7

Cash

“Whatever.” Britta rolls those sparking hazel eyes of hers. “Fine. There are cupcakes in the backseat. You can grab those.”

She has got to be the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. And that’s saying something since my sister is right up there with the best of them. But putting the bags over her head?

I bite my cheek so I don’t burst out laughing and scoop up the last bag and box of cupcakes, despite her ungrateful attitude.

As I follow her, she straightens as much as she can while being weighed down with so many bags, and huffs, “I could have gotten that. I’m a strong, independent, wom aaaah !” She trips and is down before I’m able to catch her. The bags, still attached to her arms, are splayed against the cement steps, the decorations likely crushed.

I try to help the floundering woman up from where she nearly face-planted, but she bats my hands away like I’m trying to grope her.

“ Please , let me help you,” I beg, trying to brace her by the elbows.

“I’m fine. I got this .” Britta pops up with a surprising amount of spryness, flinging shopping bags into my stomach. “Oh, sorry.”

Instead of responding, I lean back to look at her, assessing her for injuries. “Your knees are bleeding.”

“W-what?”

I point at the skin that’s been scraped back and already begun to pebble with blood. She lifts the bags that block her view and looks down.

“Geez. Okay, I’ll just…” She droops a bit as she meets my eyes. “Could you help me carry these in so I don’t get blood all over Liss and A.J.’s carpet?”

An irrationally giddy smile spreads across my face. “Sure. But only because you’re a strong, independent, womaaaah.”

With a wink, I gently slide the bags from her arms. She stands perfectly still as she stares at me, lips parted, like she’s trying to think of something snarky to toss back at me.

Nothing comes.

Once I have all but two bags, I say, “Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll get you something to clean up your knees?”

Her expression hardens. “Fine. But only because—”

“I know.” It’s impossible to keep the smile from my face now. “Because you don’t want to drip blood on their carpet. How very noble of you.” Once again, she rewards my chivalry with that signature eye roll. “I’ll be right back.”

I manage to open the front door with one hand and swing it wide enough to step inside. Almost immediately, I’m greeted by Liss.

“Oh, hey, Cash! I thought you were Britt.”

I smile and tip my head toward the door. “She’s here too.” Unfortunately .

“Oh, good.” Her gaze lands on everything I’m carrying, and she points to the cupcakes. “Are those them?”

“Uh, yep.” I’m assuming, anyway. A.J. mentioned they’d be biting into cupcakes to find out their baby’s gender. Weird, but okay.

She waves me ahead of her through their open-concept home, directing me to set everything on the kitchen counter. “I’m so excited I can’t stand it.” Liss bites her lip as she stares longingly at the cupcakes.

“Can’t stand what?” We both turn at the sound of A.J.’s voice.

“They’re here!” Liss giggles. “The cupcakes!”

A.J.’s face lights up, and he heads toward Liss, but before he can embarrass himself, I stop him and ask, “Hey, real quick. Britta fell outside and hurt her knees. Can I borrow some first aid stuff?”

“Oh, is she okay?” Liss’s eyes go wide.

“She’s fine, I just wanted to ask before I go rummaging through your cabinets.”

“Bathroom, top cabinet, top shelf,” A.J. says as he lifts the lid on the cupcakes.

“K, thanks.” I head down the hallway that leads to the bathroom and grab the first aid kit, as well as a warm damp washcloth.

When I make it to the front, I spy Britta through the glass door. She’s leaning back on her hands, face upturned to the sun, those last two party bags resting beside her. Like this, with her eyes closed and her mouth shut, she’s breathtaking.

I hate to ruin the moment, which I inevitably will considering how much she hates me, but I don’t want the scrapes on her knees to get infected. Opening the door and stepping outside, I lower down beside her on the step.

“Got it,” I say, holding out the first aid kit.

She eyes me for a silent second, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. “Thanks,” she murmurs, albeit reluctantly.

Once she sets the kit down beside her, I offer her the warm washcloth. “I’d insist on cleaning your wounds for you, but something tells me you wouldn’t like that.”

She glares daggers at me before taking the washcloth. “Thanks for this, too.”

