“Now, Violet, I don’t want any part of your matchmaking...”
“She’s by herself about to have his baby.”
I’m still shaking my head. “You don’t know it’s his baby...”
She rolls her eyes. ‘I know Gracie. It’s his baby.”
I turn to Lakelyn. “Are you okay with this?”
“Yes, sure.”
I sigh. “I’ll call Aiden and then I’ll walk you to Gracie’s room.”
“It’s right next door,” Violet says.
We barely get out of the room and Violet and Josh are holding each other and kissing. I appreciate that my sister is happy and well taken care of, but she always gets me into some shit. Once in the hallway, I pull out my phone and find Aiden in my contacts.
He answers after two rings. I can hear the buzz of the tattoo gun in the background. “Yeah?”
“Hey, Aiden, this is Tate.”
“What’s up, man? I’m kinda in the middle of something. Can I call you back?”
I sigh, partly hating that I’m doing this. Aiden has been a mess since Gracie up and left. “No, it can’t wait. I, well, thought you should know that Gracie’s here...”
The buzzing stops. “In Whiskey Run?”
“Uh, actually no. At the hospital in Jasper.”
“Fuck! It will take me thirty minutes to get there. Is she okay?”
“Uh, yeah, as far as I know she’s okay.”
Aiden’s voice is gruff. “Don’t let her leave. I’m coming.”
The phone clicks, and I’m standing there holding my phone.
“Don’t let her leave?” Lakelyn asks. She obviously heard it all. “Do you think you should have told him she’s having a baby?”
I shake my head. “No. He’ll find out soon enough. Let’s go check on her. I’d say Aiden will be here sooner than later.”
She nods, unsure. I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss her palm. “You sure you’re not ready to run yet?”
“You’re not scaring me off, Tate Jennings. I’m in it for the long haul.”
I throw my arm around her and pull her curvy body into mine. “I’m holding you to that.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Lakelyn
“I’m telling you, Jeremy, it’s fine. Tate will be fine with it,” I say as I keep cranking the bolt underneath the 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. This is like a dream car, there’s no way I was not going to work on it. All I’m doing is putting on a muffler... that’s easy peasy.
“Jeremy...” I say when he doesn’t respond.
I see Tate before I hear him. His strides are heavy as he walks around the car. It’s when he stops next to my legs that are hanging out of the car that I know I’ve been had. I slide out and stare up at my sexy husband of a little over a year. “Did Jeremy call you?”
Tate holds his hand out and helps me up. “He didn’t have to. I knew as soon as you saw the boss here you’d start working on it.”
“Well, see, I’m almost done. No harm.”
“Lake...” he starts, but I don’t let him finish.
I slide my dirty hands up his chest and then wrap them around his neck. “Don’t be mad at me. I’m pregnant. You shouldn’t upset me.”
He grips my forearms that are against his chest and rests his forehead on mine. “That’s just it. You’re pregnant, and I thought we agreed you would be on desk duty until after baby Tate was born.”
I pull back. “First of all, I’m only a few months along. Secondly, baby Tate... as in Tate Junior? I thought you made fun of Josh for calling his son a junior.”
He smiles sheepishly. “I did. But that’s what guys do, we bust each other’s balls. Of course, if we have a boy, we’re going to call him Tate Junior. TJ for short.”
I nod. “If we have a boy...”
“Yes... I know you keep saying it could be a girl, and I’m fine with that.”
And honestly, I know he would be. The man lets nothing faze him. He’s taken all this in stride. He’s as laid back as they come. It’s like all he cares about is keeping me happy.
“What if I told you I went to the doctor this morning...”
“What’s wrong?” he asks. Lifting me up in his arms, he carries me back to the office. We have a full day today, plenty of work, but he always puts my needs first. He sits down in his office chair and holds me. I still can’t come in this office without thinking about the first time he took me. I think he’s the same way, because this is where we end up most days.
I settle into his lap and slide my hand in the front of his shirt, stroking the soft hair on his chest. “Nothing’s wrong. I wanted to surprise you... don’t be mad.”
He grits his teeth. “I’m not mad... but tell me what’s going on.”
I take a deep breath. “We’re having a boy.” I reach into the desk behind me and pull out the picture they took. I hold it between us, and there’s no hiding the little appendage that makes his dad’s chest bow out a little.