Chapter Thirty-Seven
Brooklyn
I wander out to the kitchen after I nap. No one is around. I pull open a box of crackers and smell it. Doesn’t seem too offensive. I bite into one. It’s fine, so I take a big handful.
“Oh, you’re up.” Juno skids to a halt as she passes the kitchen. “The final round of the lumberjack competition is happening. You should come watch if you feel up to it.”
Oh, that damn lumberjack competition. They better not have roped Kip into doing it. I stuff a few more crackers in my mouth and pull on my coat.
Good grief. When I walk outside, I see all the guys lined up with axes - shirtless. Of course, I spot Kip immediately. Why the hell did they make him join? I slowly walk down the steps and join Zadie and Elizabeth.
“Hey, you feeling better?” Elizabeth asks as I walk up.
“I’m fine.” They exchange a quick glance, but don’t say a word. I wonder if they’ve figured it out.
“So, this is the last round.” My eyes are locked on Kip.
I shouldn’t stare at him like this, but my eyeballs refuse to look elsewhere.
He hasn’t noticed me yet since he’s talking with Keene.
His eyes drift my direction and as soon as they fall on me, he stiffens and sets down the ax.
Without taking his eyes off me, he storms my direction.
He’s angry, that much is clear from his dark eyes to his downturned mouth.
All his muscles seem to be clenched. My body glows as I lower my gaze from his face to his shirtless torso, glistening with sweat, roped with tight muscles.
“You shouldn’t be out here.” I’m still not looking at his face. I’m staring at his abs. God, I want nothing more than to run my tongue...
“Brooklyn, did you hear me? You need to go inside.” His hand is on my arm. I can feel the heat radiating off his body even through his gloves and my coat. There’s a fire growing inside me.
He starts to move me toward the house, but I snap out of it and dig in my heels. “Kip, stop. I’m fine.”
“You aren’t fine.” His grip tightens.
I reach my hand up and place it over his. At first I was going to fight him, but as soon as he feels my touch, he stops. “Brooklyn, please.”
“It’s five minutes. Literally. I’m fine. Go do your manly thing.” I wave him back toward the others.
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Zadie says.
“Yeah. She’ll be fine.” Elizabeth wraps her arm around my shoulder.
I wave him away again.
“Fine.” He stalks back to his position beside Keene and picks up the ax. His other hand is clenched into a fist at his side.
Juno continues giving the directions.
“Now that the preliminary rounds are over, we’re ready for the finale. The guys all have start times based on their performance in the previous rounds.” Juno is standing on a tree stump to give her little speech.
“They do like to make this complicated,” Maggie says, shaking her head.
“I don’t mind.” Elizabeth looks lustfully at James. He winks at her.
“Well, I don’t either.” Zadie laughs, her eyes locked on Ethan.
Juno calls time, and Declan starts chopping wood as fast as he can.
Everyone is yelling and cheering. Juno calls each one’s name until all of them are chopping.
I’m focused completely on Kip. No one else exists.
He’s swinging the ax over and over. His back and arm muscles ripple with each movement.
He’s no doubt channeling his anger toward me with each swing.
“Time.” Juno jumps up and down. “Count your logs.”
After a few minutes, Juno stands up on a tree stump and says, “Well, we have a tie this year.”
Everyone murmurs in response. She pauses dramatically.
“It’s Eli and Kip!”
Cheers fill the air. There’s a lot of patting on the back going on and handshaking between the men. My feet are cold now, so I turn to head back into the cabin. A hand catches my arm. I’m expecting to see Kip, but when I look up I see James.
“You okay? Doctor wouldn’t tell me anything.”
I laugh loudly. “Bet that pissed you off. Did you try torture?”
He just scowls. “Brooklyn...”
I know not to press his buttons too hard. “James, I’m fine. My blood pressure is a little low, and I stood up too fast.”
“Your blood pressure is low? Since when? What did he say you should do?”
“Oh, calm down. It’s nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.” His eyes are glowing at me.
I take a deep breath. “I have a doctor’s appointment next week. Happy?”
He releases my arm. “That’s good. Do you need to see someone sooner?”
“No.” I turn again to start into the house.
“I can get you in somewhere...”
I cut him off. “Unnecessary.”
I’m not sticking around any longer for this interrogation to continue.
“Let her go,” I hear Elizabeth whisper as I walk up the stairs.
Once I’m inside, I slip into the bathroom for a moment. When I open the door, Elizabeth and Zadie are waiting for me.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask, looking from one of them to the other.
“We have a question about wrapping paper,” Elizabeth says loudly.
As I’m shooting Zadie a confused look, she grabs my arm and pulls me toward her bedroom. “Come take a look and help us decide.”
Once we’re inside the room, Elizabeth shuts the door. “How far along are you?”
My mouth drops open.
“You’re pregnant, right?” Zadie says, her eyes drift from my face down to my body. I instinctively cross my arms over my chest.
“You don’t have to talk with us about it if you don’t want,” Elizabeth adds quickly.
I finally find some words. “Um...I think around twelve weeks.”
Zadie presses her lips together and nods slowly. “How are you?”
I slump onto the bed. “Miserable.”
“Emotionally or physically?” Elizabeth asks.
“Both.”
“Is this something you want?” Zadie says, her voice soft.
“Yes.”
“Good.” Elizabeth sits down beside me and squeezes my hand. Zadie sits on the other side and places her hand on my back.
“Have you told Kip?”
I shake my head.
“Anyone else know?” Zadie asks.
“Just Will and Declan. They figured it out around Thanksgiving.”
“That’s why Will invited Kip? What a dickhead,” Zadie says. She’s looking straight forward. Her eyes look like they are plotting some sort of revenge.
“Yeah, he is a dickhead,” I agree.
Elizabeth sighs and says, “You know, I thought I was pregnant once before I had Vivi, and I didn’t tell James. It was a whole thing.”
My eyes grow wide. I look from Elizabeth to Zadie, who doesn’t seem surprised at all. She must have already known this.
“Why not?”
Elizabeth sighs again. “It’s hard to imagine now, but we weren’t in a good place, and he had told me he didn’t want children.”
“Really? James said that?”
“Yes. I was afraid to tell him.” She’s looking at me now, her eyes soft and caring. “We worked through it – together.”
“Kip and I have never talked about children and I just...” I let my voice trail off. I’m not even sure what I’m trying to say.
Elizabeth squeezes my hand. “Whatever happens, you have a huge support system.”
“That’s right,” Zadie adds. “Whatever you need. You can do this with or without him.”
I feel a tear fall from the corner of my eye. As I’m wiping it away, I say, “I seem to be doing a lot of crying these days.”
Elizabeth laughs. “I remember crying at a cat food commercial when I was pregnant.”
“Really?” Zadie says with a laugh.
“Yeah. it wasn’t even sad. It was just so cute that I started crying.” Elizabeth shakes her head, and we’re all laughing.
“Can I make you anything to eat? Anything sound good?” Zadie says.
“Just cookies apparently.”
“I can make you more,” she says with a smile.