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Автор книги: Kelly Elliott

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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

JEFF

With Ari’s birthday tomorrow and the wedding in four weeks, my head was spinning in every direction.

Ari had been flying high the last two months, which was a relief. I knew things were definitely getting better when she’d gotten back up on Rose. Our ride yesterday morning had been amazing. We’d made a small pit stop to make love under her favorite oak tree.

I smiled when I thought about how fucking sexy that girl was. I had to shake my head when I thought back to a couple of months ago when she and Ellie both came home with tattoos and piercings. With the way Gunner had looked at my sister when she’d showed him the tattoo, that fucker had been lucky as hell that he was married to her. I could practically read his damn min. Bastard.

I heard a truck coming down the driveway before I even saw it. Scott was coming today to pick up the horses he’d left for breeding. I still didn’t like this guy. He flirted way too much with Ari for my liking.

Scott pulled up next to my truck and got out with that stupid-ass grin on his face. Walking up to him, I smiled and reached out to shake his hand.

“How’s it going, Scott?” I said in the nicest way I could. I couldn’t help but notice him looking around for what I was pretty sure was Ari.

“Hey, bud, how’s it going? How’d those horses do?”

“Good. We left them out in the back pasture for about a week.”

Scott was looking over toward the barn.

Fucker. Okay, let’s just make this short and sweet.

“So, let’s get your boys loaded up in your trailer.”

Scott looked back over at me and nodded. “Sure, let’s do it.”

“They’re in the barn.” I turned around and led the way.

***

After we got Scott’s two studs loaded up, we were about to shake hands when he broke down.

“So, where’s Ari today? Is she feeling better?”

I just smiled at him. “She’s doing wonderful. She and my sister are in Austin today, looking for a wedding dress.” Chew on that, prick.

“A wedding dress, huh? Y’all getting married soon?”

“Four weeks.”

Scott smiled and shook his head. “Well, I don’t have to tell you that you’re one lucky son of a bitch, I’m sure.”

“No. No, you don’t.”

He stuck his hand out to shake mine. From the look on his face, I might have gripped his hand a little bit too hard, but at this point, I couldn’t have cared less.

Ari was due back at any minute and all I wanted to do was get him the hell out of here.

I watched as he drove off, and then made my way back into the barn. I set my iPod on the docking station and turned on my song while I started to clean out the stalls. There was nothing like a little Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” to get me going.

I started to think about Ari’s birthday tomorrow. I smiled as I thought about marrying the girl of my dreams. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she was happy for the rest of our lives. It was hard to believe a year ago I’d almost lost her to Jason.

Just then, I felt something hit my back. I turned around to see the love of my life leaning up against a stall. I walked over and turned off the music.

“You know, I never thought I would say this, but I actually would prefer for you to listen to ‘Truck Yeah’ again.”

Walking up to her, I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to me.

“Oh yeah? You don’t like my ‘Cowboy’ song, baby?”

“Um…no. You play it all the damn time, Jeff. I think Ellie is about ready to take away your iPod.”

“I love my sister, but her taste in music sucks. Speaking of my sister, how was the dress shopping?”

Ari smiled so big it caused me to smile.

“I found it.”

I picked her up and spun her around. Fucking finally. I was so tired of hearing Ellie and Ari talk about dresses, looking at dresses, and shopping for dresses. I was just about ready to take her to a beach somewhere and marry her in the nude.

“That’s great, baby. I’m so happy you finally found it. Was your mom with y’all?”

Ari smiled. “Yes, and that made it all the more special. Amanda and Heather were there, too. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Always baby.”

“Have you talked to Josh lately? Is he still dating Lynda?”

“I talked to him earlier as a matter of fact. He’s coming to your party tomorrow, and yes, he’s still with Lynda.”

“Huh.”

“Why? What’s going on? Did you ever able to find out what happened with Heather? I asked Josh, and he’s was very vague. All I know is that what ever happened fucked him up for a few months.”

