Colt called out to get everyone’s attention as Taylor took my hand and pulled me closer to everyone. “This is it!” she said with excitement in her voice.
“First. I’d like to wish my grams a very happy birthday again. You’re rocking it at ninety-five, Grams!”
Everyone clapped as cheers rang out. Colt motioned for Alex to stand next to him as well as Lauren and Will.
“Alex and Will, as well as Lauren and I, have an announcement to make.”
Colt turned to Alex who smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “You first,” she said.
With his arm wrapped around Lauren’s waist, Colt beamed with pride and happiness. “Lauren and I will be welcoming our first child July 7.”
Cheers erupted as everyone rushed up and started hugging both Lauren and Colt. Ellie was crying as she pulled Lauren to her and held her for the longest time.
When things finally died down, all attention was on Alex and Will. Alex cleared her throat and said, “We didn’t want to ruin this day for Colt and Lauren, but once Colt found out he insisted we make our announcement as well.”
Ellie’s hands went to her mouth as she started crying . . . again. “Will and I are expecting our second child . . .” Alex turned to face Colt and started laughing. “On July 6!”
Taylor jumped as she rushed over to Alex and hugged her. I couldn’t ignore the pit in the middle of my stomach. Taylor hadn’t mentioned anything and I knew she had to have missed her period. We’d been together for just over a month now.
As much as I dreamed of marrying her and having kids, I really wanted to get my life settled. That meant building a house, setting up roots and settling in with Walker on running the ranch. Not to mention the change to taking everything organic. Walker invested a lot of time in the horseracing side of the ranch while I focused more on the cattle. It was a good arrangement and I liked it. It meant long hours though and if I threw a baby into the mix, it meant I would hardly see him or her.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I pushed my hand through my hair and did what I have been doing for the last few weeks. Ignored it.
Once everything settled down, Alex got everyone’s attention. “So . . . I’m not really sure if she is ready to say anything or not . . . but I really wish she would so we can really turn this into an even bigger party. Grace?”
All eyes turned to Grace. She looked around with a shocked look on her face before turning back to Alex. She blew out a quick breath and walked up next to her. “Well. I guess we might as well tell y’all. We’re going to be needing to hire some help at the flower shop.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart!” Ellie called out. “Means your business is thriving.”
Grace pinched her face up and said, “Well . . . yes it is but obviously there is something in the water here in Mason. Noah and I are expecting our second child in . . . you guessed it. July. July 24 to be exact.”
“Three new babies! July is going to be busy!” Jeff called out as he wrapped his daughter up in his arms while Ari started crying.
Taylor turned to me and laughed. “Jesus, what in the hell is in the water here?” I asked as she laughed. “I’m not sure, but I’ve got a ton of baby shower planning to do!”
It wasn’t lost on me how much Taylor was ignoring our potential problem just like I was.
Taylor sat nervously on the end of the table, swinging her legs and wringing her hands. “You know you didn’t have to come.”
“I wanted to.”
When Taylor told me she was coming in to talk about getting on birth control and to take a pregnancy test, there was no way I was going to let her come alone.
“So you know this doctor?”
Taylor nodded. “Well, her father mainly. I’ve been to see her once. Her dad delivered almost all of us, I swear. He retired and his daughter took over.”
The door opened and a young female doctor and nurse walked in. “Hi, Taylor. How are you doing?”
“Good,” she answered in a shaky voice.
The nurse sat down and pulled up the screen on the computer. Standing, I introduced myself. “Jase Moore.”
Dr. Johnson looked between Taylor and myself. “Jase is my boyfriend.”
With a satisfied nod, she leaned against the bed. “So, we’re here to talk about birth control and I believe you took a pregnancy test as well.”
“Y-yes. The one I took at home was negative, but I haven’t started so I wanted to be sure.”
Dr. Johnson gave Taylor an understanding smile. The nurse turned to the doctor and nodded yes.
