Calla clucked her tongue with sympathy. “Are you feeling nauseous?”
“Not right now, but I’ve been drinking so much of it, I think I’m addicted,” I explained.
She glanced at the door as two women roamed in. “How has your morning sickness been? I know Avery has been having a horrible time with it.”
“I’ve been lucky so far, because it hasn’t been too bad. My mom seems to think it will be like her.” The two women who came into the bar sat at one of the round tables in the center. They picked up laminated menus. “She had a fairly easy pregnancy.”
“I hope for your sake it is. The stuff Avery has been telling me makes me want to swear off pregnancy for life.” Calla shuddered. “With Cam traveling back and forth between Shepherd and D.C., he’s missing out on all the fun stuff.”
“He’s still playing soccer?” I asked.
She nodded as she glanced over at the women. “Be right back.”
As Calla hurried over to the customers, I glanced around the bar. Roxy placed a glass of iced ginger ale in front of me.
“Nick’s back in the kitchen,” Reece said, obviously reading my mind. “Does he know you’re here?”
“I didn’t tell him I was coming out.” I sipped the drink, loving how the fizzing bubbles burst across my tongue. “I kind of decided to come out last minute.”
Roxy frowned as she turned her attention to Reece. “Back up. Why would she need to tell him, Reece?”
Her boyfriend opened his mouth and then took a moment, appearing to consider what he was about to say so he didn’t dig himself a grave he couldn’t climb out of. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from grinning. “What I’m trying to say,” he stated slowly, his eyes on Roxy, “is that he would probably just like to know where his girl is, and if she wanted me to, I could go and get him.”
I was Nick’s girl? Suddenly I wanted to giggle.
Roxy did not appear amused. Her frown deepened. “And why would he need to know where she is?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe because . . . he cares?”
“Or maybe because he needs to realize that she’s a grown woman who doesn’t need to inform him of her coming and goings.”
His eyes narrowed. “Maybe he realizes that she’s a grown, capable woman, but he still worries about her safety.”
I rested my chin in my hand, using my fingers to cover my mouth. At this point I knew they weren’t talking about me. Calla streamed past us, heading for the kitchen. She shot Roxy and Reece a weird look.
“Maybe he shouldn’t worry so much,” Roxy shot back.
Reece sat back, crossing his arms. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Seriously.” Roxy folded her arms, mimicking him.
Before Reece could respond, a door opened on the other side of the bar and Jax walked out, and right behind him was Nick. I straightened on the stool, pressing my lips together. Calla must’ve said something about me being there, because Nick’s gaze swung right to where I was sitting. While Jax entered the bar, Nick stalked around it, heading straight for me. I relaxed, starting to grin.
“What are you doing here?” Nick demanded.
Our little audience consisting of Jax, Roxy, and Reece froze as the worst kind of reasons bloomed in my mind at why Nick would be asking such a question. A strange slice of panic cut though me. Heat burned up the back of my neck. “What?”
On the other side of the bar, Roxy smirked. “Here we go again.”
Chapter 19
This was so not happening again.
Nick was oblivious to how close he was to death as he placed a hand on the edge of the bar and leaned in, his face coming dangerously close. “What are you doing here, Stephanie?”
“Oh, man.” Jax spun around and headed toward the other end of the bar.
I took several deep breaths. “Why would I not be here, Nick?”
His brows lifted like twin wings, but Reece cut in before he could respond. “Answer that question carefully, my friend, because I just went down that road. It was curvy.”
“Yeah, we just had this conversation for you,” Roxy said, her eyes sharp behind her Harry Potter glasses. “And Reece didn’t fair too well.”
Out of the corners of my eyes I saw Calla start toward us, but Jax tagged her with a quick shake of his head. She wisely stayed away.
Nick was ignoring everyone, though. “Why would you not be here, in a bar? You’re pregnant.”