Chapter Fifteen – Haven
Chapter Fifteen
HAVEN
I wasn’t sure what in the world had happened to Nate. It was like a switch went off when Brock had announced it was time to start game night.
My mother walked up next to me and leaned in to whisper, “They take game night seriously here, don’t they? Did you see how everyone instantly started putting their…game faces on?”
“I noticed,” I replied. “I think it’s too late to say we’ll sit this out.”
“What are they carrying!” my mother said, jerking her head to where Josh and Brock were walking.
“What does he have in his arms?”
“Sacks, Haven. Burlap sacks. I think this is going to get physical.”
I laughed. “I’ve never heard of any horror stories on the local news about the game nights, so I think we’re fine.”
Brock stopped, dropped the sacks, and then turned to face everyone. On one side of the large backyard, there were ropes set up to make lanes. Thank goodness the snow had stopped falling; otherwise, it could get a bit slippery. The other side was where all of the orange balloons were. There was also a smaller course next to the big one, and a smaller patch of balloons next to the larger patch. I was guessing those were for the little ones.
Brock clapped his hands and got everyone’s attention.
“First game up is the pumpkin patch stomp.”
All the little kids jumped and cheered.
“Mom and Lincoln will be in charge of the kiddos’ games. They are the only two who have an exemption from participating in our event. Everyone else is playing.”
“Oh, dear,” my mother whispered.
“How are the teams going to be divided?” Rose called out.
“Girls against guys!” Lily shouted.
Before I knew it, the women were on one side of the yard, and the men were on the other. The kids were already playing their game and not paying attention to the grownups at all.
“First up, the sack races,” Brock stated with what I could only describe as an evil smile.
“Gather around, ladies!” Rose called out.
Once in the circle, I noticed Sophia was on my left, Kipton was on my right, and Rose was in the middle.
“Okay, I’m pregnant and not so sure the race is something I should participate in. Anyone else preggers?”
Everyone glanced around the circle, and all eyes landed on me.
“Me?” I squeaked out. “Why are you all looking at me?”
A few of them shrugged as my mother’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
“Well, I can tell you, I’m not pregnant.”
“Anyone else?” Rose asked, slowly scanning the group. Once she was sure no one else was pregnant, she smiled. “Okay. I discovered they are drawing names on who is going up against whom. I want you to give it your all, ladies. We have a streak of winning anytime it is girls against guys.” Her eyes found me again. “Are you prepared to give it your all?”
Sophia cried out, “She is! She’s a fighter!”
Everyone clapped, including my mother.
“Mom? You’re doing the sack races?” I asked.
Giving me a look that said I had just asked a stupid question, my mother laughed. “Of course, I am.”
“But…you just said?”
Waving me off, my mother clapped her hands and cried out, “Let’s beat the guys!”
Rose pointed to my mother. “See, that’s what I’m talking about, people. Get your game faces on!”
They all put their hands in the middle, and I quickly joined.
“On the count of three, women rule. Got it?” Rose asked. “One. Two. Three!”
“Women rule!”
Everyone drew their hands back and clapped, then broke apart. It was then I noticed my mother running in place. My mouth fell open as I watched her start stretching.
“What is happening?” I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.
Sophia leaned in. “I know. It’s like this weird power that comes over you when it’s game night. I had to play it cool my first time.”
I slowly turned and looked at her. “You had to play it cool?”
With a nod, Sophia said. “Well, yeah, you can’t let them know you’ve got it in you. I advise you to play it like you’re worried, then unleash the dogs when it’s your turn!”
“The dogs?”
“Don’t mind me. I just said the first thing that came to mind. Blame it on the adrenaline.”
“Did you eat or drink something I didn’t?” I asked, looking back at my mother, who was now doing bendovers and touching her toes. “I think my mother had the same thing as you.”
Then I saw Nate. He had his ankle in his hand and was stretching his quads. “Oh my God. They’ve all gone crazy.”
When Rose blew a whistle, I jumped. Since Rose was sitting out the race, she had declared herself the person to announce the teams.
“First up is Lily and Tanner.”
Lily fist-pumped, pointed to her father, and yelled, “You’re going down, old man!”
My hand came up to my mouth as I tried not to laugh.
Tanner rolled his shoulders. “Bring it on, little lady. Bring. It. On. I brought you into this world and, well, you know the rest…”
I watched as they climbed into the sacks and got to the line.
