brother,” Quade says and puts down his cutlery, pushing his chair back and shaking his friend’s hand.
Pedro?
“Well, if it isn’t the princess herself,” Mr Unreliable says with a shake of his head. He’s not as tall as Quade, but he’s solid and sports an army-style crew-cut, with splinters of his dark hair sticking up all over his scalp. His beady eyes bore into me. It’s intimidating as anything.
“Yeah,” I say through a nervous giggle, trying to place him. “Pedro, is it?”
“You remember Pete Fairfield, don’t you?” Quade says, his brows bunched.
Oh shit . Jamie’s brother. Shit. Shit. Shit .
“Wasn’t his little brother, Jamie, in your grade?” Quade asks.
As if I could forget Jamie—the boy who took my virginity. I swallow the growing lump in my throat.
“Yeah, he was,” Pete barks before I get a chance to speak.
“Yeah, um, it’s good to see you again, Pete.” Not. “Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve run into you.” And you look like you’ve lost at least forty kilos since finishing school .
I hope to hell that there’ll be no more talk of his sibling tonight. Of all people, I don’t want Quade to know what went down the night of the wake. He’d be so disappointed in me. Hell, if it’s possible for him to be any more disappointed than I am at myself for my stupid actions way back then.
“I’ll go order some nachos or something. Be right back.” Pete wanders off towards the end of the bar. The tension in my shoulders eases as soon as he’s out of sight. I hadn’t seen Pete since graduation, so bumping into him here, when I’m out with Quade … he’s the last person I expected to see. Things could be worse, I guess. Could’ve been Jamie.
The chatter is nice as we finish our meals, but I find my leg bouncing up and down. I hope it hasn’t come across that I’m nervous about being here. A warm strong hand curls over my knee, making me freeze. My head swings towards Quade, who’s grinning like an idiot.
He leans in close enough that I get a whiff of his clean-smelling aftershave. “No one’s bit,” he whispers.
“I know,” I say through gritted teeth, but then can’t help matching his smile. It’s okay that I’m still nervous, I feel like telling him . The fact that Pete Fairfield is causing my stomach to twinge, I’ll keep to myself.
A cry rings out from across the table, and the blanket which covers the pram jerks in all directions as it’s kicked from the inside, as if the baby is trying to escape.
“I told you Lila would make an appearance. Two months old and she wants to be the life of the party,” Susie says, looking at me. She pulls the blanket back over the top of the pram and with great care lifts out a little bundle wrapped in pink. Wild chocolate hair and pale fingers claw at Susie’s face as she pulls the baby into her chest. Lila has got to be the tiniest human being I have ever seen.
Susie reaches into the pram and then places a white dummy into the baby’s mouth. The dummy must be magic, because instantly the crying stops and turns into a combination of humming and sucking.
Susie gets up and walks around beside Quade, who has already pulled out his chair and has his arms open wide.
“I am your godfather,” Quade says in a deep voice akin to Darth Vader as he takes the bundle in his arms. “She’s grown.” He gently bounces her in his arms, supporting her with his left arm and patting underneath with his right hand. It’s like watching a duck take to water or something, as if he holds babies every day of the week. His eyes never leave Lila’s as she stares back at him as if she’s mesmerised. I take a good look at Quade. His attention is purely on her.
“She was tinier than this?” I squeak.
“What can I say? She loves the boob,” Susie says with a shrug as she takes her seat.
“Me too,” Jack boasts.
Susie slaps his shoulder. “Thanks for sharing, doofus.”
Quade turns his head to me, a smile beaming
Pedro?
“Well, if it isn’t the princess herself,” Mr Unreliable says with a shake of his head. He’s not as tall as Quade, but he’s solid and sports an army-style crew-cut, with splinters of his dark hair sticking up all over his scalp. His beady eyes bore into me. It’s intimidating as anything.
“Yeah,” I say through a nervous giggle, trying to place him. “Pedro, is it?”
“You remember Pete Fairfield, don’t you?” Quade says, his brows bunched.
Oh shit . Jamie’s brother. Shit. Shit. Shit .
“Wasn’t his little brother, Jamie, in your grade?” Quade asks.
As if I could forget Jamie—the boy who took my virginity. I swallow the growing lump in my throat.
“Yeah, he was,” Pete barks before I get a chance to speak.
“Yeah, um, it’s good to see you again, Pete.” Not. “Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve run into you.” And you look like you’ve lost at least forty kilos since finishing school .
I hope to hell that there’ll be no more talk of his sibling tonight. Of all people, I don’t want Quade to know what went down the night of the wake. He’d be so disappointed in me. Hell, if it’s possible for him to be any more disappointed than I am at myself for my stupid actions way back then.
“I’ll go order some nachos or something. Be right back.” Pete wanders off towards the end of the bar. The tension in my shoulders eases as soon as he’s out of sight. I hadn’t seen Pete since graduation, so bumping into him here, when I’m out with Quade … he’s the last person I expected to see. Things could be worse, I guess. Could’ve been Jamie.
The chatter is nice as we finish our meals, but I find my leg bouncing up and down. I hope it hasn’t come across that I’m nervous about being here. A warm strong hand curls over my knee, making me freeze. My head swings towards Quade, who’s grinning like an idiot.
He leans in close enough that I get a whiff of his clean-smelling aftershave. “No one’s bit,” he whispers.
“I know,” I say through gritted teeth, but then can’t help matching his smile. It’s okay that I’m still nervous, I feel like telling him . The fact that Pete Fairfield is causing my stomach to twinge, I’ll keep to myself.
A cry rings out from across the table, and the blanket which covers the pram jerks in all directions as it’s kicked from the inside, as if the baby is trying to escape.
“I told you Lila would make an appearance. Two months old and she wants to be the life of the party,” Susie says, looking at me. She pulls the blanket back over the top of the pram and with great care lifts out a little bundle wrapped in pink. Wild chocolate hair and pale fingers claw at Susie’s face as she pulls the baby into her chest. Lila has got to be the tiniest human being I have ever seen.
Susie reaches into the pram and then places a white dummy into the baby’s mouth. The dummy must be magic, because instantly the crying stops and turns into a combination of humming and sucking.
Susie gets up and walks around beside Quade, who has already pulled out his chair and has his arms open wide.
“I am your godfather,” Quade says in a deep voice akin to Darth Vader as he takes the bundle in his arms. “She’s grown.” He gently bounces her in his arms, supporting her with his left arm and patting underneath with his right hand. It’s like watching a duck take to water or something, as if he holds babies every day of the week. His eyes never leave Lila’s as she stares back at him as if she’s mesmerised. I take a good look at Quade. His attention is purely on her.
“She was tinier than this?” I squeak.
“What can I say? She loves the boob,” Susie says with a shrug as she takes her seat.
“Me too,” Jack boasts.
Susie slaps his shoulder. “Thanks for sharing, doofus.”
Quade turns his head to me, a smile beaming
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