“Nope, she hasn’t said anything to Ellie, Amanda or me. She’s changed though, Jeff. She just seems so…lost. It breaks my heart. I know she loved, or loves, Josh, but this crazy idea of him leaving her or whatever bullshit she’s afraid of is just stupid. I mean, he did leave her…at her request. Anyway, she asked about him today. She wanted to know if he was still with Lynda. I told her that I wasn’t sure, since we hadn’t seen him in a few weeks. I guess she’s still dating Jerry. I don’t trust that guy one bit. Heather seems to think he would never do anything to hurt her. I just have a bad, bad feeling about him.”

I agreed with Ari. I’d already seen the asshole slip a waitress his number. Dickwad.

“You want to know what else I did today?” Ari asked.

“Of course I do. I always want to know what my beautiful girl is up to twenty-four seven.”

“I went to an appointment that I went to with my mom before we met back up with Ellie.”

“Really? About the wedding?”

“Nope, not about the wedding at all.”

I raised my eyebrows at the cute-ass little smirk on her face.

“Do I have to guess, baby, or do I need to get it out of you another way?”

Ari smiled at me with an unbelievable light in her eyes. I just wanted to take her in arms and make love to her. During the last few weeks, she had such a glow about her even though I knew she was stressed about the wedding. Thank God for Jenny and Ellie.

“I went to see Dr. Wyatt today.”

My heart started to pound. Please God...

“Yeah?”

“Yep!” Turning, she walked over to Rose’s stall and leaned against it.

“Ari, you’re killing me. Why did you go see him? Is everything okay?”

She threw her head back and laughed. Then, the look she gave me made heart drop into my stomach. God I love this girl with every ounce of my being.

“Everything is more than okay, Jeff. You’re gonna be a Daddy in about seven months.”

Holy shit. It felt like my knees were about to give out. I just stood there for a few seconds and stared at her smiling face.

She’s two months pregnant…two months ago...the day in the barn. It was the day in the barn!

I walked over to her and put my hands on the sides of her face. Leaning down, I kissed her lightly at first, nipping at her bottom lip, and then I kissed her with as much passion as I could.

After what seemed like forever, I pulled my lips from hers, both of us were breathing hard. When she smiled at me, I almost dropped to ground.

“I love you, Arianna. I love you so damn much.”

“I love you more.” She giggled.

I put my right hand on her stomach and looked down at it. I’m going to be a father. I smiled at the thought of Ari having my baby.

“When I’d asked you to marry me and you’d said yes, I thought that was the best moment of my life…” I looked into her eyes that were filling with tears.

“But I was wrong. This is the best moment of my life.”

“So far,” Ari said with a wink and a smile.

I laughed and kissed her again. “Yeah, baby, so far.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

ARI

I woke up and instantly smiled.

Last night had been perfect…beyond perfect. It had been amazing. I didn’t think Jeff had ever made love to me so sweetly and passionately as last night. I touched my still swollen lips, remembering his kisses, and smiled.

I could still feel his hands all over my body, touching me so tenderly. The way he’d kissed my stomach and talked to the baby just about had me melting right there on the spot. I held up my hand and looked at my engagement ring. I still couldn’t believe that I was marrying this man. This man who I’d been in love with the moment my young eyes saw him.

I thought back to yesterday when I’d sat, waiting, in Dr. Wyatt’s office. When he’d walked in the door with a smile on his face, it only confirmed what I’d already known. This time, I hadn’t taken any pregnancy tests. I’d just known. Somehow, I’d known the day when Ellie and I were running all over Austin, threatening Rebecca, getting tattoos, and just being silly and carefree. Earlier that morning on the same day, I’d somehow known that Jeff and I did something amazing together. We’d had sex plenty of times since that morning, but I truly believed that’s when I got pregnant. My little angel was watching over us.

***

When I told my mother, the first thing she did was quote the great Katharine Hepburn.

“Always remember, Arianna, ‘Children need boundaries, so they can know how far they have to go to get beyond them.’

