Chapter 22 Wake-Up Call #2
Mollie hollers when she sees me. “Billie! We’re so glad you could make it!”
“So glad.” Wheeler grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “How are things?”
“Things are good! But really, I wanna hear about you.” I nod at her belly, which has gotten noticeably bigger since I saw her last even though it’s only been a couple of weeks. “Those babies making any moves?”
“Not yet. How great is this, though? Duke and I were at my doctor’s appointment yesterday, and Dr. Hernandez looked him right in the eye and asked, ‘Twice in one night, huh’?”
Mollie chuckles. “Joke’s on her, because it definitely happened more than twice that night.”
Wheeler gets a dreamy look on her face. “It did, and I have no regrets.”
My heart squeezes when I think about the conversation I had with Ryder the other morning—the one where we talked openly about making babies together. I understand Wheeler’s joy. I can only imagine how overwhelming the happiness of growing a family with the man you love would be.
I hope to experience it one day myself.
Ava comes over to give me a hug, Junie and Ella hot on her heels. They look adorable in their matching dresses and cowboy boots.
“We’re going to get two baby cousins,” Junie tells me proudly. “Isn’t that the coolest news you ever heard?”
Ella smiles up at me shyly. “We’re going to babysit them.”
“Y’all are going to be the best babysitters ever.” I lean down to meet Ella’s eyes. “Can I come over to help?”
“Yes,” Ella replies.
Ava pats her on the back. “So many exciting things to look forward to, right, honey?”
“Like the cake we brought,” Junie replies. “When can we eat it, Mom?”
Ava laughs. “We have to wait until after Wheeler opens all her presents.” She nods at the enormous pile of gifts by the fireplace. “I bet she’ll let y’all help her open them if you ask nicely.”
Junie lets out a literal scream of delight as she makes a beeline for Wheeler, who’s chatting with a younger guy whose hair is the same shade of copper as hers. Her brother, if I had to guess.
Patsy ushers us into the dining room, where we sit down for a delicious lunch of enchiladas verdes. She serves them with a corn and black bean salad and a spicy rice pilaf that’s out-of-this-world delicious.
“Can we have a baby shower every weekend?” Ella asks. “This rice is so good, Miss Patsy.”
Patsy grins. “I’ll make it for you anytime, honey. Glad you like it.”
When it’s time to open gifts, Sally loops her arm through mine and pulls me down onto a sofa beside her. Mollie jots down who each gift is from as Junie and Ella help Wheeler unwrap the presents.
It’s actually fun seeing her reactions to each gift, probably because her joy is palpable and her gratitude is genuine.
She gasps, holding up matching onesies dotted with cowboy boots and horseshoes.
Her eyes mist over when she opens the gift from her mom: a yellow gingham blanket Wheeler’s grandmother made for her when she was born.
We all cry when she opens two pairs of teeny-tiny, custom-made Bellamy Brooks baby cowboy boots, one blue pair, one pink.
“Mollie! How the heck did you get these made without me knowing?” Wheeler covers her mouth. “They are perfect.”
Mollie sniffles. “Love you, friend.”
“Love you too.”
I watch, throat tight, as they embrace.
“I know I keep saying this,” Mollie murmurs into Wheeler’s shoulder, “but I’m so happy we get to have our babies together.”
What if I get to have my babies with them too?
“Your girlfriends are more important than ever when you’re a mom,” Ava replies. “Y’all will be each other’s lifeline. I hope I can be that for you too.”
Wheeler crosses the room to wrap Ava in a hug. “You already are. Thank you, Ava. Sincerely.”
Wheeler claps her hands when Junie hands her my present.
Mom and I had a blast putting together a “bath time goodies” gift, grabbing some items off Wheeler’s registry—a baby bathtub shaped like a whale, washcloths, bath books—plus some things we picked out just because they were so cute we couldn’t resist: a pair of hooded towels embroidered with fish and a set of rubber duckies dressed up as cowboys.
“Bath time is going to be my favorite part of the day, I can already tell,” Wheeler says before pulling me in for the day’s five hundredth hug.
