Chapter 28

I'm folding cloth napkins at the far end of the bar when Tia slides in the seat beside me.

"Hey." She leans against me with a nudge.

"Hey, back."

"So, the boss has got you doing the easy stuff?" Tia asks, grabbing a few napkins and starting to fold them.

"Yeah, can you believe that shit?" I scoff. "He treats me like I'm incapable of doing my job. Isn't that discrimination or something?"

Tia snorts. "No, it's not, especially since your doctor told you to work less." She gives me a look, conveying a clear message without uttering a single word.

"Oh, shut up," I snap and sulk back to the damn napkins.

"You know what I was thinking?" Tia asks. "Is how can companies use napkins that people blow their noses in it? That"s just fucking nasty."

I snickered.

Tia and I are back to working the same days since Sophia now has numerous babysitters to watch her. At least we're not working until closing time. We actually get to go home at a decent hour.

Suddenly, Tia's phone rings. She smiles when she sees who called her.

"What's got you smiling like that?" I ask her while still folding the napkins.

"Who do you think?"

"Are you and Ash in a good place now?"

She nods. "Yeah, we are. We talked and..."

"Fucked?" I blurt out.

Tia rears her head at me and looks at me like I have two heads. "Sadie, what the hell?"

I laugh so hard my shoulders shake. "Why are you so surprised at me being so crass since you do it all the time?" I joke.

She shakes her head. "I think that baby you're carrying is bringing the crazy out of you. But to answer your question, no, we haven't fucked."

"Yet," I finish for her.

She gives me a side-eye glance. "I don't know if we're there yet," she says quietly.

I nudge her with my shoulder. "Maybe not now, but maybe later on when you're both ready," I say in a gentle tone.

She shrugs. "Yeah, maybe." But she doesn't sound too sure.

Before I can respond, a high-pitched male voice has us looking back. "Hey, hermosas!"

Max and Gio swagger their way to us with huge grins on their handsome faces. Seb has his arm draped over Lupe, and Telle and Tiny literally skip over to us.

"Hey, mamas!" Tiny says wrapping her small arms around me and Tia's shoulders.

"What up, girl?" Tia asks, allowing Tiny to kiss our cheeks.

Max playfully shoves Tiny aside and takes her place. The sweet scent of rum and lemon-lime from his cologne invades my senses. He pulls me close by wrapping his arm around my neck and planting kisses on both cheeks. He does the same thing to Tia, not leaving her out.

"Get the fuck off Shorty before Donnie cuts your nuts off," Gio says, laughing while taking a seat on the other side of the bar.

I look over at him and smile.

He winks at me and sticks a toothpick in his mouth.

I look up at Seb, who gives me a nod. "What's up, Reina? You doing okay?"

Always the protective one of the group. "Yeah, Seb, I'm good," I reassure him, then turn to Lupe.

"Hey, mama. You looking good," she says, drawing out the last word.

Telle sits beside Gio and grabs a handful of peanuts. "So, what we doing?" She tosses a few nuts in her mouth. "We eating or what? Cuz I'm starving as fuck."

"Come on." Tia hops off the bar and tucks her phone in her back pocket. "Follow me. I'll sit you guys at one of my tables." Tia looks back at me. "I'll see you later."

I nod. "Okay."

Everyone follows Tia except for Lupe. She comes to stand by me with her back against the bar, facing where Tia walked to. She props her elbows behind her on the bar and looks over at me. "Mentirosa." she says with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"You forget I know your tells. You're not feeling good."

I sigh.

She's right.

"No, I'm not. I want to go home and sleep." I drop my head onto my arm, begging to be teleported to my room.

"Reina," she whispers and pulls me in for a hug. "Stop pretending to be strong. Just because you're not feeling like yourself doesn't make you weak. We can take you home and hang out there."

I shake my head against my arm. "No, don't do that," I mumble, trying to hold back the nausea that consumes me. Lifting my head, I turn to her and say, "Seriously, I'll be fine. I just need some ginger ale and crackers."

When she looks over her shoulder, she smirks and turns back to me. "Big brother's coming." She winks and kisses my forehead.

"Is everything okay?" Seb asks with concern when he walks up to us.

"She's not feeling good," Lupe rats me out.

"I'm fine." I drawl it out, glaring at Lupe, who just smirks at me.

"The hell you are," Seb snaps and walks to the other side of me. "You look pale, Reina. You need to go home," he demands in a low, deep voice.

"I will in—" I glance up to the clock behind the bar—"two hours. I'll be fine then. Besides, I"m going to go in the back for a few minutes, and then I"ll come back out," I say, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on me. Despite my reassurances, Seb doesn't seem convinced, and Lupe gives me the "mom look" she often does when she is worried.

"I promise," I add, trying to convince them that I am okay. As I stand up, I feel dizzy and almost stumble. But Seb"s arm wraps around my waist to steady me.

