Chapter 17 - Randy
“I knew it!” Kerry screeched over the phone. “I told you you’d be riding his knot before the end of the year!”
“Yeah, yeah,” I chuckled as I flopped onto the couch. “You called it.”
“So when do I get to plan a mating party for you?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I agreed to let him court me. I’m not wearing his mark.”
“That’ll come soon enough,” Kerry replied. “You might even be pregnant before I pop mine out.”
“I’m not going to be your pregnancy buddy,” I laughed. “But you could probably hit up Yazzy. She’s only a bit farther along than you.”
“Not a bad idea, but that reminds me.”
“Hmm?”
“My OB is gonna call you with the details for the gender reveal. You’re still good for that, right?”
“Your mama is still doing the decor and everything? I’m just in charge of the colored cake and confetti balloons?”
“Yep. Mama is taking care of everything else, but she wanted to be surprised too.”
“Ok. I just need to know a final headcount from you or her so that I can get the right size cake.”
“Got it, I’ll have her call you. And I’ll tell her to give you a plus one.”
I paused. Was I ready for that?
“Randy? Did the call drop?”
“Sorry, I’m still here.”
“You got…” he let out a sigh. “You got silent when I mentioned a plus one.”
I let out a long breath. “I don’t know how public I want to be yet. I haven’t even told my family. You’re the first.”
“Is… Craig? Is he keeping things quiet?”
“Yes, Craig. We discussed it. He wanted to tell some of his friends and the guys at the mill. I was fine with it.”
“Really?”
“You already met one of his friends. I guess it was known in their group that he was interested, and the guys at the mill knew as well. It didn’t feel right to ask him to hide things from them.”
“Ah, I get it. You’re each handling your own side.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll figure out a way to convince Mama to keep an extra seat or two open anyway, in case you change your mind.”
“Ok.”
“Back to Yazzy, does she know her gender reveal date yet?”
“Umm… I’ll have to check, but I think it’s the second weekend in October.”
“Perfect. We’re doing the fourth.”
“You’ll probably get your invite later this week or early next. I think they spent the weekend addressing them.”
“Cool. Are the kids excited?”
“Michelle tried to wear her ‘I’m gonna be a big sister’ shirt for a week when they told her. Marco seems a bit more wary, but Jessie says he’s coming around to it.”
“It’s a big change, and a decent age gap. But I’m sure he’ll enjoy playing big brother as soon as the baby is old enough to play with.”
I laughed. “Probably.”
“Is her family coming up from Mexico?”
“Her parents, I think one of her siblings, and an aunt. I guess it’s a pretty busy time of year for businesses, so most of them couldn’t take the time.”
“I bet a few more will find a way anyway.”
“Probably. Her family is tight. And they’ve already decided to spend Christmas down there, so everybody will have a chance to see her before the baby comes.”
“That’s nice. Are your parents ok with it?”
“Mm-hmm. They’re debating whether they want to go down too, even though they don’t speak Spanish.”
“And schlep gifts for the kids across the border both ways?”
I laughed. “They’d probably figure out something other than that.
” I let out a breath. “I think it’s a big show of support for Yazzy.
This pregnancy hasn’t been as bad, but it’s still been hard on her.
Everybody knows that this has to be the last one.
Jessie has already gotten snipped again, and apparently, they’re discussing some sort of additional birth control for Yazzy just in case.
They don’t want to go the surgery route, but it’s not completely off the table either. ”
“Yeah… makes sense. Apparently, what happened is pretty rare, but I can see them not wanting to take the chance. So, you going to Mexico if the rest of the fam does?”
I made a noise. “Maybe, but probably not. I know I could ask you to take care of Russy and the chickens for a few days. But I’m pretty sure my passport is expired, so I’d have to expedite a renewal.
Plus, I’d hate to impose. Her family insists that family doesn’t stay in hotels, and it’ll be a full house even before my parents. ”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Kerry laughed. “Sounds like an excuse to spend the holiday unwrapping something special from Craig.”
“You’re horrible,” I chuckled.
