What Lovers Do(87)

She smirks. “Just about.”

“So you’re keeping a few?”

“How rich are you, Shep? How ridiculous was it of me to worry about you paying for things? All the times I worried about you losing your job because of the way you talked to Marta? All of the sleepless nights I spent fretting over my attraction to yet another guy who might be on the road to being broke and homeless?”

“Enough. I have enough.”

“That’s a terrible answer.”

I sigh. “I loaned money to a lot of people before Millie asked for a divorce. Family and close friends borrowed money to buy homes, cars, pet stores, things like that. Maybe I get paid back; maybe I don’t.”

“You gave money away so Millie couldn’t take half of everything?”

I shrug. “Your words, not mine.”

Sophie narrows her eyes. “Did you loan your dad money for the car you drive?”

I nod.

“The Mustang?”

I nod.

“Your house?”

I nod.

Her lips twist. “The house in Sedona.”

I nod.

“Shep, what job did you have before you quit to work on your marriage?”

“Developed video games.”

Her brows lift a fraction. “Are you joking?”

I shake my head. “This dyslexic kid wasn’t the fastest reader, but I had other self-acquired skills.”

“I’ve never seen you play a game in all the months I’ve known you.”

“I don’t do it anymore.”

“And you made a lot of money doing it?”

“I did.”

With several slow nods, she gives me a little “huh” and pulls my hand to keep walking.

When we return to her house, I toss the bags of poop in her garbage and meet her inside with the dogs.

As I hang up Cersei’s leash and she toes off her sneakers, I wait for her to quiz me further on my net worth. She doesn’t.

“Want to watch a movie? Or is it too late?” I ask.

“Both. It’s too late, and I want to watch a movie.”

I grin and head toward the sofa as the pack gather around the water bowl.

“In bed. I need like ten pillows to get comfortable enough to watch a movie.” She rests one hand on her lower back and makes her cute little waddle toward her bedroom.

The pack and I follow.

“No.” She gives Cersei a stern headshake when she goes to jump onto the bed. Cersei sulks off to find a spot on the floor with the other dogs.

“What are we watching?” she asks, collapsing onto the bed, grabbing pillows for her back, under her head, between her knees, another between her ankles, and another to hug.

I watch her, a little mesmerized.

“Sometimes I pretend this baby inside of me is … ours.”

“Your choice,” I say, grabbing the remote and handing it to her while I lie next to her.

She turns on The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes.

“This isn’t a movie.”

“I know,” she says. “But Piers Taylor has the most soothing voice when he goes full-on architect nerd.”

“Nerds do it for you?”

“Mm-hmm …” She closes her eyes.

I slip off her glasses and set them on the nightstand. “If you’re going to sleep, maybe I should go home.”

“No,” she mumbles in a sleepy voice. “Stay.”

“I’ll stay for one episode.” I slide my arms around her, spooning her and her pillows to me, burying my nose in her hair. My fingers trace the skin where she has those faint purple stretch marks.

“Stay as long as you want,” she says on a long yawn.

“Sophie, that’s how you end up with men who refuse to leave.”

Her body vibrates with a soft giggle.





CHAPTER FORTY-ONE





SOPHIE





“I hate you. And I mean only love by that statement,” Jules says.

I laugh, bare belly catching sun by her pool, a week from my due date. “You’re giving me pool access before your kids get out of school. You can hate me for … whatever reason.”

“You’re cute. You’re basically ready to pop out a baby and you look cute. It’s not fair.”

Chuckling some more, I sip my lemonade. “I’m sure this doesn’t matter, but I feel fat. I mean, beautiful too, but fat. So fat. And I’ve been avoiding Shep because some days I feel gross. And don’t you dare tell Chloe I said that. She’s a freakin’ wreck right now. She comes by my house every day. Texts me hourly. And loses it if she can’t see my location on her Find My Friends.”

“She’s just really excited.”

I sigh. “I know.”

“And Shep … how’s that going? Are you slaying the whole friends thing?”

“Totally. Except when my hormones get the best of me and he witnesses me crying over stretch marks.”

“Oh dear. How did that go?”

He kissed them.

I told him I sometimes pretend the baby is ours.

Then he held me in bed … for the whole night.

“Fine. He’d never be anything but kind to me.”