"God damnit, Reina. You"re not okay," he grumbles in my ear.

"Baby, just take her in the back," Lupe tells him. "Her stubborn ass won"t listen, and she"ll end up flat on her face."

"Come on, Reina, or I"ll carry your ass out of here," Seb says firmly.

He assists me in leaving the bar without any argument, but only after Lupe grabs my wrist and gives it a gentle squeeze. We reach the back, and he sits me on the locker room bench.

"I'll go get you some water," he says while walking away. Suddenly, the door flies open, almost hitting Seb in the face. Seb manages to stop the door by grabbing it from the side. "What the fuck?" Seb exclaims, which startles Jake and makes him stumble backward.

"I"m sorry, but you're not allowed back here. This is designated for employees only," Jake says, pointing toward the sign on the door.

"It"s okay, Jake," I start to explain. "Seb"s a good friend of mine."

"Best friend," Seb corrects, making me roll my eyes.

Jake stands in front of Seb but looks at me when he says, "I"m sorry, Sadie, but rules are rules. He needs to go back to his table." Jake crosses his arms over his chest. Seb, much taller and broader than Jake, doesn"t budge and stands his ground. My big teddy bear is not going to let Jake pass easily.

I see the tension rising between them and try to intervene. "Seb, seriously, I"m okay. Give me ten, and I promise I will be out soon," I tell him with a reassuring smile.

Seb looks over at me, still not letting Jake in. He seems hesitant but says, "Five," with a stern look at me. "I"ll give you five, and then I'll come get you."

I nod, grateful for his concern, and watch as he steps aside, letting Jake pass.

Seb opens the door for Jake before he goes to the vending machine, puts in a few quarters, and presses a button. A bottle of water flies out, and he hands it to me. "Drink, Reina." He raises his eyebrows, daring me to challenge him.

I won't because I'm too fucking tired to argue.

"Thank you," I say softly. Seb cradles the back of my head. He leans down and kisses it, his lips lingering for a moment before he pulls away.

Seb walks past Jake, but not before he bumps his shoulder. Jake"s shoulders relax once Seb is gone.

Jake walks over to me. "Are you feeling okay?" he asks.

I take a gulp from my water bottle and put the cap back on. "I will be. Just a little dizzy and nauseous," I reply.

Jake looks concerned and says, "You do look pale. Maybe you should go home. I"ll pay you for the rest of your shift."

I don't want to argue with him. I feel worse than normal and don't think I can eat anything, let alone keep anything down. The thought of food is nauseating and suddenly doesn't sound so appealing.

"Yeah, okay," I agree, getting up from the bench. But as I stand up, I almost lose my balance. Jake is right there to catch me before I hit the floor.

"Would you like me to take you home?" he asks.

"No, that"s okay. My friends will take me home," I tell him, trying to stay balanced, and turn to my locker to grab my things.

"Are you sure?"

Before I can respond, the door opens, and Max and Gio walk in. Jake jumps away from me as if I"m on fire.

"We got it from here," Max says to Jake. Then he turns to me and says, "Come on, Reina. Seb is pulling the car around."

I furrow my brow. "What about your dinner?" I feel bad that they didn"t get to eat.

Max walks confidently into the room, with Gio holding the door open for him. "It"s called take-out," he says in his normal joking tone. He strides toward me, his hand outstretched to take my purse and the bottle of water I"ve been holding. As he takes them from me, he reaches for my hand, his fingers wrapping around mine in a comforting and reassuring gesture. "Come on," he says, his eyes meeting mine with a gentle smile. "Let"s get you home."

I turn to Jake and give him a small smile while saying, "Good night."

"Good night, Sadie, and I hope you feel better," he says quietly.

We leave the room with Max leading the way and Gio following closely behind. As we exit, Gio asks, "Was that guy just a little too close to Reina?"

Max chuckles deeply before replying, "Yeah, he was. Just wait until Donnie hears about this."

"Hey, I"m right here. And you"re not telling him anything because there's nothing to tell," I say with a hint of irritation.

"Listen here, woman," Max starts, his eyes steely and determined. "You are one of us, which makes Donnie one of us. And we protect what"s ours."

I roll my eyes and snuggle closer to Max, mostly to steady myself. But he doesn"t mind, and when he looks down at me, he gives me that boyish grin I love so much.

I search the restaurant for the rest of the crew but can't find them, including Tia. Rochelle, the hostess, approaches us while we're looking around. I greet her with a smile and ask, "Hey, Rochelle. Do you know where Tia is?"

"She went outside after going off on a bunch of girls from Vanderbilt," Rochelle replies.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

"Yep, they went outside," Rochelle says before continuing on her way.

Walking out the front door, Gio, Max, and I spot Lupe, Telle, Tiny, and Tia gathered around Eva.

"Oh, fucking hell," Max says under his breath.