Free Here Comes Trouble by Delaney Diamond

glowing.”
    “You need to stop,” Celeste said, her voice filled with pleasure. She brushed his bearded chin with the back of her fingers. “That’s how I got into this predicament.”
    Roarke spread his fingers across his wife’s belly. “Look at my boy in there,” he said to Matthew, his voice filled with pride. “He’s going to be a big one. I’m thinking he may end up being an athlete.”
    “Probably a soccer player. He loves to kick his mommy,” Celeste said. She turned her attention to Matthew. “I thought you weren’t coming today. Are you staying for dinner?”
    “Did she ask me if I’m staying for dinner?”
    Arianna giggled and nodded.
    “Does a pig like slop?” Matthew asked.
    “I take that as a yes?”
    “Yes. What are we having?”
    “Roarke’s doing the ribs, chicken, and corn on the grill. Mom and I are making collard greens, squash casserole, and macaroni and cheese.”
    “Wait a minute, I didn’t hear you say corn bread. You do have corn bread, don’t you?”
    “Now you know that would be Southern blasphemy if I made collard greens without corn bread. Your brother would divorce me.”
    “Sure would,” Roarke confirmed.
    “And I wouldn’t blame him,” Matthew said.
    “I know how to keep my baby happy,” Celeste whispered, then kissed Roarke on the chin.
    “Sure do.” Roarke nuzzled her neck. 
    “Don’t mind me,” Matthew said dryly as Roarke nibbled on his wife’s ear.
    “Honey,” Celeste admonished him, blushing with pleasure. Roarke laughed and rubbed her belly.
    “They kiss all the time ,” Arianna said with her face scrunched up. “Yuck.”
    “Yuck? What are you yucking about?” Roarke bent over and grabbed her to plant a loud, sloppy kiss on her cheek.
    “Stop it, Papa! Stop it!” Arianna squealed with delight.
    Celeste reached out her hand for her daughter. “Come on, Arianna, let’s go inside and get you changed before you mess up your pretty dress.”
    “But—But I want to stay in my dress, Mommy,” Arianna said.
    “Don’t start with me,” Celeste said in a firm voice. “We already talked about this. You have two choices. If you keep your dress on, you have to stay inside. Or, you can change and come back out. The choice is yours.”
    Arianna pushed out her lower lip. “Okay. Uncle Matt, I’ll be right back. When I come back, I have a surprise. Don’t leave, okay?”
    “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got to stick around and help you guys eat all this food, remember?”
    Her face brightened. “Okay. Papa, don’t tell him the surprise, okay?”
    “I won’t.”
    “I’ll be right back!”
    When they’d disappeared, Matthew asked, “How many guests are you expecting?”
    “About ten of us total. Some of my friends, Antonio, and a few of his friends.”
    “So you’re still happy?” he asked after a brief silence.
    “I think it’s obvious, but I couldn’t be happier,” Roarke affirmed. He started placing meat on the grill. Each piece sizzled when it connected with the hot grate. “You changed your mind and drove all the way out here to ask me that?”
    “No.” Roarke knew enough not to ask any more questions and waited for Matthew to talk when he was ready. He continued to place meat on the grill, and after a prolonged silence, Matthew said, “I messed up with Lorena. I thought I had a chance at getting her back, but I found out she’s dating someone. I saw her last night, and she can’t forgive me for what I did. I hurt her too much.”
    Roarke closed the lid on the grill and set the tongs on the counter. “I kind of figured you had a thing for her, so I wasn’t surprised when the two of you hooked up. I was surprised when you broke up with her, though. When you got past the two-month mark, I thought for sure you were in it for the long haul.”
    How sad that two months was considered a long-term relationship for him. “I didn’t cheat on her.” He’d been saying that a lot lately.
    “I know.”
    He rubbed the back