“It’s okay,” I say. “Just… try harder.”
“I will. Maybe if we all work together, we can figure this out.”
I pull back and look up at him. His thumbs come up to wipe my tears away. I can’t help but smile.
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Chapter Eighteen
Daisy
Theguyshelpmewith dinner, and as we’re sitting at the table, resting our bellies, Gus slaps his hand on the table.
“Okay,” he says firmly. “I’m doing it today.”
“Doing what?” I ask, looking between the guys. None of them seem to know what he’s talking about.
“I’m going up the road to see if I can walk off the property.”
My brows shoot up, and Rhett and Wade share surprised looks as well.
“We’ll, uh… we’ll go with you,” Rhett says. “Right?”
“Yeah, of course,” I say.
“Definitely,” Wade says.
“All right.” Gus nods.
And then no one moves. An awkward silence falls over us. I clear my throat, reaching for my water for a sip. The days are getting hotter, and the nights aren’t any better. I’m showering twice a day just to wash the sweat off.
“Okay,” Gus says again, this time getting to his feet. “Okay, yeah. I can do this.”
“You can do this,” Rhett says, also standing.
“I’m just going to walk up the driveway, to the road and—ba-cawk!” He growls, clearing his throat. “Damnit. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say, getting used to the randomba-cawkingthat goes on around this house.
Though, it has gotten better since Gus isn’t as sensitive and I avoid using the word “egg” and “coop” as much as possible.
But apparently,ba-cawkinghappens when they’re nervous too.
“Come on, Gus,” Wade says. “You’ve got this.”
Gus lets out a sharp breath, walking toward the door.
He leads the way all the way up the road with us following behind. When we’re ten feet from the boundary line, we all stop.
Across the road and up the dirt path is Ellen Mathews’ house. I would be worried about her seeing this, but if she were out here, we’d spot her. Her house is further back on the property than mine is, and without the hill, so there’s no way we’d miss her.
“Uh, maybe you should go up there and wait by the street. You know… in case a car is coming?” Gus suggests.
“Absolutely,” I say, walking past him and to the road, right where the pavement starts. I look both ways. “Coast is clear.”
“On the count of three,” he says loudly, taking a step forward and then bringing his foot back, like he’s preparing to run. He lets out a loud huff before jumping up and down a few times, pumping himself up.
“Three,” he says, shaking his head. “Two.” He shakes his hands out. “One.”
