“How long have y’all been friends?” she found herself asking. “You guys seem like sisters or something.”

They all grinned at each other, and the love was apparent between the five women.

“Audrey and I are sisters, and then Elli and I have been friends for what, ten years?” Fallon asked and Elli nodded.

“Around there. I used to be a photographer, and when I worked the wedding scene, Fallon’s wine was always there. We just clicked as friends.”

“And then we are twins,” Piper said pointing between her and Reese. Lacey didn’t know that. They looked like night and day, but if she did look closely, she could see the resemblance. “And we grew up with Elli. She is like our second big sister.”

“And then the guys brought us closer as friends,” Audrey said with a nod.

“Wow,” Lacey said, feeling a little overwhelmed by it all. If they had been just friends because of the guys, she wouldn’t have felt like such an outsider, but being basically family, she felt like she didn’t belong. It was apparent that these women were extremely close, and Lacey’s hopes of maybe gaining a friend quickly disappeared. It was sad because usually she made friends pretty easily, but really, she wasn’t even trying.

All she could do was think about Karson.

And what he had asked.

And how everyone knew he would be a great father.

As his question swirled in her head at speeds unknown, her heart fell into her stomach and dissolved in the acid. How was she going to tell him? She had never told anyone she didn’t want kids. Never had to. Even with Ethan, he had been the one to tell her he didn’t want kids, and it worked. But with Karson, it was different. She loved him and she didn’t want to disappoint him, and above all, she didn’t want to lose him.

But she just couldn’t bring herself to bring a child into the world.

Looking through the patio doors for what seemed like the hundredth time, he checked on Lacey.

She looked perfect standing with the other women in the Adlers’ home with a glass of wine and a bright smile on her face. The smile didn’t match her eyes though. She may be enjoying herself, but something was troubling her and he was dying to know what it was so he could fix it. He had replayed their conversation at least seven times, and each time, he still didn’t know what he said wrong. All he did was ask when she wanted to consider having kids. He assumed she’d be happy, excited even, but she shut down on him. It didn’t make sense.

“Dude, she isn’t going anywhere,” Shea joked and Karson smiled as he looked toward where his captain stood with a beer. Tate, Lucas, Phillip, and Erik all mirrored him with grins on their faces as Karson shrugged his shoulders shyly.

“Just making sure,” he said and they all chuckled as his eyes fell on Fallon’s growing belly. Looking back at Lucas, he asked, “When’s the baby due, Lucas? A month?”

Lucas nodded, letting out a long breath. “Yeah, thank God. She is driving me insane.”

“Doesn’t she always?” Tate asked, his Swedish accent still present after living in Nashville for over six years.

“Yeah, but now we have Stella, who is her mother made over, and it’s insane. When Emery comes, let’s pray she is like me,” he practically begged, and they all laughed.

“That’s a lot of kids. Reese and I are good with our two,” Phillip said with a grin. “Maybe one more, if I can talk her into it. Sawyer has been great.”

“That’s now. He’s your kid. He’s bound to fuck something up,” Erik pointed out and Phillip scoffed.

“Both your kids are you in miniature, so really, who is in trouble here?” he said back and Erik glared.

“They are like Piper too… Shit, yeah, we are fucked,” he said, laughing, and soon everyone chuckled along. “Might want to wait though, you know?”

Phillip’s brow came up. “Why?”

“Because with Claire getting married, next comes a baby, and you don’t want to be a grandpa having a kid. That’s weird.”

Everyone went silent as Phillip’s face turned red. “That’s not funny. Don’t talk about her like that. She isn’t having no damn baby; she isn’t even having sex.”

Shea sputtered with laughter as Tate and Lucas took long swigs of their beers and Erik and Phillip glared at each other. Karson, meanwhile, leaned against the post and enjoyed the show. Claire was Phillip’s niece who was basically his daughter. He loved her like she was and did anything he could to help her succeed after having a real shitty childhood. She lived in Vegas, running a burlesque club, and had made something of herself. Still though, the thought of Claire having a kid was insane. The girl was only twenty, but then again, she did just get engaged to a hockey player from the Kings named Jude. He was a punk, but he seemed to really care for Claire. Phillip still hated him though.

Which obviously meant all of the Assassins hated him.

“If you think that girl isn’t having wild sex with Mohawk kid, you are delusional,” Erik laughed but no one else did. If there was one thing you didn’t joke about around Phillip, it was Claire. And Reese. And their little boy, Sawyer.

“Do you want me to kill you?” Phillip asked. “’Cause I will.”

“Leave him alone,” Shea said with a shake of his head.

“He gets so mad though; it’s cute,” Erik said with a grin.

“I’m gonna murder you,” Phillip promised while everyone snickered.