RIVAL: An Enemies to Lovers Why Choose Country Romance

Chapter 47

I’ve been awake since the before the sun came up, but this little girl is moving like crazy this morning and no matter how I try to lie down, she’s not happy.

I was going to call Ruth last night and see if I could stay there, but I decided against it. Cracking my window and keeping my door shut gave all of my senses the relief they needed from the smell downstairs, and I was able to eventually fall into bed and pass out quickly. I never did make myself something to eat, and it’s probably why my daughter is demanding my full attention.

Buck, Bonnie, and Billy! And Austin!

Shooting upright, I groan when my muscles revolt against the movement and I rub my stomach to ease the ache. Ever since my belly got heavy, it feels as if I move the wrong way, I’m straining everything.

Pregnancy is no joke and I don’t think I’ll ever be used to it. Rocking myself over, I ease myself from bed and stretch before finding my feet. With a quick glance out the window, I chew on my lip and debate sneaking next door to see my kittens. I don’t even know if they’re still there. I just left that burden on Mason’s shoulders. I should have settled them before taking off.

But I had to leave. My father was determined not to stop that night and if Griffin hadn’t shown up when he did? Well, I might not have my baby right now. If anything, I owe him my gratitude for stepping in, even if he did say getting pregnant was a stupid mistake.

I know it’s not entirely fair to blame him for that comment, but it still hurt. As if I was the only one responsible for my predicament. My therapist helped me understand that all of us weren’t smart in regard to protection, and it’s just as much on me as them. But Griffin’s words, now that I’m able to process everything, weren’t meant to hurt. He was deescalating an awful situation.

Him leaving after our night, on the other hand, that still stings no matter how much I try to convince myself it was out of our control when my father came home early.

I am not responsible for my father’s actions.

Choosing what I would like to do today, I decide I’ll go next door. Not to see Mason, although it’s important I do speak with all of them. As much as I’d love to just hide away and pretend no one else has to be forced into parenthood, I can’t. One of them has rights and for now, I do need to at least create boundaries for how we will work together.

After readying myself, I weave my hair into a braid and march through the kitchen quickly while holding my breath. I can’t even bring myself to search for some crackers, because I’m feeling extra nauseous this morning. I run the risk of seeing Mason, so puking is definitely a thing I don’t want to happen again.

They’re all going to think I’m disgusting if every time they’re around, I’m vomiting at their feet.

Instead of picking my way through the trees, I head to Mr. and Mrs. Cooper’s front door. Sneaking into their barn after being gone for so long would be rude. Besides, if I’m going to insist on boundaries, then I should offer the same.

Knocking firmly, I step back and wait until the door swings open. It’s Mr. Cooper, Bill as he’s told me to call him, but it doesn’t feel right to.

“Well, my dear, you’re a sight for sore eyes. How you been doin’?” he asks, opening it further and waving me inside. “Come on in. Cheryl’s in the kitchen throwin’ together some breakfast.”

His eyes flick down to my stomach, but bless him, he holds his tongue for now, and I accept his offer with a soft smile. Slipping inside, I glance around checking for Mason. Mr. Cooper whispers softly, “He’s not here yet. You’ve got some time.”

“Thank you,” I murmur back, then follow him until we find Cheryl.

She’s humming to herself, but as soon as we walk in, she’s already talking as she turns. “Honey, would you grab me the—Edith! Honey! Oh my God, would you look at that!” Her dripping whisk points directly at my stomach and she doesn’t refrain like Mr. Cooper did. “I can’t believe how far along you are! Logically, I knew you’d be showin’ by now, but seein’ you is different than picturing it. Sit down. Let me feed you!”

Mr. Cooper’s hand falls gently to my back as he steers me toward the kitchen table, then pulls out a chair.

“It’s nice to see you both, but you don’t need to worry about making me food. I actually stopped by to see if I could sneak out to your barn and check on the kittens. Maybe I should have called first to see if they’re still here, but the fresh air called to me for a walk.” I tap my fingers anxiously over my bump. When I eye Mason’s father, he’s watching my movements closely.

