Home. That’s what this place is. It still feels surreal to say it, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to living here, but this is what we agreed would be best. Not for Jase, not for me, but for our unborn baby. A baby we agreed to raise together.
After Jase confronted me about my pregnancy, there was no use in hiding it from him. I had to come clean and admit that his suspicions were true. I ended up pregnant with his child after the one night of passion we spent together while on vacation in Florida. A night that wouldn’t have happened had he not kissed me the day before, to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.
Though to his unsuspecting surprise, his quick and easy fix ended up costing him.
It seems reasonable that when he found out I was pregnant, there was no use in pretending that night between us never happened. What I hadn’t planned on was my brothers, my best friends, and the entire town of Crossroads finding out at the same time. And not because I’d finally garnered the courage to tell them myself.
The only thing worse than your secrets being spilled out for everyone to see is when it’s out of your control.
Now here we are. Nearly a month after the news broke, we’ve moved in together, deciding it's the only solution as we try to be the best co-parents for my little bear. After the way Monty, who was more than my older brother but a father figure who raised me, reacted to the news of my pregnancy, there was no way Jase was moving in with us. Especially now that Monty has once again moved onto my family’s property after finishing the remodel of The Bishop Ranch. Instead of selling it like he’d planned after my father’s death last month, he kept it and turned it into the ranch of his dreams. Something my father could never do.
Monty’s always been the cowboy type compared to my three other brothers—even with Theo being the country music superstar that he is. But tending the land, caring for the livestock, and training horses has always been Monty’s passion. Along with his background in construction, I’m excited to see what he’s going to turn my old family ranch into now that it’s fully his.
Nash reacted even worse to the news of his best friend sleeping with his little sister, though he’s currently head over heels obsessed and in love with Bailey, so he doesn’t get much say in the matter. His relationship with Jase isn’t what it used to be and will take some time to mend, but I see them working things out for Bailey’s sake. She loves her brother and runs a business with him, so Nash is going to have to suck it up and move on like the rest of us.
Then there’s Beau, who, contrary to what everyone used to believe, turns out is not only my brother but also shares Jase’s blood—a love child between my mother and Bismarck King. Thanks to the lovely and shocking revelations of this year's Harvest Festival, the truth of their affair came to light, as did the fact Beau was our half-brother.
Looking at him now, Beau lacks the dark hair we all inherited from my father and mother, and instead, his dark blonde hair is quite similar to Jase and Bailey. Given the circumstances, Beau’s moved back to Crossroads for the foreseeable future, leaving behind the life he built for himself in California, and is currently living in the house I used to share with Monty.
So regardless of the fact that I dreaded moving onto the King Ranch, there was truly no other option on such short notice.
I pull up to the house and exit my car, grabbing the bags I left in the back seat as I head toward the front door. Digging in my bag for the house keys, I’m temporarily stunned as I stare in awe at the beautiful Douglas Fir sitting on the front porch. Slowly, Imake my way up the front steps, bags in hand, and look around to see who could have possibly left it here because it sure as hell wasn't here when I left earlier this morning.
I don’t have to wait long for an answer, because in the next second the front door swings open, revealing a very shirtless Jase standing on the other side.
“Hey there, roomie,” he says with a teasing smile. I’m too stunned to speak, not only because his perfectly tan and glistening muscles are on full display, and fuck do they look good, but I wasn’t expecting him to be home. I thought I at least had another couple of days to myself to unpack and get used to the idea of living with him.
It’s worked thus far because he’s been gone more than he’s been home. Between his shifts at the bar and his out-of-town trips, we’ve barely seen each other. What the hell am I supposed to do if Jase plans on walking around the house shirtless all the time? We need to set some boundaries, and quickly.
“Roomie?” I ask, not at all amused by his attempt at lightening a rather uncomfortable and complicated situation. “Didn't have time to come up with something cleverer?”
“Would you prefer I call you my baby mama?” he asks mockingly, knowing exactly how I would feel about him ever calling me that. His wicked smirk says it all.
I let out a low growl, my cheeks heating and eyebrows raising in response as my eyes zero in on the bastard and his out-of-pocket humor. “You woke up either brave or incredibly stupid today if you think I’ll ever allow you to call me that.”
His smile widens, giving me a glimpse of those perfect, pearly white teeth that only make his tanned body gleam in the sunlight that reflects off them. Jase is ridiculously hot, and it baffles me that my child is going to have his genes, but then again he opens his mouth and speaks, reminding me exactly why I’m also dreading it.
“It’s a joke, Moonshine. Don’t fret. Just trying to make you smile, since you looked like you’d seen a ghost when you saw me.”
Realizing I’ve been gawking at him for too long, I look away and down at the sandals on my feet I put on to not mess up the pedicure I’d given myself this morning. “I wasn’t expecting you home so soon,” I say, sidestepping him as I enter the house. Though I don’t make it all the way inside before he stops me, reaching for my hand and the bags in it.
“Let me take these,” he says, as he gently tugs them from my grasp. The movement forces me to graze his bare torso with my arm, eliciting a wave of something foreign to shoot through me.
I shake it off, having no interest in pursuing whatever it was, and decide a quick escape is easier than fighting him on this. I release the bags and walk further inside, suddenly exhausted and in need of a long nap. I’ll have to settle for a nap since alcohol is out of the question for the foreseeable future.
These past three months have been so unpredictable. One minute I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on my day, the other six, I’m incredibly moody and emotional, nauseous, and feel like I could hibernate for the entirety of winter. Today is the latter.
Though before I can make it fully inside, I freeze. The house seems incredibly quiet at first. The kind of quiet that makes my stomach tighten. I’ve only been living here for a week, but it still feels like someone else’s space, and I fear that will never change.
I made a promise to myself that today would be different. I would try to unpack my things and see if the gut-wrenching fear in my stomach would wither away. That’s when the smell hits me.
Paint.
I take a few steps further into the living room, my eyes blinking to focus on the sight before me. There’s furnitureshoved aside, dirty rags everywhere, and half a wall covered in wet, uneven strokes of white. With a gasp, I turn abruptly, noticing something I was too distracted to see before. Jase isn’t only standing shirtless before me with a smug grin on his gorgeous face, but the sweat kissing his perfectly toned chest is marked with strokes of white paint.
“What is all this?” I ask dumbfounded, staring at the man who looks like he’s posing at a photoshoot for some interior design magazine more than simply redecorating his home.
Jase glances at the wall behind me, admiring his work. “I was painting. Thought the room could use a reset.”
