Chapter 23
Flannel Daddy Vibes
Leni
“Yes,” I breathe, and I mean it. It’s one thing for me to be here, hiding, lying to my family. It’s another thing to make Clay continue to lie, but I need a little bit more time. “Just not today.”
I hate myself as soon as I say it, wishing I could take it back when Clay’s smile falls. It’s only a fraction, but that smile tips down and my heart strains in my chest.
“I don’t want to take away from Brooks’ big news. Otherwise, I’d text them right now. I swear it. Let’s let Brooks have today.”
Realization dons on his face, and the smile that blooms reaches all the way up into his eyes. “You’re so good.” He kneels on the bed, crawling toward me across the sheets. “Too good for me.”
“Hardly,” I whisper, hating that it was only half true.
That I absolutely would not have texted them right then.
Even if Brooks hadn’t announced a mystery baby.
While this might have been ten years in the making, this is still too new.
Too fresh. Too unsettled. I’m moving back to Benson.
My life is there. Clay just moved home; his life is here.
There’s too many variables, too many things that need to be worked out before we can tell them.
He kisses me long and slow, shattering the last little bit of defense I’ve built around my heart, putting back together some of the pieces that broke ten years ago.
I’m aching between my legs by the time he pulls away. I’ve never felt so needy in my life. I don’t know if I could handle another round of Clayton right now, even if he did have time. I mean, I’d make it work, but still, I have a feeling I’ll be good and sore today as it is.
“I have to go, gorgeous. I’ll see you later?”
I can’t help but chuckle. Where would I go? I have tons of online shopping to do for my niece anyway. My niece! “Anything you want me to order for Tessa?”
Clay looks at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. “Am I supposed to have an answer for that? I have no idea what babies need.”
“Do you want some? Babies, I mean.”
“With you as their mom? Yeah, I’d take a whole brood of little Eleanors, if that’s an option.”
I bite my lip, peeking at him through my lashes. “Sounds like we’d better get busy then.”
Clay chokes on saliva, banging at his chest to try and get air back in his lungs. “Christ, you’re going to kill me.”
“I better not! We’re just getting started.” Leaning down, he pecks me on the lips one last lingering time.
“You bet your fine ass we are. Order whatever you want.” He slips a credit card out of his wallet and hands it to me.
“You don’t have to pay, I’m doing okay.”
“Can we gift them from you and me?” he asks. His eyes are wide and puppy-dog-like.
“Yeah, we could do that.”
“Then I absolutely can pay for them.”
“Fine.” I toss a pillow at his head, laughing when he dodges it and almost topples down the stairs.
He chucks the pillow back, sending me a wink before he heads downstairs.
I can hear him shuffling around, but if I’m honest, I have no desire to get out of bed and see him off.
Plus, I think if I walked down there naked, he’d have to call in and tell them he isn’t going to make it today.
A few minutes later, the smell of coffee wafts into the loft. I stay quiet, listening to the sounds of Clay getting ready for work.
“Bye, Leni. Have a good day!”
“Be safe, Cowboy!” I call down the stairs, already pulling open the girl's chat.
Best Bitches Group Chat
I have news! huge news and somewhat less huge news.
Pepper
Oh no is his dick small?
Miya
Jesus Pepper…you have no chill
Pepper
Isn’t that why you love me though?
Unfortunately I also have news. Though it’s of the bad variety.
Flipping onto my stomach, I rest my phone against the headboard and make sure all my nakedness is covered before I start a video chat with the group.
Pepper pops up on my screen first, and she looks like a hot mess.
Her hair is pulled in a messy bun, but not a cute one.
One that suggests it might have been in the same bun for several days now.
Makeup is smudged down her face, and I’m pretty sure there’s Cheeto dust on her nose.
She sighs when Miya joins the chat and gapes at her.
“I know,” Pepper moans. “I’m in mourning.”
“Let’s start there. No offense, Leni.”
