“I wish I could stay here all day,” I sighed.
“So do,” Nico said with a shrug of his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t. I told Kiera I’d cover for her. Were you not listenin’ to me? I just said it a few minutes ago.”
Nico looked at me, a thoughtful look on his face. “Who is Kiera?”
I smirked. “She is a friend, but you know her as Miss McKesson.”
“No!” Nico gasped. “She still teaches at the school?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Is she still hot?”
I deadpanned, “Really?”
“What? If Bronagh never walked into class that first day of school, I would have made it my mission to bang Miss McKesson. She is too hot to be a teacher.”
I stared at Nico, long and hard.
“She wouldn’t have touched you.”
Nico smirked. “I disagree.”
I shivered in disgust. “You’re nasty.”
“I’m a guy.”
That was no excuse.
I move away from Nico then and over to Kane. I tested his blood sugar, then gave him his final injection for the day. It relaxed me to know he was loaded up on insulin and good to go until tomorrow. When I put his kit away, I made a sandwich for myself as he went back to watch the fight video with Nico. I was leaning against the counter eating my food as I listened to the brothers talk.
“Right there, his counter strikes are weak. He gets a ten-second burst for fast punches, then he needs twenty to thirty to cool down. He is dancing around to avoid the big hits. After he does that tonight, you counter and don’t stop until he drops.”
I shook my head. “So violent.”
Neither of the lads paid me any attention.
“I don’t think that will be enough,” Nico replied to Kane. “He is huge. He’ll take my hits and keep coming.”
“Not if you get his shoulder on the right side,” Kane argued. “Look at how he protects it. I bet it’s a recurring injury. When you take him to the mat, apply enough pressure to the joint and the bone should break easily if it’s an old injury.”
“Jesus Christ,” I gasped. “Is that really necessary?”
Again, the lads ignored me.
I huffed, “Yeah, Aideen. It is necessary, but we’re barbarians and this what we do.”
Kane looked at me then. “Did you say something?”
I growled, “I was talkin’ to meself.”
“Why?”
“If I don’t talk to meself, who will?”
“Uh, me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Please, you don’t listen to me half the time so I might as well be talkin’ to meself.”
Nico snorted but didn’t look up from the laptop.
Kane stood up and walked over to me and pulled me into his body when he was close enough to do so. He looked down at my stomach, then up to me and grinned, “I feel like there is something between us.”
I laughed, “Yeah, a belly that is gonna keep on growin’.”
“The bigger, the better.”
“Bigger is not better when it comes to my belly.”
Kane chuckled and kissed me before returning to Nico’s side. I had a drink of water and glanced out of the kitchen and down the hallway that lead to the front door when I heard a car door close.
“Ryder or Branna is home,” I murmured.
“It’ll be Ry. Bran doesn’t finish work till later tonight.”
Hmmm.
Ryder.
“Have either of you noticed how weird Ryder has been lately?”
Kane and Nico shared a look then looked my way.
What was that about?
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “He’s been out of the house a lot lately, like... a lot. He doesn’t have a job so I’m just wonderin’ what he’s been up to.”
Kane frowned at me. “It’s his own business.”
I rolled my eyes. “That means nothin’ to me. It’s like you don’t even know me.”
Nico laughed but covered his mouth when Kane elbowed him.
“Don’t hurt him, he has a fight tonight.”
“Yeah,” Nico argued, “you bastard.”
I snorted then.
Kane shook his head and focused on me. “Don’t rag on Ryder, please? I don’t want you involved in whatever problems he is having with Branna, okay?”
Oh, for God’s sake.
“Aideen?”
Bloody hell.
“Okay,” I grunted and looked down the hallway when the front door opened.
Ryder looked up and saw me. He closed the door after him and smiled as he walked down the hallway and into the kitchen.
“Hey gorgeous.” He winked and gave me a kiss on the cheek in greeting.
Kane grunted, “Calling her by her name isn’t an option for you?”
Ryder smirked as he put his arms around me. “Nope.”
“Ryder,” Kane snarled.
Ryder moved away from me and to the fridge, laughing to himself. I snorted too because it was too easy to wind Kane up when it came to me. He easily got jealous, but I had to admit that I liked it.
A lot.
I looked at Ryder as he dug out a bunch of food from the fridge and put it on the counter. I laughed and asked, “Hungry?”
“Starving,” he replied as he worked on making a huge sandwich.