and her eyes were wide as she turned to Megan. “Take me home.”
I slapped my hands over my face and giggled like a schoolgirl. “I don’t know what came over me. I think there’s something to the alien stuff. Maybe instead of abducting us, they’re turning us into sex-crazed maniacs?”
Megan shook her head and playfully slapped Kara’s roaming hand. “That’s just you. And my wife, thanks to you. Baby, we’re having lunch. You were starving two seconds ago.”
“And then Rea told us all about getting screwed in a hundred different ways over the last week. It’s the hormones. I can’t help it.”
Megan’s lips pursed instantly and she sent a look toward Kara that spelled trouble. I frowned and focused on my fries, not wanting to start an argument between them, even if I didn’t know how I had.
“Shit. Sorry. My brain. You’ve seen me. It’s all over the place.” She pouted at Megan and pressed a series of kisses to her cheek. “Can’t we tell her?”
Megan sighed and kissed Kara slowly, passionately enough to make me feel like I was invading. Finally, she looked over at me and then back into her wife’s shining eyes. “We’re having a baby. Kara started the hormone treatments, anyway. I’m a little nervous to tell people, just in case it doesn’t work right away.”
I screamed before I could slap my hand over my mouth in time to stop it. Tears instantly filled my eyes and I choked on a sob. “That’s amazing!”
Megan stared between me and Kara, who was also crying, and raised her eyebrows. She looked like she was going to say something and then shook her head. “The hormones have turned Kara into one giant ball of horniness. Along with making her forgetful, emotional, and oddly irate at people who don’t use turn signals. I can’t imagine how the actual pregnancy hormones will be.”
“That one is valid. The turn signal, I mean. It’s infuriating.”
I nodded and wiped my eyes. “It really is.”
“So, um, Rea…” Megan glanced at my stomach and then away just as quickly. Before she could finish her thought, her attention locked onto something behind me and she swore. “Here comes a big snake. Looks like she has her next victim in her fangs already.”
We were sitting outside of Landings in an odd off hour, getting the entire patio to ourselves. The heat was tough, but I couldn’t exactly give them a play by play of my sex life while sitting inside, next to half the town. I had my back to the street and I quickly turned to see what had pissed Megan off.
Shock struck me as I saw Jenny walking towards Landings with her arm through Ben’s. Ben looked miserable and had his head down, just being led around. He even managed to make it inside while Jenny gave me a smug look without noticing a thing.
“Who is that? He’s pretty.” Kara shoved one of my fries in her mouth and made a face. “Probably won’t be when Jenny is done with him.”
I waited for jealousy or anger to settle over me, but they never came. I only felt bad for Ben, which annoyed me because he was a cheater, but no one deserved Jenny. “That’s my ex.”
Megan gasped. “No!”
Kara growled and threw her napkin down. “I’ll kick her ass.”
I shook my head and laughed. “I’m not upset. I feel bad for him. He looks sad and now he’s stuck having lunch with Jenny. That’s a terrible combination.”
“Wow.” Megan smiled as she studied me. “You’ve got it bad for your men. Seeing Jenny going after your ex didn’t even phase you. Do you remember what you said in high school?”
I stilled as panic worried its way through me. I knew what she was going to say from the look in her eyes. I didn’t want to hear it, though. Things were going okay. I didn’t want to start thinking about what came next. “No. Let’s focus on Jenny being a terror.”
“What’d she say?”
“She told me she loved them and she thought she always would. We’d just watched some sappy rom-com and she said she felt like a part of her had never really been hers; it’d always been theirs.” Megan held my gaze. “You’re a little older, but you’re no less you. I don’t think you’d chance hurting Russ for a roll in the hay, not for a second. It’s always been more.”
I shifted in my seat. “Shut up, Megan.”
Kara put her hand over Megan’s mouth. “Clearly, Rea isn’t ready for that conversation, baby.”
Any conversation we were going to have was cut short by Jenny and Ben coming out to the patio area. Jenny stroked Ben’s arm and spoke to him in a sickly sweet voice. “Why don’t you grab us a table, Benny?”
Ben looked around and froze when he spotted me. Jenny was forgotten as he walked over to me. “Reagan. I… How are you?”
