Chapter Seventeen – Caden #2
Nodding, I replied, “I did. I told her that I was all in with helping her. She had to recently move into the garage apartment above her parents’ place, and I talked her into moving in with me.”
Both sets of brows went up this time, as my parents stared at me.
“You asked Lilibeth to move in with you?” Mom asked, attempting to hide a smile.
“I did—and it’s not because of whatever you’re thinking, Mom.
I can’t have her living in a tiny apartment.
She’s having my baby, and I think it’s my responsibility to at least give her a better place to live.
She can have my bedroom, and I’ll move to another room.
With the nook off my bedroom, she can make that into a place for the baby, after he or she is born. ”
Dad set his spoon down and said, “Sounds like you’ve been thinking about this.”
“I could hardly sleep last night, I was thinking about it so much. Lilibeth said no at first, but I’ve talked her into it. She does have insurance, but I told her whatever out-of-pocket expenses she has, I’ll cover them.”
“That was the right thing to do,” Mom nodded in approval. “Has she told her parents?”
“Tonight. We both agreed to tell our parents. She’s only eight weeks and would like to wait until twelve before telling anyone else. She also wanted to wait until then to move into my place. I’m hoping I can talk her into it earlier.”
Neither of my parents said anything.
“What?” I asked, my gaze bouncing between them.
“Nothing,” they replied in unison.
Narrowing my eyes, I stared at them. “You don’t think I should’ve asked her to move in with me?”
“I think you should do what’s best for the two of you. Is there anything between you?”
“No. We both decided what happened would be a one—um…not permanent. We’re friends, and we’re going to co-parent. Once she has the baby, I can help her find a place to live, if and when she’s ready to move out.”
They looked at each other again—and smiled this time, before my father went back to eating his stew.
“Well, we’re here for both of you for whatever you need,” Mom said. “I, for one, am excited to be a grandmother! Wait until Gus and Nellie find out!”
I started to say something, but she held up a hand. “When you’re ready to tell other people. I understand the desire to wait.”
Releasing a huge breath, I said, “Thank you for both for being so understanding.”
“A baby is a blessing,” my mother said, as tears gathered in her eyes.
I knew about her first child, the one she’d had to give up for adoption when she was in high school.
My parents had always been honest with all of us kids about that.
I also knew how hard that was on my mother.
She basically lost her parents over it, which, from the stories I’d heard about my grandparents on my mother’s side, wasn’t that much of a loss at all.
“You’ll let us know if you need anything, Caden?” my dad asked.
“I will. And thank you for…well…for being you. I don’t think I could do this without my family.”
“You’ll both need family. And Lilibeth is going to need you, no matter how much she says she doesn’t. Trust me, I know what an unplanned pregnancy is like. No matter what happens, your father and I are here for you both.”
I took her hand in mine. “Thank you, Mom. Lilibeth was really worried about what you might think of her.”
My mother looked surprised. “I don’t think of her any differently, other than the fact I love her even more for giving us our first grandbaby.” Turning to my father, she clapped her hands. “Oh, Ladd, let’s redo one of the bedrooms and make it into a nursery!”
“A nursery?” he said with a laugh. “I thought those days were behind us.”
Waving him off, she looked at me with a hopeful smile. “Once you’re past the first trimester, I’ll talk to Lilibeth about it. I don’t want to overstep or anything, but we’d love to watch the baby as much as possible.”
I grinned. “I’m sure she’ll love that.”
“Oh my goodness, I didn’t even ask. When is she due?”
“The doctor said August twenty-third.”
“A summer baby!” my mom declared. “She’ll have all the fresh fruit and vegetables. What a wonderful time to be pregnant!”
“Until it gets hot as hell out,” I said with a chuckle.
“That’s true,” my father agreed. “Better make sure your AC is working well.”
I chuckled, and we soon fell into a conversation about my father’s sporting goods store. In a way, I was glad to leave behind all talk of babies and nurseries. The reality of it all was settling in, and I wasn’t sure when the freak-out would happen…but I knew it would.
The rest of dinner was about the ranch, my mother’s new pickleball obsession, and my father’s latest woodworking project, which was a purple martin house.
After helping them clean up the kitchen, I said my goodbyes and drove straight over to the horse barn. I parked behind Gatlin’s truck and made my way, two steps at a time, up to his door and knocked.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked, as he motioned for me to come in.
“You free tonight?” I asked.
He raised a brow in question. “For what?”
“I need to get shit-faced and don’t want to drive.”
Laughing, he said, “So you need me to be the designated driver while you get drunk. I can do that. Any reason why?”
I signed and rubbed at the back of my neck. “Can you keep a secret?”
My brother looked intrigued. “I can, and you know I can. I’ve still never told anyone it was you who nearly set the barn on fire when you took Mary Lindale up into the hayloft to fuck her by candlelight.”
“I was trying to make it romantic for her!”
He rolled his eyes. “The point is, yes, I can keep a secret, and I think I’ve proved that time and time again.”
I sat down on the sofa, sighed, and said, “Lilibeth is pregnant.”
A stunned expression appeared on his face. “You’re the father?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod.
Gatlin dropped down on a barstool. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah.” I laughed humorlessly. “Holy shit.”
“When is she due?”
“August twenty-third.”
He slowly blew out a breath. “Wow. You’re going to be a father. How’re you feeling? Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
“I just had dinner with them. Mom is excited and planning on turning one of the bedrooms into a nursery.”
Gatlin grinned. “I figured they’d be excited and supportive. But how are you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, Gatlin. I heard the heartbeat today…and something inside of me felt like it switched on. But this isn’t how I envisioned starting a family, ya know?”
He nodded. “I’m sure it isn’t how Lilibeth pictured it, either. Are you guys going to be able to do this together without killing one another?”
“Oh, we’re past that part of our relationship. Hence the baby on the way.”
Gatlin laughed, then sobered. “Did you use protection?”
“I did. Condom every time.”
He let out a low whistle. “Shit. That’s scary.”
“Yeah, it is. Be careful.”
Standing, he clapped his hands. “Let’s go get you shit-faced.”
“It’s snowing out. Have you checked the weather?”
Gatlin pulled out his phone and frowned. “How about this? I call some of the guys over and we play some poker.”
“Do you have enough beer to get me drunk?”
“I think this is going to require the hard stuff, big brother.”
Nodding, I replied, “I think you’re right.”
Gatlin got on the phone and before long, Marshall, Jon, Mitchel, and Ronnie were at Gatlin’s place. Each brought something to drink, and Marshall brought a huge pot of chili. They thought it was just a random, thrown-together poker night, which was fine by me.
The only problem was, the more I sat there, the more I drank and played poker, the more I wanted to be with Lilibeth.