He must feel me watching because he glances up, then looks sheepish. With a flush, he smiles awkwardly, then clears his throat as he gets up to grab some plates from the cabinet. He pulls out three of them.

Waving me off, Mrs. Cooper starts giving me all the updates I’ve been itching to know. “Oh, they’re definitely still here. Mason has been takin’ great care of them. I think he’s quite attached to that little female out there. Bonnie, right?”

I nod, but she keeps going before I can ask anything.

“That beautiful little lady is forever on his shoulder wherever he goes. Even when he takes Austin out into the fields, he just props her right up there and she doesn’t go anywhere.” She laughs and winks at me. “Although that one little boy has been doin’ his best to murder him. Not Buck, the other one.”

“Billy,” both Mr. Cooper and I say at the same time.

“That’s the one!” she cries happily. Bringing the skillet to the table, she dishes up a mix of sausage, eggs, cheese, and hash browns onto all three plates. “There you go, honey. Eat up and get some fuel to that baby, so he grows big and strong!”

“She,” I mumble while eyeing the plate warily. I don’t notice the way they both freeze right away because I’m fighting off the building moisture flooding the back of my throat. If push myself and try to eat, I’m going to embarrass myself in their kitchen.

“A girl,” Mason’s mom breathes out, dropping heavily into her chair. Her wobbly smile is directed at her husband and she whispers, “We always wanted a girl.”

“Mom, we’ve talked about this. We don’t know if she’s mine yet.” I whip my head toward Mason. I never heard him walk in and my face turns bright red having my proclivities called out like that. He stares at me hard, adding, “Which we’re all perfectly fine with, no matter the outcome. Mornin’, girl.”

My stomach rolls violently and I grab a glass of water on the table to sip without asking who it belonged to. Mrs. Cooper slides out of her chair and fills another glass, not worried that I apparently took her drink.

“Sorry,” I tell her, then eye the food again, pressing my lips together.

Mason and his father start chatting about something, but I spend the small break without attention on me willing my stomach to behave so I can try to eat my breakfast.

A heavy hand drops to my shoulder, squeezing gently, before a new plate with some dry toast and a small square of butter to the side is placed in front of me. He snags the plate filled with cheesy eggs and meat, then sits in the empty chair to my right.

“Mason, what are you doin’?” Mrs. Cooper scolds, shifting as if she’s going to get up and take it from him.

“Mom,” he bites out, stopping her in her tracks. “Edith is green around the gills right now. I know it’s been a bit, but I read all about how most women struggle to eat heavy and greasy foods in the morning.” I jolt when I feel a foot bump against mine. Leaning toward me, he gentles his voice. “Only try if you want. You here to see the cats?”

I’m so overwhelmed and taken aback by this little piece of toast, it’s taking everything in me to not dissolve into a puddle of tears. I literally cannot speak right now.

Stiffening when Mason runs a hand over my back, apparently picking up on my turmoil, he pulls it back when it’s clear I’m very much on edge. Instead, he picks his conversation back up with his father and I pretend I can’t feel the way Mrs. Cooper keeps throwing glances in my direction.

I pick at the piece of toast, leaving the butter where it’s at because honestly, barf. The idea of spreading it out is enough to have me emptying my water glass again. This time, it’s Mr. Cooper who takes it for a refill, and I thank him quietly for his thoughtfulness.

Not everybody offers kindness with the expectation that it has to be returned.

My therapist’s guidance has been my lifeline since I got home, and I’m so thankful for the time she’s given me over the past few months.

After finishing half my meal, I glance toward Mrs. Cooper with an apology on my lips, hating that I’m wasting her food. She must know what I’m about to say because she quickly picks up my plate and clears it without complaint.

Standing, both Mason and his father rise with me, but I wave them off. “Please, finish eating. I’m just going to sneak out back to see the kittens and get out of your hair. I appreciate breakfast, and it was nice to see you.”

