Josh looked surprised as shit.
“Um, no, I had no idea. I haven’t talked to or seen her since the wedding. Last I knew, she was going to interview with Mason. ”
“Yep, she did, but she hasn’t heard back from them yet. She’ll be graduating this summer, so we plan on having a big party for her. You’ll come, right?”
“Of course, you can count on me being there. Alright, y’all, I’m gonna let ya go. I’m gonna head on back up to the house and say good-bye to Garrett and Emma. I’m sure Jeff has a laundry list of shit for me to do. Maybe we can all head out to dinner tonight?”
“Sounds good bud, I’ll give you or Jeff a ring later on. ”
Ellie and I watched as Josh got back in the Jeep and headed back up the ranch house. I looked over at Ellie, who had a shit-eating grin on her face.
“What’s with the grin?”
She turned to look at me and winked. “Oh, nothing, it’s just that Josh is in for a little surprise when he gets to Jeff and Ari’s. ”
“Oh yeah? What kind of surprise, Ellie Mathews?”
“Ari and I talked Heather into coming out and staying for a few weeks until summer classes start. She agreed and said she needed to get out of Austin to get away from the partying. ”
“You little devils. Did Ari know Josh was coming out?”
Ellie looked at me like I was stupid. “Of course, she did, and she also knew that Lynda was going to Costa Rica with her parents for a few weeks. ”
I let out a laugh.
“You know what else I found out from Heather that explains why she’s been acting the way she has?”
“What?”
“Lynda told her at the wedding that Josh asked her to marry him, but they just hadn’t made it public yet. ”
“What the fuck? Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. ” Ellie said, popping her p. “I hate to say this, Gunner, because Lynda is your cousin, but I don’t trust her one bit. She is jealo
us of Heather, and I think she’ll do or say anything to keep them apart. When Heather told us what Lynda said, all Ari had to do was look at me, and I knew what she was thinking. The Push-Josh-and-Heather-Together Plan has officially started,” Ellie said as she turned around and looked back in the direction where Josh had just left.
I pulled her into me and hugged her. “Be careful, Ells. Don’t push them too hard baby. Just let them find their way back to each other. ”
Ellie turned and looked at me. “They are both so unhappy. Why can’t they see that Gunner?”
“It’s the same reason why Jeff and Ari couldn’t see it…or at least, Jeff couldn’t see. Come on, enough about them. I want to give you a tour of our house. ”
We jumped up onto the slab, and I started pointing out where the kitchen. living room, and master bedroom would be.
“Did you keep the small little study, the one that’s in the master room, in the plans?”
“Yeah. Why? I thought you said it would make a great reading room. It’s too late to change it now, babe The slab is poured. ”
Ellie started walking over to the area in the master bedroom that would eventually be the little study. Facing out toward our tree, it would be all solid windows.
“No, of course, I don’t want to change it. ” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. While unfolding it, she said,
“It’ll make a beautiful reading room and a great little nursery for the first few months after the baby comes home in December. ”
“Yeah, it would make a great…wait, what?”
Ellie turned around holding up the piece of paper. I walked closer to her. The closer I got the slower I walked. That’s a picture of. . .