Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Mason
“ A re you ready?” Emma’s voice was full of nerves and excitement as we pulled into the hospital for the anatomy scan.
“I am so ready,” I grinned, my heart thudding at the thought of finding out the sex of our baby. “I just can’t believe the day is here.”
“And the fundraiser is this weekend, too,” she beamed. “It’s a win-win.”
“Yeah, I think Lucas is coming around to it, too,” I said with a grunt as I slid out of the car. I was cleared to drive and work again, but there was still pain in some movements—oftentimes some of the most minuscule ones.
“You okay?” Emma poked her head around her SUV, looking at me with concern. “I think we ought to take you back to the doctor.”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. I know how healing works. It takes some time. I’ll be just fine. Today is about you and him or her.” I brushed my fingers along her belly, feeling a spark of excitement. “I’m so glad we decided to just find out today.”
“Me, too,” Emma laughed, pulling her dark hair up into a bun on her head. She was the kind of woman who glowed while pregnant, and I had to admit I loved every second of it. She was by far the most eye-catching woman I’d ever seen, and I knew my love for her would only grow as we started the journey…
It was just too bad that I still had the damn rustling investigation hanging over my head.
She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze as we made our way to the door. “I seriously just can’t wait to find out if we’re having a girl or boy. I know that Jess wants a little sister, but I hope that she’ll be okay with a little brother—if that’s what we’re having.”
“Oh, I have no doubt that Jess will be elated no matter what the gender is. I know how she is. She’s just hoping for a sister because that’s what she knows. It’s familiar, you know?” I thought back to when I found out I was having a daughter rather than a son. “When I found out I was having a girl, I damn near lost my mind. I was terrified.”
Emma nodded. “I can understand that. I guess I don’t know much about boys, either. I only ever had a sister, and my dad wasn’t in the picture, so I guess that was never really there, either.”
“Well, maybe we’ll get to learn with a boy,” I chuckled, giving her a reassuring smile. “And then maybe we’ll do it all over again in a couple years.”
She raised her brows in surprise. “You’d want another baby?”
I felt my face heat up, the words having slipped out. “I… Well… I wouldn’t be against it. We don’t know where we’ll be then… But I have a good feeling we will still be together. ”
Emma lit up as we stepped onto the elevator, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. We rode up to the sixth floor in silence, and I let myself relax into the moment. I wanted to enjoy it, and to do so, I left all the stress and worry about the investigation at the hospital doors. I just wanted to focus on Emma and my growing family.
We checked in with the front desk receptionist and took a seat in the waiting area of the imaging department. I took in the room around us, with a couple of other women and their partners.
I never thought I’d be doing this again.
But I wouldn’t change anything about it.
“I can’t wait to pick out the colors for the nursery,” Emma beamed in a quiet voice. However, her brow furrowed right after.
“What is it?”
“It’ll just be quite a lot of work.”
“I’m more than happy to help you with it…” my voice trailed off, already knowing what she was getting at. She had no idea what I was planning to ask her right after this appointment…
“Yeah, of course,” she smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to ruin my intentions, and thankfully, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to, anyway.
“Emma Fisher?” A tech stuck her head out.
We rose to our feet, and I followed them down the hall to the dark room. I took in the screen on the wall, already knowing what was to come. Emma got comfortable on the bed, and the tech began the scan, pointing out the different organs.
“Are you wanting to find out the gender today?” the tech asked, a bright smile on her middle-aged face.
Emma nodded. “Yes. We thought about doing a gender reveal party, but ultimately decided to just find out. I don’t think I could handle waiting that long,” she added, a sweet laugh slipping from her lips.
“Well, I don’t blame you. What do you think, Dad?” She turned to me, all the while I had been focused on the screen, fighting to hold back the emotions building in my chest.
“I think that I’m pretty excited to find out what we have,” I chuckled, looking down at Emma. I met her gaze, taking in the poignant green irises—ones that I hoped like hell our kid inherited from her.
Tears brimmed her eyes as she turned back to the tech. “I’m ready to know.”
I squeezed her hand, my heart hammering away in my chest while I waited for the technician to let us know.
“It looks like…” her voice trailed off as she adjusted the wand, getting a clear picture. “You are having a baby… girl.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Emma sniffled, a tear rolling down her cheek. “That is so wonderful.”
I held back the moisture filling my own eyes. “Man, Jess is going to be elated.”
“No kidding,” Emma giggled. “And she’s going to be the best big sister.”
“And you’re gonna be the best mom,” I said softly, kissing the top of her head.
***
“So, how do you think that we should tell Jess?” Emma took a bite of a tortilla chip covered in salsa .
