Page 263 of Red Marked

She giggles. “Yes, I am. I’m glad you introduced me as such.”

“Oh good.”

I kiss her. It’s slow. Her mouth is soft under mine, and she has one hand flat on my chest. I take my time with it because there’s nowhere I need to be that’s more important than this. When I lift my head, her eyes stay shut a moment longer.

“That was nice,” she says.

“Nice.” I make sure I look affronted. “Nice isn’t good enough. I’ll have to correct that as soon as I can.”

“Overachiever.”

“Damn straight I am.”

She laughs. I love the sound. I live for it.

I laugh too and pull her to the counter and place our order.

Star leans against the counter next to me, watching the girl work for a minute. Then she looks up at me.

“What’s going on with Robyn and Ridge?” She keeps her voice down. “You can tell me to mind my own business. I won’t be offended.”

“No. It’s fine.” I rub my jaw. “Robyn found out just recently that she can’t have kids. They’d been trying for months and months. She went for tests, and…that was it. It isn’t going to happen. It’s hit them both hard.” I look at the ceiling. “I feel like shit for them. They want to be parents more than anyone I know, and they’d be so good at it. It isn’t fair.”

Star doesn’t say anything at first. She puts her hand on my arm.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “For them. And for you, because you love them.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“It isn’t fair.” She looks toward the stairs, toward the waiting room.

I look down at her.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing.” I kiss her forehead. “You’re good at this.”

“At what?”

“Saying the right things.”

She takes two of the cups off the counter. “Come on. Before it gets cold.”

We go back up.

Magma is there when we return. His hair is all over the place, and his eyes are red, the whites of them bloodshot, like he’s been crying. He’s grinning like a lunatic.

“And? What happened?” I ask in a rush.

Magma comes at me. I have to hold the coffees away from my body so he doesn’t knock them flying when he hugs me.

“I’m a dad, Flint.” His voice cracks on the last word. “I’m a dad.”

“Yeah?” I feel my eyes sting.

Shit!

“Two boys. Can you believe that?” He lets go and wipes his face with the back of his hand. It doesn’t help. “Two beautiful boys. Both of them screaming their heads off the second they came out. They’ve got lungs on them. Robyn, you should have heard them.”