“So you do have manners.” She drives more imaginary stakes into the side of my face.

“I happen to be very polite,” she says, gently swiping the rag over her scuffed-up knees. “When I want to be.”

A thoughtful hum escapes me as I rest my forearms over my knees. “So I guess whenever I come around, then…you don’t want to be?”

Without fully facing her, I take her in. Her mouth turns down a bit at the edges, her focus trained on cleaning her wound.

“Being around you…” She trails off as her shoulders rise and fall on an exhale. “It brings out the brat in me.”

That shouldn’t make me laugh or even smile, but it does. Normally, I don’t lack for positive attention from women; not that I desire it, but it happens. Sort of comes with having a name in sports. At events I attend, even as A.J.’s publicist, there’s always some girl trying to flirt with me or get me to notice her.

Yet here this woman is telling me that I bring out the worst in her. It’s weirdly refreshing. But also…disappointing. Because for whatever reason, I’d like to see more than just Britta’s bratty side.

“Clearly, you find that amusing,” she says with a huff, flipping open the first aid kit and rummaging around for a bandage.

“I can’t help but be amused,” I say. “I’ve done literally nothing to deserve this side of you.”

“Haven’t you?” She whirls on me so fast I jerk backward.

I narrow my eyes and once again search for where I went wrong with this girl. Nothing turns up.

“Never mind.” She tears open a small bandage and puts it on one knee, then does the same to the other.

“Britta, if I’ve offended you somehow—”

“You know what, Cash?” She pushes to her feet and looks down at me like I’m a discarded piece of gum that got stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “Just forget I said anything.”

Slipping through the front door, bags in hand, she disappears. Right along with any hope of us ever being friends.

***

“Gender reveals aren’t just for women,” Jules says, giving me a scolding look. “They’re for anyone who wants to celebrate the baby’s arrival.”

I fight back a scoff and tilt my head toward Elyse. “What do you think? Are parties like this strictly for women or are they for anyone?”

My niece’s gaze swings around the large living room strewn with light pink and baby blue decorations. “Sorry, Mom. I’m with Uncle Cash on this one.”

I nod and hold out my fist for her to bump, which she does before skipping off to get more punch.

“You two.” Arms crossed, Jules shakes her head. “At least you’re being a good friend and enduring till the end.”

“Have to,” I say before taking a sip of my drink. “Promised I’d help clean up.”

“Aww.” Jules pats my arm. “You’re such a good guy.”

If only everyone thought like her…

Unable to help myself, I let my gaze wander to where Britta’s talking with Liss, Viv, and a few other women I don’t know. Her long, brown hair is twisted in an intricate braid that swings down her back and sways as she animatedly tells the women a story. She talks with her hands, something I never really found attractive before. But staring at her pale pink painted fingernails as she waves her hands in fluid, graceful motions mesmerizes me in ways I don’t want to dissect right now.

She’s always reminded me of someone, though. Or something? I’ve never been able to fully put my finger on who or what, but every time we’re together, I get that weird sense of déjà vu all over again

As if she feels me watching her, she turns my way, and the laugh dies on her tongue.

Jules bumps my elbow, almost making me spill my drink. “Are you even listening to me?”

I blink down at my sister. “Sorry. What’d you say?”

She raises an eyebrow. “I asked if you had any headaches recently?” When I don’t immediately respond, she adds, “Your brows were pinched together just now like maybe one was coming on.”

I run a hand over the top of my head, stopping when I hit the bun in the back. “Nah, not recently. I think most of the accident’s side-effects are behind me.” Still have the gnarly scar on my shoulder from where I hit the guardrail, but I think everything else, like the post-traumatic amnesia, is gone.

I still don’t remember anything about the concert that night, but who cares. I’m not interested in remembering how well Elyse’s favorite teenybopper band performed. All I know is that I made her dream come true by taking her, and that’s enough for me.

“What about those dreams of yours?” Jules's eyes dance with mirth. “Has the dream girl shown her face to you yet?”