Pressing her lips together, Dr. Johnson turned and looked at Taylor, then me, then back to Taylor. “Honey, I’m guessing since you are here to start the pill, pregnancy is not something you are wanting anytime soon.”
My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could hardly hear.
I stood next to Taylor as she reached for my hand. “No . . . I mean at least not right now.”
“I want to go ahead and draw some blood to confirm this, but your urine sample came back positive for being pregnant.”
Taylor gasped and squeezed my hand. My stomach instantly felt sick as my entire future flashed before my eyes. Brad was going to castrate me.
Closing my eyes, I pushed all the negative thoughts away. I needed to show Taylor we were in this together. Rubbing my thumb across the top of her hand, I kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “It’s okay, sweetness. It’s okay.”
The nurse quickly stood up and blurted out, “Dr. Johnson, I’m so very sorry. I had the wrong chart pulled up!”
Dr. Johnson pushed off the counter and glanced down at the screen. Speaking softly, she replied, “Oh, Nelly.”
She quickly closed the chart and typed something in and began reading another chart. Turning to look at the nurse, she politely said, “Would you mind stepping outside of the room for a moment, Nelly?”
Nelly looked panicked. “No, Dr. Johnson, not at all.” She rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Dr. Johnson turned back to us. “Both of you take a deep breath and blow it out.”
Doing as she said, Taylor let off on her death grip some. “We have two girls in here today by the name of Taylor and your appointments were at the same time. Nelly had the other Taylor’s chart pulled up. I’m so very sorry for that, but I am happy to say you tested negative for being pregnant.”
Taylor collapsed into my side as a sob escaped from her lips. I silently thanked God as I held Taylor up against me.
Dr. Johnson grinned slightly. “Again, I’m so sorry for the mini heart attack I’m sure you both had.”
“It’s okay, no harm no foul,” I said with a weak smile. Taylor stayed quiet at my side as Dr. Johnson continued on talking. I wasn’t sure how much Taylor heard before she finally snapped out of it and asked a few questions.
When it was all said and done, Dr. Johnson prescribed birth control pills and had Nelly come back in and apologize.
We weren’t even out the front door when Taylor spun around and flung herself into my body. Her body shook as she buried her head in my chest and cried.
Moving my hand over her back, I attempted to get her to calm down. “Shh . . . it’s all right, Tay.”
She pulled back slightly, and my chest hurt when I saw her tear-soaked face. I lifted my hands up to her face and wiped them away.
“I was so scared, Jase. The only thing I could think about was how mad my father was going to be.”
Lifting my brows, I pulled my head back and said, “Your dad? Mine would have cut my dick off.”
When she laughed, I felt the tension letting go of my body. “It’s over, we made that one mistake and it will never happen again.”
Placing her hands on my chest, she took in a deep breath before slowly expelling it. “I want kids, Jase. I really do. And this may sound selfish, but I want you all to myself for a while before we have them. I mean . . . we just started dating and I’m not expecting anything from you.”
“Taylor you don’t have to explain anything. I feel the same way. I want to date, get engaged, plan the wedding of your dreams, and then we can talk about kids.”
“You just made my heart flutter.”
With a smirk, I leaned in closer and barely spoke against her ear. “My mother would say I swooned you.”
With a good laugh, Taylor wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you for coming today. I’m not sure how I would have reacted had you not been there.”
Kissing her quickly on the lips, we headed to my truck. “So did you decide if you were moving out of your parents’ house?”
“I don’t think so. I’m always at your place and never home really, so why move?”
“I was thinking and please don’t feel like you have to say yes . . . but why don’t you move in with me? I know it’s still a good drive to the ranch, but we’d be together every night.”
My chest tightened and I couldn’t decide if the idea thrilled me or scared the piss out of me. The idea of holding Taylor in my arms every night was amazing. To wake up to those beautiful green eyes had my stomach flipping. And it meant we were moving in together.
