All They Wanted (Wanted 5.6)

“Hey, pretty momma. You look great, Ari.”

Her face blushed, which was rare for Ari. “Thanks! I feel amazing. Starving though. Jeff wouldn’t stop because he wanted to beat Gunner here.”

I chuckled while I spread the tent out. “Well, y’all did. Last I heard Gunner and Ellie were running late. Alex was fussy then a couple cows got out in the road and they had to get them.”

“Damn, that sucks. Which fence was down?” Jeff asked while we both assembled the tent.

With a shrug, I responded, “Not sure. He didn’t say. The only thing he said was he was rushing to get out the door and on the road.”

“Did y’all know they had miniature golf?” Heather asked while walking up.

“Oh, my gosh! I swear in just a day you’ve gotten bigger,

Heather!” Ari gasped.

It wasn’t lost on me, and I’m sure not on Ari either, that Heather flashed her a go-to-hell look. Ari was a little bit further along than Heather, but Heather was showing a lot more than Ari was.

“Two babies, Ari. I’ve got two baking in there.”

Ari’s smile faded some before returning. “You look beautiful, Heather. Your skin is glowing.”

With a wink, Heather replied, “Nice save.”

It didn’t take us long to get Ari and Jeff’s campsite up and ready. Jeff bitched the entire time he carried both of Ari’s suitcases over to the tent.

“You never know what I’m going to need. They have nightly dances here at the park. I need to look good.”

Jeff popped out of the tent. “For who?”

With a come hither look, Ari responded, “Why you of course.”

Rolling his eyes, Jeff pulled out his phone. “Where in the hell are Gunner and Ellie?”

Not two seconds later, Gunner pulled into their campsite.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It’s about damn time! I need steak!” Ari cried out.

The four of us made our way over to Gunner’s truck. The second he stepped out, Ari asked about food while Gus rushed out of the truck and started smelling everything in sight.

“Did you bring fruit?”

With a nod of his head, Gunner grinned. “I certainly did.”

“Kiwi?” Ari asked with a lifted brow.

“Yes, I got your damn kiwi, Ari.”

She did a little jump and joined Heather and Ellie as Gus circled them looking for a treat. With a quick pat on the head, Gus sank to the ground at Ellie’s feet.

“Had a loose cow, huh?” Jeff asked.

With a frustrated groan, Gunner wiped his forehead then put his baseball cap on and shook his head. “Loose cow, fussy baby that Ellie didn’t want to leave, a wreck that blocked the road for forty minutes, and a flat tire two miles from the park’s fucking entrance. And to think I didn’t even want to come camping.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t be that way. You know you want to spend some time with Ellie and let loose.”

Gunner grunted, which was his way of saying he really did want to go camping.

“Let’s hope that was the only hiccup because honestly, I don’t think I can handle anything else. Ellie has been a basket case since we left and this was her idea! To top it off, she begged to bring Gus.”