Epilogue Two and a Half Cass
Any other day and I might’ve been more focused on making things better with Savannah and agreeing to host a pool party with all six of our boyfriends.
Any other day and I might’ve even cared that I’d sat in a pile of glitter hiding on one of Aunt Jolene’s dining chairs.
I hardly even noticed the way Elvis’ stuff had exponentially increased the amount of rhinestones littering the floor.
I’d completely forgotten that Aunt Jolene had big news she wanted to share.
All I could think about were the two pink lines that had stared back at me from the pregnancy test I’d taken just before we left home.
Pregnant. I was pregnant. Everything else faded to the background as I silently panicked.
We’d never talked about having kids. Not in any real way.
I didn’t know what the guys were going to say but I was terrified it was too soon.
The draft was coming up. I was working hard to finish my degree and had already agreed to multiple interviews for jobs after graduation. I was considering grad school. Cash was making plans for his new business. Things were hectic and I’d just learned I was about to drop a chaos bomb in the mix.
Staring down my fried peanut butter and banana sandwich I wondered if they guys were going to freak out.
Would they be angry or think I didn’t take my birth control the way I was supposed to?
With Sam popping up every so often to cause trouble, I knew he’d say I’d trapped his sons for their money.
Even though I knew the guys would never think that, I still worried.
“Hey. Earth to Cassidy.” Aunt Jolene waved her hand in my face and laughed. “Did you hear what I just said?”
I shook myself out of my trance and looked up to see her holding my pregnancy test. I gasped and tried to snatch it away from her before anyone saw it. “What are you doing? How’d you get that?”
Her eyes went wide. “What the hell do you mean, how did I get it? I bought it and peed on it. And what I’m doing is announcing that I’m pregnant!”
I gasped and tried to correct my face so I didn’t look so panicked. “Oh! Yeah! Sorry, I wasn’t- Wait! You’re pregnant?!”
She pointed at me with her pee stick. “Cassidy. What was that? Where did you think I’d gotten the test from?”
“Forget that! Let’s focus on the fact that you’re pregnant! That’s amazing!” I quickly drained my water and forced a laugh. “You’re going to have to get custom baby clothes made so the kid will fit in around here.”
“Cassidy?” Cash cupped the back of my arm and smiled. “You okay?”
“Custom rhinestone baby clothes aside, tell me why you’re freaking out.” Aunt Jolene looked at the pee stick again and then gasped loudly. She stood up from the table so fast that her chair tipped over and landed on a pile of tassels. “You thought I’d found this pregnancy test somewhere else!”
I laughed but it was too loud and shrill. “I’m not freaking out! I’m not! You’re freaking out!”
“Of course, I’m freaking out! I hadn’t thought about rhinestone baby clothes yet! But I’m also freaking out because you’re-”
“Holy fuck.” West stood up and tipped his own chair into a shelf of wig forms, each holding meticulously styled wigs. “Cassidy?”
Elvis put his sandwich down and shook his head. “You’re both pregnant? Really?”
“What?! No! Why would you even say something like that?! That’s crazy!
” I reached over and grabbed Hayes’ water and chugged it.
“What is everyone freaking out over? Let’s just eat our Elvis-themed dinner and celebrate the good news.
Aunt Jolene and Elvis’ good news, I mean!
I have no good news. I mean, I have no news at all! ”
“I thought we put you on birth control! I’m too young to be a grandma!” Aunt Jolene whined while shaking a hot pink fingernail in my direction.
“I thought you put yourself on birth control! Don’t make this about me! You’re older. You should’ve known better than me! Maybe I’m just following the example you set!”
“Of course I don’t know better! Sex with Elvis makes me stupid! I get too into it and I like when he com-”
“Okay, Jolene! I don’t think we need to share all of that.” Elvis looked at me. “So. You’re following her example? Which would mean…”
Hayes pulled me out of my chair and held my shoulders. “Strawberry? Are you pregnant?”
Tears filled my eyes and I nodded.
West threw off his cowboy hat and pushed Hayes out of the way to pick me up and swing me around. We knocked over multiple bowls of buttons and sequins but when he held me tight while letting out a war cry I couldn’t care. “Fuck, yeah!”
I laughed through my tears and looked from his elated face to Hayes and Cash. “And you two? Is… Is it okay?”
Hayes grasped my head and kissed me until I felt like my lips would fall off. “If you thought you were ours before, sweetheart, you have no idea. You might as well start signing your name Cassidy Ford.”
Cash gripped the back of my neck and pulled me into his chest. “You don’t need to worry, Cassidy. We love you. We want a family with you.”
“I’m going to stab each of you boys in the ass cheek for knocking my baby up but oh, my god, Cass.
Think of our babies. We can even get a little rhinestone football uniform for my grand niece or nephew.
I need to start working on some ideas. If I contact my rhinestone guy right now I can go ahead and get started! ”
West looked at Cash and then grinned at me. “Maybe a football uniform. Or maybe something else. Whatever they want to be, we’re going to love them more than you can even imagine, Cassidy.”
“And my glitter guy! What time is it in Tokyo?” Aunt Jolene pulled out her phone and started typing away.
I was wrapped up in my men, being held while they freaked out about being dads in the best way possible. Tears spilled over as I let myself feel how wanted, how loved I was. For the first time in my life I had no doubts about the fact that I was someone’s top priority.
“I have a glitter guy in Canada who can get it cheaper.” Elvis pulled out his own phone. “Jean Paul is brilliant at curating the best glitter you’ve ever seen.”
Aunt Jolene scoffed. “I’ve seen your glitter. Mine’s better.”
Cash pressed his lips to the skin under my ear and moaned. “Let’s go shake off all this glitter in West’s back seat, baby. The idea of you pregnant with our baby is making me fucking crazy.”
West looked angry for a few seconds and then licked his lips. “You know what? Yeah, we should go. Let’s leave the happy couple to their glitter argument.”
Hayes grabbed his sandwich and took a few giant bites before looking at me with a messy face and stuffed cheeks. “What? I’m going to need the energy.”
I gave Aunt Jolene a pathetic excuse for a hug and backed away with my men already racing to the door. “Um, we have to go. I just remembered we left the…fan…on. Um. Bye!”
“Don’t forget we have that date with Hayes tomorrow to catch up with the housewives!”
As if I’d ever forget our weekly trash TV date. Not even three hot-blooded men with raging desires and a baby thrown into the mix could make me forget. I wondered if Savannah liked the housewives shows and if she’d want to hang out with us.
I didn’t get too far into that thought before I was picked up and carried to the truck. So maybe three hot-blooded men with raging desires could make me forget just a bit. Especially when they were trying so hard.
By the time we got back to our house that night West’s truck had a shocking amount of glitter inside and a few new scratches outside but he had a wide grin on his face that didn’t look like it’d ever budge.
The End.