18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
“Is he still behind us?”
Elsie Jo glances over her shoulder as we walk laps in the park. “Yup.”
I sigh. “I swear I’m going to get Fletcher to issue a restraining order.”
“I don’t know. I think it’s kind of romantic when you ignore the creepy factor.”
“Oh, no. Not you too.” I groan.
“What? Swift says all he does is mope around the clubhouse saying stuff like I wonder if Willow will drop by? Has anyone seen Willow today?”
It’s bad enough that Foolish, Grannie Mags, and my brothers are on team Gray. But now he’s got my bestie feeling sorry for him.
“You know why he does that. It’s because he had an app on his phone to track my location. That I had to delete it myself because he lied to me the first time I asked him about it. Who does that? I’ll tell you who. Stalkers do that, EJ. Stalkers.”
“Okay, but you have to admit that before you were mad at him, you would have loved the attention.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Can we take a break? My feet hurt.”
“You can. I’ve got to shed these extra pounds I keep gaining. Have you looked at my hips lately?”
Elsie Jo gives me a once-over. “Okay.” She talks low. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but could you be pregnant?”
“What? No, that’s ridiculous. I’m not having s-e-x with anyone.”
“Why are you spelling it out?”
“Because rabbit ears is behind us. He’s probably got you wearing a wire so he can spy on me.”
Elsie Jo stops walking and rolls her eyes. “Now that’s ridiculous. But you’ve got to admit your belly has a pooch.”
“Rude.”
“Hey you brought it up. But for real. When was your last period?”
“I had a light one a few weeks ago.”
“And before that?”
“I’m not sure. I bought a test, but then I started spotting, so I didn’t take it. Sometimes I have light periods or skip a month. I’ve never been regular.”
“I say this with love. I think you’re pregnant.”
I stare at my shoes and look back over my shoulder at Gray, hoping he’s not listening. The stuff he went through with Kaylene had to suck. I don’t want to put him through another round of that.
“I’ll do the test when I get home.”
“Good. You should go do it now.”
“I don’t want to.” I stomp my foot and do a wiggle like a little kid.
Elsie Jo grabs me by both shoulders. “Go home and take the damn test.”
“Fine,” I mutter. “But will you come do it with me?”
“I don’t need to take one.”
“I want you there for moral support, dummy.”
“Oh. Right. That I can do.”
“Holy shit, girl. What are you going to do? You’ve got to be how many months?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think. I’m freaking the fuck out.”
“Do you want to have a baby?”
“No. maybe. I don’t know. I’m scared.”
“You know you’re going to have to tell him.”
“I mean, I don’t have to do anything. I could have had a one-night stand.”
“You’re not that person and you wouldn’t lie about something this huge.”
“What the hell am I going to do?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Run away.” I grab my pillow from my bed and scream into it.
“Feel better?”
“No.”
“Well, no matter what you decide, I’m here for you. And I know your family will be too. Gray included.”
“Yeah, yeah. They are all just sunshine, cookies, and unicorn farts.”
“I know it’s not the way you planned for it to happen, but you’re going to have a baby with the man you’ve loved as long as I’ve known you. That’s something to be happy about.”
“Is it, though? We aren’t together.”
“But you could be.”
Could we be? Would I want that? Would Gray want that? I flop back onto my bed and debate trying to smother myself with my pillow. “I guess I should call him.”
“You kind of don’t need to.” She points toward my window.
“He’s standing there, isn’t he?”
“Mhmm. And it’s totally not weird and creepy at all.”
“I hate all of you.”
“No, you don’t. But do you want me to invite him in?”
I should make him keep standing there. “Is it raining?”
“I don’t think so?” She looks at me funny.
“Then no. He can stay out there.”
“I’m leaving. I love you.” She goes over and unlocks my window and pushes it up. “She’s all yours.”
Gray climbs through my window.
“You know, most people use the front door.”
“I’m not most people.” He sits on the bench under my window.
“No, you’re just some dude I hooked up with once who stalks me now.”
“It was more than once, and I’m more than some dude.”
“Yeah, I know. Apparently, you’re also the father of my unborn child.”
“What?” His gaze snaps up.
“Surprise. I’m pregnant.”
“No shit?”
“I wouldn’t lie about something so serious.”
He nods and stares at the floor.
“Are you going to say anything?”
“I’m processing.”
“Can you process a little faster? I’m kind of freaking the fuck out right now.”
He smiles and looks over at me. “You’re going to make an amazing mom, pipsqueak.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“You mean was I going to call you if you weren’t lurking at my window like a creep?”
“It’s not creepy.”