I send her a hard look. “I stopped having those dreams a long time ago, thank you very much.” She laughs, and I add, “I’m fine, Jules. No headaches and no crazy dreams.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Jules’s body seems to relax as if she thought I’d say otherwise.

I get where her concern comes from. It only makes sense with all she’s been through in her life. She gets like this every few months, rehashing all the anxieties that crop up whenever something good happens—like this celebration. It’s as if she thinks that things can’t go right without something going wrong.

“Hey.” I bump her elbow with mine. “You know you can stop worrying about me any time now.”

A small smile quirks the side of her mouth. “I can't. You’re my baby brother.”

I’m about to tell her that I may be younger but I’m nearly twice her size when Vivian calls out, “Okay, everyone, gather round! It’s cupcake time!”

All the guests shuffle forward as Liss, Lyric, and A.J. move toward the center of the room. Britta appears beside them with a small plate that holds three cupcakes.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” she says as she hands one to each of them. “We’re going to count down from three, and you all have to take a bite at the same time. Then turn your cupcakes around so everyone else can see.”

Liss nods, but A.J. remains silent. No way he’s waiting for a countdown. Dude’s got zero patience. Lyric carefully peels back her cupcake’s wrapper and holds it up to her mouth.

“Ready?” Britta asks. “Okay, everyone, let’s count. One! Two! Thr—”

A.J. tears into the cupcake. His eyes grow huge before he lets out a muffled yell, turning the half-eaten cupcake toward Liss and Lyric. “It’s a BOY!”

Liss screams and jumps into A.J.’s arms. Someone pops off a shower of blue confetti over the cheering crowd of guests. A.J.’s parents hug each other, and then the happy couple.

Maybe Jules was right about gender reveals being for everyone. I’m thoroughly enjoying this show. Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever seen A.J. this happy.

Wow. A boy.

Hard to believe the guy I had some of the craziest times of my life with will now be a dad to a boy . Though I have no doubt he’ll kill at the whole fatherhood gig. He’s done amazing so far with Lyric. Speaking of, she looks the most pleased of all, squeezing her little arms around her mom’s round belly, crying what look like happy tears.

My gaze lifts to my best friend. His eyes meet mine from across the room, and I lift my glass to him. “Congratulations, man. I always knew you were meant to be a dad to a whole bunch of kids.”

He dips his chin and laughs. “Yeah, sure you have.”

I mean it, though. I think somewhere down deep I always knew A.J. would fill a fatherly role easily. Probably because he’s got a great dad to look to for inspiration. Every time I witness the bond between A.J. and Nick, the ache I have for my own dad pulses anew. Like the night I found out he was gone.

I shove the longing away and focus on being present. Wishing for what could have been has never done me any good. All I can do is be here for the ones I care about like my dad was until the day he died. And now that John’s gone, Jules and Elyse are my responsibility. I need to be present for them .

My sister’s eyes are misty as she edges her way around the crowd toward Liss and A.J. After she gives her well wishes, I follow suit.

“Congratulations,” I say to Liss, reaching over to give her a side hug. “You too, man.” I wrap A.J. in a back-slapping hug when someone tugs on my jeans’ pocket. I look down to see Lyric smiling up at me.

“My turn. I am the big sister, after all.”

My grin widens and I bend down to scoop her up. “Can’t forget about you, squirt.” I squeeze her until she giggles, then whisper conspiratorially, “Hey, you know what they want to name this little guy?”

Her eyebrows dance. “Dad said he wants to name him Ace because it only took one try to—”

A.J. covers Lyric’s mouth and takes her from me as she squeals in laughter. “That’s enough of that,” he chides, tossing her over his shoulder like she’s a sack of potatoes. “Isn’t it time for you to head to bed?”

Liss shakes her head at their antics. “We haven’t officially decided on a name yet. But when we do, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

“Cash is a pretty good name,” I say with a smug grin. “Just saying.”

She laughs, one hand resting on the top of her bump as she eyes her husband and daughter wrestling together on the floor like two energetic puppies. “You know, Ace is actually kind of growing on me. Starts with an A like his dad’s….”

I smile. “Sounds good with Beaumont.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, it does.”

