Chapter 41 ELLE
ELLE
Zodiac radiated a strange energy after asking me to move to Baton Rouge. I felt like maybe he was already rethinking his request. I asked him to grab a washcloth and cool himself down after his long, sweaty ride. He stripped naked instead and walked into my bathroom.
“I’ll go talk to Sutter and my parents while you wash off for sex,” I said before shutting the bathroom door.
I hurried out of my bedroom and found Sutter sitting with Shay on the basement couch. Sabrina stomped back downstairs with Ford right behind her.
“Put your foot down,” Sabrina insisted to my dad. “She’s being irrational.”
“Calm yourself, or I’ll call Pax to put you down for a nap.”
Sabrina glared at my dad, who smiled at me. “What’s going on, Annie Oakley?”
I sat on the other side of Sutter and glanced between my four family members. Even knowing what I wanted to do, I felt intense pressure to make my favorite people happy.
“Zodiac suggested the name Trent,” I said and rubbed my belly. “It’s from ‘In the Mouth of Madness,’ too. I really like it.”
“She’s stalling,” Sabrina muttered. “Get to it.”
“Fine, Zodiac asked me to move to Baton Rouge.”
“Without me?” Sutter gasped before blinking rapidly and answering his own question. “Of course not. We’re a package deal.”
“Of course, baby. I wouldn’t choose a man over my boy,” I said, and we shared a smile.
Ford grunted. “Yes, we all remember when you randomly announced you’d let Shay and me die in a fire so you could save Sutter.”
“New mothers are obnoxious,” I said, waving off his comment. “As I recently announced, I’d try to save all of you now.”
“I don’t think you should move,” Shay fessed up, and I knew she was struggling against tears. “I think you’re going through a lot with the baby and what happened today. It’s not fair for anyone to ask you to make a big choice when you’re vulnerable.”
“Where is Zodiac?” Ford asked, glancing back at my room.
“He’s washing off his man stink from the ride here.”
Digging around in our fridge, Sabrina grumbled, “Baton Rouge is swampy hot.”
“I don’t keep liquor down here,” I told my cousin.
“Well, I need booze if I’m expected to deal with you moving to America’s armpit.”
Ford shook his head. “I thought Florida was America’s armpit.”
“No, it’s New Jersey,” Sutter said, always having random info ready to go.
“Ford,” Shay mumbled, wanting him to focus. “Elle’s going to leave us.”
My dad offered her a tender smile. “Babe, you knew this was coming.”
“I thought he wasn’t a man capable of settling down.”
“Neither was I until I met you. Our girl never showed any interest in a guy, but she’s stupid over Zodiac. The signs were all there.”
Shay looked at me with her sad gray eyes. “I thought you’d stay here with us. I really did. I figured Zodiac and you would hook up occasionally, but your life would remain in Little Memphis with us.”
Sutter cuddled up with his grandma and looked at me for reassurance.
“Zodiac suggested we give it a year in Baton Rouge. If we don’t like it there, he said he’d give up his club and move here.”
“Whoa,” Ford muttered and took a seat nearby. “Is that what he said, or is that what you heard?”
“Why would you doubt me?”
“You took a hit to the head hours ago, Elle. And you’re hormonal. You’ve got plenty of reasons to get confused about what the man you love says.”
“Do you love him?” Shay asked.
“Yes.”
“Does he know that?” Ford asked.
“I just told him.”
“Did he say the words to you?”
“No.”
Likely feeding off his grandma’s sadness, Sutter frowned and asked, “But he wants us to live with him?”
“He said he will buy a house since there’s no space in his apartment. We can help him pick what we want.”
Sabrina stopped messing around in my kitchen and walked over to ask me, “What if Zodiac’s reacting to what happened today, and he flips out when you’re constantly around?”
“Well, then, Zodiac and I will know we can’t handle living together. Sutter and I will come back home. Maybe in a few years, we can build a house in the community. Even though I want to give this thing with Zodiac a chance, I won’t take the leap unless Sutter is willing, too.”
My boy had already imagined this scenario. He was curious about Zodiac and Baton Rouge, but he also loved spending time with his grandparents.
“Zodiac made a baby with you,” Sutter said. “He likes spending time with you. He isn’t weird with me. I think we should try living with him. If we don’t like it, Grandpa and Grandma can come get us.”
Shay smiled sadly. “Can we visit Baton Rouge before you make your choice?”
Before I could answer, Exile and Lula started walking downstairs. We all stared at them like we were under attack.
“I brought Zodiac a few of my clothes,” Exile explained when we only gawked at him.
“I hope you picked cute boxers,” I told him.
Lula grinned and murmured, “Oh, yeah.”
Sabrina saw a possible ally in her sister and blurted out, “Elle’s moving to Baton Rouge. Tell her how nasty it is there.”
“Sutter and I already visited there before,” I reminded Sabrina. “You literally drove me there the first time.”
“No, but Lula actually has a house in that swamp hell.”
Frowning, Lula asked me, “Is this real?”
“Zodiac wants me to live with him, so he doesn’t need to leave his club constantly to check on me.”
“So, you’re moving for him?”
“No, I’m moving because I love him, and I think maybe he can love me. If he can’t, I’ll come home. I’m a flexible person. Right, Sutter?”
“Yeah, it’ll be a vacation that might become permanent.”
Exile glanced at my bedroom. “I’m going to go talk to Zodiac.”
Sabrina nodded and gestured for Exile to get moving. “Yeah, see if he’s just overloaded with girly feelings and has changed his mind.”
Lula sighed. “Sabrina, let Elle have what she needs.”
“I don’t want her in a different state.”
“She was always going to move. Sutter requires more educational options than Little Memphis can offer.”
“He’s seven!”
I covered Sutter’s ears just in case my cousins got into a screaming match. When he smiled at me, I felt intense relief over his openness to moving.
“Grandma needs love,” I mouthed to him.
Sutter hugged Shay while I cuddled against her other side. Ford watched us with a soft smile. I was surprised he wasn’t applying more resistance to the idea.
I figured my dad might be waiting to hash things out with Zodiac. Or maybe he did always figure this would happen. Either way, Ford seemed content. His calm spread around the room, infecting everyone except Sabrina.