Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(58)

“You can tell us. We’re your besties!” Kenna said. She was drunk, but she always got happy when she had alcohol in her system, and tonight was no different. Her cheeks were flushed and she’d been telling hilarious stories about some of the customers she’d dealt with all night.

“I’m not sure what you want me to say,” Monica replied.

Kenna leaned forward. “You’ve peed a hundred times tonight, and when Pid dropped you off, you two were super lovey-dovey. Even more than usual. Which, you know, is cool and all. I had my way with Aleck before you all arrived. But Pid seemed extra…protective today.”

Carly looked at Monica and saw her new friend blushing. She looked down and began to pick at a thread on the pillow she’d placed in her lap.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to talk,” Carly said, giving her an out.

“She does. I mean, if she can’t talk to us, who can she talk to?” Kenna insisted. “And I’ll get to you in a second,” she told Carly, shaking a finger at her.

Carly rolled her eyes.

“Kenna’s right, you can tell us anything,” Elodie told Monica.

“Right. Well…we weren’t going to say anything for a bit longer, but you guys are worse than a dog with a bone. I’m pregnant, okay?”

There was silence in the room after her pronouncement, then everyone began shouting at once.

“Oh my God! Congratulations!”

“That’s awesome!”

“Wow!”

“The first SEAL baby!”

“I knew it,” Kenna said smugly, sitting back with a huge smile on her face.

“How?” Monica asked. “I don’t drink alcohol anyway, so me not drinking wasn’t exactly a clue. And it’s not like I’m showing. I’m still in the first trimester.”

“You keep resting your hand on your belly, which you don’t usually do.”

Monica smiled and shook her head. “You’re good.”

“I know,” Kenna said. Then she leaned over and held her hand out, palm up. Monica took it. The two women held hands for a moment. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. I…we didn’t exactly plan this. I mean, we both want kids, but we’d planned to wait at least a year, give us time to enjoy being a couple.” Monica shook her head. “But I guess we weren’t careful enough.”

“Our guys’ll do that. It’s hard to think about protection when you’re horny as hell and they’re looking at you with those fuck-me eyes,” Elodie stated.

Everyone burst out laughing.

“So true!” Lexie said with a wicked grin on her face.

Ashlyn came back into the living room with a tray of drinks. It was amazing that she didn’t spill any, as she was definitely not sober. She placed the tray on the coffee table and gestured to it. “An announcement like that deserves a toast! Monica, the one on the end is yours…it’s straight orange juice.”

“Thanks,” Monica said.

Carly was relieved that no one seemed to care the other woman wasn’t a drinker, pregnancy or no. She’d had a few friends over the years who made snide comments when someone didn’t feel like getting shitfaced. It was nice to be with women who seemed to truly respect and like each other exactly how they were.

“To Monica and Pid’s baby!” Ashlyn said, holding up a glass.

Everyone leaned forward and grabbed a drink and held it up.

“To Mo!”

“To babies!”

“To fertility and stubborn sperm!”

Carly almost spit her drink out at Kenna’s toast.

“To not having to wear a condom for the near future!” Elodie added.

“Oh, man, I’m so jealous!” Lexie moaned.

After Ashlyn settled on the floor next to Lexie, Kenna turned to look at Carly. She braced herself.

“So…how’re things going with you and Jag?”

“They’re good,” Carly said.

Elodie shook her head. “Nope. We need more than that. Talk, woman.”

Carly grinned. Elodie trying to be a hard-ass was pretty amusing. But since Carly really needed some advice, she wasn’t upset. “I mean, he’s amazing. Attentive, supportive, and not once have I been afraid of him.”

The other women all frowned. Carly went on quickly. “You guys know my relationship with Shawn wasn’t good. I mean, it was at first, but then he started making me feel like shit and manhandling me. It got to a point where I was very careful about what I said around him so I wouldn’t set him off.”

“Jag’s not like that,” Elodie said firmly. “None of the guys are.”

“I know,” Carly agreed. “It’s nice. I actually want him to come home. I look forward to seeing him and it’s hard to say goodbye in the morning when he goes to work.”

“I’m not surprised he moved you in,” Lexie said. “It seems that’s a pattern with our guys.”

“Any plans to go back to your apartment?” Kenna asked.

Carly shrugged. “No?”

“Was that a statement or a question?” Lexie asked.

“Both, I think. I don’t want to go back to my place. I like living with Jag. He’s easy to be with. I know things are still fairly new with us but still.”