“None taken.” I shift my eyes to Miya, hoping Pepper doesn’t notice the worried glance we share.
“Ugh.” Pepper flops onto her back, holding her phone up above her face. “I did something stupid, and it got me fired.”
“Oh no.” I fill in an awkward gap of silence because Miya is trying to hide a face that plainly reads, saw that coming. “What happened, Peps?”
“The tiki bar had a wet t-shirt contest and wanted it filmed to be put up for advertisement. My manager asked if I wanted to join in on the promo, so I did. I didn’t really see the harm in it, you know?
But the school board called me in and told me a parent had alerted them to the videos, and they didn’t think I was a good fit to be teaching kindergarten. ”
“Can they fire you for doing something outside of work?” Miya looks annoyed.
“Yeah,” she sniffs. “There’s a code of conduct I agreed to when I signed my contract.”
“Shit, babes, I’m so sorry.” I give her my best sympathetic look before I smile like an evil maniac. I sit up suddenly, forgetting for a second that I’m naked and covered in hickeys. “Oh shit, fuck!” I squeal before falling off the bed, flashing my two best friends my entire body.
The girls are howling with laughter, and I can’t help but join in. Lying on the floor for a solid minute, my abs ache from laughing so hard. Popping my head over the bed, I reach for the blanket and wrap it around myself before getting back onto the mattress.
“You know,” Pepper wheezes, still trying to control her laughter. “I’m feeling so much better now.”
“Girl,” Miya wipes tears from her eyes. “We saw everything.”
“How did I not know you had like, the best boobs?” Pepper winks. I can feel my cheeks heat at the compliment. This was so not a conversation I ever planned on having with my best friends.
“I kind of feel like we should flash you now, make it even.” Miya surprises the hell out of me, taking a sip of coffee and giving us the most innocent-looking face.
Pepper shrugs before ripping her tank down, showing us her small, perky tits. “I’ve got nothing to write home about, but feast your eyes, ladies.”
I fall over laughing, gasping for air, before squealing at my phone screen because no-nonsense Doctor Park is flashing us, and there’s JEWELRY on her boobs.
“And now I’m bi,” Pepper says, bringing her phone closer to her face so all we can see is her forehead. Miya laughs, shaking her head as she rights her shirt and sits back, like nothing weird just transpired. “Did those hurt?”
“A little, but it really wasn’t that bad.”
I’m staring at the phone, shocked. Growing up, Miya and I did everything together.
We snuck our first beers together, had our first kisses at the same bonfire.
She called me when she lost her virginity, and I called her when I lost mine.
Hell, we even went and got tattoos together when we turned eighteen.
“Len, why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?” Miya scrunches her forehead in concern.
“I feel like I don’t know you anymore. Nipple piercings? Flashing? Who even are you?”
“I’m still me, Leni, or…at least trying to figure out who me is. You might have been right about me focusing too much on work. I’m not sure I even know who I am.”
“Ahh, you guys, we’re having a moment!” Pepper says seconds before ruining said moment by dropping her phone onto the bridge of her nose. “Ow, goddammit!”
“Okay, back to Leni now, it looked like you had an epiphany when Pepper was talking about work, but before we get to that, I need to know about those hickeys, because the ones on your shoulders look like bite marks.”
My face is red again, and I realize that I really should have put clothes on before trying to video them. “Ugh, yes.” I hide my face in the blanket, peaking out only when they are finished laughing.
“That’s hot.” Pepper fans her face.
“It kind of is, isn’t it?”
“Dammit,” Miya whines. “Do I have to move back home to have hot sex?”
“Hell no!” I wag my finger at my phone. “The only single guys worth dating out here are my brothers, and I love you, Mimi, but you can’t.”
She gives me an evil smirk that makes me narrow my eyes. “Jeez, I’m kidding. Leni, your brothers are hot, but I don’t want to bang them.”
“I do.” Pepper sticks a sucker in her mouth before tapping her chin like she’s thinking. “Which one is the one who never smiles in any of your photos?”