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s creepy to break into someone’s house just to watch them breathe.”
“Correction. It’s not creepy when I do it.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because you’re mine.”
“Whoa. Hey now. Pump those brakes. I said I’m pregnant. I didn’t say anything about being anyone’s anything.”
“You’ve always been mine.”
“I don’t want to get into this conversation right now.”
“Then don’t. But we’re having a baby, Willow. We need to figure our shit out.”
“The baby and I will live here, and you can come over and visit whenever you want.”
“That’s not going to work for me.”
“Why the hell not? It’s very generous of me.”
“Bill signed the farm over to me.”
“Okay. What does that have to do with me?”
“I want to start our life there. Together.”
“Well, maybe I want to live here. It’s where I grew up and where I’m comfortable.”
“Okay, then I’ll sell the farm and move in here.”
“No. Back up. You’re not moving in.”
“If my baby is living here, I’m going to be living here.”
“Okay. I’ll live with Bill, and you can live here.”
“Babe. Do you even hear yourself?”
“Ugh. Whatever.”
He gets up.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Just grabbing my shoes.”
I roll my eyes as he climbs halfway back out of my window to grab his boots. I should push him out, but that would be mean. Mean but funny.
“What are you doing?” I question when he shoves his boots in my closet and hangs up his cut.
“I told you. If you and my baby are living here, then I am too.”
“Gray, I didn’t agree to this. Grannie Mags didn’t either.”
“She loves me, unlike some people.”
“I never said I don’t love you.”
“You love me.” He crosses the room.
“No, wait.” I hold up a finger, and he shakes his head. Then Braxton Gray kisses me.
His lips on mine are better than good, they’re great.
“Just a little further. Step up.”
“My back hurts.”
“Be nice. Bill worked really hard on this.”
“You didn’t tell me it was from Bill.”
“Well, it is.”
“Oh,” I smile. “Can I take this off yet?”
“Not yet.”
Gray pulls me forward another step. “Okay. Now you can look.” He removes the bandana he had tied over my eyes.
“Oh, wow. It’s beautiful. You did this?” I look over at Bill, who is smiling from ear to ear with his hand on a crib for the baby.
“Me and Grannie Mags worked on it together. She said it belonged to you when you were a baby. She picked out the paint and the bedding. I did the sanding and painting.”
“It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it. I think it matches the rocking chair nicely. Gray’s momma used to rock him to sleep in it.”
Ever since Bill found out he was going to be a grandpa, he stopped drinking so much, and sometimes Grannie Mags can drag him to church with her.
Gray and I compromised.
Sometimes we stay here with Bill. Sometimes we stay at Grannie Mags’s house. And in between, we sleep in his room at the clubhouse. It works for us. For now.
“What’s so important that I have to walk out back? Do you see how pregnant I am?” I grumble at Foolish and Madz as they insist I just have to see something. Though neither of them has bothered to tell me what this something is.
Jerks.
“Trust me. You want to see this.” Madz ushers me out the back door to where there must be a million twinkling lights strung along the trees. Along with flowers.
All of my brothers are here. Even Austin, who never visits.
“What’s happening.? Is someone dying? Am I joining a cult? What is this?”
I glance behind me, but no one else is out here.
Then I see Gray. He shaved. For me. My brothers are cleaned up.
“Someone had better start talking.”
“Quiet, pipsqueak. A while back you reminded me that I made you a promise that I didn’t want to be with you until I was sure I was worthy and I fucked that up.
Then you told me you loved me, and then you told me I was going to be a father, and I was terrified.
Scared I was going to do something stupid, and your brothers were going to kill me. ”
They all grin. “We still might,” Woods mutters.
“But I’ve been trying to be the man you believed I could be. I’ve got something I want to ask you, but first I want their blessing.”
I purse my lips. It’s not up to my brothers, but I’ll let them think they get a say.
Gray already knows whatever he’s about to ask, my answer is going to be yes, but he doesn’t get the chance.
“Um, guys.” All of them look at me. “I think my water just broke, so can we move this along?”
“You can marry our sister,” Dirty announces, and Woods punches him in the arm.
“Why’d you get to say yes?”
“Because I’m older.”
“By like two seconds.”
“Guys. Can we focus here? Someone needs to drive me to the hospital.”
Gray picks me up bridal style. “I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure you don’t need to ask for their blessing first?” I tease.
“I thought we were going to kick his ass first,” Austin says.
“I didn’t hear that,” Fletcher tells him.
“Man, I really hope this baby is a girl,” I complain, and Gray kisses me on the lips.
“Let’s go have a baby, pipsqueak.”