There, that was pleasant enough.Mason frowns, but surprisingly, doesn’t argue. Maybe he’ll keep his distance until I’m ready to have the bigger conversation we eventually do need, but right now, I just want to see the babies I’ve missed like crazy.

Mrs. Cooper forces me to take a bottle of water, and before I know it, I’m alone outside, hurrying to the barn my kittens have made their home.

As soon as I shut myself in, their cries fill my ears and I drop to my knees, scooping them up to check them over.

“Babies! You’re so big!” I croon, kissing their heads and reveling in their purrs. Bonnie immediately curls up in my lap once I’m seated on the ground with my legs crossed. Buck and Billy are literally climbing me, fighting over who can tuck their heads under my chin first.

These guys aren’t babies anymore, that’s for sure. They must be around seven months and they look like adult cats, minus the maturity part where they gain those few extra pounds to really fill out. They’re lanky, and I can’t stop my happy tears as they fall. Mason has taken care such great care of them. All three seem so happy and content. I couldn’t have given them the life they need, and that eats at me.

Billy runs away, then brings back a tiny little toy mouse which seems well played with. Dropping it next to me, he bats it with his paw, drawing Buck’s attention. The two of them start tumbling and pouncing on each other as they fight, but Bonnie stays right where she is, eyeing her brothers from her perch through slitted eyes.

I’m not sure how long I sit with them, but Mason leaves me in peace through our reunion and we play for so long an ache builds in my lower back, forcing me to keep stretching my right leg out to rub away the pain.

The doctor said I’ll be feeling a lot of hip and nerve tenderness as my body readies itself to give birth, but it’s nothing like I expected. I wish I had someone I could talk to who’s been through this before. Unfortunately, I’ve been limited to my doctor and her few nurses to answer the million questions I always seem to have.

Eventually, all three of the kittens, although I should be calling them cats now, are curled around me, twitching ears and paws as they doze off in a little pile, Bonnie buried at the bottom.

With a sigh, I debate moving them now or let them sleep and suffer through the pulsing pain shooting through my hip to my knee.

“Why don’t I move them for you? You look uncomfortable.”

Turning my head slowly so I don’t disturb the sleeping babies, I find Mason leaning against the door with his arms crossed and a foot propped behind him.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to see proof the little asshole is fuckin’ with me. He hasn’t given me an inch in the whole five months you were gone.” Looking irritated, he complains, “The shit loves Fin and Jax, though, if you can believe it.”

Peering down at Billy, I run the tip of my finger over the bridge of his nose, smiling when he twitches his whiskers. “So, you three are friends now?”

“We’ve got somethin’ pretty important in common. Only seems fittin’ that we’d handle our shit and find some peace between us. Don’t know what you see in them, though. Fin’s a jackass and Jax is a bit full of himself, if you ask me.”

My lips turn down and I open my mouth to argue, but his bark of laughter silences me.

“I’m just teasin’, girl. They’re alright. We’ve worked out our shit.”

“How?”

Holding his hand out, he studies his knuckles, grinning as if he’s remembering something pleasant. “We may have used our fists to clear up the majority of our disagreements.”

His face falls when he sees the look of horror on my face, then steps forward and squats down next to me. “That wasn’t supposed to upset you. Honestly, we were all pretty fucked up in our heads and after layin’ out our sins, gettin’ our asses chewed out by Ruthie, and learnin’ that we all did wrong, it was needed.”

Shaking my head hard, my lips are turned down so hard my face actually hurts from it. “I won’t—” My voice breaks and I gulp hard. “I won’t be around that. I won’t let my daughter be around that, either. Violence—”

He palms the side of my face and hushes me. “I swear to you, girl, it won’t happen again. It’ll never happen again, and you won’t see an ounce of anything but love from all of us. Do you trust me?”

I chew on the corner of my lip and pull my face away. Do I trust him? Not really. Not when it matters. Mason hasn’t ever lied to me that I know of, but his kindness is something new and I’m not sure I trust what part is really him.