“Well…” I began, taking a deep breath. “I think that we’ll probably have more to tell her than just that she’s going to get a little sister.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at me. “Oh? Is that so?”
“Yeah, I mean, I hope so,” I chuckled, taking a sip of my water. “Of course, it’s all kind of dependent on your answer.”
“Now I’m really intrigued,” she laughed, shaking her head at me. “What is it?”
“Well, you know how you were talking about the nursery and whatnot?” My heart was already racing again, nervous about her actually agreeing to it. I knew how independent she was—and I didn’t want to put a damper on that.
“Yes…” Emma’s voice trailed off. “Continue.”
“Okay, well, I was just thinking you were probably referring to the pain of decorating two nurseries.”
She nodded. “I was…”
“Well, I think it’s silly to have two nurseries.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Well, that’s not going to work, Mason?—”
“It would if you just moved in,” I finally blurted out, holding my breath as I waited for her response.
She blinked her eyes at me a couple of times, her face blank. “You mean, like, move into the cabin with you?”
I nodded. “I mean, you could always just keep your house that you have now—maybe even rent it out if you wanted to. I don’t know. It just seems crazy to have a baby, and not move in. We’re together, we’re happy, and we’re expanding. I know Jess would love for you to live with us… Not to mention, you’ve been there more than you’ve been at your own home.”
She let out a sigh and pushed her hair behind her ear. “ That’s a big change,” she said carefully. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
I smiled, nodding. “Never been surer in my life, Emma. I know that things haven’t been exactly easy between us… But they seem right, don’t you think?”
Emma’s eyes held mine for a few long beats. “I do, actually… And I’d love to move in—after we talk to Jess about it. I don’t want to make the decision without her. I think that’s important.”
My heart swelled at the consideration she gave to Jess. “I think that’s a fine idea if that’s what you want to do.”
“Then perfect… That’s what we’ll do.” Before I could say anything more, my phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my jeans pocket, glancing down.
Shit.
“It’s Jackson,” I said, clearing my throat. “He’s not supposed to call me today unless it’s important.”
“Go ahead,” Emma laughed, waving me off. “Go take the phone call.”
I gave her a grateful look, and stood to my feet, slipping out of the Mexican restaurant. “What’s up, man? I’m supposed to have the day off.”
“Haven’t you had the day off enough lately? I feel like I’ve been working alone.” Jackson sounded as though he was trying to sound positive—and that bothered me.
“What’s going on? More cattle missing?”
“No…” Jackson cleared his throat. “It’s not that at all.”
“Then what is it? Just spill it. Don’t make me have to interrogate it out of you.”
“It’s Cody Hudson,” Jackson said carefully. “Brittany reported him missing about two hours ago. She thinks he ran away. ”
I hesitated, not sure how I felt about any of the information he was giving me. “And did he?”
“I don’t know, but he’s only seventeen. He didn’t show up to work this afternoon out at the ranch, either.”
“You’re gonna have to call it into neighboring counties,” I instructed, shaking my head. “And then you’re gonna have to get his last whereabouts.”
“Well, that’s the problem—and what I’m having a hard time with.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Brittany has no idea when she last saw him.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s apparently been out of town ever since Graham got arrested. Cody has been living by himself without anyone at all. I guess Brittany came back to get her stuff, and that’s when she realized he was gone.”
My head started to hurt. “That makes no sense. How does she know he’s not just out and about?”
“Well, he didn’t show up to work, and Lucas said that he never misses work.”
“Jeez, this sounds like a damn mess,” I grunted, glancing back to the doors. “I’ll cut the early dinner short and head that way. Hang tight.”
“I don’t know if you have to cut the dinner short, because I’m about ninety-percent sure that he’s probably just made a run for it. I don’t know that I blame him, either, you know? He’s had a rough time ever since his dad was arrested. Lucas said he’s got some family up in Arkansas, and maybe he took off there.”
“You got any contact information for them?”
“Not yet. Apparently, Brittany ain’t got a damn clue as to anything about this kid. You’d almost think that she didn’t even know him. She couldn’t even tell me his middle name.”
“Some stepmom,” I grunted, shaking my head in disgust. “You might want to reach out to Jess—or I can call her. She might be able to get in touch with him. The two of them are… you know.”
“Yeah, we already talked to Jess. She can’t get ahold of him. It goes straight to voicemail. She was the one that pointed out the family that he has in Arkansas.”
“Well, we need to see if she knows anything else,” I said. “I’ll be back in town in about forty-five minutes. I gotta go break it to Emma that I have to cut our day short.”