Three Rings and a Rose by Mia Ashlinn Read Free Book Online Page A

Caedon.
    Remember? Yeah, that’s him. Clearing her throat, Ella asked the most obvious question, “What are you doing here, Micah?”
    “Crashing the party,” Reagan grumbled.
    At the same time, Molly-Grace mumbled something unintelligible while Hadley crossed her arms and looked down her nose at Micah.
    “Coming to see you,” Hadley announced. “He can’t seem to stay away from his best friend. ” The sneer in her sister’s voice couldn’t be missed by anyone, especially not Micah. But he didn’t respond in any way.
    Keeping his expression perfectly straight, Micah ignored them and replied, “Because I was the only man waiting outside without a partner or a sibling.”
    Ella’s heart ached for her best friend. The hollow words he uttered held a deeper meaning, the pain so very evident in his tone. Or I could be imagining it. Maybe, I’m just projecting my unhappiness onto him.
    Who knows?
    Jaycee frowned. “What do you mean ‘waiting outside’?” she asked in obvious annoyance. But she seemed to know the answer, and she didn’t appear to be surprise in the least by her men. “I told those two to go to bed and not wait up for me.”
    “I told Shane and Landon the same thing,” Katie-Anne said with the same exasperated yet unsurprised expression on her face as 44
    Mia Ashlinn
    Jaycee. “They are supposed to be having hot monkey sex so they can tell me every lurid detail when I get home.” Shannon snorted. “Are you kidding me? Gray and Cade haven’t let you out of their sight in two weeks, Jaycee. I’m proud that they left us alone for this long. I figured they would have their happy asses in here, all up in our business, hours ago.” She peeked over at Katie-Anne. “As far as your husbands, I expected the same from them. They probably had their hot monkey sex in the damn car outside the front door, just in case you needed them.”
    Ella had to agree. The four expectant fathers had gone quite a bit over the edge when it came to their wives and respective babies. But all men did. So they had a damn good excuse.
    “I guess that means it’s time for us to blow this popsicle stand,” Shannon told her best friends. “Come on girls, let me help you.” Surging to her feet, she turned and offered her hand to Jaycee. After helping her up, she assisted Katie-Anne to her feet as well.
    Yawning, Katie-Anne waddled toward the door. “I guess I’ll forgive them. I’m fucking tired.”
    “Me too,” Jaycee agreed with a yawn of her own. “Do you mind if we leave our presents here, Ella? We’ll get them later.” Scanning the room, Ella cringed. It looked like a tornado had hit it. Presents lay scattered around amidst wrapping paper, gift bags, and boxes. Every surface had been covered with something. Hell. I’m going to have fun cleaning this up. And fuck. Where am I going to stick this stuff until they can get it? Shit.
    Ella took a deep breath. “Sure,” she agreed, despite the agitation of being stuck with dozens of presents for who knows how long. “It’s no problem.”
    “Come on, come on, come on.” Shannon shooed the two pregnant ladies toward the door. “Let’s get you to your men before they explode, and you end up widows.”
    “A word of warning,” Micah murmured as Shannon passed him.
    “Your husbands are out there, too.”

    Three Rings and a Rose
    45
    “Why am I not surprised?” Shannon asked rhetorically. “They don’t even have a good excuse for tailing me. I’m not pregnant.”
    “Yet,” Jaycee and Katie-Anne both said at the same time then called out their thanks for the baby shower.
    Ella’s three friends made their hasty escape and vanished.
    However, Ella didn’t notice. She was too lost in the sudden sea of turbulence surrounding her.
    Blinking rapidly, Ella glanced around the room in confusion, checking out the four excruciatingly tense people she’d been left alone with. Only her three tightly-wound sisters appeared to be paying her no mind. They were too