“I wanted it to be exactly how you always wanted it to be. That day you brought me out here, I wanted to take all the pain away from how the dinner with your family went. Every detail you told me, every hope you had for how you could one day transform your great-grandparents place into your own. I just hope you’re okay with bringing two people along into your space.”
“Of course I am.” Her arms wrapped around Hawk’s waist. “Did you get this idea from Stone?”
Hawk laughed. “It did cross my mind how much Mae seemed to love their new place. Certainly can’t let him take the top place for romantic gestures in our family.”
“I thought Mae was the luckiest woman. She came into the diner all glowy, holding his hand a few days later, and she told me all about their new place. I was jealous, Hawk.” Her face tipped into his chest and she inhaled as he tightened his grip on her. The emotion was thick in her voice and Hawk fought the urge to pick her up and cuddle her on the porch swing. “But really I was the luckiest woman, and I didn’t even know it. Because Bee was already growing inside of me, and the tethers of fate were already woven between us. How I got so lucky to be loved by you, I’ll never know.”
He opened his mouth to argue about how he was the lucky one, but her hand came up, playfully covering his mouth.
“No. Just let me… just let me say this. Even if we never get married. Even if we stay in the apartment forever…” Her hand left his face and brushed over her belly. “Even if this life was just you and me. I’m so grateful and thankful and so deeply in love with you. Everything you do for me—holding me when I’m sick, reminding me that it’s okay to prioritize myself, loving the crazy stray cat I brought home and eating everything I bake, including those chocolate spicy pickle muffin monstrosities I had to have at three in the morning the other day—you are a truly wonderful man. And this is… it’s too much. Can I see inside?”
Hawk smiled, his chest filled with so much happiness he was sure it was about to burst right out of his ribcage. “Let’s go.”
Thirty-Six
One week. That was all the time she’d had to pull together a fundraiser for Lachlan. From initial thought to execution day. And with the help of her incredible friends…her family… It looked like the first official “Silver Springs Founders’ Day” was going to be a wild success.
Lily had come up with the idea to sell admission tickets at the diner, Lacy’s flower shop, and Montgomery Defense. Emma even sold tickets in Bell Ridge at her bakery. All in all, they’d sold almost five hundred tickets and were anticipating more people showing up for general admission when the festivities started the next day.
“We need more space outside the food tent for grills, and don’t forget about cooler space, because we’ve got all those incredible cuts Sam and Evie donated from the Red River Ranch.” Jessie stood, her hands digging into her back as she directed Hayes, Nash, and Stone around under the large white canopy. Her tank top and shorts were already soaked with sweat and it was barely ten in the morning.
“And if I haven’t said it before, thank you all for your help. I think this is really going to boost Lachlan’s spirits. I know it’shorribly hot out already and it’s going to be a long day, but it means everything to me that you’re here to help.”
Stone smiled and held out a cold water bottle to her. “No tears. Hawk’s walking over here and if he sees those shimmering in your eyes, we’re all going to get a fist thrown at us.”
Nash and Hayes chuckled, but Jessie shook her head. “They’re happy tears. I’m just thankful for you all, and the baby is making me weepy.”
Hands landed on her hips from behind and Jessie leaned back into her favorite place to rest lately. Against Hawk.
“It’s getting too hot out. Time for you to go sit down inside the air conditioning.”
“I’m fine. There’s a lot to oversee out here.”
“I know. That’s why I had you write down a list. That’s why I asked Mae to make copies and laminate them. It’s why everyone is color-coded into teams that know exactly what their tasks are for today. So that you can relax and not stress.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” She reached her hands up and pulled his face down to meet hers. Jessie pressed a kiss to his lips before wincing from a sharp kick to her side. “Ouch, Bee. Jeepers. This is how you treat your mom? Contractions keeping me up all night, crazy hard kicks giving me grief during the day?”
“You’re having contractions?” Her brother looked like he was about to topple over. “Doesn’t that mean you’re in labor?”
“How are you best friends with a midwife and you don't know about prodromal labor?” Jessie sighed and rolled her eyes. Hawk’s hand slid over her belly and he chuckled behind her as Bee moved again. “Unfortunately, it’s super common at this stage to get warm-up contractions. They suck, but it’s not really labor yet.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Lacy had prodromal labor for weeks before Cami was born. We were convinced onenight that she was coming and, well, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me saying the walk out of the hospital with her still pregnant ended in tears. I knew it before, but seeing it first hand, women really are so insanely strong.” Nash’s eyes were pinned across the field where Lacy was laughing with Lily and Mae as they worked on one of the social media photo booths. “You’ll see soon enough, Hawk. Watching your wife bring your child into the world. Nothing compares to it. Nothing.”
“That’s really sweet. I would allow for a five minute break in the schedule if you wanted to go give Lacy a kiss after that impassioned speech,” Jessie joked.
Hawk laughed behind her. “You won’t know if he comes back in five minutes or not, because you and Bee are going up to the house, and you’re getting off your feet. No arguments.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Jessie held up her finger towards Nash and Beau. “No slacking just because I’m not here.”
“No ma’am,” Nash laughed.
Hawk draped his arm over Jessie’s shoulder as she slid her hand around his waist. It was slow going getting back up to the house, and Hawk did have to stop her from trying to go give directions to Gunner and Gage, but eventually, they made it back. And she was so thankful for Hawk’s watchful eye, because under the hot Texas sun, in the middle of summer, she was starting to wilt.
“Is that a mirage, or is someone visiting us?” she asked as they got closer to his truck. There was a strange black SUV parked right next to it. One that hadn’t been there that morning.
“No one is visiting. That’s ours.”
She stopped moving. “What do you meanthat’s ours?”
