Chapter 36

L ila's knee bounced subconsciously, bumping the "Welcome Home" poster she'd made with every upswing, as King pulled into the parking lot of the airport. "It's too bad you're not excited to see Wren," he commented teasingly as he parked, noting that Knight had pulled into the spot right next to them.

"I'm just so excited she's home early!" Lila exclaimed. "And there's so much you don't know. So you're in for a treat, my love," she continued cryptically. Lila had been notoriously tight-lipped about Wren's early return from Europe. Apparently it was something that had been in the works for a while, because Wren had needed to get clearance with the university to ensure that she'd still get credit for all of her classes.

Lila jumped out of the car and threw herself at Knight, who caught her expertly, his surprisingly pale, nervous face brightening. She whispered something in his ear and kissed his cheek, seeming to calm Knight even more, and King was able to watch it with the security of knowing that his girl was a kickass friend and that he had no reason to be jealous. Which was kind of a huge milestone for him.

She linked arms with King and Knight and practically skipped to the area of the airport by the baggage claim. They were stationed at the foot of a bay of escalators, which was where Wren would be coming from. If she hadn't had prepped him, King would have been surprised that it was just the three of them greeting Wren at the airport. But Lila had explained that it was a request that came straight from her best friend. Wren's family was waiting to greet her back at her childhood home.

Soon, King spotted Wren's bright auburn hair as she descended the escalator. Her face lit up when she saw Lila's poster and then warmed even more when she turned her focus on Knight. Lila shot a look at Knight, and he nodded, nudging her forward. Lila dropped the poster and ran over to her friend, hugging her tightly as soon as Wren had stepped clear of the escalator.

They held on to each other for a while, speaking in muted tones that didn't carry over to where King and Knight were standing. When Lila stepped back, Wren's trench coat fell open, revealing… Holy shit, was that a baby bump? King's eyes shot from Wren's belly to Lila, and she gave him a nod through her happy tears. Then he looked sideways at Knight and caught the tears in his eyes. Lila touched her friend's stomach softly and kissed her cheek. Then she took her friend's carry-on and led Wren over to Knight.

Speechless, Knight took a single step then fell to his knees and cradled the sides of Wren's stomach with his hands. When he leaned forward and kissed her bump tenderly, resting his forehead against it, King's eyes started to water. Wren's shaky hand combed through Knight's hair for a moment. Then Knight stood, a hand still protectively resting at the side of Wren's abdomen. "How are my girls?" he whispered.

"Missing you," Wren said, eyes filled with tender tears, and then she leaned in to kiss him.

King turned to Lila, who was now a beautiful mess of tears. "Well, this is…a lot to process," he said softly.

"I know," she murmured back, eyes slightly downcast. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Wren swore me to secrecy before we got back together. It wasn't my story to tell."

King put a reassuring arm around his girlfriend. "No worries, La. I get it. You've always gotta show up for your girl. Anyway, this is probably the sweetest damn thing I've ever seen in my life, so I'm not mad about it." He shook his head in wonder. "Knight is going to be a dad. Who would have thought all of this was even possible a few months ago?" He wasn't just referring to Knight and Wren, who were still in the process of their happy reunion slash makeout. No, King was thinking about him and Lila, how close he'd been to fucking everything up.

Lila went up to embrace her two best friends, her short stature almost comedic as she wrapped an arm around both of their waists.

Then King approached. "I hear congratulations are in order," he said with a smile and was taken aback when Wren leaned in to hug him.

"Thanks for getting your shit together and taking care of my girl, King," she said in a low tone before she stepped back, a hand on her belly. "And sorry for the subterfuge. This is something I played close to the vest."

"Understandable." Then King turned to Knight, and the two of them grinned and embraced. "Congratu-fucking-lations, Daddy."

"Thanks, King. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't helped me get over myself and all of my self-pity. I owe you, man."

"Nah, that's just what brothers do for each other."

"And godfathers," Knight said with a huge grin.

King's eyes widened as Wren nodded her agreement.

"We'd be honored if you'd be our daughter's godfather." Wren motioned her head in Lila's direction. "Especially since you're currently banging her godmother."

"And now I know where Lila got that word from," King joked. "Or did you get it from her?" They all laughed. Then King sobered, straightened. "It would be an honor, guys. Truly."

"It's settled, then," Knight said, slapping King on the back. After another round of hugs and the retrieval of the rest of Wren's luggage, they all walked out to the parking garage together, making plans to meet at the house later after Wren got settled in. Because obviously Knight and Wren needed a little alone time, and she still had family to see.

Once Knight and Wren had driven off, the shock of what had just happened finally hit King like a lightning bolt. "I cannot believe all of that just happened." He shook his head in happy disbelief.

"Oh, it happened, all right," Lila replied. As they made the drive home, Lila filled him in on a few more details about Wren and Knight's situation. Some of it, King had known, but the rest was surprising. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like for Wren to discover she was pregnant a couple of months into her semester abroad or what it would have been like for Knight when he found out. The fact that Wren wanted to keep quiet about it was something that King could respect. Especially when things were up in the air with Knight.

Lila explained that while Wren was gone, Wren and Knight started working through their feelings for each other and deciding what to do about the baby, which had been an emotional process. Wren found out that she needed to come home before the start of her third trimester, so she had to coordinate with the university to make it happen.

After hearing Lila fill in all of the blanks, King understood his friend's reactions more clearly. Though it seemed like it had been a long road for Wren and Knight to get to this place, they were committed to giving their relationship a real shot and raising their baby together.

"Which means we'll need a new roommate in a couple of months," Lila said a little sadly as he pulled his car into a parking spot near their house. "And when Knight gets drafted, she'll go where he goes. She's moved up her graduation to the spring, just like me. So this is our junior and senior years all wrapped up into one."

She sighed. "It's the end of an era really, but I'm excited for them both. It's an unconventional beginning, but I have a feeling that they're endgame."

"Like us," King replied. Because she was it for him.

"Oh yeah? You think we're endgame, huh?" She curled a strand of her hair around her finger.

"I don't think. I know."

They looked at each other for a long moment and then raced inside, ending up in their bathroom, shed clothes strewn everywhere as the shower was turned on and began to steam as they loved each other frantically under the warm spray.

After, King watched as a still-naked Lila brushed through the length of her freshly dried hair, his desire to care for her almost overwhelming.

"Can I?" King asked as he approached from behind, making eye contact with her reflection in the mirror. He felt suddenly shy but pushed it aside. Because he wanted to be vulnerable and open with Lila, always.

Lila's expression wrinkled in confusion for just the briefest of seconds, and then understanding lit up her face. Instead of turning around, she reached for his hand and then placed the brush in it, holding his gaze the entire time. The moment King began to slide the brush bristles through her long strands, she sighed contentedly.

"I love your hair," King gritted out as he felt his body respond to her sounds, to the thrumming, constant desire he felt for her.

"It loves you right back." Lila's expression morphed from satisfied to smug as she felt his arousal nudging at her from behind. "I'll even teach you how to braid it sometime if you want." She leaned back into him, slowly grinding her ass against his hard length. "But right now…"

King set the brush down and grabbed Lila by the hips. "Right now, we have more important things to do," he growled softly into the shell of her ear.

She shivered and nodded her agreement then gasped and gripped the counter of the bathroom vanity as he slid inside her, all hair brushing–related activities temporarily forgotten.