Sophie Oak: Sirens in Bliss

“That has to be a mistake,” Callie said.

“Maybe it was left behind by someone else,” Jen tried.

“No one leaves a gun sitting around,” Rachel retorted. She frowned and seemed a bit more sympathetic than before. “This town can be a dangerous place. Maybe that mess with Gemma’s ex scared him. A man can do some strange things when he thinks his woman is in danger.”

Nell sniffled a little. “I think he’s hiding something. I think…I think he might have been lying to me for a while now, but he won’t tell me anything.”

Jen couldn’t believe it. Nell and Henry were solid. They had to be. “Honey, I just went through this with Stef. Men get scared. First he had to deal with the fact that Gemma’s ex nearly killed you and then he had to watch the man die. Now you’re pregnant. It can make a man a little crazy.”

“What did he say about it?” Callie asked.

Nell looked a little hopeful suddenly. “I didn’t mention it. Oh, do you really think it could all be a misunderstanding? Or that he’s just scared?”

Rachel waved a hand her way. “Honey, men are dumbasses. You can always count on them to do the dumbassedest thing possible. For Henry, that means buying a gun. For Max, it’s eating wings. You just thought Henry was perfect. Well, guess what, hon, he has a penis. It was just a matter of time.”

Rachel had a way with words, but it seemed to work wonders on Nell. She smiled and her naturally sunny disposition seemed to come back.

“I’m sure you’re right. That incident with Gemma’s ex was very scary for both of us. And my first trimester was a little touch and go. I haven’t told anyone except Laura and Holly, but we actually decided to try a while back and I miscarried twice.”

Jen’s heart went out to her friend. “I’m so sorry to hear that. That could make any man crazy.”

Stef would definitely have gone a little nuts.

Callie pulled Nell in to a hug. “Everything is going to be fine. You just need to talk to him.”

“And you need to take that gun away. I can’t imagine Henry is any good with it,” Rachel said. “He needs to leave the defense of the town to law enforcement and me and Marie.”

Nell smiled brightly. “I will. It’s time we talked. He’s been tense. Yes, talking it out will be good. He’s been talking to someone on the phone, too. Someone named Levi. I wonder if he’s a counselor Henry turned to.”

Jen had no idea who Levi was, but if anyone would talk to a counselor it would be Henry.

Callie sighed. “Well, we need to start getting ready.”

Jen wished she could go with them. “Please tell Shelley I’m so sorry I’m going to miss the wedding, but Caleb said no. You know how he just says no and doesn’t really give you an explanation and refuses to argue in any way?”

Callie grinned. “I might have come up against that once or twice.” She sat on the edge of the bed.

Rachel shook her head. “One of these days I’m going to throw down with that man. He can be deeply unreasonable. I’ll probably wait until I’m done having babies, though. The man is damn good at delivering them.”

Jennifer looked down at her boy. She couldn’t complain. “Doc does a good job. And he’s going to let me go home tomorrow, but he’s insistent about staying here for the night. Naomi even offered to stay with me but Doc said…”

“No,” Callie and Rachel finished in perfect harmony.

Baby Logan was sleeping, his head on her breast. Naomi had suggested that she hold her baby skin to skin. She’d offered to diaper the baby, but Stef wouldn’t have it. He’d looked a little lost in the beginning and tossed out the first two diapers, but he’d finally managed to get it around the baby’s bottom perfectly. Stef had been the one to put Logan against her breast. He’d sat and watched as their son latched onto her nipple and began to suck.

Now her baby was sleeping and Naomi had been right. Being skin to skin with her baby was perfect.

Stef walked in. He took in the scene and his eyes heated for a moment. And then he frowned. “Anyone could walk in here.”

While Logan was covered in a blanket, her torso was still naked.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “We’ve seen her naked before, Stef.”

Callie shook her head, a confused look on her face. “I’ve been naked with Jen lots of times. What’s the problem?”

Callie was a bit of a nudist. And it was completely true. Before Callie had married Nate and Zane, Jen had felt completely comfortable shedding her clothes at Callie’s house. Nate had caught them sunbathing once and said she blinded him because those boobs didn’t belong to him, so now they only did it at Mountain and Valley and only where she wouldn’t cause Nate Wright hysterical boob blindness.

Nell frowned Stef’s way. “I sincerely hope you’re not trying to discourage your wife’s very healthy practices.”

Stef wasn’t amused. He pulled the blanket up. “I think I’m going to have to agree with Max on the whole nursing thing. I don’t know that I want my wife’s breasts on display for all to see.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “Well, then you should figure out a way to make your man chest produce some milk, mister.” Her face softened, but Jen wasn’t fooled. “Uhm, by the way, Stef, I was just kind of hoping that you wouldn’t kill my dumbass husbands over the whole shooting you and carrying your naked body around town thing. And I want you to know that I have confiscated all the pictures. I also took the thumb drive Max thought he hid.”

Stef’s face went a little red. “I promise you this, Rachel, I’ll tell the assassin I hire to not touch you or Paige.”

“Stefan!” It wasn’t nice to scare pregnant ladies.

The second pregnant lady in the room wagged her finger Stef’s way. Nell gave him a good frowning. “That was very impolite, Stefan.”

Stef shrugged. “So was shooting me up with sedatives and shoving me in the back of Rye’s truck naked. I have a sunburn on my ass you wouldn’t believe.”

Jen stifled a smile. “Rachel, he’s not going to hire an assassin. He’s going to jump Max when he least expects it and beat the holy living shit out of him, because that’s what they do.”

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. He’s been a pain in the ass lately. He really needs a release. Do it quick, Stef.”

“I will,” Stef agreed. “And don’t you protest me, Nell. This is totally consensual. Mostly. I think I need a physical outlet, too, and it can’t be sex. I asked Caleb if he could shave a couple of weeks off that whole six-weeks-without-sex thing and he just told me no.”

Yep, that was Caleb Burke. He had zero bedside manner. And he would be the one to perform her baby’s checkups. Baby Logan would have to get used to his gruff doctor, but then he was a Bliss Boy. Jennifer had made damn sure of it. She’d wanted her baby born here and not in Del Norte or Alamosa, and Caleb Burke had made that happen, so she would put up with his “nos.”

“I think Logan here will keep us busy for a couple of weeks.”

Stef frowned. “Fine, but I’m sleeping with you.”

She couldn’t help but smile. He’d talked about sleeping in the guest room so he wouldn’t disturb her. “I thought you had other plans.”

He turned his Dom eyes on her. “You’ll just have to put up with me.”

What had Jack Barnes told her? Sometimes a Dom needed a good poking. Her Dom was back in charge. Well, he thought he was in charge, and that was just the way Jen liked it. “I suppose I will.”

“Ladies, I think Jennifer needs some rest,” Stef said.

Callie sighed. “It’s time to get to the wedding anyway. I’ll send your regards.”

“And I’ll be waiting for you to jump Max,” Rachel said. “Do I even want to know what you’re going to do to Rye?”