Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The Ranch
“Get up!” I hissed at Cas.
He cracked an eye open. “Shhh. It’s early.”
“It’s not that early,” I snapped, sitting up and climbing out of bed. “Don’t you hear what’s going on?”
He frowned. “There are people moving around downstairs.”
“People,” I repeated. “As in, the house is already awake, but you are still in my room.”
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
“Salem?” Wyn called.
“Hang on,” I called back.
I shoved Cas out of bed. “Bathroom,” I mouthed.
He quickly gathered his clothes and boots and made a dash for it. I appreciated his muscled backside for a moment before mentally smacking my forehead and forcing myself to remain chill.
I went to the door to open it. “Morning.”
Wyn eyed me, her gaze taking me in from my messy bed head to my bare feet. “Hey.”
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Muddy wanted me to wake you up,” Wyn said slowly. “The tent people are here.”
“Oh, right,” I said. “Let me just get dressed real fast and I’ll—can you hang on a second?”
Before she could reply, I closed the door in her face.
My stomach rolled and I made a run for the bathroom. After my bout of morning sickness, I flushed the toilet. I brushed my teeth, and then I went back into my bedroom.
Wyn was sitting on the edge of my unmade bed, staring at me with a stoic expression on her face.
She held up one of Cas’s gray socks he’d forgotten in his haste to leave my room.
“This looks like a man’s sock,” she said.
When I didn’t reply, she went on, “And this is the second time I’ve seen you vomit in the morning. Don’t you dare lie to me and say it’s from too much sugar this time. You hardly ate anything sweet last night anyway.”
I stared at one of my best friends and realized my body had betrayed my secret long before I’d wanted to admit it to anyone.
“I’m pregnant with Cas’s baby,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“It happened the night I flew home when we had our one-night stand. But we’ve been sleeping together in secret for weeks. We’re in love and we haven’t told anyone yet. I wanted to wait until after the wedding to tell people.”
Wyn suddenly spread her legs and put her head between them. I went over to her and patted her back. “You really should be comforting me.”
She turned her head to look at me. “Hadley doesn’t know?”
“No.”
“And you didn’t tell her because you want her wedding to be all about her.”
“Yes.”
“You’re having a baby.”
“Yes.”
“You’re in love with Bowman.”
“Yes.”
“I knew there had to be more to the story,” she said, finally sitting up. “I knew you weren’t just going to move home to be around your family.”
“I’d planned on doing that before I found out about the baby. The baby was just the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, I better get dressed and help Muddy and Hadley with the wedding preparations.”
“Uh, hold on a second there,” Wyn said, grasping my wrist and forcing me to stay on the bed. “You just dropped this huge bomb on me and you expect me to keep it to myself?”
“Yes. You have to.”
“Okay.” Her brow furrowed. “Are you guys getting married?”
“Eventually.”
With her free hand, she rubbed her third eye. “Poet doesn’t know, does she?”
I shook my head. “Muddy’s the only one.”
“You told her?”
“No, she figured it out,” I said with a wry smile. “It’s like she’s psychic or something.”
“So, your dad doesn’t know.”
“Not yet.”
“Jane?”
“Nope.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Wyn demanded.
“Uh, maybe to avoid this conversation that we’re having right now?”
She grinned. “Fair. Wow. You and Hadley. Having babies.”
I nodded. “I hope she’s not mad at me when she finds out.”
“Why would she be mad at you?”
“Because I always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Steal her thunder,” I mumbled.
“You’re not stealing her thunder. You’re waiting until after her wedding to tell people. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me. Can’t hide the morning sickness much longer. Maybe if you weren’t living in an environment that resembles a youth hostel, it would be easier to keep a secret.”
“Yeah.”
“Bowman was in your bed when I knocked on your door?”
I nodded.
She sighed and smiled. “Ah, to be young and in love.”
The day flew by in a flurry of deliveries and set up. After the bridal clothes had been delivered, Hadley grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
“You sure they can spare you?” I asked.
“Muddy’s got everything under control. Between her and Declan’s mom, everything is handled.”
“So, a small wedding on the family ranch was the right decision,” I said.
“Yes. Absolutely. This was always my dream.”
The tent had been set up within walking distance of the house, so the catering staff could use the kitchen and guests would have easy access to the bathrooms. It was only going to be about fifty people attending the wedding anyway.
Hadley and I linked arms and ambled away from the cattle pens and past the barn.
“I’ve been thinking about Mom,” Hadley said. “A lot, actually. Especially in the last few days.”
“Sure,” I said. “That makes sense.”
“You’ve been thinking about her, too.” She looked at me.
“Hard not to,” I admitted.
“You seem different. Lighter. Almost . . . dare I say, unburdened.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”
“You haven’t told your job yet, have you?”
“No. Not yet.”
Hadley nodded slowly. “I think you should go back to New York. Permanently.”
“What?” I whipped my head around to look at my sister, my twin. “Why?”
“You’ll get bored here.” Hadley shrugged. “I love it here. I love riding, I love mucking out the stalls and feeding the chickens. But you don’t like any of that.”
“No, I don’t,” I agreed.
“So, what are you going to do here, Salem? Drive Dad to his physical therapy? Finally let Muddy teach you how to crochet?”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“You should think about it. Look, I want you to stay. More than anyone. It would be a perfect life for me if you came home. But it won’t be enough for you. At some point, you’ll get restless. You’ll want to move on, move away.”
“Are you saying I can’t want something different?” I asked.
“I’m saying that I know you. And this won’t make you happy. Not long term. And that’ll kill me. Watching you wither and grow resentful.”
“Mom settled here,” I pointed out. “Nomad spirit and all. She found a way to be happy here.”
“She had a purpose,” Hadley said gently. “Outside of Dad. Outside of us. She was a vet and she had her practice. What do you have, Salem?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Don’t worry about—are you kidding me? All I do is worry about you.”
I took her hands in mine and forced her to face me. “That’s not your job anymore. You don’t need to worry about me. You need to take care of yourself and the baby. You need to be happy and in love.”
“Yeah right,” she muttered. “I’ve always worried about you. That’s my job. That’s who I am.”
“Then do me a favor,” I said. “Put it out of your mind for now. Because tomorrow is all about you and Declan and the start of your life together. That’s all you need to think about.”
She smiled. “I’m getting married tomorrow.”
“You’re getting married tomorrow.”
“It’s strange, you know? Being so happy, but missing Mom so much.”
I swallowed. “Yeah.”
“I wish she was here.”
My eyes slid away from my twin sister to peer out at the family ranch behind us, the tent visible from our spot, the nicker of horses in the barn audible.
“She is, Hadley. She is.”