“Maureen.” Dad cocks his head at her, unimpressed. Laughs scatter around the table.
“I know, okay? Not my brightest moment,” Ella responds.
“Just blame it on the pregnancy brain,” I suggest.
“That’s a good idea. Yes—” She points to Jesse. “—it was the baby’s fault,honey.”
Jesse smiles. “Blaming our unborn daughter? I see how it is,” he teases, pulling her in for a playful side hug.
Mason appears around the corner in uniform; he looks beat. Everyone says hi but he doesn’t reply. Instead, he gives Mom an unexpected, quick hug and anI love youbefore he sits beside me. We watch him dish one helping of chili before hesitantly bringing his spoon to his lips.
“What’s going on with you? Not too hungry?” Mom asks.
He chuckles. “Oh, no. I’m actually starving, but I can’t.”
We all exchange a confused look and wait.
“I…um, I delivered a baby today. Roadside.”
“Stop,” I say with a gasp.
“Did you really?!” Mom’s eyes beam and Dad laughs.
“We were just joking about that!” Ella points at him, laughing.
“I know…I blameyou,” Mason teases.
“You were by yourself?” Cody asks.
“Yup. Just me. Everyone else was, of course, nowhere nearby.” He shakes his head.
We laugh. “Was it a boy or a girl?” I ask.
“Boy.” He takes another bite, but I can tell he’s quick to lose his desire for another.
“That’s a story you’ll be telling for the rest of your life,” Dad says.
“Not exactly a story I prefer to remember all the details of,” he mutters while rolling his sleeve up. “She scratched the hell out of my arm.” He shows us and the laughter only continues.
As I help clear the table from lunch, Dad and my brothers stay put. Mason’s still eating slowly. Cody, Jesse, and Dad are discussing who’s scouting what spots tonight so they knowwhere they’re hunting in the morning.
Tomorrow’s the first day of goose season and everyone seems a little stressed. Excited, but stressed. Someone has to go pick up the hunters from the airport in a few hoursandthey have to scout.
I’m not in on the conversation, but listening to it all, and I’m gathering that the airport pick-up time isn’t ideal because it means they’re down a guy to scout. And youhaveto scout in the evening. Because if there’s anything on the water the night before you hunt, it’ll most likely be back in the morning.
The season hasn’t even officially started and I’m already over these conversations. They aren’t always so intense, but the first day is different.
“Well, I’d offer to help, but I gotta sleep. I’ve gotta be back at work tonight,” Mason says, following it with a sip of water.
“No, you don’t have any obligations with us,” Dad reminds him. “Your job comes first.”
Mason enjoys hunting, and everything that comes with it, but not enough to want to be a part of the family business. He’s wanted to be a cop since he was five, and he followed through. We all supported him, always.
“Well, I can’t run over to Rockmans,” Jesse says, and Cody groans.
Ella comes into the room. “What’s wrong?” She stands behind Jesse, her hands landing on his shoulders.
Jesse lets out a slow sigh. “Nothing. We’re figuring stuff out.”
