Chapter 25 #2
Jack and Jenny are still small enough to ride in my car, but I know I’ll probably need to get a trailer to bring them places with me when they’re older, so I make a mental note to get one soon.
When I pull into Wyatt’s driveway a minute later, I park and drop off my babies with him before walking back to the chicken coop.
Blake is holding a chicken in his arms and reaching for another while their new puppy rolls around in the dirt, so much cuter than any of the birds he’s so obsessed with.
“Come to Daddy,” he coos, and I roll my eyes. Those chickens don’t even live in his house. Can he really love them that much?
“Hey, how are chicken-daddy duties going?” I joke as I approach.
“Amazing as always.” Blake beams with the chickens in his arms. “What’s going on though? What’s this crazy plan Liam can’t know about? You know we’re done with secrets, Chad.”
Blake saying that almost makes me feel bad, but is this really a secret or is it a surprise?
I’m choosing to think it’s a surprise. A fun surprise even John will enjoy—hopefully—because he’ll still be in full control of the weekend.
I’ve never gone camping before and will have absolutely no clue what to possibly do without him.
But I really do think we’ve gotten to a point where he enjoys my company, so I don’t think me showing up could be a bad thing.
“If it is something you think would be an issue or you’re not comfortable keeping from him, of course you can tell him. I’d never want to come between you two. I just thought it could be a fun surprise.”
Blake nods at me, petting the chicken that didn’t escape his hold.
“So, John and Liam are doing that camping trip, and I might’ve asked John’s brothers to break into his house while they’re gone so that they can fix his fireplace.
He really wants it working but it’s going to be expensive to fix.
Soooo I was thinking we could surprise them on their trip so I can keep an eye on John?
” It comes out like a question, my voice raising at the end.
“Why do you need to keep an eye on John?” Blake eyes me curiously.
“Well, just to make sure that his brothers can work without interruption. My goal is that John comes home and it’s all fixed,” I explain. I really hope he doesn’t hate me for that surprise either. But I think it’ll be great. Maybe I can teach John how to love surprises after all.
“You’ve really got it bad for him, huh? Surprising him with home renovations? So domestic,” he teases as he aims a pointed look at the visible hickey on my neck. If he only knew.
“I’m smitten as a kitten for that man,” I easily agree. “Well, what do you say?”
“Yeah, I’m down. But we could just tell them, ya know?” Blake says, trying to be the reasonable one between us.
I did briefly consider this, and as much as I think I could get John on board like I’ve done with almost everything else—except him acknowledging he’s my literal husband—I decided against it.
If he doesn’t know, he can’t reject the idea, and I don’t want to risk that happening, no matter how unlikely I think that outcome is.
Forgiveness instead of permission seems to be the theme today.
“But don’t you think a surprise would be way more fun?
” I prompt, hoping my charm works on my best friend like it worked on John’s brothers.
“Just imagine Liam’s face when you show up unannounced.
He’ll probably be so happy he’ll fall to his knees right there and kiss your feet.
If it’s only the two of them, I can’t imagine they talk much.
They’ve got to be bored out of their minds, and this is just a tradition they’re unwilling to change or something. We’ll make it way more fun for them.”
“I’m only doing this because you’re my best friend, and Liam wouldn’t be upset about it,” Blake agrees. I’d jump on him to say thank you, but he’s still holding that fucking chicken, and I don’t want these birds to think I’m hurting him and attack me with their sharp beaks or something.
Fuck that, the only one who can mark me is John.
“We can say goodbye and see them off, then we can track them so we know exactly where they’re going,” I suggest, getting excited now.
“Do you have Liam’s location on your phone?
It’ll be like in high school when we’d sneak out of our parents’ house to go to parties.
This is how we get a thrill in our thirties, apparently. ”
Blake laughs. “We don’t need to track them, bro. I know where they’re going. Liam went last year, and he said they go to the same spot every time.”
“Well, that’s easy, where is it?”
“Kremler Mountain. Liam spent a long time the other day telling me all about the ‘dispersed camping.’ They drive until they find an open spot to camp on the road.
“Rugged.” Wow, there really is so much I have no knowledge of. “Huh, do you think we need to get our own gear? We can probably sleep in their tents, right?”
“Let’s talk to Wyatt, he’d know,” Blake suggests, and I’m already turning to walk back to his house and my much cuter babies.
