Chapter 22 - Lucas
I was nervous as I stood outside with the guys. Gina said she was going to come a little later after she finished a few things online. So, I came earlier, hoping she didn't decide not to come at all.
"You look green," Cayden said, cracking a beer next to me. Cayden took a swig of it, raising an eyebrow at him. "You look like someone punched you."
I glared at him. "I do not."
"You do," Owen said, opening the cooler next to them.
I took a deep breath in, hoping it helped. I switched my beer into my other hand and sighed. "I just want to make sure she has a good time when she comes. You all can be a lot sometimes."
"Wow, we're seeing a different side of you," Owen said with a smirk, cracking his drink open.
"Oh, shut up," I grumbled, looking towards the parking lot—still no sign of her.
I looked at the girls, who were all sitting at the picnic table chatting already. The kids were playing ball in the grass while Ayden got the grill going. We had everything set up outside, even though there was a possibility of it raining.
"So, how are things between you two now?" Cayden asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you guys talk about the baby yet?"
"We're fine," I said, unsure how else to describe it. We had yet to talk about the baby. I knew we would have to, but I didn't think either of us were ready. I figured maybe if she got out of the house and relaxed a little, we would be able to.
I spotted her vehicle pulling up and swallowed, watching as she got out. She was wearing a long white dress. She had pulled her hair up into a messy bun and walked down the sidewalk towards us.
I headed for her, watching her eyes bouncing around, taking everyone in.
"Hey, did you get everything that you needed done?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I just have a few things left. Looks like it's going to rain, though."
I nodded. "Once the food is done, we are going to eat it upstairs."
She nodded, and I wet my lips. "Do you want me to introduce you to all the girls?"
She nodded, and I waved a hand, letting her walk first. I could feel her nervousness and hoped it would calm.
We walked over to the table, where Wendy smiled. "Gina, so glad you could join us."
I was confused, and it must have been written on my face because Wendy smirked. "Oh, don't look so shocked, Lucas. I'm married to Ayden. I get to know everyone in Honeyville."
"And what exactly does that make me?" Ashley asked with a laugh.
"We ran into each other the other day and had brunch," Gina said, giving us a tight smile.
"It was nice. I'm glad Lucas invited you." Wendy said, holding her gentle smile. I knew all the girls were easygoing, and I figured Gina could use some good friends, and they would all be perfect.
"Well, you know Wendy. She's married to Ayden. Ashley is married to Owen," I pointed towards Owen, who was standing beside Ayden. Ayden made a face at him, so Owen likely said something to him.
"And Laura is married to Miles," I said, Laura glaring at me now.
"You know you're still on my shit list, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I figured," I said, swallowing. I hadn't spoken with Laura yet and was not ready for whatever anger she would let out.
Laura looked at Gina. "You heard about their fight, right?"
Gina looked at me, seeming unsure of what to say to her. Laura then looked back at me. "Well, maybe someone will be able to talk some sense into you."
"I apologized," I said.
"That doesn't make up for the fact he has a black eye, Lucas."
"If it's any constellation, he felt bad about it," Gina offered.
"He should," she stated, still glaring at me. "While Miles is quick to forgive, I'm not as easy. So trust me, Lucas, you will make this up to us."
I felt a chill run down my spine, afraid of what she would ask of me. I'd heard plenty of stories about when Miles pissed her off, and she had him doing manual labor to make up for it.
"Sweetie," Miles wrapped a hand around her shoulder. "Let him off, we talked."
Laura still glared, and I could see her protective side kicking in. I understood it. I had crossed a line and knew that Laura would come at me at some point.
"I'll make it up to you," I said, being sure to look at Laura while I said it. Her shoulders relaxed a little, and Miles kissed the top of her hair. "Good," she said. "You can start by babysitting for us in a week so we can have a date night." A smirk pulled at her lips, and I couldn't argue with her.
"Fine," I said, feeling the tension finally disappear.
"It's going to start raining, so Ayden said to come and tell you guys to head inside. He's going to bring the burgers up, and everything else is set up in the kitchen," Miles said, patting Laura on the shoulder.
We all headed inside, the kids running ahead of us, yelling about who got to pick the TV show they were all going to watch. Inside, it was louder, and everyone seemed to be talking at once.
"So, Gina, what do you do?" Wendy asked, sitting down at the island. Ashley took a seat next to her while Laura went to set the kids up on the couch.
"I'm an IT specialist."
The girl's eyebrows all went up, and Wendy was the first to speak. "Are you serious? You must be a genius. Ayden and I were looking to set up home security at our house, and we couldn't understand a damn thing. I swear, they speak in a second language."
"It's pretty simple once you learn everything," Gina offered.
"You must do well for yourself then," Ashley said, reaching for a fry from the pile. "Those pay pretty well."
"I do decent," she said.
I glanced at her. I'd seen Gina's stuff from a glance. She did more than decent. She did extremely well for herself. She hadn't been kidding when she said she made money.
"How long is the food going to take?" Wendy grumbled.