Rose had clearly taken over as she called out, “Each team will go to the end, ring the bell, then come back. The next team will be ready to go.”
“Do we each get a sack to climb into and get ready, or do they have to take off their sack and let the next person get in it?” I asked.
All heads turned to look in my direction as Hunter pointed to me. “Yes! I like that idea better. Makes it harder and should be some good laughs.”
Everyone nodded and started to agree. Brock hit Nate on the back. “I like her. I like her a lot.”
Nate winked at me, and I felt my cheeks heat.
“Okay, listen up for your number and pay attention to who is up before you so you know when to get up to the line!” Rose stated.
Lucky for me, I was last and paired with Nate.
“Last spot,” Sophia said as she looked at me with a concerned expression. “Yikes.”
I instantly panicked. “Why yikes? Why do you say that?”
She shrugged. “I just don’t think I would want to be bringing up the rear. What if the girls are winning and you mess up?”
“Why…why would I mess up?”
Another shrug. “I’m just saying, I wouldn’t want to go last.”
Before I had time to ponder her words, the sack races started. And I had never laughed so hard in my entire life. Lily had started strong, with Tanner running slightly behind. But when it came time to get out of the sack and get Kipton in, who was second and jumping against Blayze, everything that could go wrong did. Lily’s bracelet got stuck in the sack, and in a rapid decision, Rose declared nothing from the previous jumper could be left in or attached to the sack. Sweet Kipton, who on all accounts appeared to be the loveliest of them all, screamed out, “Rip the mother f’er off! Hurry!”
It went on each time. Someone’s leg got stuck, or their hair got stuck. Ty’s watch somehow got stuck in Maverick’s hair, and since it wasn’t stuck to the bag, Rose declared it was okay. I laughed until I almost peed as Maverick jumped down the lane with the watch hitting his eyes with every jump.
My mother and Brock were next. I stood there stunned, hearing my mother screaming for Timberlynn to jump faster as Beck somehow stumbled and fell.
“What are you doing, man?” Brock cried out. “Get your butt up, son, and move!”
“What happened to my mother?” I asked as I stared at my mother. When my mother accidentally bumped into Brock, I heard some of the men screaming for a penalty. Rose waved her hands.
“She stumbled, yet no one said anything when Bryson ran into Avery!”
I soon found myself yelling for my mother to go faster.
“Haven!” Rose cried out. “You’re up next, so get into place.”
I quickly made my way to the starting line. Nate stood next to me.
“Good luck!” I said with a smile.
“Do not wish him luck!” Lily cried out. “He’s the enemy.”
Blinking a few times, I looked from Lily to Nate. He was focused on his uncle Brock hopping toward him. The look on his face nearly had me laughing.
“It’s just a game, Nate.”
He snapped his head to me. Then he smiled. A smile that said he was confident he was going to win this one for the boys.
I stood up straight. “You don’t think I can beat you, do you?”
With a half smile, he turned back and started yelling for Brock to go faster. My mother was barely in front of Brock.
“Jump faster, Mom! Kick his ass!”
“Little ears!” someone shouted from behind me.
“Not now, Mom!” Rose cried out. “She’s getting into the spirit finally!”
“Mom, jump faster!”
My mother must have dug deep because she started jumping longer distances and speeding up.
“Yes! Go! Go! Go!” I cried out. I quickly removed my shoes, which no one else had done until then. I pulled off my necklace and tossed it up into the air.
“Hey, that hit me!” Nate cried out.
“Stop whining!” I shouted as I started to run in place. My mother was almost there, but Brock was close behind.
“Sir, I don’t mean to yell at you, but hurry the hell up, old man!” Nate cried out.
My mother fell to the ground and quickly slipped out of the sack as I picked it up, climbed into it, and took off. Brock slipped right before the finish line, and I could hear Nate yelling for him to get out.
“Move, man, move!” Nate cried out.
I knew the moment Nate was jumping in the sack when the men started shouting. I didn’t dare look behind me. I needed to focus. The girls were counting on me, and it was my first game night at the Shaws’, so I wasn’t about to let them down.
“Go, Haven, go!” I heard my mother yell out.
Running along the side of the course, Rose was shouting out encouragements.
“Should you be running?” I called out once I got to the end and turned. Nate was close behind. Our eyes met, and he smirked—he actually smirked.