“Blake, you don’t need an air mattress!” I shout as he loads the back of my Range Rover. Wyatt said to bring whatever we’d want to be comfortable, and Blake took that very literally.
“Good luck sleeping on the ground, Chad. You’re going to be jealous when Liam and I are all comfy in his tent and there’s not going to be any room for you,” he teases.
“I don’t want to sleep in your tent. Especially not if John is there.
” I waggle my eyebrows. “Besides, it’s camping!
I think the point of it is to sleep on the ground, right?
Wyatt gave me that ground sleeping pad thing.
I’m sure that’ll be fine.” Although, looking at the air mattress now, I am feeling a bit jealous.
It’s so much bigger than the thin little pad Wyatt gave us.
“I don’t care what the point is, I’m doing this for you, and I’m going to be comfortable. Now help me lift this cooler into the car,” Blake requests, and I pick up the other side to load it in.
“I hope they like the snacks we’re bringing.”
“Who knows what they planned to eat, but the charcuterie board will be so much better,” Blake says confidently as he closes the trunk. It’s officially road trip time.
After nearly two hours of singing in the car, we pull up to the camp road they’re on. It’s made of dirt, and it’s bumpy as hell.
“Just keep driving down this road until you see John’s truck,” Blake instructs. “It looks like there should be a lake right up here.”
Sure enough, I pull around the bend in the road and there’s a lake.
It’s stunning, and as soon as we pass it, the massive trees start swallowing the road.
“Why do I feel like we’re about to get murdered in these woods?
I did not think this through. This is so much scarier than my house, and it’s not even dark yet!
You know how I feel about the dark, Blake. ”
He laughs even though I’m being very serious. “Yeah, Chad, I know you’re afraid of it, but guess what? You’ll also have your big scary man to cuddle into for protection from all the squirrels and chipmunks out here.”
“Uh, John is not scary. And I think you forgot the bears. There are bears here, I googled it!” I counter.
“Sure, but those bears eat, like, berries and stuff, not humans.”
“Yeah, because the person hasn’t lived through it to tell the tale. They’re just gone, Blake. Bear food. RIP.”
“You’re being ridiculous, and you know that’s saying a lot from me.” Blake grins at me from the passenger seat. “Liam made this trip sound super relaxing. I don’t think there’s any reason to be scared of camping.”
“Says the one who doesn’t listen to true crime podcasts while he works out! There’s plenty to be afraid of, Blake, but you live in your naive little bubble, my friend.”
Blake laughs again. “This was literally your idea! You should’ve thought of this before you planned a surprise camping trip. It’ll be fine. I just can’t wait to see Liam. We’ve got to be getting close.”
I nod, hoping John is equally as excited to see me.
I spent the night at his house last night since my house is a true construction zone now too, so he said goodbye to me when he left a few hours ago.
He’d seemed a bit sad both this morning and last night instead of excited for this big annual trip.
I think maybe it was because he thought he’d be away from me for the weekend.
“Do you know why they do this?” I ask Blake.
“No clue. All I know is this is their thing and they’ve been doing it for years. Liam didn’t invite me last year or this time,” Blake says. “But I also didn’t exactly want to go.”
“Wait, I think that’s them.” I point to the black truck up ahead, pulled over to a spot on the side of the road.
“It is. Here goes nothing!” Blake says as I navigate over the last of the bumps on this unmaintained road and pull over to their site. “Site” is more loose of a term because it’s really just an open spot of land with a stone fire pit. There’s nothing else. I don’t know why I imagined more.
“Uh, Blake?”
“Yeah?”
“Where are the bathrooms?” I ask because how are we supposed to have sex when there’s no place for me to clean up first?
“It’s got to be around here somewhere, right? Damn it, Chad, are we about to shit in the woods?” Blake says, probably worried about the same thing I am. Well, and the actual shitting in the woods part.
I clearly didn’t think this through.
“Let’s circle back to this because we should probably get out.
They’re staring at us,” I point out. My stomach is fluttering with anticipation as I open the door and Blake does the same.
John and Liam are looking at us with understandably confused expressions.
They have two tents already set up, a camp table, camp chairs, and a cooler of their own. As we get closer, I yell, “Surprise!”
John stays frozen in place, so Liam speaks. “Uh, hey. What are you guys doing here?”
“We thought we’d tag along for the weekend!” I explain, trying to sound peppy even though John doesn’t look at all happy like I’d imagined he would. “Surprise?”