“You love me for it.”
My thoughts drifted to Craig. “I-I’m not moving too fast, am I?”
Kerry burst into laughter. “I met Callum and was knocked up and bonded before the night was over. You’ve known Craig for months and have only just agreed to let him court you.”
“Yeah, but you were fated. It’s not a fair comparison.”
He sighed. “Look. Sex is sex, I’ve always said that.
And, hey, you got to sample the goods before agreeing to the dating thing…
Courting thing… However you want to classify it.
So, taking that out of the timeline? No, I don’t think you’re going too fast. Maybe you weren’t talking to him every day, but you talked to him over the course of months.
You didn’t go jumping on his dick at the first wink.
Now, if you called me tomorrow and told me that he’d claimed you, that I would say is too fast—for you.
But what you’re doing is perfectly reasonable. ”
“I just… I don’t want…”
“Hey,” he interrupted. “I get it. But he’s different, ok? You’re different, too. And you know I’ll let you know if I think he’s a fucknugget.”
“You did try to warn me before.”
“And you know I’ll do it again if I need to. But I really do have a good feeling about him. So I think the best thing you can do is let it play out naturally.”
I took a deep breath. “Ok.”
Kerry seemed about to say something else, but I could just hear what sounded like a timer or alarm going off in the background.
“Whoops, sorry,” he said. “I need to go. We’re going to lunch with Callum’s parents. Meet up when I get back to Mount Sable?”
“Sure. Enjoy your lunch.”
“I will,” he chirped. “From everything I’ve seen so far, he has a good family, so I think I lucked out on the in-laws.”
I chuckled. “Happy for you. See you when you get back.”
“Later.”
The line disconnected, and I leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
Kerry was right, but I couldn’t erase the past that easily.
∞∞∞
Craig’s fingers were laced with mine as we strolled down West Lake Drive. Russy ran slightly ahead of us, accustomed to his normal walking route.
We’d been courting for a week, and part of it still felt surreal after so many years of being single. But it felt wonderful, too.
As excited as Craig had been about courting me, he wasn’t pushy.
Instead, he was patient and gentle—meeting me where I was.
We’d talked on the phone several nights after the weekend had ended, and we’d had our first official date the night before—where he’d reserved a quiet back table in a restaurant I loved.
That we’d returned to my cabin after dinner—where he’d fucked me senseless—was a bonus.
What amazed me most was the way he fit into the quiet parts of my life and didn’t feel like an intruder.
Granted, it had only been a week. But times when I’d expected things to be awkward—breakfast, or watching television in the evening—were comfortable. I didn’t feel the need to fill the air with conversation just because he was there, and he seemed to be the same.
Even when we weren’t talking, he let me know that he was happy to be there. His fingers would trace up and down my arm as we cuddled on the couch, or he’d kiss my forehead as he cleared the table after breakfast.
We were able to exist in the silence, and I didn’t have to worry about what he was thinking.
Craig squeezed my hand, and I glanced up at him. “Hmm?”
He pointed to the nearby trees. “Those fall colors are pretty.”
I smiled as I looked at the bright yellow leaves. “They are.”
As if on cue, one of the yellow leaves fluttered down.
Craig released my hand and strolled to where the leaf had landed. He picked it up and returned.
“Here,” he murmured as he handed it to me. “The first leaf that fell during our walks.”
Fondness spread from my middle. It was simple, probably not something that many people would do. But he’d thought I might want a memento of such an ordinary day.
And his words: first leaf. They said so much in so little. They implied that he believed there would be more.
I inspected the token. The leaf was clean, with no chewed or torn edges. It was mostly yellow with bright orange highlights and was still pliable enough to be preserved.
Russy barked from where he’d stopped further up the road.
Craig laughed. “I think we’re being told to catch up.”
I smiled and reached for Craig’s outstretched hand. We laced our fingers again then continued our walk. With my free hand, I used the leaf’s stem to twirl it back and forth.
I’d press it in the pages of a heavy book and seal it once it had dried flat.