“You’re going to be late,” he said against my mouth, which had me kissing him harder.
I was only a few minutes late to work. The place wasn’t too busy, since the lunch rush had already come through. Tim greeted me at the front counter, seeming excited I was back in town, but kept telling me to take it easy, as he did every day I worked. More often than not, he’d urge me to take breaks way more often than any of the other servers.
While I talked to Brittany about what needed to be done in her section before I took it over, Tim sauntered over, leaning against the entrance to the server’s station. “So, what are we having?” he asked, interrupting Britt telling me about a poor tipper she had earlier in the day.
Holding my stomach self-consciously, I couldn’t help the smile, not with the news that I was having both a boy and a girl. “Umm. A boy… and a girl.”
“Twins?” Brittany shrieked.
Tim’s eyes became thin slits. “You just found out today you’re having twins?”
“No. I was waiting to tell the dad. He went to the appointment with me.”
“We get to know who the dad is, then?” Brittany asked, which surprised me. I hadn’t been sure Ava would stick to her promise not to tell anyone her brother was the father.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “He’s coming in for dinner tonight.”
Before they could say anything else, I left the station to make sure my tables were clean for the dinner rush about to roll in. The evening started out just fine, not too busy. People piled in around five. Tim’s was one of the only places near The District that still had authentic Cajun food on its menu, so crowds swarmed the place even on weeknights.
As the evening went on and more people filed in, I ended up running a freaking marathon just to keep my tables happy. The fact that I was getting winded pissed me off, but I tried hiding that, as well as the weird tightening and pain in my lower abdomen. Especially when Kai, Ava, and Cade walked in, getting a table in my mostly full section. I couldn’t lean on anything when the pain about knocked me off my feet while I approached their table. But I must have made a face, because Kai was watching me with an intense gaze.
“Congratulations!” Ava exclaimed, hopping up to hug me before I could even greet them.
“Yeah. Congratulations,” Cade said as I awkwardly patted Ava on the back, trying to compose my face because she was pressing into my tightened stomach. Dr. Clarke had said this might happen, and it wasn’t alarmingly painful, only uncomfortable.
“Thanks, guys,” I told them when Ava sat. Kai was still watching me with his lips in a thin line.
“I can’t believe it’s twins! It’ll be so fun seeing what a boy and girl are like!” Ava kept going on, but I couldn’t really pay attention.
“Yeah.” I tried for enthusiasm but failed miserably. “We’re a bit packed tonight, so I can’t chat long. Sorry. What can I get y’all to drink?”
They ordered their drinks, and I hurried off to get them as well as refills for my other tables. The tightening kept happening as I picked up orders and dropped stuff off at tables. They weren’t regular though, so I brushed it off… for the most part. When no one was in the station, I would hunch over the counter, breathing deeply. I drank about a gallon of water between running around my tables, which made me have to pee a lot. Kai kept on watching me, but I stayed composed in front of him.
A much more intense bout came on right after I took them their food. I hurried—well, mostly waddled—back to the station that was thankfully empty. With a quiet whimper, I hunched over the counter and drew in a deep breath. “Come on,” I muttered to myself and the babies. “We’re doing okay. We’re just fine.” I scrunched my eyes shut around another breath.
“How long’s that been going on?” Kai’s question made me jump, then cringe.
I ungracefully spun around to face him head on. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” When I went to move around him, he grabbed my elbow. I nearly growled at him.
“Please don’t insult me, Kate. I’ve been watching you since we got here, and you’ve looked like you’re in pain the whole time.”
“I’m fine.” I jerked my arm from his grasp.
He took up the entire doorway before I could go anywhere. I gave him the best glare I could muster. “Kate. Don’t be stupid. If you’re in pain, you shouldn’t be on your feet.” With a roll of my eyes, I sighed. “I’m fucking serious,” he whispered angrily, getting in my face. “You aren’t stupid. And you aren’t weak. You’re almost six months pregnant. With twins. You should be taking it easy, not running around a restaurant.”
“Everything all right, Kate?” came Tim’s voice from behind Kai. I could have kissed his feet.
Kai glared but moved aside so my boss could get a better look at me. Tim’s face was completely flat, but his gaze was trained on Kai, not me.
Whipping out my best dazzling smile got his attention. “It’s fine. I was just about to take refills to one of my tables.”
“And this is?” He gestured toward Kai.
“Kai. Ava’s brother,” I answered before Kai could.
The grin he wore could only be described as malicious. He stuck his hand out in front of Tim. “Also the father of those babies.”
The way Tim’s eyes popped out, I about died. He shook Kai’s hand very chummy like, turning my smile into a frown.
“The twins are yours?” Tim clarified, looking him up and down, sizing him up. Kai nodded. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. When I opened them, they were both ogling me, Tim with raised eyebrows, Kai with that wicked smile still in place. “Is everything okay?” Tim