Stealing a look in her direction, I asked, “Are you sure? I mean there might be some nights I’d have to stay with my parents or the cabin when I had an early start, but the thought of waking up to your beautiful face each day makes my heart race.”
Her teeth sunk into her lip. “I’m positive. Life is short and I don’t want to take a day for granted.”
“You have to let me split the bills with you.”
Trying to contain her smile she agreed. “Deal!”
I reached my hand out for hers. Pulling it to my lips, I gently kissed it. “Then it looks like you’ve got a roommate.”
Taylor
Late March
“Taylor, are you sure you want to go?”
“Of course I am! Jase, these are your friends. You hang with my friends all the time. I want to meet some of your friends.”
“You’ve met Rick.”
Rolling my eyes, I mumbled under my breath, “He doesn’t count.”
Jase laughed and pulled me into his arms. “Why do you not like him?”
With a shrug, I replied. “He makes comments to me all the time that make me feel uncomfortable.”
With a glower, he asked, “What kind of comments?”
Waving it off, I replied, “Nothing really. I’m just being silly.”
“Taylor, if Rick is saying something to you I want to know about it.”
Swallowing hard, I chewed on the corner of my lip. The last thing I wanted to do was cause problems between Jase and his best friend. It was true though that I didn’t care for Rick at all.
“He’s made comments about how nice my ass is and how he sees why you were hung up on me.”
Anger built in Jase’s eyes. “Please let it go . . . I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“The fuck you shouldn’t have. You should have told me before. What else has he said to you?”
I shook my head. “Nothing really. He just puts his hands on me all the time and I don’t like it.”
“Explain please.”
Ugh. This is exactly why I didn’t say anything before to Jase. “Jase, honestly it’s just me being me.”
His face grew red the angrier he got. When he balled up his fists, I was silently wishing I hadn’t said a word.
“Taylor,” he bit.
Sighing, I answered him. “He puts his arm around my shoulders and will pull me close to him. Or he puts his hand on my lower back and he always does it when you’re not looking or not in the room because I know he knows it makes me uncomfortable and you wouldn’t like it.”
“I’m gonna pummel his fucking face in when I see him.”
Grabbing his arm, I pleaded with him, “Jase no! This is exactly why I didn’t say anything to you. I’ve already decided when he does it again I’m going to say something. Please let me handle this. Maybe he doesn’t realize he is doing it . . . doubtful, but possible.”
Shaking his head, Jase turned away from me and paced. Both hands pushed through his hair and I couldn’t help the ache between my legs. I loved when he did that. It left his hair with that just-fucked look as Meagan called it.
“I swear if I see him touch you or hear him make any comments I’m going to take care of it myself.”
This was the first time I’d seen the jealous side of Jase. Pressing my lips together, I nodded.
“Should I bring my swimsuit?”
“I don’t think anyone will be swimming. The water is still pretty cold and it’s only getting up to the mid-seventies.”
I was glad my change of subject worked. I packed a bag and put my swimsuit in anyway just in case.
An hour later and we were walking up to a large group of people. One of Jase’s friends rented out a few cabins at a park that was right on the Llano River. It was beautiful. There was a huge fire going and someone had brought a giant grill they were grilling hamburgers on.
Rick turned and smiled as he waved. Jase lifted his hand and waved. “Fucker,” he whispered as I bumped my shoulder against him.
The same girl I had talked to that night at the bar came walking over. I didn’t think she would recognize me and she didn’t. Of course, she acted as if I wasn’t even standing there when she threw her arms around Jase. To his credit he didn’t hug her and she quickly stepped back.
“Jase! I’m so glad you decided to come. I’ve hardly seen you in the last few months.”
Jase put his arm around my waist and looked at me with a loving smile. “I’ve been pretty busy.”
“Oh, I bet the ranch keeps you busy.”
Jase and I both looked at her. “Jill, I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Taylor.”
Jill gave me a once over. With a fake smile she said, “Any friend of Jase’s is a friend of mine.”