I had to laugh. “Really, Mom? No ;congratulations, Ari’? Just another Katharin Hepburn quote?”

“Hey, I’m so beyond excited right now, baby girl. That quote was the first one that came to my mind.”

“I’ll take it, Mom.”

She hooked her arm around mine as we walked to her car.

“Mom, I didn’t tell Ellie why I had her drop me off at your house this morning.”

“Okay, why didn’t you tell her, Ari? You know that she’s going to be beyond thrilled.”

“She’s been trying to get pregnant ever since this summer, and it’s not happening. I’m so worried, Mom. What if she can’t have kids? Gunner has all but stopped talking about it with her. She thinks he’s upset, but Jeff said Gunner just doesn’t want to pressure her.”

“Has she talked to Grace?”

“Yeah, and Grace pretty much told Ellie the same thing I did. She needs to take a break from trying to get pregnant and just enjoy her time with Gunner. I know Gunner is so. He’s learning about the cattle business, so Garrett and Emma can retire for good, he’s designing their house. Besides Jeff, I’ve never in my life seen a man who would do anything for the woman he loves. He absolutely adores the ground Ellie walks on. It’s so incredibly sweet, Mom.”

“He is a sweetheart, no doubt. I would have to say you and Ellie are two very lucky bitches.”

“Oh my god, Mom! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! And people wonder where I get it from.”

“Come on, let’s go meet Ellie and find you a dress.”

***

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Jeff’s voice.

“Good morning, babies.”

I had to smile. I sat up in bed and watched him carry over a tray full of food, setting it down over my lap.

“Oh my gosh, what’s all this?” I looked at a bowl of fresh fruit sitting next to a plate full of scrambled eggs, two pieces of whole wheat toast, and blueberry muffins along with a glass of orange juice.

“It’s breakfast for my two favorite people.”

“Two, huh?”

“Yep, you and the boy,” Jeff said with the cutest damn smile on his face.

“The boy, huh? What makes you so sure it’s gonna be a boy?”

“I’m not sure at all. I figured I’d just take turns each day. Today, the baby is a boy, and tomorrow, a girl That way, it’s equal time for both.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “I love that idea. Now, about all this food, Jeff. I can’t eat all of this even if I am eating for two.”

“Just eat what you can, babe, I’ll eat the rest. By the way, happy birthday, Ari. I got you just a little something to start off your day.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box.

My stomach had butterflies in it. How does he do this to me?

As soon as he handed it to me, I started to take off the wrapping paper, and then I opened the box. When I saw what was inside, I let out a gasp as I looked up at him. He was smiling with tears in his eyes. As I looked back down, everything started to blur. I reached up and wiped away my tears.

“Jeff, it’s...I don’t even know what to say. It’s absolutely perfect.”

“Do you like it?” He started to take the diamond angel-wing pendant necklace from my hands to put it on.

Leaning forward, I lifted up my hair. When his hands brushed against my neck, I became covered in goose bumps.

“Like it? Jeff, I love it. Beyond words, I love it.”

He leaned over and kissed me so gently on the lips that I let out a moan.

“Shit, Ari, don’t make noises like that, or you won’t be eating breakfast anytime soon.”

I smiled against his lips and then let out another low sexy moan.

The next thing I knew, the tray of food was gone, and Jeff was on top of me, kissing me. What started out with very slow gentle kisses quickly turned into something more heated and passionate.

After I was able to catch my breath, I smiled at him. “I think that was the best birthday present ever!”

“I’m so glad to hear that, baby. Come on, I have another surprise for you at Garrett and Emma’s house.”

“Jeff, wait. Before we go up there, I need to tell you something.”

“Is everything okay?” Jeff looked panicked.

“Yes, I mean, it is with me, but this is about Ellie.”

“What about her? Is everything okay with her?”

I let out a small laugh. “Would just let me finish? I didn’t tell Ellie about the baby. She’s been so upset with the fact that she has not gotten pregnant yet, and I feel like if I told her then I’d be rubbing it in her face.”