Rose motioned with her arms for me to keep going. “Focus, man! Focus! Stop flirting with the enemy!”
I could see the finish line. It was right there. I could also feel Nate gaining on me.
Think, Haven! Think!
Nate came up alongside me, and I quickly looked at him. I couldn’t let him win. A memory of us playing dodgeball came to mind from when we were younger. Nate had thrown the ball so hard, hitting me in the face. He instantly ran over to me and asked if I was okay. That’s when it hit me. I knew what I had to do.
“My ankle!” I cried out, acting as if I was about to fall to the ground. Nate turned to look at me, obviously out of concern, stumbled, and lost his balance. I took advantage of the moment and jumped as fast as possible.
“You little cheater!” Nate cried out as he pushed himself up and started coming for me faster. I gave one last jump and crossed the finish line. I was quickly surrounded by women taking turns hugging me while I was still in the sack. When they stepped back, I saw Nate standing there. He wore a smile, but there was something dark in his eyes that made my body shiver, and it wasn’t from the cold. He walked up to me, cupped my face, and kissed me. The crowd erupted into cheers, and I was pretty sure I heard my mother clear her throat.
When he drew back, I gasped for air. “What…what was that for?”
He winked at me. “For playing like a Shaw. Well done with the fake injury.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m sorry, it was the only thing I could think of doing except for pushing you over.”
He laughed. “I don’t know what it is about game night, but it brings out another side of people. Definitely the darker side.”
I was still trying to regain my breath as I nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to win so badly before in my life.”
Timberlynn, Nate’s mother, walked up to me and hugged me. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ve all been there. Let’s head on over to the next game, shall we?”
Nate took my hand as I slipped out of the sack. After I put my shoes back on, he laced his fingers with mine as we walked to the second event that was to be played.
“This time, it’s couples. The couple who pops the most balloons wins,” Stella stated as she pointed to bags filled with orange balloons. “Each bag has the same amount of balloons. So when it is each couple’s turn, they get a new bag.”
“Who thought up this game?” Beck asked as he stood behind Avery, his arms wrapped around her.
Stella’s smile slipped some as her voice caught in her throat. “It was one of the games Ty Senior had written down to play on Thanksgiving.”
A somber mood quickly washed over the large crowd before Nate clapped his hands. “Then let’s play this game so he has a good laugh upstairs.”
Stella beamed at her grandson. “Shall we start with the older couples and work our way down?”
“Kaylee and I will go first,” Ty said as he took his wife’s hand. They entered the area that had been made into a small pen with panels set up in a large circle. I was assuming it was so the balloons would stay in that area.
“Okay, there are fifty balloons. You have one minute to try and pop as many as possible!” Stella said as she held up a stopwatch. “On your marks, get set, go!”
Ty and Kaylee started stomping on the balloon, but each one kept slipping from under their feet. They ended up laughing more than anything. In the end, they had only popped seventeen balloons, but they both wore huge smiles on their faces.
Stella used a blower to blow the balloons out of the makeshift corral. Then the kids all started playing with the balloons.
Ty brought another bag in and dumped the balloons out.
“Goodness, who blew up all of these balloons?” I asked Nate.
“If I know my grandmother, she has a machine she used to do it.”
“You guys take game nights seriously, don’t you?”
Nate looked at me and laughed. “We do.”
The next couple was Brock and Lincoln. They had popped twenty-five. Tanner and Timberlynn were next. Timberlynn was laughing so hard that she started to do the pee-pee dance and declared she was about to pee her pants, to which her granddaughter Maggie said, “Do you need a big girl diaper, Grammy?”
Blayze and Georgiana were next. They argued for the first twenty seconds about how to pop the balloons and only got ten.
Morgan and Ryan got thirty-one, the highest yet. Rose and Bryson sat out the game, as did Avery and Beck.
Kipton and Hunter tried to beat Morgan and Ryan but only tied them.
When it was Lily and Maverick’s turn, they smiled and declared they would be the winners. They were nowhere close to being winners, with only nine balloons popped since they were both laughing too hard to even try.
All eyes turned to Bradley and Mackenzie. When her face turned bright red, and she shook her head, Merit, Bradley’s mother, gasped. That caused Lincoln and Timberlynn to do the same.
“What’s happening?” I asked Lily.
“Mackenzie is pregnant.”
“What?” I asked. “How do you know?”
“How far along are you?” Merit asked.
