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“Ari is not insecure in our relationship, Rebecca. Listen, I really have to go. Let’s plan on doing the baby’s room next week. I have someone coming out to the ranch to take a look at the horse stables. I’m not sure what day he’s coming. After I find out, I’ll get with you, and we’ll plan something.”

Rebecca smiled. Reaching her hands up to my shoulders, she kissed the side of my cheek. “Thank you, Jeff. It really does mean a lot to me to have you a part of this. Again, I’m sorry you made a wasted trip over here.”

***

I walked out to Ari’s Jeep and jumped in. I looked over at my phone on the seat and saw my notification light blinking. Shit. I picked up my phone and noticed I had four missed calls and one voice mail from Ari.

She had called about three minutes ago. I listened to the voice mail. She said they were giving me another ten minutes and leaving. What the hell?

Immediately, I called her back.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sorry, I left my phone in the Jeep. I’m on my way back right now.”

“Whatever. We have everything loaded in both vehicles. Do you want me to just drive your truck? Josh is getting bitchy, and we’re ready to leave.”

“No, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just wait for me.”

“Fine.” She hung up.

Jesus. Waiting for this baby to be born was going to be a long two fucking months.

***

I pulled up to the house and parked on the street behind the trailer that was hooked up to Josh’s truck. After tying something down, he jumped off the trailer.

“You think that pussy truck of yours is going to be able to pull that trailer?” I asked.

Josh gave me a dirty look and turned back to his Dodge truck.

“Fuck you, Jeff. Just because I don’t have a diesel-eating truck doesn’t mean she doesn’t have power.”

“Yeah, whatever you say Josh. Your truck has no balls, dude. I’m just saying.”

Just then Ari and Heather came walking out of the house each carrying a small box. Ari’s eyes caught mine and her smile instantly faded. By the time she walked up to me, she had nothing in her eyes but anger.

“Can I please have my keys back? Heather and I are going to head out now. We’ll just meet y’all at the deer cabin.”

I handed her the keys, and she snatched them out of my hand and pushed past me. Yep, this was going to be a long two months.

“I thought we were going to drop off your Jeep at your place, so you could ride with me,” I said.

Well, that changed the moment you dropped everything and everyone for Rebecca. I don’t want to be stuck while you’re ru

“Ari.”

She turned around and held up her hand.

“The time to talk about it was right before you decided to walk out that door. I’m sick of talking, thinking, and listening. I’m done Jeff. If I hear about her and that baby one more time, I’m taking off this ring, and that will be the last thing I throw at your ass.”

So, it looks like I won’t be bringing up the whole baby room thing anytime soon.

***

The drive out to Mason by myself sucked. Gu

We all pulled up to Gu

“Afternoon, Garrett. Have y’all heard from Gu

“It seems like you’ve got some heavy shit on your mind, Jeff,” Garrett said with a straight-as-hell face.

“You never were one to beat around the bush, were you?” I said as I shook Garrett’s hand.

Josh walked up and slapped me on the back before he shook Garrett’s hand.

“Back to your question, Jeff. Yes, we heard from him a little bit ago. They’re only about an hour out,” Garrett said.

“Yeah, we would have been here sooner, but…um, I had some shit to take care of,” I explained.

Josh let out a laugh and shook his head at me. Bastard. He should be the one with the damn crazy-ass pregnant girl, not me.

“Yeah, well…sometimes we have to step in the shit to move past it, Jeff. Did Gu

What the fuck does that mean? “Um…yeah, he gave it to me. I guess we’ll head over there now. Josh’s truck has Gu

“No, we decided to stay here. Emma made a King Ranch casserole that sounds yummy. Plus, I want to be here when Ellie gets back,” Ari said, walking by arm and arm with Heather.

I watched as Ari, Heather, and Emma made their way into the house with Gus jumping on Ari the whole way. He would not leave her alone. She kept yelling down at him. She looked so damn cute, trying to be all stern with him.

***

Josh and I emptied the trailer on his truck, and then we brought my truck and trailer over to my place. By the time we were done, I was starving. Somehow, I had gotten a text message from Ari, saying Gu

Josh and I headed back to the ranch house. The moment I saw Gu

Then he walked up to me. He shook my hand but pulled me in toward him.

“What the fuck did you do to Ari?”

I pulled back and looked at him, confused.

“What the hell kind of greeting is that? I didn’t do anything to her. Why?”

“Grams and the girls didn’t hear us pull up. When we walked in the door, Grams was holding Ari while she was crying her goddamn eyes out. Ari brought us up to speed about everything that had happened. She can’t stop crying, Jeff. Man, why the fuck are you not using your head with Rebecca?”

Holy shit. I couldn’t believe it. I was getting the same damn lecture from the one person I thought I would be able to talk to. I threw my hands in my hair and started to walk down toward the barn. I needed to get away.

“Jeff, hold up, dude. Talk to me,” Gu

“What do you want me to say, Gun? I’m losing my goddamn mind. I thought, out of all people, you wouldn’t be the one jumping down my throat because Ari is hurting. What about me? How the fuck do you think I feel? I don’t want to have a baby with Rebecca. I want to have a baby with Ari and only Ari. I’m being pulled in two different directions. If this baby is mine, I’m not walking out on it like my good-for-nothing father did. I want to be here for him, even if Rebecca is the mother. I don’t know how to make Ari understand that. I don’t know how to take away her pain, Gu

Gu

I sat down on the bale next to him and put my head in my hands. “No, not in those exact words.”

“Well fuck, dude. Don’t you think it would help her to understand your need to jump when Rebecca says how high? You owe her the truth, Jeff. If you don’t tell her, she’s just going to just keep thinking the worst. Right now, to her, you are putting Rebecca above her. It needs to be Ari first. Find out if this baby is even yours. If he is, then be the best damn Dad you can be. Just remember who your world is right now, dude.”