“Thanks,” I politely answered.
Putting her attention back on Jase, she let out a yell as a song started. I couldn’t see where the speakers were or where the music was coming from, but clearly she liked this song with the way she was reacting.
“Jase it’s ‘Young and Crazy’ . . . our song! We have to dance.”
Reaching for his arm, she tried to pull him away.
“That’s okay, Jill. I’m going to pass.”
Her smile dropped and was replaced by a look of shock. “Oh.” Her eyes flashed over to me. “I see, well maybe later.”
With a polite smile, Jase replied, “I doubt it, but it was nice seeing you again.”
When Jase led me away, I took a chance at looking back at Jill.
That was a mistake. She was shooting daggers straight at me.
“Sorry about that, Tay. Jill and I used to date in high school.”
I was somewhat surprised Jase told me he used to date Jill. But then again, why not tell me.
My stomach was in knots as Jase began introducing me to everyone. What if his friends didn’t like me? What if I didn’t fit in with them? I felt so bad that Jase had been spending all his spare time with me. When Rick mentioned this party I knew Jase wanted to go.
“So, Taylor, Jase mentioned you live in Mason?”
With a grin, I replied, “I do. I work for Reynolds Breeding.”
“Oh really?” the girl who I was pretty sure was named Shay said. “What do you do there?”
“I work in the office as a financial analyst.”
“Interesting. Did you grow up in the country?”
I would have loved to ask her where she was going with this, but I faked a smile and continued talking.
“Fredericksburg, but I spent a lot of time in Mason. I practically grew up on a cattle ranch.”
“Cows. How fun,” Jill said with an eye roll.
What in the world did Jase ever see in this girl?
Reaching deep down inside, I dug out my inner Meagan. “What about you, Jill?”
She snapped her head over and contempla
ted if she wanted to answer me. “What about me?”
“Did you grow up in Llano?”
Squaring off her shoulders, she said, “I did. I grew up around horses . . . although cows sound like a ton of fun. Too bad you won’t be able to keep up with those racehorses Jase plays around with.”
She did not. Wow. This girl is a bitch.
Shay smiled. “Do you ride, Taylor?”
With a nod, I replied. “I do. I’ve been around horses my whole life.”
Glancing over to where Jase was, I saw him down another beer. I knew he had been working a lot lately and was wanting to cut loose and have some fun, but I was stunned by how much he was drinking.
Jill sighed and said, “I’m going to find better company. Excuse me.”
My mouth dropped as I watched her walk away. I felt like I was back in high school as I looked around with a stunned expression. What is it with Jase’s friends? They are so immature. “Ignore her, Taylor. She’s just pissed that you’re here with Jase. I’m sure she was hoping to get her claws into him again.”
“It’s okay. She does realize we are all adults here though, right?” I asked as I watched her walk over to where Jase was.
Shay chuckled. “I think she is still stuck in high school. Watch her, though. With the way Jase is knocking them back, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was planning on something.”
My head turned to Shay. “Like?”
I couldn’t help but notice how she was looking at Jill with a disgusted look. “Let’s just say she has a way of trying to make something seem like it is something it isn’t.”
Swiveling around to look at me, she smiled and said, “I think I’ll go find my fiancé before he finds trouble. See ya later.”
“See ya,” I said as I made my way over to Jase. Jill kept laughing and putting her hand on his stomach. Anger began to build in my veins. When he took a step away from her, my body relaxed a bit.
Here I thought Rick was going to be the problem and it was Jill.
“Hey,” I said as I kissed Jase on the cheek.
“Hey, sweetness. Having fun?”
His eyes were blurred and I knew he had probably had more to drink then he should. I knew in college Jase would let loose and drink. I’d seen him a few times at parties. But why he was doing it now, I was unsure. Maybe because he was with his friends and that’s what they did? All I knew was I wasn’t pleased he was getting drunk.