Sighing sadly, he quirks the corner of his mouth up. “Trust is a hard thing to earn from someone, especially if it’s been lost once. It’s not impossible, though.” Maybe he can tell I’m not prepared to dive deeper because he changes the subject. “Want to go visit Austin? I got him out in the ring.”

Giving in, I nod. Removing Bonnie and Buck from my lap, he leaves Billy, who’s peering at him with malice from one eye barely cracked open. “You can move him. My advice would be to just shove him off, but I wouldn’t want you to suffer those demon claws as punishment.” Considering my position on the ground, he shakes his head. “Actually, no. I’ll move him, then help you up.”

Quickly, Mason scoops up Billy, who comes alive in the blink of an eye, whipping his little paw out and batting at his hands and Mason runs him over to where his siblings are. Shaking out his hand and checking over the fresh cuts, he makes some sort of hissing sound at Billy before returning to me.

They really don’t like each other, which is shocking because Billy is such a sweet little guy.

Instead of offering me a hand, Mason moves behind me and lifts me up by slipping his hands under my arms. With the added weight on my feet, my leg buckles slightly and I ease the ache away.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” His concern is evident as he watches me massage my palm into my muscle.

Grunting, I test my balance, then once I know I’m good, I move a few steps away. “It’s not my leg. It’s my hip. Just growing pains.”

I can tell he wants to ask more, but accepting my answer, he offers his hand, which I don’t take, then leads us outside to Austin.

As soon as the beautiful boy comes into view, I pick up my pace and hurry to him. “Austin!” I call out, laughing when jerks his head up after hearing my voice, then spins around to find my location.

The moment he sees me, he excitedly bounds over. I can’t wait to touch him, so I slip through the small fencing and run at him. Inches from touching his nose, Mason’s arms wrap around me and suddenly I’m face to face with his broad back.

“What are you doing?” I breathe out, shocked by our new position.

“You need to calm down, buddy.” Mason is murmuring to his horse, who’s shifting side to side anxiously in an attempt to get to me.

Pushing pathetically against his side, I grunt. “Just let me around. He’ll calm as soon as I can pet him.”

“He needs to calm the fuck down,” Mason tosses over his shoulder, holding his arms out. With a glare, they face off until Austin actually snorts and stands still, his tail twitching side to side wildly. “Now you can go to him.”

Taking a step to the side, I round Mason’s planted feet and rest my hands on Austin’s nose and neck, stroking his fur.

He leans his head heavily against my shoulder in an attempt to get closer and I laugh, tears filling my eyes once again. “I’ve missed you,” I whisper, pressing kisses to his cheek.

Dropping his head down, he nuzzles my stomach, which honestly feels incredibly odd. My eyes widen when he sniffs, but Mason is quick to push him away, putting his body between us once again.

With a growl, he orders, “Stay away from there, buddy. You’ll hurt her.”

I roll my eyes, then look around the small field, spying the toy I brought him on one of the first days I was here. Picking it up, I bring it back and Austin yanks his head away from Mason to grab the rope from my hand, then prances away, already spinning it in wide circles.

“He loves that fuckin’ thing.”

Nodding in agreement, I smile as we watch him dance and play around for a bit. Eventually, I laugh when Austin accidentally throws it over the fence, and he looks so forlornly at it now that it’s out of reach.

“I’ve really fuckin’ missed you,” Mason murmurs softly. Turning to him, I notice he’s only looking at me and nothing else, pain etched in his features.

My laugh dies down and I drop my eyes. “I should probably get back to the house. Thank you for letting me see them today.”

“You never need my permission. Come all you want. Better yet, let me know when you’re headed over and I’ll make sure I’m here.”

“I owe you for—”

“You owe me nothin’,” he bites out firmly, then more gently, “Absolutely nothin’.”

I don’t want to argue, so I whisper a goodbye and walk away. Only to find Jaxon sitting on my front step when I make it back home.