“I’m not saying anything, just that Hadley is right andyou’re a mess.”
She smiles at my brother. “Thank you and you are veryquickly becoming my favorite Hennington.”
Logan beams. “See, I told you that you’re lacking.”
“You’re going to be lacking some teeth if you keep it up.”
He shrugs. “Hadley will protect me.”
She rolls her eyes and then turns to me. “We have to donatesome of this, babe. We don’t need all these things. Melanie took a lot, but we’vealready figured those housewares out. Please, I want to start preparing theroom for the baby.”
I move to her, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her tome. When she’s in my arms, it’s like all the world is settled. I kiss herforehead, keeping my lips there an extra second. “I’ll take care of it thisweekend. We can go through the boxes, get rid of what we don’t need so we canget the nursery together.”
“Thank you,” she squeezes and rests her head on my chest.
“You know I’d do anything for you.”
She looks up. “Except get rid of that ugly statue.”
Logan and I both laugh. My mom and Aunt Angie went throughthis phase where they suddenly thought they had untapped art potential. Theytook a sculpting class in Nashville, where they came home with the most ridiculouspieces of what they called art. Dad warned Logan and I that we better not sayanything disrespectful or he’d have us mucking the stalls for a year.
Being the assholes we are, the two of us gushed over it. Imean over the top ridiculous praise.
My father convinced her that since we loved it so much, weneeded to take it with us wherever we lived. So, we had a piece of her with us.
I look at Logan. “It’s your turn to take it.”
“Hell no it isn’t. I get it almost all season so no one hasto look at it. It’s November now, buddy. I am going to enjoy the hell out ofnot seeing it until Spring season starts.”
Hadley’s eyes narrow on him. “I am having a baby, Logan. Iam… I am emotional and it causes me to feel sad and I can’t…” The tears startand I am impressed.
Logan gets to his feet quickly. “Hadley, don’t cry.”
“I can’t look at it without feeling so many things,” thefake tears are coming harder now. She sniffs. “I just…please…you have to takeit.”
Logan is nodding before he can speak. “Of course. I’ll takeit. Don’t cry, Jesus, it’s not worth getting upset over. Cayden, make herstop.”
She wipes her eyes. “You mean it? You’ll take it?”
“Yes, I’ll call a few of the guys and we’ll get it out ofhere tonight. I promise.”
She exhales, smiles wide, and then hugs him. “Thanks!”
“You…you played me!”
“I did. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!” She lifts her handand saunters into the kitchen.
“That woman is trouble,” he says and I stand here, staringin the direction she went.
“That woman is going to be my wife someday.”
* * * *
“That one,” I tell the jeweler. “That’s the one.”
I spent the last four hours staring at different kinds ofengagement rings with her cousin helping.
“She’s going to love it,” Melanie assures me.
