Chapter 26
Bidding War
Wheeler
My heart twists when Duke pulls into the parking lot beside a cute little building just off Main Street.
There’s a playground to our left, and to our right is a series of raised garden beds that burst with greenery and flowers.
The sidewalk is covered in rainbows drawn in chalk. A game of hopscotch is underway nearby, a handful of little boys and girls attempting to skip on one leg, their faces split into smiles.
“Adorable,” I breathe.
Duke puts the truck in park and turns off the engine. “Nice little spot. It’s Hartsville’s only preschool—used to be a church—and with all the newcomers we have, they need to add some more classes. That’s what they’re raising money for tonight, to fix up the new classrooms.”
There’d be room for our baby, then.
The thought takes me off guard.
I can only stare as Duke hops out of the truck and walks around the hood to open my door for me. He looks so good.
So fucking handsome in his hat and his jeans and those gold-rimmed aviators, and so different from everything I thought I wanted. Everything I thought I knew.
When I was younger, I thought I’d end up with someone like Dad or Preston.
The type of guy who had a corporate job and went to work in khakis and a polo emblazoned with a prep school logo.
That’s how all my guy friends from high school and college ended up.
I imagined I’d pair off with one of them, date him for a while, get married at thirty, have a baby at thirty-five.
That path, that way of life, was all I knew.
All I thought existed.
When I decided not to pursue a law degree and started Bellamy Brooks instead, I knew I was forfeiting the chance to ever be with a guy like that.
After all, a successful man who came from a good family would never want a broke creative type for a girlfriend or wife who was, by all accounts, going nowhere fast.
For a long time, that fact stung. I felt embarrassed. Shameful even.
Now, I’m so glad I didn’t end up with one of Preston’s prep school friends. Maybe I get to end up with a cowboy instead.
Maybe I finally get to embrace who I really am and what I really want, something I’m not sure I could do if I still lived in my parents’ world.
Duke opens my door and holds out his hand. Taking it, I am brimming with a profound sense of gratitude. Who knew coming to a small town in the middle of nowhere would broaden my horizons in such an epic way? There’s a whole universe outside the place I’m from and the people I grew up with.
A whole different way of life that isn’t objectively any better or worse than how I grew up. It’s just different.
The kind of different I’m really starting to like.
“Thank you.” Holding on to Duke’s hand, I step onto the cracked pavement. Beside us, Ava and Sawyer are unloading the kids from his black Silverado.
Ella and Junie scream when they see us.
“Uncle D!” Ella makes a beeline for him, wrapping her arms around his legs. “You’re here! Daddy said you were coming.”
Junie eyes me. “Mommy didn’t say Miss Wheeler was coming too.”
Sawyer shuts the car door and grins. “We didn’t want to jinx it. So happy you made it, Wheeler.” He comes over and wraps me in a hug. “Thank you for coming. Means a lot.”
I give him a squeeze. “Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to see this art I’ve been hearing so much about.” I let go of Sawyer and hold out my hands to the girls. “Y’all wanna show me what you made?”
Junie and Ella bounce on their toes, all smiles. Junie takes my right hand, and Ella takes my left.
“I love your beautiful shoes,” she says.
“And your jewels,” Junie says, staring at my earrings. “Can I wear those?”
Ava laughs and starts walking beside us. “Those are for pierced ears, Bug. When you’re a little older, we’ll get yours pierced, and then you can wear any earrings you want.”
I give Junie’s hand a squeeze. “How fun is that gonna be? I’ll save all my favorite earrings for you.”
“I love you, Miss Wheeler.” She beams at me.
I burst out laughing. “That’s all it takes, huh?”
“She’s got a big heart,” Ava says.
Sawyer chuckles. “And expensive taste.”
“You’re in trouble, brother.” Duke claps Sawyer on the shoulder. “You lucky bast—bum. You lucky bum.”
The girls see a friend, so they drop my hands and take off running. The guys hang by the open doors at the front of the school where several teachers are handing out paddles for bidding.
Ava nudges me with her elbow. “I love your outfit.”
“Thanks. Duke and I are heading to dinner after this, so figured I’d put some real clothes on.”
She grins. “I heard y’all are going on a date. I’m happy for you guys.”
For a split second, I think about keeping up the pretense that she doesn’t know I’m pregnant. It’s easier that way. Less awkward if we stick to polite topics of conversation. I’m still getting used to the fact that all Duke’s family will probably know all our business for, well, ever.