"How is that house coming along?" Ashley asked. I've always wondered what the inside looked like. A few months ago, I ran by it a couple of times when I was really trying to see how far I could go. It's a beautiful house with lots of character."
"It's coming along pretty good," Gina said. "It certainly needed a lot of work. Doesn't help that I started the kitchen on fire."
"I bet," Wendy said. "Pity the house sat for so long."
The conversation turned to decorations and places to shop downtown. Gina seemed to relax as the girls chatted with her. It wasn't long before Ayden brought up the food, and everyone was dishing it up.
Wendy and Ayden were trying to get their meals, along with the kids. Laura was watching Micheal dish up with Miles, who was joking with him. Ashley was asking Owen to dish up for her and the kids while she took Ivy to the bathroom.
I couldn't help but think about the fact that Gina was pregnant, and that would soon be us. I glanced at her, and I could see the empty look in her eyes. She placed her hand on her stomach and frowned.
"Gina?" I leaned down slightly, "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I think I just need a little fresh air." She pulled herself out of her chair. "I'll be right back."
I watched her turn and head down the stairs. I stood frozen for a moment when Wendy stopped next to me. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah," I lied, looking at her. "She's fine."
Wendy glared at me. "That didn't look fine."
It didn't, but I didn't understand what could be wrong. Things were fine. Everyone was getting along. The girls were asking her simple questions and even smiling at her.
"She just needed a moment," I said.
When she didn't come back ten minutes later, I went looking for her. I found her outside, standing near a tree by the fire trucks. The rain was gentle now, coming down softly. She had her back to me, her arms crossed as she stared ahead.
"Hey," I spoke softly, and she turned, looking over her shoulder at me.
"Food is going to get cold," I said.
She didn't answer, and I stuffed my hands into my pocket, unsure of what to do.
"I think I'm going to go home."
I frowned. "You haven't eaten."
"I'm not feeling hungry," she said. "I'm tired. Thank them for inviting me, though. Can you thank them all up there for me?"
Before I could even say anything, Gina started to walk away, and I stood frozen, watching her. I was confused. I didn't understand what went wrong, and after a few minutes of watching her drive away, I started to grow angry.
I invited her to meet everyone, and she had just left. She didn't even eat. She didn't even have to eat if she wasn't hungry, but at least get to know everyone. She couldn't just stay wrapped up in the cocoon she had at home like the rest of the world didn't exist.
I tried stuffing the anger down as I went back upstairs. Laura was standing in the kitchen and looked at me. "Where did Gina go? Did we scare her off?"
I simply shrugged.
Laura frowned, giving me a pitiful expression. "She left, didn't she?"
I nodded, grabbing myself a plate.
Laura gave me a soft smile. "It takes time to adjust."
I gave her a nod, not wanting to talk about it. If I spoke about it, the anger would only continue to build.
After eating, I left early myself. As I drove, the anger started to grow from a simmer to a boil. By the time I got to the house, I was pissed.
When I got up to the house, Gina was sitting in the living room with a spoon in her mouth and ice cream in her lab. Her eyes were on the TV, watching a movie I had thrown in earlier.
I stormed inside and stopped in the entryway. I crossed my arms as I took her in. "I thought you weren't hungry?"
She looked at me, pulling the spoon from her mouth. "I don't think this really counts as food."
I scowled. "Why did you leave?"
She frowned. "I wasn't feeling good."
"Bullshit, Gina!"
She looked thrown as I took a few more steps towards her. "Why the hell did you leave like a kid? I don't understand. Everything was fine. Everyone was polite and nice to you, and you just up and left. You didn't even have the decency to say goodbye!"
She licked her lips, setting the spoon into her tub of ice cream. "Yes, they were extremely nice. And I felt out of sorts."
I threw my hands out. "I don't get it. You tell me you wish for something different, and I'm showing you it."
She scowled. "It's not that simple, Lucas. You can't just introduce me to a ton of people and expect me to get along with them."
"You kind of need to," I quickly added.
She set her ice cream aside. "Don't yell at me. You have no right to get angry at me for pushing me outside my comfort zone. This is all new to me."
"And you need to get used to it," I snapped back.
"And I told you that this isn't normal for me! I'm not used to people being nice. I'm not used to people being interested in what I do for a living. I'm not used to people just talking to me and not looking for a way to hurt me."
"That is my family," I snapped back. "And you need to get used to it because they will always be around once that baby is born."
We both fell quiet. The word had been spoken, and yet again, neither of us knew what to say. I sighed. "What was your plan? After the baby was born."
She swallowed, biting onto her cheek. "I didn't have one. I… I've never seen myself as a mother. I never thought that was a future I wanted." She ran a hand through her hair. "But I know I don't have a choice. Each day, I feel a stronger connection to it. I know that it's there." She placed a hand on her stomach before looking at me. "Do you see yourself as a father? Are you ready for that change?"
I didn't have an answer for her. I'd thought about it, but it wasn't something I saw in my future.