“Brooks!” I squeal, pretty sure I’m sick to my stomach now. “No, take it back, please.”
“What? He’s got flannel daddy vibes written all over him.”
“Oh my God, please.”
“Help me out, Mimi…”
“Sorry, I’m definitely not into Brooks. Once you meet him, I think you’ll understand. The guy could look at crops and have them shriveling up because he’s so intense.”
“Okay, but you said her brothers are hot, plural. So if Daddy Brooks doesn’t do it for you, then who does?”
“Please, for the love of God, stop.” I rub my hands over my eyes, trying to scrub the vision of Brooks and Pepper out of my mind before it can fully take form.
The girls become suspiciously quiet. I peek around my fingers and catch Miya mouthing Adler’s name.
“Jesus Christ, Mimi, leave my baby brother out of this.”
“What? He has that bad boy thing to him, and Ethan…in a suit. God.” Her shoulders shimmy like a shiver worked its way down her spine.
“Like, business suit, or swimsuit?” Pepper pops the sucker out of her mouth with a loud noise. With anyone else, the gesture would almost be vulgar, but it’s just Pepper being Pepper.
“Take your pick there, hon. Shit, maybe I should come back to visit this summer.”
“Stop fantasizing about my brothers!”
“Fine.” Pepper pouts. “I thought you’d want me to be happy, Leni.”
“You can be happy without fucking one of my brothers. Plus, unless you want to be called mommy, you definitely want to take Brooks off that list.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Miya spews her drink across the table while Pepper shrugs. “He could call me mommy any day.”
“Pepper Cinnamon Basil, keep it in your pants for five Goddamn seconds. What do you mean, Leni?” Miya triple-naming Pepper gets the younger woman to shut up, leaving me with the perfect opening.
“First, I have no details because he isn’t talking, buuut...Thursday morning, he was just Brooks, and then this morning, he texts us a picture of him with a baby, and tells us she’s the newest addition to the family.”
“Oh my God.” Miya sits back in her chair, looking absolutely horrified by this revelation. “He barely takes time to sleep. When the hell did he knock anyone up?”
“I don’t think he did,” I say, because I honestly don’t think that’s what happened. “I won’t know for sure until he tells us, but I’m not entirely sure she’s his. Biologically, at least.”
“Color me intrigued.” Pepper sits up, propping her phone against something on her coffee table as she adjusts her camisole.
“That’s where my idea comes in, Pep. He’s looking for a nanny.”
Miya snorts, but Pepper sits up straighter, her eyes brightening. “Wait, really?”
“Yeah! So, you should totally come to the ranch this weekend. You can meet him, and we’ll convince him to hire you. Then you can live here with me, and I wouldn’t have to miss you.”
“Stop,” Miya whines. “What do you mean, live there with you? I thought that was just talk? I thought you were delirious because Clay is good with his tongue.”
“That’s not the only thing he’s good with…” I hide my face again, barely holding back a smile as Pepper giggles in the background. “I haven’t decided yet, but Pepper could come for the summer. I’m probably stuck here until fall anyway.”
Miya grumbles something under her breath, then flips me the bird.
“Do you really think he’d hire me, though?” Pepper looks down at her apparel. It’s true, Pepper isn’t the most grown-up adult I know, but she loves teaching, and she’s great with kids. And selfishly, I want at least one of my best friends nearby. I miss them.
“I mean, would it hurt to try? Worst case, you come spend some time with me here until you find something to do. Best case, he gives you a trial for the summer and decides to hire you forever.”
Pepper snorts. “Gosh, hopefully not forever, but at least for the summer would be nice. I still have the tiki bar job, but it’s not going to pay my bills.”
“I hate you both.” Miya squints her eyes at us, then down at her work phone. “Shit, gotta go.”
She disappears from the screen before we even get a chance to say goodbye. “Damn,” Pepper whistles. “I would really hate her job.”
“I know, right?”