“I don’t envy the assignment. Naming another person, that’s…it’s so…”

“Permanent?” She raises a dark eyebrow.

“Yeah. Very permanent.”

“Well, it can also be a lot of fun. Especially when A.J. is the other name-picker. He’s got some doozies, lemme tell ya.” Her gaze lands on my friend, and the obvious admiration in her eyes makes my chest ache.

What would it feel like to have someone look at me like that? Someone carrying my child, talking about me like I dusted the sky with stars just for her?

I guess I’ll always wonder. Because there’s no way I’m ever going to find someone as sweet and devoted as Liss. A.J. got lucky in love, but me? My luck ran out a long time ago.

***

Britta

A satisfied sigh escapes me as I remove a string of streamers from Liss’s living room wall. Since leaving the career I’d trained nearly my whole life for, I’ve had to learn to find joy and fulfillment from using a different set of skills. Like design. Whether it’s a small workspace or something bigger like this, it always makes me happy to see something I had a creative hand in come together.

Even if we are taking it all apart.

I roll up the streamers and carefully place them in the large storage container Liss procured, next to some of the other hanging decorations. Liss’s laughter draws my attention to where she’s speaking with Cash’s sister, Jules.

I don’t know Jules well, only having met her at the wedding, but she and Liss seem to get along great. I’d guess she’s close to us in age, and a definite girl’s girl. She’s gorgeous without trying to be, much like her brother. I doubt she’s even got a stitch of makeup on.

“Here are the balloons from outside,” Viv says, tying the strings to the back of one of the dining room chairs. “Are they keeping the balloon arch up?”

I examine the blue and pink arch that took us hours to finish the other day. “Yeah, Liss said Lyric will want to play with the balloons.”

“Gotcha.” Vivian plants her hands on her hips and glances around the room. “I’ll start cleaning up the confetti.”

Just as I thank her, Liss appears beside me with Jules. “Britta, have you met Jules yet?”

I give Cash’s sister a friendly smile. “I think so. At the wedding?”

“That’s right,” Jules says. “You walked down the aisle with my brother.”

My smile dims and I swallow. “Right.”

“My daughter, Elyse, is here, too. She and Lyric are a few years apart, but it seems like they hit it off. A.J. took them out back to the halfpipe.”

Liss laughs. “He’s always trying to teach anyone who will listen how to do tricks like a pro.”

“We love that about him, though.” Jules sighs. “Elyse claims she wants to go pro someday, just like her uncles.”

“Oh, do you have another brother?” The question springs from my tongue and sounds laced with enough curiosity to kill at least ten cats. But the knowledge that there might be another McBryar brother out there has me salivating.

Jules laughs. “Oh, no. I meant A.J. She considers him an uncle, too. She’s known him practically her whole life.”

My overeager imagination deflates.

“I take it you and Cash are close, then,” I say. For no reason. Whatsoever.

My subconscious cringes. Okay, fine, there is a reason. This was the sister whose coat he came back for the night we kissed.

Liss sends me an odd look that I dutifully ignore. So what if my question came out of nowhere, I need answers. My palms begin to sweat, and a pit forms in my stomach…What if Cash has told her all about me? The girl he kissed who now hates his guts.

“We’re very close,” Jules says, seemingly unbothered by my abrupt change of subject. “Have been ever since our dad passed.” She tucks a piece of her dark hair behind her ear and looks toward her feet. “And then since my husband John died, he’s sort of been trying to be a stand-in dad for Elyse.”

Tear. My. Heart. In. Two.

“I am so sorry,” I say, genuinely brokenhearted for her and her daughter. “It must be so hard to lose a husband so young.”

She nods, a sad sort of smile barely lifting her lips. “It was. But…we’re growing through it. And I’m also really thankful for my brother who puts up with all my late-night calls when something breaks, or I hear a loud noise.”

Liss and I share a laugh at Jules’s attempt to joke.

“Anyway,” Jules says, clearing her throat. “I asked Liss to formally introduce us because I loved what you did here for the party.”

“Oh, thank you.” I aim a grateful smile Liss’s way as she quietly excuses herself from our conversation and retreats into the kitchen.