Sitting down on the bed, Jeff rubbed his hands down his face.

“Fuck. I didn’t even think about how this was going to be for Ellie and Gunner.” He looked over at me and reached for my hand. “They’re going to be happy for us, baby. You know that right?”

“Yeah, I know that, it’s just... I’m so early on in the pregnancy, so I was thinking of waiting to tell everyone until after the wedding. Maybe we could even wait until after New Years? Just… well you know, just in case.”

“Ari, listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. Please don’t worry about losing the baby. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure this baby is born healthy and happy. You can’t live in a glass box, baby. You’ve gotta live life. As far as telling people, I think you’re right. We need to wait until at least after Christmas.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, baby. Now, eat your breakfast, so we can head up to the ranch house. Gunner is probably pissed that I backed out on helping him and his dad mend a fence this morning.”

Jeff got up and made his way back out to the kitchen. I could hear him cleaning up as I tried to eat all the food he put on my plate.

When my cell phone went off, I reached over to grab it and then saw a text from Ellie.

Ellie: Happy birthday, bitch! I love you more than life itself. See you soon  ”

Then, I saw Heather and Amanda’s messages. Hmm, I must of missed those earlier. I read both of them and sent off my thank-you’s to each.

Then, I sent another one to Heather: Are you going to be at the party tonight?

Heather: Yes of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Studying my ass off..ugh. Love you.

I finished eating what I could, and then I got up to get dressed. When I walked into the kitchen, Jeff was walking around on his cell phone.

“Can you hear me now? Fucking cell coverage!”

His words reminded me of that day we got stranded when the Jeep wouldn’t start. I had to laugh at the thought. Ah, the memories.

Jeff looked over at me and smiled. “It’s alright, dude. The birthday girl just walked in so I can’t talk anymore. I’ll catch up with you when I get into Austin.”

“Oh, that was just plain mean,

Jeff.” Jeff looked me up and down, and the lust in eyes almost made me lose my breath.

“Again, Mr. Johnson?”

“Holy hell, Ari. You look amazing ,baby. I wish I could, but we need to get up to the house.”

I looked down at what I had on: a white T-shirt tucked into my jeans with my brown belt and cowboy boots.

“What’s so special about this?”

“You look beautiful. Come on!” He reached down and scooped me up.

I let out a scream.

“I can walk to the truck, you know.”

“Oh, I know, but this way, I get to keep you close to my body,” Jeff said with a wink.

***

By the time we pulled up to Emma and Garrett’s place, Ellie, Gunner, and his parents were all sitting on the front porch. Oh god. Ellie was holding a glass of sweet tea. For some reason, I needed a glass, like right now. What the hell?

“I’m so glad that Grace and Jack moved back here after Jack retired from the Army,” Jeff said.

“Yeah, me too. Shit, I want some sweet tea!” I practically yelled.

Jeff laughed and reached over for my hand right before I was about to jump out of the truck.

“Ari, wait.”

I turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to tell you what a lucky son of a bitch I am to have you love me. I’m so happy right now, baby, but I’m so afraid at the same time.”

Oh. My. God. The butterflies were taking flight in my stomach.

“Jeff...” It was all I could say.

I love him so much, I’ve always loved him, and I will always love him.

“Come on, baby. Let’s go get you some sweet tea.”

“And apple pie…oh man, I hope Emma has some damn apple pie.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

GUNNER

Ellie and I showed up at 219 West before anyone else did. We went up to the rooftop lounge to get a few tables. Jack was DJing tonight, so I walked over to say hello to him. I felt my phone going off in my pocket, so I pulled it out to see that Jeff had sent a text saying they were parking. I leaned over to tell Ellie where Jeff and Ari were.

Ellie was on the phone, frowning, but then she said good-bye. She tried her best to smile at me.

What’s up?” I asked.

