“We needed something family friendly for after the baby gets here. So I bought it last week. Honestly, I should have bought it months ago, but you were so hell bent on keepingJoey that I had to wait. I hate to say I’m grateful she went to the scrapyard?—”
“Hey!” Jessie’s elbow dug into his side.
“Ouch.”
“Now you know what it feels like when your daughter gets me in the ribs with her ginormous feet.”
“Fair play,” Hawk laughed. “Please don’t be mad at me. I just need to know you both are safe. This is the highest safety rated family SUV available on the market. With all the bells and whistles, and every upgrade.”
“Really trying to sell me on it, aren’t you, Chief?”
“Jess…”
“It’s beautiful, Hawk. If it makes you feel better, and if it keeps our daughter safe, then I think it’s okay to say I’m happy Joey went away too.”
“Hey, Jess.” Dakota wiped the sweat from his forehead as he marched up the steps towards Jessie.
“What are you doing up here?” Jessie set her glass of lemonade down on the table beside her chair, the condensation sticking to her hand. “I thought you were helping Gunner and Gage set up the dunk tank. Is it not working?” She started to push herself up, but Dakota rushed forward, his hand landing on her shoulder.
“Don’t get up. Nothing’s wrong. Everything is right on schedule. I just needed to grab something for your mom. You okay? You look like you’re about ready to have that baby.” He stepped back as soon as she was seated, the smell of cigarettes filled the air between them.
“God, you don’t even know how true of a statement that is.” Jessie crinkled her nose. “Did you start smoking again?”
“Yeah.” He dropped his head. “It’s a hard habit to kick.”
She pointed her finger at him. “Don’t even think about influencing Lach to start again. I bullied him into stopping a few months ago and I don’t feel like doing it again since he’s already struggling so much.” Jessie winced as Bee pressed her foot into her side.
Dakota’s eyes bounced down to her round belly and back up to her face and she almost laughed out loud at the look of sheer terror he was giving her.
“Oh, you are just as bad as my brothers. I’m not about to have the baby on this porch. She’s just running out of room.”
He patted his hand over his heart. “Good. So I don’t need to go pull Hawk off of hooking up the tractor for the hay rides?”
“Don’t you dare. The last thing I need is that man hovering. I’ve given him his job for the day, and I need him focused on that. Tomorrow needs to be a perfect day for Lachlan, and I plan on making sure it is.”
The tightening was back, starting with a low pain in her hips, it morphed, squeezing her belly, and stealing her breath. She forced herself to sit still, but Dakota’s eyes were narrowing, assessing her.
“Are you?—”
“We’re not talking about this. Okay?” Her words were barely more than a groan through her clenched teeth.
“Okay….” he sighed, still eyeing her wearily. “I actually have something else I need to ask you.”
“Oh?” God, that one really hurt. Jessie sighed as the pain peaked, her brain only half focused on what Dakota was asking her.
“… and that’s kind of why I need to know where it is. Do you still have it?”
“Sorry. Still have what?”
“The vase I gave you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Jessie nodded. Dang, her back was really starting to ache.She hoisted herself off the chair, stretching every tight and tired muscle.
Dakota’s phone chimed and he looked at the screen, his smile falling as he set his cell back down on the bannister. As quickly as it fell, his smile returned, but it wasn’t the full, vibrant one she’d grown up knowing.
“What’s really going on?” she asked.
“Nothing, Blue Jay. My mom is just on my ass about getting it back. Figured I could just grab it from you when I got the tin snips your mom mentioned were up here.”