“Liss says you’re more of a designer than a party planner, but I wondered if you would be willing to help me throw a surprise birthday party for Elyse? She’s turning thirteen next month, and I want to make it a big deal. But I’ll be honest—I’ve never thrown a party in my life.”

She lowers her lashes and picks at her thumbnail. “For most of her other birthdays, it was just me and John, Cash and our aunt Betty. We never really did any big parties with her friends. But she’s getting older and…” Jules shrugs. “Friends are becoming her life now. Mom is old and boring.”

I laugh and wipe my now clammy hands against my shorts. This woman is anything but old and boring, though I get why daughters think that of their moms.

“Understood,” I say. “So the mission is teen girl party with friends. When did you want to have it?”

“I was thinking toward the end of September? After school starts?”

I pull my phone out of my pocket and bring up my calendar. “Let me check really quick and see which dates I have open.”

“Dates?” Cash’s rumbly voice has me looking up into his dark brown eyes.

Jules responds before I get the chance. “I’m having Britta look at her calendar to see if she can help me with Elyse’s birthday party. Remember? I told you I wanted to do something big for her this year.”

Cash skirts his gaze my way, then clears his throat. “And I told you that I would help with that.”

Well. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he didn’t want me to help.

I dutifully ignore his rudeness as I check my open dates in September.

“Forgive me,” Jules says with a small chuckle, “I didn’t realize that decorating for a teen girl’s birthday party was one of your skillsets.”

Cash rubs the back of his neck. “Oh. That kind of stuff.”

I clear my throat and pretend like the man to my left isn’t even there. “I have the last two Saturdays in September open if either of those work.”

“Oh, perfect! Can I get your number to call you with the details?”

“Absolutely.” Jules hands me her phone and I type in my digits under the contact name Britta the Designer. That detail was probably unnecessary, but that’s how I want to be remembered, rather than the girl who made out with her brother on a random sultry night in June…just in case Cash kisses and tells.

As I hand her phone back, she smiles. “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to make this happen for her.”

“You’re welcome.” Needing to escape Cash’s silent, but still irritating presence, I back away. “I’m just going to finish cleaning up the decorations, and I’ll get out of your guys’ hair.”

“Wait,” Liss calls, waving me down. “There’s something A.J. and I wanted to ask you and Cash.”

Against my will, my eyes latch onto him. “There…is?”

Oh no. Here it comes. And I thought I hid my attraction to him so well! God knows he did his part…by all but ignoring me.

As if sensing my panic and wanting to ease it, Cash takes a step closer to my side.

“Yeah.” Liss glances out the back window with a sigh. “I wanted A.J. to be here when we talked about this, but he’s having fun out there with the girls. Anyway, it won’t take long.” She takes each of our hands in hers and gazes at us with an emotion I can’t put a name to. Awe, maybe? Gratefulness? “We want you both to be the baby’s godparents.”

The rising panic ebbs from my body like a wave gently splashing along the shore.

“Oh.” I brush a piece of hair away from my face. “That’s so sweet. I’d love to be his god-momma.”

Liss’s tender smile grows before she aims it at Cash. “And…you?”

“I’d be honored,” he says, leaning in for a hug. “Thank you. I won’t take the honor lightly.”

Liss gives his neck a squeeze, then steps back. “You guys just mean a lot to us, and we want him to have good, trustworthy role models in his life who he can look up to.” She playfully nudges Cash’s arm. “Thought maybe you could teach him the drums and Britta could teach him to dance.”

I laugh because what else can I do? The mental image of me teaching Liss and A.J.’s little guy some dance moves nearly melts my heart right into the floorboards. I swipe a few unexpected tears from my eyes before wrapping my friend in a hug.

“Thank you,” I say into her hair. “You’re the sweetest friend for inviting me into his life like this.”

“I love you, Britta.” For a moment, we just linger, all pregnancy hormones and emotional triggers. Then I ease away from her, and the reality of what she’s asked of me settles in. If I’m to be a good godparent to her little boy, I should probably learn to get along with—or at least tolerate—his other godparent in this ramshackle family.