“It’s Heather. Gunner, I’m so worried about her. She just hasn’t been the same since last July. Whatever happened between her and Josh must have been huge. Did Josh happen to mention if they…if they…you know?”

“Slept together?”

Rolling her eyes, Ellie nodded.

“No, the only thing he told me was that he showed up to her house one morning, and she’d made it perfectly clear to him that he was not who she wanted. He said he left and has not seen her since.”

Ellie let out a sigh. “I haven’t been able to get shit out of her, but I have a feeling something major has happened to her. She ended up taking online courses and has doubled-up on classes this semester. She’s probably going to be graduating next December if she keeps up this load.”

“Ellie, sweetheart, please don’t worry about Heather. If she wants to talk to you, she will. Stop pressuring her into it. Was that her on the phone?”

“Yeah, and the first thing she asked was if Josh was going to be here. I told her he was and that Lynda was most definitely going to be with him.”

Just then Ari and Jeff came walking up. Ari was glowing. It was nice to see her so happy after the funk she fell into after losing the baby. Jeff walked up and shook my hand.

“I’m still pissed at you, you bastard,” I said.

Jeff gave me a smile.

“What for, dude? You don’t own the monopoly on puppies.”

“At least Gus will have a play-mate now,” I said as I looked over at Ellie, who was laughing at something Ari had said.

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. Jeff had surprised Ari with a puppy for her birthday earlier today. Gramps and Grams hid her for two days at their place, and my father was about ready to kill her.

***

The moment Ari saw the little bloodhound puppy, she let out a scream and ran over to it. Ari picked it up and started to kiss it all over. Ellie laughed and held Gus back while Ari got acquainted with the new addition.

“Ellie, let Gus go, and let’s see what they do.” Ari said with a smile.

“I’ll tell ya what they’ll do. They’ll chase each other nonstop and shit everywhere,” my dad said as he gave Jeff a look.

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. “I know, I owe you one.”

“Damn right, you owe me one. This dog is nuts. She’s not all there.”

Ari looked up at my dad and frowned while she covered the pup’s ears.

“Jack! Don’t say that about Abby! Oh my god! Abby! That’s her name. It just came to me,” Ari said as she looked up at Ellie.

They both laughed.

***

“You look lost in thought, baby.” Ellie said as she placed her hand on my chest and pushed her body into mine.

“You want something to drink?” Jeff asked me.

“I’ll take a Dos Equis.”

Jeff looked at me and smiled. “Dude, why didn’t you say that in your most interesting man voice?”

Ellie and Ari both started laughing while I just shook my head at him. Fucker.

Jeff turned to the waitress and asked for two Dos Equis beers and two sweet tea. The waitress looked at Ellie and Ari and then back at Jeff, who gave her a wink.

“Ari, we have our fake ID’s. Why don’t you use it to enjoy a beer on your birthday?” Ellie said to Ari.

“No, I only want sweet tea.”

Ellie stared at Ari in disbelief while she glanced out at the dance floor. Ari looked like she was itching to dance.

“You don’t even want one drink on your birthday? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling good or something?” Ellie asked.

Ari looked back and forth between Jeff and Ellie. She seemed to be at a loss for words. Jeff looked at me and gave me a look.

Motherfucker. “Hey, Ells, you want to dance, babe?”

Ellie smiled and moved closer to me. “Yes, I would love to dance with you.”

“Give me one second, sweetheart.” I walked over to Jack and asked him to play a certain song next.

I headed back over to Ellie, and by the time we walked out to the dance floor, Jack was playing the song I’d asked for. I took Ellie in my arms and started dancing to Christina Aguilera’s “All I Need.”

Ellie put her head on my chest while we danced in silence.

The moment Jeff had looked at me, I’d put two and two together. Ari was pregnant, and they didn’t want to tell Ellie. My heart was breaking for my beautiful girl. All she wanted was a baby, and we’d been trying for months. I didn’t tell her, but I booked a trip to New Orleans in March. Ellie had mentioned once how she’d always wanted to go there, so I thought a long weekend was just the thing she needed to relax.

