Chapter Nineteen – Caden #2
Feeling utterly confused by my feelings, I decided to try for a bit of humor. I winked and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t say it’s never going to happen.”
Softly smiling, she said, “Is that so?”
I glanced down at my pizza. I wasn’t sure what to say, so something told me not to say anything at all.
We placed all the toppings onto our pizzas, and when I went to put them into the oven, I paused to stare at Lilibeth’s. “You made a smiley face?”
Looking from me to her pizza and back, she replied. “Yeah. That way, I know which one is mine. I also put some extra mushrooms on it.”
My gaze took her in fully for a moment. Her hair was braided and hung over her shoulder, and she wore the lightest bit of makeup…if she had any makeup on at all. Her lips and cheeks looked pink, but I wasn’t sure if it was natural or not. Her eyes sparkled in the lights from above the island.
Her smile slowly faded when she noticed me staring. I pulled my gaze away and went about putting the pizzas into the oven.
When I turned back around, Lilibeth was wiping down the island. “Will you want two pizzas, or should we put all of this away?”
Before I could answer, Gatlin and Ensley walked into the kitchen.
“Lilibeth!” Ensley said, rushing over and giving her a hug. “I saw your car when we pulled up, and I was like, what is she doing here?”
Gatlin raised his brows, as if silently asking me the same question.
“We made some pizzas. I’ve got extra dough if you both want to make one.”
Rubbing his hands together, Gatlin got to work. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Ensley walked over and kissed me on the cheek. “Sorry to just walk on in.”
“Yeah, I did notice the two of you just helped yourself to my house without knocking.”
My sister had the decency to look embarrassed. Gatlin, on the other hand, said, “Good thing no hanky-panky was going on.”
Lilibeth blushed.
“Why are you here?” Ensley asked, as she sprinkled cheese onto her pizza.
Lilibeth and I exchanged a look.
“We had something to talk about,” I replied, hoping that would end the questions. I should have known better.
“Like what?” Gatlin asked, before dropping his head back and letting cheese fall into his mouth.
“Nothing that concerns you,” I said with a frown, knowing that he knew exactly what we’d have to discuss.
Ensley’s gaze bounced between Lilibeth and me, but she didn’t say anything.
Gatlin walked over to the refrigerator and glanced inside. “Do you mind if I fry up some bacon to put on the pizza?”
“No!” Lilibeth and I both barked at the same time.
Gatlin swiftly shut the door and spun around, his hands in the air. “Sorry I asked!”
I took our pizzas out, and Gatlin and Ensley slid theirs in.
Lilibeth leaned down and inhaled. “That smells so good!”
We sat on the stools at the kitchen island and dug in.
“Beer?” Gatlin asked.
Jerking my head to the refrigerator, I said, “Help yourself.”
“Ensley?” he asked, as he held up a bottle.
“Sure.” She turned to Lilibeth, looked at the giant Yeti cup, and asked, “Mixed drink?”
She shook her head. “Orange juice.”
Gatlin shuddered. “Gross! With pizza?”
With a one-shoulder shrug, Lilibeth replied, “I was craving it.”
Her pizza stopped at her mouth when she realized what she’d just said. I was positive it would go over Gatlin’s head…but not Ensley’s. She’d been watching Lilibeth like a hawk since the moment she’d walked in.
“Did you and Uncle Mike get that elk free?” my brother asked.
“Elk?” Lilibeth asked.
I nodded and wiped the corners of my mouth. “A younger elk got stuck in the fence. I saw it earlier today while out for a ride. Took a few of us to get the poor thing loose. Did I tell you I saw a bull moose today, as well?”
“You did?” Lilibeth asked. “I’ve always wanted to see a moose!”
“You’ve never seen a moose?” Ensley asked, taking first her pizza, then Gatlin’s, out of the oven. She walked over and grabbed ranch dressing out of the fridge.
“Wow, I haven’t seen a moose on the ranch in a long time. I bet that was a sight,” Gatlin added.
I let out a soft laugh. “I’m pretty sure Draco was scared shitless.”
Ensley laughed. “He isn’t stupid.” I watched as she poured ranch onto her plate. She lifted a slice of pizza, dipped it into the ranch, then took a huge bite.
The next thing I knew, Lilibeth was speed-walking out of the kitchen and heading to what I guessed was the bathroom in my bedroom.
The three of us watched as she quickly vanished.
“So,” Ensley said, setting her pizza down before taking a drink of her beer.
“Sooo?” Gatlin replied, with a concerned look on his face.
“How far along is she?” my sister asked.
My shoulders fell. “How in the fuck did you know she was pregnant? Do women have some kind of weird pregnancy radar?”
When Gatlin had no reaction at all, Ensley glared at him. She tossed her hands back and forth in a crisscross pattern. “Hold on one second—did you already know?”
Gatlin glanced at me, and I nodded. He looked back at Ensley and flashed her a wide grin. “Yep. I already knew.”
She gaped at me. “What the fuck, Caden?”
I sighed. “We were waiting to tell people until she was further along.”
“But you told Gatlin?”
Gatlin ate his pizza with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“I had to tell someone, and he was there.”
His smile faded. “Hey.”
“Once again…how far along is she?” Ensley repeated.
“Eight weeks.”
“Oh my God, Caden. You took her virginity and got her pregnant at the same time?”
“Ensley!” I whisper-shouted. “Seriously?”
“Wow,” Gatlin said, putting up a hand. “Holy shit! This is like…too much information to process at once. Dude!” He leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. “You were her first?”
I closed my eyes and suddenly wished I’d locked my front door and changed the code.
“When did you find out?” Ensley asked.
“A couple days ago. We went to the doctor yesterday.” I smiled in wonder. “We got to hear the heartbeat.”
They both grinned. Before anything else could be said, Lilibeth walked back into the kitchen, a forced smile on her face.
“What did I miss?” she asked.
Ensley and Gatlin both looked at me.
Fuck.