Bradley took Mackenzie’s hand in his. “Fifteen weeks,” Mackenzie softly said. “I’m due March 19th.”
Cheers erupted as everyone waited patiently to congratulate the happy couple. I’d met Mackenzie often over the last few years. She helped run the you-pick-it farm that Merit and her brother Michael owned. Once the congratulations were over, Josh and Sophia stepped into the corral. They ended up getting thirty-six.”
My mother and Stella went next. They spent more time on the ground laughing than anything, which in turn had everyone else laughing.
“Last but certainly not least, Nate and Haven.”
Nate took my hand and pulled me into the corral. He bent his head so only I could hear him. “Okay, we need to play this differently.”
“How so?” I asked.
“We need to sit on them.”
My head lifted, and I looked at Nate and grinned. “You’re brilliant.”
He nodded. “I know.”
With a roll of my eyes, I pushed him away. “You take that side, and I’ll get this side.”
“No amount of planning is going to help you!” Josh cried out. “You can’t beat thirty-six.”
Nate scoffed and said, “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars we can!”
“You kids ready?” Stella asked.
“Let’s do this!” I said, jumping in place and cracking my neck. Nate looked at me and laughed.
Once Stella said go, I dropped to my ass and started sitting on as many of the orange balloons as I could. Pop! Pop! Pop! It was one balloon after another. I could hear cheers coming from all around me. I didn’t dare look at Nate, but from what I could hear, he was popping as many balloons as I was.
“Ten seconds!” Stella called out over the balloons popping. When the whistle blew, I fell back and stared at the sky. I had long since shed my jacket because all the running, jumping, and cheering had overheated me. I rolled to my side and moaned.
“There are only five balloons left!” Tanner called out. “That is forty-five balloons! Nate and Haven are the winners!”
Nate stood over me, a wide grin across his handsome face. “We won.”
I nodded. “I think I broke my tailbone. All that dog walking didn’t prepare me for this battle.”
Nate chuckled and reached down to help me up. When I stood, I winced. “Okay, maybe it’s just a bruise.”
Moving his mouth to my ear, he whispered, “I’ll massage your battered body tonight.”
My lower stomach instantly tightened with the images that popped into my mind. “I would like that.”
He moved his mouth and kissed my forehead. “You’re a trooper. Thank you for doing all of this.”
As Stella said to leave all the popped balloons, everyone started heading back into the house. Hot chocolate, dessert, and a movie were waiting for everyone.
As I started following my mother, Nate stopped me and took my hand. He was holding my jacket.
“Oh, I forgot about that.”
He drew me closer to his warm body, and only then did I feel how cold it was outside. “Thank you.”
Smiling, I asked, “For what?”
His gaze searched my face. “For being you. For fitting in with this crazy family of mine. For cheating at the sack race.”
“I did not cheat!”
Nate raised his brows.
“Fine, I may have cheated a little. I had to win it, Nate.”
His finger came up and traced down my cheek lightly. “I never knew I could be this happy.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “I’m glad you’re happy. I am as well.”
He shook his head. “You know it’s all because of you, right?”
Biting my lip, I looked down at the ground. Nate tipped my chin up so our eyes met. “I…I would love if...”
Josh poked his head out before I could ask Nate what he was trying to say. “Grams said to get inside, it’s getting colder, and the movie is about to start.”
Taking my hand in his, Nate guided us to the house. I inwardly cursed Josh for his timing. Once we stepped back into the house, everyone claimed seats in a room with a large screen that had dropped from the ceiling. Stella had a theater room in her home, with theater seating in the back, and tons of bean bags on the floor toward the screen. Most of the little ones had taken up the bean bag chairs, but Nate secured one big enough for us both to sit in.
“How did you manage to snag this one?” I asked as I sat down, a bag of popcorn in one hand and a box of Junior Mints in the other. Stella had a table filled with movie snacks, not to mention the desserts from Thanksgiving dinner, which included apple, pumpkin, and cherry pie.
“I had to bribe Rhett and Ryder to give me this one.”
I laughed and looked around the room. Everyone was so happy, and that made my heart feel full. I knew this had to be a hard Thanksgiving with Ty Senior not here.
Nate set two bottles of water down and then sat next to me. The lights dimmed, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving started to play. I snuggled deeper against Nate and couldn’t help but smile. I wanted every Thanksgiving to be exactly like this one.