Ride with Me by Chelsea Camaron, Ryan Michele

a sleepy tone, which is unusual. It’s well past the time she usually gets up and moving for the day.
    “You oversleep?”
    She sighs into the phone. “No, I dropped Coop off then came home and felt the urge to lie down.”
    The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “What’s wrong? You sick?”
    “No, Cruz. Just tired. I’ve been running around with a five-year-old.” I know better than anyone how hard it is to keep up with Coop. Hell, his mouth alone is like a damn auctioneer, but something isn’t sitting right.
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah, babe. When are you coming home?”
    I look back over at GT, who is out cold. “Your brother is still getting his beauty sleep, so as soon as I can get some coffee down him or haul him into the truck, we’ll be heading out. I have no doubt that Rhys and Tug will be ready. Shit, I may need them to help me carry GT’s ass. I probably won’t be back until late tonight.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll try to stay awake.” At that, she yawns through the line.
    “Take care of yourself, Princess.”
    There is something wrong, and it pisses me off that she isn’t telling me, but I can’t very well throttle her throat all the way up here, so I’ll deal with it when I get home.
    “I am. I’m going to get up and get my shit done.” The rustling on the other end tells me she’s not full of shit, and that relieves a little of the pressure.
    “Sounds good. Be home soon.”
    “Bye, babe.”
    I click the phone off and climb out of bed, tugging my jeans over my boxers and tossing on my shirt. I kick GT’s bed hard enough to move the dirty mattress off its frame a bit.
    “What the fuck?” GT growls, his head popping over to me.
    “Get up. We’ve gotta get home.”
    His eyes go on alert as he gets up as quick as lightning. “What’s wrong?”
    I rub the back of my neck. “Nothin’ that I know of, but fuck, something’s not right with your sister.”
    He visibly relaxes and groans as he puts on his clothes. “ Something’s been wrong with my sister since she was born.”
    It’s a cheap shot, and I won’t play into it.
    “Seriously, she’s off. She’s sleeping a lot, but everything else is on spot.”
    He pulls on his boots and laces them up. “Fuck, man. If there was anything wrong, Princess would tell you that shit. Could be she’s just fucking tired.”
    This is true, but I don’t like this feeling.
    “Yeah, man. Let’s get the guys and get the fuck out of this shithole.” I have stayed at many places in my life, but this one ranks up there with “do not want to return.”
    “Fuck, I think I got bit by something.” He lifts his shirt, showing a swelled up circle.
    “Looks like a spider bite.”
    He lowers his shirt. “Yeah, let’s get the fuck out of dodge. I’ve gotta piss and call my girl.”
    I leave to find coffee and make sure Rhys and Tug are up. Fuck, I need to get home to my woman.

 
    I lied. I lied to my man. Why? Because I didn’t want to get his hopes up, only to have them crushed. I have been abnormally tired, but I didn’t even register it yesterday, not until Cruz asked me if I felt okay. Then it hit me and hit me hard. Tired, stomach churning at different smells …
    I am pregnant. I know it. I know my body.
    This morning after Cruz left, I got up from bed and checked my birth control pills. I take them regularly, each pill missing correctly from its packaging. Then I thought back to my periods, and it hit me I haven’t had one in at least two months.
    I knew I was busy with Cruz, Coop, and X, but I didn’t think I was busy enough not to notice my missed periods. That part pisses me off. I’m on that shit all the damn time, but obviously, I have been slipping.
    I wanted to tell Cruz last night, but if I’m wrong, I don’t want to burst his bubble. He has been on my ass about getting married and starting to make babies. Getting hitched isn’t a big deal to me. I didn’t have dreams of dresses or grand wedding plans when I grew up. To