Page 34 of The Best I Never Had

I laugh loudly, and the noise catches Owen’s attention. He looks over his shoulder, catching my eye and giving me a small smile that has everything in me tightening up.

Shit.

I turn my focus away, to anything besides the way the slight tilt of his lips makes me feel. Gabriel slips a flask out of his back pocket, handing it in my direction with a playful glance at Owen.

“Need a nip of courage?”

I sigh, swiping the container and letting the cool metal ground me. The cheap whiskey burns, but it gives me something tangible to focus on.

Camila slides up to our group, hip-checking Gabriel. “Is my little brother giving you trouble again?”

Gabriel sighs wistfully. “Thea Ellis-Gutiérrez has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

I shake my head. “He’s a very charming fetus.”

Gabriel clutches his chest like I’ve stabbed him while Camila’s wife, Mira, comes up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist and laying her hands gently on the swell there.

Camila pops a kiss on her cheek. “Babe, fair warning, I offered Thea the role of my mistress to get the boys off her back.”

Mira pins me with a hard stare, like I actually intend to steal Camila away in the night, and a shiver runs down my spine. The sheet of her gorgeous black hair slides over both their shoulders as she shakes her head. “Not okay with that.”

Camila hums. “What if she was a weird live-in mistress who handles nighttime feedings?”

“Yeah, I’m going to pass on that one.” I take one last swig before passing the flask back to Gabriel. “No one wants me in charge of keeping a child alive. Who’s on bus-driving duty tonight?”

“That’s Owen’s job,” Camila says.

“He drove to the baseball game,” I say.

“Owen always drives,” Gabriel says. “Didn’t he do it the last time y’all were here?”

“No, we didn’t go off property during my wedding,” Camila says.

“Our wedding,” Mira answers with a little nudge, her light Indian accent slipping through the syllables, and Camila smiles up at her guiltily.

“Wait,” I say, even though they’re already moving on to something else. “Owen always drives?”

They blink at me.

“Yes,” Camila says, drawing out the word like doing so will help her see the logic behind the question.

“Why is it always Owen?”

Camila and Gabriel look at each other, confusion etched on their faces, like the question has never occurred to them.

“It just … is,” Gabriel says, the last word turning up like a question.

Camila laughs. “Owen’s always been the dad of the group. He likes making sure everyone’s safe.”

I don’t point out that she’s pregnant and can’t drink, but from the way everyone’s eyes flick to her bump, we’re all thinking it. I’m this close to calling it out, but inserting myself into the family dynamics is the opposite of what I said I would do. Owen’s role in the family is not my problem.

Owen hops up on the coffee table in one of the sitting areas and cups his hands around his mouth. “Anyone planning on using my services—”

“What sort of services, Owen?” one of the cousins calls from the back in a fake feminine voice that has the group cracking up.

Owen levels a stare across the group, and everyone quiets down, giggling behind their hands like scolded schoolchildren. “This bus is leaving in ten minutes, so get out there.”

Everyone heads for the door, but I drop back to avoid the rush.