After Wheeler finishes opening all the presents, it’s time for the Texas sheet cake Junie and Ella helped Ava make. They decorated it with rainbow sprinkles and glittery candles shaped like unicorns, which of course we all ooh and ahh over.
“It’s not Miss Wheeler’s birthday, but it will be her babies’ birthday soon,” Ella proudly explains. “That’s why we put those candles on there.”
“What a smart idea,” I say with a smile.
Junie nods. “We are the smartest. At least that’s what Mommy says.”
I end up hanging with some of the girls in a corner of the room as we polish off our cake.
“So, Billie,” Mollie says, keeping her voice low. “How are things with you and Ryder? Any updates?”
My pulse leaps. Truth be told, I’ve been dying to talk to the girls about what’s been going down. I feel like they’ll have some good insight, maybe some advice too.
I’ve spent every night at Ryder’s place since that day in the rain. Exactly zero nightmares to speak of. Things are good.
So good that sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s not a dream. Last night Ryder built a fire, and we sat in his tiny den for hours, sipping tequila while he played his guitar and I sang along, warmed by the liquor and the crackling logs. I can still smell the woodsmoke in my hair.
Still feel his hands on me, the way they peeled off my clothes and adored every inch of my bare skin right there on the floor.
Only problem? I haven’t been able to talk to Colt yet.
He was out of town for part of the week at a livestock auction in Houston, and then he was tied up with some stuff at Dean’s school the past few days.
Colt, being the overachiever he is, volunteered to be room parent, and he ran a drive to raise money for improvements to the school’s cafeteria and art studio.
As much fun as Ryder and I are having together, the fact that we’re having that fun behind Colt’s back hangs over us like a dark cloud. The longer we sneak around, the more anxious I feel.
The more convinced I am that he’s going to be pissed.
“Funny you should mention that.” I clear my throat.
Sally’s eyebrows pop up. “This sounds promising.”
I take a fortifying bite of cake. Then I blurt out everything.
The bonfire. The middle-of-the-night rescue from Xander. How Ryder came looking for me in the rain. Our first dinner date at his place.
“I had a feeling something went down!” Mollie exclaims, grabbing my forearm. “I knew when Ryder called Cash and demanded that his cabin be next on the list to be fixed up that y’all were doing the dirty.”
Sally shimmies her shoulders. “Aw, he’s creating a little love nest for y’all.”
“So freaking adorable.” Wheeler is literally squealing. “I was hoping this would happen! The two of you are excellent for each other.”
“You think?”
Sally nods. “We know. Ryder brought up his parents at dinner the other night for the first time in, sheesh, forever. He’s never talked about anything remotely that deep or painful since their accident.”
“He’s never brought them up around me either,” Ava adds. “Now all of the sudden, he’s talking about real stuff even though I can tell it’s not easy for him. You’re helping him become a whole man again, Billie.” There are tears in her eyes. “It’s really beautiful when you think about it.”
Shit, now I’m the one who’s crying. “He’s helping me too. My job at the ranch—I’m good at it, but it’s never really felt like me, you know?”
Wheeler scoffs. “I totally get it. My parents always wanted me to be a lawyer, but I couldn’t make myself do it. Just didn’t feel right.”
“You’d make a great lawyer,” Ava says. “But you’re a better boot maker. And entrepreneur. And fashion icon.”
“Not so sure about the icon thing, but thank you.” Wheeler smiles. “So wait, is Ryder helping you figure out what your next step is going to be careerwise?”
I nod, setting down my plate on a nearby table. “He is. We’ve been kicking around the idea of creating an animal therapy program on my family’s ranch.”
Ava gasps.
Sally grins.
Mollie and Wheeler look at me with huge smiles on their faces.
“What?” I ask sheepishly.
“I love it,” Wheeler says.
Ava nods. “It’s so you.”
“How do we get started?” Leave it to Mollie to literally roll up the sleeves of her adorable gingham dress. “Also, when do we get to see you race again?”