“Uhm Grouchy, there is something I need you to see before I share some news of my own.” I took the spatula from him. “Its on the bathroom counter upstairs.”
Allie’s eyes widened and I had no doubt she already suspected. Rafe raised a brow, but did as I asked.
While we waited for him I emptied the scrambled egg mixture into a frying pan. It didn’t take him long to find what I had left for him.
The loudest whoop left the top of the stairs. “Yes! Motherfucker. I am going to be a dad.”
Allie smiled at me. “For real?”
“I took the test just before I came downstairs.” I said with tears streaming down my face. “I wanted to tell Rafe first, but then I also wanted us to celebrate together. We are going to be pregnant together.”
Rafe came jogging down the stairs, his eyes wide as came into the kitchen. “Are you allowed to have coffee?”
“Grouchy, unless you want to use your hand for the next nine months, you will be flexible on the coffee. But I actually haven’t had any.”
I had no intention of overdoing anything, but did intend to do the research. I wasn’t a big drinker anyway, so it wasn’t like I would miss the alcohol. But I was a little disappointed I wouldn’t get to taste Sterling wine for a good while.
And then I caught Allie’s eyes. All her husband’s hard work and she wouldn’t get to enjoy it.
She must’ve sensed what I was thinking because as soon as her eye caught mine she burst into tears. “I’m not going to get to taste this year's vintage. Maybe not even next year, depending on how long I nurse for.”
I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder for a few moments as Calvin looked on helplessly. “Baby, it will be fine. Our baby is more important than the wine.”
Of course, his words only made her cry even more. I handed her over to her husband and turned to Rafe. “Let’s eat.”
Breakfast passed by in a blur. When we had breakfast that first morning after the kidnapping, Mrs. Powers had joined us. She told us to have Sunday Morning Mimosas for as long as we could because once we started giving her grandbabies, we’d have to pause. And yes, she had included me in the discussion. I was a stranger to her, but she knew I was displaced and she pulledme into her fold. The next week Allie and I had both forgotten about the mimosas as we discussed what the kids at her school had worn for Halloween. She worked at the local high school and the outfits ranged from sexy nurse, to more cutesy ones like the PowerPuff girls.
So mimosas would need to wait.
My phone rang and I frowned when the caller’s name appeared on my screen. Before it could ring a second time, I answered. “Mr. Pederson?”
“Hello, Rory.” His voice sounded more upbeat than the last time we spoke. “I told you to call me Joel.”
I put the phone on speaker and rested it on the kitchen table. “Joel, then. How are you?”
“Well, well.” He paused for a second, then continued. “I wanted to share the news with you. My offer has been accepted for the Argent Property. Well, I suppose now it will be called the Pederson property. At least, until my son decides what he intends to call it.”
My eyes met with each person in the room before I spoke. “Your son?”
“Yes, Mark thinks the land is perfect for a boutique style resort. He thinks another hotel chain will ruin the landscape. Especially when I told him I didn’t want to piss off the locals.”
He laughed at his own statement and I couldn’t help but chuckle with him. “No, I learned that the hard way, too. The locals stick together here.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” Joel’s turned serious. “Argent is aiming to become a serious player in the industry. I need to know I am sending my son to a place where the locals will have his back.”
Rafe stepped up to the phone. “Joel. You made sure we didn’t have to deal with the Argent Group. At least, not for a long time. You have no idea how grateful we are. Mark will be treated as alocal as soon as he steps foot into town. And we will definitely have his back.”
What Rafe was not saying was the sale had saved his ranch and my life. Well, technically the little life inside me saved my life. But I was never going to have a baby purely to save my inheritance. I don’t know what made my father put a clause like that in the will, but I was almost certain it was done under duress.
Once we said our goodbyes to Joel, the eggs were ready.
And for the third week in a row, the four of us had breakfast together. And nearly every week after that. Each week, the four of us sat down together, the knot in my stomach grew smaller and smaller. It became a tradition which always involved the four of us. It survived six children, from teething ring to wedding ring, and everything in between. Calvin became my brother, like Allie became a sister to both Rafe and me.
And as our families grew, our businesses grew. Even in the bad years, we knew we could rely on one another. I took heart that Tex was keeping an eye on my sisters. And if they ran into trouble he had an army of men and women he could rely on. We learned when to play it safe and when to take the risk. And through it all the Argent Group never returned. Not until we were ready to take the fight to them.
EPILOGUE
Rafe
