1. Aspen Webb #2
The ride to Nate’s was a smooth one. With it being so early in the morning, traffic in Maven Falls was minimal.
On the way there, she took the time to admire the scenery.
Maven Falls was absolutely stunning. Off in the distance, behind all the tall buildings downtown, she could see the mountains and the waterfall that brought everyone to the city.
When she was a teenager, it was her favorite place to go hang out.
The orange and red in the sky was a reminder of how beautiful the sunrises in Maven Falls could be.
Aspen’s face lit up upon seeing her brother standing outside the restaurant, looking handsome in his black scrubs as he waited for her.
The cap on his head hid his waves while complementing his freshly lined goatee.
Aspen noticed how women looked him up and down as they passed by, but Denver didn’t give them the time of day.
The only woman he had eyes for was his wife, and he made it known.
Sauntering over to the car, Denver shook Hudson’s hand before opening the door for Aspen and helping her out.
“Hey, Pennie.” Denver welcomed Aspen with a kiss to her temple before leaning down and kissing her stomach. “How are you and my babies feeling?”
“Exhausted, honestly. I’ve been up since three, and it’s trying to catch up with me.” Aspen yawned and rubbed her stomach. “Are you just now getting here?”
“Yeah. Serena needed some attention this morning.”
The smirk curving Denver’s bow-shaped lips caused Aspen to gag.
With a playful roll of her eyes, Aspen informed him, “I didn’t need to know all that.”
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. I know exactly what you mean. Now, come on before the twins start giving me hell. I’m starving, and they’ll start acting up if I don’t feed them soon.”
Aspen looped her arm in Denver’s and waved bye to Hudson.
They were seated immediately upon entering the restaurant.
The waiter came over to get their drink order, but Aspen was ready to get some food.
She rattled off a few things that sounded enticing to her tastebuds, mouth watering from just the thought.
The amount of food she could consume at first worried her, but her doctor assured her it was normal.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything else?” Denver asked Aspen, handing the waiter his menu.
“No, I think that’s more than enough. I don’t want to be dragging during my entire shift for eating too much.”
“Now you know you’ll want a snack the moment we clock in.”
“True.”
The siblings shared a laugh. Words couldn’t express how grateful she was for her big brother.
She and Denver worked at the same hospital where he was an RN, and she was an LPN.
He worked on the ICU floor while Aspen was in labor and delivery.
It was her dream to become an L&D nurse.
She loved all things babies and childbirth, even though she was terrified of it herself.
If it wasn’t for Denver, she wasn’t sure she would have had the opportunity to work in her desired field while being in school.
“I saw Lance’s story last night,” Denver revealed with a slight scowl.
Aspen took a sip of her orange juice and sighed. “That was one reason I was up. He didn’t come home but had the nerve to be upset with me for having an attitude. I don’t understand him sometimes.”
“I don’t understand him at all, and truthfully, he’s the only part of you I don’t understand, Pennie. Why stay with him when he’s disrespectful?”
It was no secret to Aspen and Lance that her family didn’t approve of their relationship, especially Savannah and Denver.
Anytime Lance would come around, neither of them tried to hide their disdain for him.
They kept it cordial for the sake of Aspen, and now the twins, but if they had it their way, Aspen would’ve ended the relationship a long time ago.
“Please, Dennie. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You never want to talk about it. That’s the problem. You know what that tells me?”
“What?”
“You know it’s wrong being in a relationship with him, but you feel stuck, obligated to stay because you’re pregnant now. Am I right?”
Aspen glanced away, rolling her tongue over her perfectly aligned top teeth.
She hated how her brother could read her like a book.
Out of everyone in her life, Denver and her best friend, Lavender, were the two people she could never hide anything from, even if she tried.
With Lavender, she wasn’t as judgmental or pressing.
If Aspen said she didn’t want to talk about it, Lavender would leave it at that, but Denver would press until Aspen talked or completely shut down.
Fighting back the tears threatening to spill over, Aspen repeated, “I really don’t want to talk about it. I’ve already had a rough night. Can we just let it go?”
Their eyes met, and Aspen could see the wheels turning in her brother’s mind. She breathed a sigh of relief when he sat back and held his palms up.
“Since I don’t want to get you and the twins worked up, I’ll let it go for now. Just know, it’s not the end of the conversation.”
“Thank you.”
For the remainder of their breakfast date, the siblings discussed baby shower plans and what they were going to do for their mother’s sixtieth birthday.
Aspen was grateful for the brief distraction, but on the way to work, she found herself checking Lance’s location again.
It was still off, so she checked the cameras at their house to see he wasn’t there, leaving her to wonder where he was at and who he was with.