“Drew?”

“Yes, baby?”

“I know what you’re doing.”

I let out a small laugh. “What is it exactly I’m doing, Ells?”

Ellie pulled back and looked at me.

“You’re trying to protect me from something, but you don’t have to. I knew something was up a few days ago. I could see the difference in Ari, and when she asked me to drop her off at her mom’s for a few hours, I figured she was going to the doctor. Then, when I met her at the bridal store I could see how happy she was even though she tried so hard to hide it.”

I brought her in closer to me, tightening my hold on her. I kissed her on the head. “Ells, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. It’s really okay, Gunner. I mean, maybe it’s just not meant to be right now. I think I’m just going to concentrate on finishing up my online classes and mastering Emma’s cooking and gardening skills.”

The song came to a stop, and Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me” started. I saw Ari and Jeff on the dance floor.

I asked Ellie if she wanted to sit down and she said no. She was in the mood to dance and just have fun.

I loved to dance with this girl. The way she moved her body was enough to make me want to take her back to The Driskill Hotel and make love to her again, just like on our wedding night.

After dancing to a few more songs, Ellie and I headed back to the table.

Just as we got there, I saw Josh and Lynda walking up. He looked so fucking unhappy. Why he stayed with my cousin was beyond me. I’d told him she was high maintenance and a snob. He’d been drunk the other night and had told me that he’d only slept with her twice. That, had shocked the shit out of me.

Lynda came bouncing over and gave Ellie and me a hug. Then she told not asked, told Josh to go get her a drink. When he went turned around to head over to the bar, he ran right smack into Heather.

This should be good since neither one of them has seen each other since July. That douche-twat Jerry was standing behind Heather. I’d already told Ellie how I felt about him, and no matter how many times we all had tried to tell Heather he was cheating on her, she would not listen to us.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Heather. I didn’t see you there.” Josh looked Heather up and down, and then he noticed Jerry standing behind her.

I hadn’t seen Josh tense up like that since our football days when he was ready to kick someone’s ass. I started to slowly make my way over when Lynda piped in.

“Josh! Please! I’m dying here of thirst.”

Josh looked back at Heather and smiled. “You look really good, Heather.”

“Thank you Josh, so do you.”

Josh nodded and looked up at Jerry.

“Josh, so good to see you again.” Jerry held out his hand to shake Josh’s.

Josh just glared at him. He moved around Heather and made his way to the bar.

Well, hell, this should be an interesting night. I looked out at Jeff and Ari, and they were happily dancing with each other. As long as those two are happy and Ells is happy, I decided not to worry too much about Josh and Heather and their fucked-up feelings for each other.

As I watched the night go on, it seemed like the only person drinking was Josh. I was having another damn déjà vu.

Ellie, Ari and Heather were all on the dance floor dancing to Christina Aguilera’s “My Girls.” I was getting pissed as I watched the numerous guys trying to dance with them. Ellie looked over once and smiled at me. I was giving her thirty minutes, and then I was taking her to the hotel. I glanced over at Jeff. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from Ari.

He looked over at me, and I just smiled and winked at him.

Jeff’s smile faded.

“You fucking bastard. You made reservations at The Driskill didn’t you? You mother-fucking-son-of-a– bitchin’-romantic-ass-bastard.”

I started to laugh. “Holy hell, Jeff, you’ve been hanging around Ari way too long. Her cursing has worn off on you.”

“I’m taking to Ari to Paris.”

I sat up, narrowing my eyes at him. “You can’t do that! I was going to take Ellie.”

“I’m thinking Paris for a honeymoon. Sounds pretty romantic, don’t you think?”

“To think I called you my best friend and agreed to be your best man.”

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. Just then, Ari came walking up and straddled Jeff, giving him a long kiss.

“Oh god, that’s my brother, Ari. Yuck!” Ellie yelled.

