mumbling, “Technically.”
Lowe winced and reached out to run his hand over her hair before leaning over the bar to kiss her temple. “I can’t believe this is happening. You are the only person I’ve ever wanted to have babies with. Jesus, Reese...” He squeezed his eyes closed and pressed his brow to hers. “Can’t we just rewind everything so I can go back do it right the first time?”
I glanced at Aspen because, hell, seeing Reese and Mason’s connection simply drew me to her, wanting a taste of the same bond they shared.
She glanced at me as if she felt the same pull. Her eyes glittered with tears. Then she turned back to the grieving couple. “I’ve had a lot of experience with people like this...Mrs. Garrison, is it?”
Reese turned toward Aspen, wiping her wet cheeks. “That’s right.”
“Right,” Aspen murmured on a soft note. “And I’ve come to learn they give away certain tells when they’re lying. Each person’s may be different, but they always do something to denote the lie. And from her behavior, I don’t even believe she was pregnant, much less honest about the child’s paternity.”
Lowe blew out a relieved breath. “Really?”
She shook her head.
“But her fucking belly was out to here.” Ten held out his hand and pretended to waddle. Next to him, Ham nodded, thinking the cougar had looked pregnant too.
“It wasn’t shaped quite right, though,” Aspen insisted. She pointed at the blonde. “Her stomach looks almost perfectly round, while the other woman’s was more...oblong.”
Propping his elbows on the bar, Pick leaned over the counter to check out the blonde’s belly. “You do have the most adorable baby bump I’ve ever seen.”
“And the other woman’s breasts didn’t look nearly as swollen as hers,” Aspen went on.