âIâd love a glass of Tangled Vine Chardonnay.â
Rory tipped her head and looked at Quinn. âIs that the wine you brought over the other night? It was seriously yummy.â
Quinn nodded. âIâll bring a case over tonight. Whatâs for supper?â
âRisotto. Troy is joining us tonight,â Rory replied.
Mac looked appalled. âWeâre having them for supper again? Troy I donât mind, but these two? Babe, they are like rats, if you keep feeding them, we are never going to get rid of them.â
âKade and I are the rats,â Quinn told Brodie, smiling. He lifted a huge shoulder. âWhat can I say? Sheâs a good cook.â
Brodie looked into Macâs eyes and noticed the amusement under his fake scowl. Yeah, he looked hard-ass and a bit scaryâthey all didâbut she could see these men shared a bond that went beyond love. It was too easy to say they loved each other, but it was more than that; there was loyalty here and support, a deep and profound desire to make sure their âbrothersâ were happy. She couldnât help feeling envious of their bond despite knowing sheâd chosen her solitary state. Sheâd had friendships like that; bonds with Jay and Chels that couldnât be broken by anything except death.
She still missed them, every day. She missed the people who could finish her sentences, who got her jokes. She missed the I-know-itâs-after-midnight-but-I-brought-you-pizza conversations. She missed Chelsea, missed those crazy anticsââIâm outside your window and I have a date. Toss down your lucky belt/new shoes/red lipstick/flirty dress.â
She missed Jay, the boy who knew her inside out, the man sheâd just been getting to know. His sweet kisses, his endless support, his newly acquired fascination with her body. She still missed the man she thought sheâd spend the rest of her life with...
She hadnât been able to reconnect with people on that level again. She wasnât prepared to risk heartbreak. Having her heart dented by loss and being left behind without any emotional support sucked. It stung. It burned. It made her cautious and wary. Scared.
She was very okay with being scared. âAnd Iâm sending you a bill for the food we buy,â Mac grumbled. âSpongers.â
âRoryâs a great cook and she likes having us around. Maybe she needs a break from you,â Quinn told Mac as he took the glass of wine Kade had ordered for her off the waiterâs tray and handed it to Brodie, ignoring Kadeâs scowl. âIâll bring the wine.â
Rory grinned. âExcellent. I love that wine.â
âMight I remind you that you wonât be able to drink it for a year or so?â Mac muttered.
Rory frowned and then her expression cleared and a small, tender smile drifted across her face. She touched her stomach and Brodie immediately caught on. It took Macâs friends seconds longer to catch up. And, judging by Quinnâs and Kadeâs stunned faces, that wasnât news theyâd been expecting. But once they realized what Mac had revealed, they swept Rory into their arms for a long, emotional hug. Kade hugged Mac, as did Quinn, and Brodie felt tears prick her eyes at their joy for their friend. She stepped back, feeling she shouldnât be here, sharing this precious, intimate moment. She half smiled when she noticed Wren doing the same thing.
Weird that Brodie seemed to be present for some of the big, personal Maverick moments. Vernonâs death, Macâs baby... She was an outsider, on the wrong side of this magical circle, so it didnât make sense that she was again in the position to hear something deeply personal. This time, at least, it was good news.
âThis wasnât how we planned on telling you,â Rory said, jamming her elbow into Macâs side.
Brodie looked at Rory, who had her back to Macâs chest, his big