While Lynda was out on the dance floor with Josh, I looked over at Heather. She was watching them and couldn’t seem to pull her eyes away from them.

When Pink’s “There You Go” started to play, Jerry nudged Heather. “Hey, do you want to dance?”

Never taking her eyes away from Josh and Lynda, Heather simply said. “No.”

That was when it happened. Heather looked over at me, and I could see the tears building in her eyes. I got up and took Ellie’s hand.

“Hey Jeff and Ari, I think we need to get Heather home.”

Jeff and Ari both looked over at Heather.

“Sure, that’s fine. I’m exhausted anyway,” Ari said as she gave Ellie and me a hug good-bye. “We have a long way back home.”

“No, we don’t, babe, I booked us a room at The Driskill Hotel.” Jeff said as he winked at me.

Bastard. I was still pissed about the whole Paris thing.

I smiled at him and shook my head. “I have taught you well, my friend.”

Ellie and Ari both looked at us, confused. I grabbed Ellie’s hand and walked over to Heather. I reached down and took Heather’s hand.

As we started to head toward the stairs, Jerry came after us, and I stopped the girls and looked at him.

“Listen, asshole. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen you slip your fucking phone number to random girls. We’re taking Heather home; she’s upset and ready to leave. I also suggest you don’t call her anymore.”

Jerry looked over at Heather, who was staring at me, stunned.

She turned back to face Jerry.

“Jerry, is that true?”

“You know what? Fuck this. We slept together once, Heather, and ever since then, you’ve been nothing but distant and pining over some jerk. So, yeah, I’ve been with other girls since we started dating. You certainly weren’t putting out so.”

“Shut the fuck up now, or I’ll shut you up,” I said as I took a step toward him.

Jerry took a few steps back, lifting both hands.

“Fine, I’m done here anyway. Enjoy your life as an elementary school teacher, Heather. It fits you perfectly.”

I turned to find Ellie holding Heather. Poor girl looked like she was about to throw up.

“Come on, sweetheart. We have a hotel room right down the street.”

Ellie snapped up her head and looked at me with a small smile. I just winked back at her. The thought was there even if we wouldn’t be able to use it tonight the way I’d wanted to.

After we got to the truck, Heather asked to just be taken home. Ellie was in the backseat with Heather. I turned on the music so they could have some privacy, but I could still hear Heather crying.

I was shocked as shit to hear that she had slept with that asshole. What the hell was she thinking? I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket because it kept going off. I had four text messages and two missed calls.

Fuck. Josh was one of them. I hit voice mail and listened to his message.

“Gunner, what the hell happened? I saw you walking off with Heather, and then I saw Jerry come back alone. Is she okay?”

***

We pulled up to Heather’s apartment, and Ellie asked me to give her a few minutes with Heather.

“Baby, take your time. I’m in no rush.” If I’d been standing, her smile would have dropped me to my knees. Damn the things this girl does to me.

I pulled up the text messages: two from Jeff and two from Josh.

Jeff: Hey, Ari is worried about why y’all took off with Heather and why Jerry-the-jackass came back alone and pissed off. Have Ells text Ari.

Jeff: Never mind dude. These girls have weird mind powers. Ells just texted Ari and told her what’s going on. Why the fuck would Heather sleep with that douche bag?

Josh: Gunner, I tried 2 call u. Is Heather ok?

Josh: Never mind, Talked 2 Jeff & Ari. I’ll call u 2morrow, dude. Taking Lynda home.

Holy hell, our circle of friends is a crazy bunch. I looked up to see my girl walking toward the truck. She jumped in, leaned over, and kissed the shit out of me.

“What was that for?” I asked, nearly breathless.

“That was for booking a room at The Driskill Hotel, for loving me, for never giving up on me when I was so stupid, and for being patient with this whole baby thing.”

“I love you, sweetheart. Now, what the hell is going on with Heather?”

Ellie sat back in her seat and sighed. “Fuck a duck. Where do I begin?”