But all of a sudden, the idea of pretending makes me feel suffocated. I’m not going to get anywhere in any area of my life if I don’t talk about anything real. Look how far Duke and I have come in such a short amount of time, largely because I’ve tried my best to be open and honest with him.
Something tells me Ava doesn’t mind real.
She was a single mom before she moved in with Sawyer, and I’ve seen firsthand just how much she appreciates honesty and authenticity.
She loves to cut loose at the Rattler every so often.
Last time we were there, seemingly ages ago, she and I shut the place down, Tallulah shaking her head at us as we worked the dance floor despite us being the only people left in the bar.
So what if Ava judges me for whatever choice Duke and I end up making? Maybe she’ll think less of me if I get an abortion. Or maybe she’ll understand and offer some crucial insight into parenthood and kids and pregnancy and relationships and—well—everything.
Because the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced I want this baby.
I keep my voice low. “I’m sure you’ve heard I’m pregnant?”
“I have.” Ava’s grin doesn’t waver, and a sense of calm comes over me. She’s not freaking out, so why should I? “How are you feeling?”
I seesaw my hand. “I feel pretty good right now. But the morning sickness hit me hard pretty early. When it happens, it’s awful.”
“Truly the worst. I never threw up, but I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life for ten straight weeks.”
“Yes! That’s exactly how it feels—like a bad hangover. The exhaustion, the headaches, the brain fog.”
Ava nods at Duke, who’s chatting happily with an older woman wearing a name tag. Mrs. Hobson. “How’s he doing? Ryder told me he caught him whistling the other day while they tacked up their horses. Mind you, it was five a.m. Ryder couldn’t believe how chipper Duke was.”
My pulse riots. “Does Duke not usually whistle?”
“Not that I know of. Definitely not at five a.m.”
I feel my lips pull into a smile. “He’s been…in surprisingly good spirits. We haven’t made any decisions. Like, we’re obviously not together—”
“Oh, sweetie, y’all are together.” She looks at me. “You’re sick, but you’re still glowing. Tells me all I need to know. He’s taking good care of you, isn’t he?”
My heart’s doing several backflips per minute at this point. “He’s been absolutely wonderful, every step of the way.”
“Duke’s an excellent human being. All the Rivers boys are.” She nods at Ryder, who waves to us as he approaches from the parking lot. “My ex—Junie’s dad—he was definitely not excellent. Makes all the difference when you’re with someone who adores you for who you are and who pulls his weight.”
I nudge her with my elbow. “You’re the one who’s glowing.”
“I am.” She crosses her arms and looks at me.
“Ella and Junie are at a great age. It’s lots of fun, plus we got to ditch the diapers.
I love my man. Love my job. For so long, I felt like life wasn’t coming together the way I’d hoped.
I wanted my marriage to be something it wasn’t, and I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do career-wise.
The stuff that was supposed to make me happy didn’t.
It was only when I veered off the beaten path that I found what I didn’t know I was looking for. ”
I swallow, hard, and watch Duke scoop Junie onto his hip. “What was that?”
She takes a deep breath through her nose, pondering. “Freedom.”
“You found freedom in settling down?”
“I wouldn’t call what I’m doing with Sawyer ‘settling down.’ It’s more like…settling in. Settling into who I really am, chasing after what I really want, and doing it all with a super handsome cowboy by my side.”
Chuckling, I watch said handsome cowboy chase Ella down the sidewalk. “So your career is working out? How are y’all making that happen? Because I feel like I’m just hitting my stride…”
“And you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by having a baby.
” Ava nods. “I’m not surprised Bellamy Brooks is heading for the stratosphere.
I love my pair.” She kicks out her foot, revealing the tan-and-coral midcalf boot Mollie and I gave her to wear on her first date with Sawyer.
“I won’t lie to you. Having a career and a baby at the same time is not easy.
But it’s definitely doable if you’re having that baby with the right guy.
He’ll make sure you get the help you need.
He’ll pull his weight. Be a real partner.
Because at the end of the day, he doesn’t want to hold you back or trap you.
He wants to make your dreams come true as much as you do. ”
A happy, achy feeling takes root in my center. I recognize all that in Duke.
He’s doing all that already.
“What if I want to make his dreams come true too?” I manage. “He loves to travel and try new things. See new places. I’d hate to think the baby and I would keep him from doing that.”