I smiled, determined to be kind to him, despite everything. “I’ve been good. I didn’t know you were still in town.”
He squatted next to me and braced his arm on the back of my chair. “Do you think it’d be okay if we got together to talk? I won’t push for anything, Reagan. I just want to talk. I think I need help making sense of the mess I made.”
Jenny was the picture of anger behind us. “Ben? Aren’t you ready for lunch?”
I leaned in closer to Ben and lowered my voice. “We can talk. Just as friends, okay? And as a friend? Run as far as you can from that one.”
He stood up and leaned over, gently kissing the top of my head. “It’s a joke to think I could even look at another woman right now. She’s just showing me around as part of the welcome committee. Nice town.”
Megan snorted. “Getting nicer by the minute. I wasn’t aware we had a welcome committee.”
Jenny glared at Megan. “You aren’t aware of a lot of things.”
“Watch it, Regina George.” Kara’s grip on her fork was threatening, to say the least.
I patted Ben’s hand and kept my smile in place. “I’m free later today. We can talk then if that works for you?”
He pulled out his phone and mine beeped a second later. “That’s the address of the place I’m staying. We can sit out on the porch. I’d rather not have to hear all about my failures, no matter how valid, in a public setting, if that’s okay.”
I stood up and hugged him before quickly pulling away and resting my hand on his arm. “I’ll be there around five.”
“Shit. I suggest you run, Benny Boy. Even though you cheated on my bestie, you don’t seem like you deserve to be crushed to death.” Megan’s quick warning alerted us all to the incoming storm that was Theo.
Ben had the balls to pull me in for another fast hug before nodding at me. “See you at five.”
Jenny was left standing just on the outskirts of our table when Theo came to a stop in front of me. She was all eyes as she looked on.
“What the hell did he want? Why was he hugging you? Can he not take a hint?” Theo gripped the back of my neck and looked me over, clearly not seeing his ex-wife. “You okay? Did he bother you? I’ll kick his ass if he upset you, Rea. Just say the word.”
Megan cleared her throat. “Situational awareness, anyone?”
I pressed my knuckles against his stomach lightly, where Jenny couldn’t see, and flicked my eyes in her direction. “He was here with Jenny, actually.”
Theo glanced up, saw Jenny, scowled, and then pulled me into his chest. “I’ve got to run. I’m picking Iris up and we’re going to the park with Piper and Posie.”
Jenny scoffed. “What the actual fuck, Theo?”
He didn’t take his eyes off me as he spoke to her. “Good to see you, too, Jenny.”
I licked my lips and went to step away from him, slightly freaking out at being seen by his crazy ex. He caught the front of my shirt and pulled me closer.
“Want to come?” He stared at my mouth and when he glanced up at my eyes, he narrowed his slightly. “What? You’re about to say something I’m not going to like, aren’t you?”
“She’s going on a date with her boyfriend. Guess she’s too busy for a mechanic from Bumfuck, nowhere, when a rich boy from Hollywood is calling.” Jenny left with that parting blow, clearly happy with herself for trying to hurt Theo as she whistled her way away, food forgotten.
I glared after her and seethed, losing myself momentarily. Jerking away from Theo, I hurried after Jenny, catching up with her easily. She jumped when I popped up next to her. “That mechanic from Bumfuck is the best man you could ever hope to spend a second of time with. If you have an issue with me, keep it with me. Going after Theo is bullshit and you know it. Not only is he great, he’s the father of your child. Show a little respect.”
Megan appeared at my side and wrapped her hands around mine, which had balled into fists. “On that note, you should go before my sweet and kind best friend loses herself to teach you a lesson.”
I’d said what I needed to say, though. I walked back towards our table, nearly bumping into Theo, who was right behind me. I looked up and saw that he was grinning down at me. Sighing, knowing that I was going to be teased for how I’d tried to fight for him, I poked his chest. “Not a word, Theo.”
He followed behind me as I walked back to our table. “That was almost enough to make me forget that you’re meeting with your ex.”
“Go away, Theo.”
He spun me around and lifted my chin. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”
I rolled my eyes and shoved at his chest, barely moving him. “Goodbye, Theo!”
“Let Hollywood down easy, baby.”
