by Meg Bawden
Blair smirked. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, sliding the iPad away from me. “I don’t like this technology stuff.”
“You’re weird.” Blair reached over and poked me in the arm. I stared at where he’d touched me and frowned. It might have been a friendly gesture, and while he’d warmed up over the last few months, he hadn’t fully opened up to me yet. This was another step forward, though.
Emily’s gaze switched between us and she stood. “I have things to do. People to socialize with on Instagram.” She pointed at me. “I’ll teach you that one tomorrow.”
“I don’t even know how to use Facebook yet,” I protested, but she’d already left the kitchen, her flowery dress fluttering around her.
“Why is she setting you up on the internet?” Blair’s gentle voice made me jump. I’d almost forgotten he was even there.
“Apparently I have fans after that last interview.” I shrugged and stood, heading over to the coffee machine. “Do you want one?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I nodded and made two cups of coffee, making sure to add four teaspoons of sugar to one, the way Blair drank it. He devoured sweet things, and I’d told him before that it’d kill him one day—or give him diabetes.
“Where’s Grayson?” I asked. It was Saturday, which meant we had a day where we could sleep in. I always found myself up early, though, because the animals couldn’t feed themselves, and while I got some help every now and then, I mostly did it myself. Grayson and Blair had been sleeping when I left, but when I got back, they’d disappeared from the bedroom, Blair’s fancy car gone.
“He’s having coffee with his cousin.” He stared at me carefully when I placed the cup in front of him and sat down. I wiggled in my seat, searching for a comfortable position. It looked as though he wanted to say something, but he was fighting himself about it.
“What?” I finally asked.
His gaze dipped to his coffee and he exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole since Mom and Dad… you know.”
The apology caught me off guard and I nearly knocked my mug off the table when I reached for it. He grabbed it before it toppled over the edge, but hot coffee still splashed across his hand.
“Not expecting that, huh?” The bastard grinned.
“Why are you apologizing? Did Grayson ask you to?”
His grin dropped into a frown. “No. I mean, he told me I needed to talk to you, but he didn’t tell me to apologize.”
“So why are you?” I felt like an asshole for asking, but Blair didn’t know how to apologize. Even when we were kids, he believed he could do no wrong, even when it was proven that he was.
“Isn’t it obvious? Fuck, Bristol, we’re having a kid with Grayson. A fucking kid. A breathing, shitting, pissing kid, and we can’t raise him, or her, if we’re arguing all the time. You’re my twin brother, and I know I really dropped the ball when I left Cherry Hollow, but I’d lost more than my parents. I lost you, too.” He swiped his hand through his short brown hair, tugging on the locks.
“I told you, I had a responsibility.” I stalked to the sink and grabbed a wet cloth, returning to clean off his hand. Luckily it wasn’t hot enough to burn, but it did leave his skin flushed from the heat. “We’re not going to discuss this again. It’s done.”
“I know, and I’m trying to make up for it. What do you need me to do?” He fell back into his seat and folded his arms over his chest. “Do you need some help on the farm?”
“I hire help when I need it….” I threw the cloth back at the sink and it hit the edge and fell to the ground. I didn’t bother to pick it up, though, just sat back down and cupped the hot mug in my hand again. “But I wouldn’t mind you feeding some animals on the weekends, when you’re not at work.”
“Done.” Blair raised his chin, his beard cut shorter than normal this morning. “Anything else?”
“Emily sometimes has after-school activities. She does band. I usually pick her up, but sometimes I get swamped with farm work.”
“I can pick her up when I’m in town. She could even meet me at the town hall.”
Blair’s agreeance scared the hell out of me. I took a sip of the coffee, hot on my tongue and nearly burning it, but it confirmed this wasn’t a dream. “Am I dead? Because you never agree to help.”
“I told you, we got a kid on the way.” He shrugged, but he actually grinned at me in a way that wasn’t smug or wicked, and it reminded me of the real Blair, the one who I remember growing up with.
I touched the rolled-up sleeve of my plaid shirt. If he was here, trying, then maybe he deserved the same thing in return. “I’m sorry if I got overbearing after they died. I wanted to protect you and Emily, to step up and give you what you both needed. It never occurred to me that you would want to take some of the responsibilities. You hated the farm work. I remember when Dad asked you to feed the animals, you found excuses not to.”
His dark eyebrows drew together and he winced. “I know I did, and I regret that. I was a childish brat, but that was a different situation. We didn’t have them anymore, and I knew I had to step up and be an adult, but you never gave me the chance.”
“Fuck. We messed this up, didn’t we?” I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or not. It didn’t feel right.
When Blair laughed, though, I joined in. “Yeah. We both did, but we got a second chance now. This kid will change everything.” He took a big swallow of his drink and groaned in pleasure. “I’m excited about it, Bristol. I never thought I’d want to be a dad, but I do.”
“Me too.” I shifted in my seat, the very emotion we talked about tickling at the inside of my gut. “We can’t mess this up. We’ve got Grayson.”
“He’s growing bigger,” he said, a wistful look passing across his face.
“He’s gorgeous. How the hell did we manage to catch him?” I shook my head.
Blair grinned and I knew a smartass comment was coming. “He thought you were me.”
“He came for you and stayed for me,” I teased back. My words made his eyes widen, and he threw his head back and laughed until he had to hold his stomach.
“Fuck, I didn’t know you had it in you.” He wiped at the tears in his eyes.
“I can be a smart aleck when I want to.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks, that would be awkward.” We both laughed this time, and as stupid as the jokes were, we couldn’t stop.
“I got a bottle of Dad’s whiskey, the one he loved. I never had the heart to throw it away.” He shifted in his chair, as though he was embarrassed that he was showing any sort of emotion. “Maybe we could share a drink?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that. I could outdrink you anyway.”
That had both of us laughing again. “You wish. You couldn’t outdrink a nun.”
Grayson chose that moment to walk into the room. He paused, his eyes flickering between the two of us with uncertainty. “Did someone give you laughing gas?”
He took the chair at the end of the table, between me and Blair. Leaning over toward me, he kissed me on the lips gently in greeting before he did the same to Blair.
“How are you feeling?” I slipped my hand under his shirt and touched his bump, which had grown bigger into a healthy size. Now that five months had nearly passed, he had started showing through his clothing, and people in the street stopped him and asked for a feel. The worst feeling was trying to push down the urge not to shoo them away because Grayson was still mayor, and the media outlets around America were following his progress. Robbie Cane had a particular interest in him and nearly once a week, we got a mention on his show.
I didn’t blame them, though. Grayson’s personality called to people, and it was hard not to be drawn to him.
“I’m feeling better. The morning sickness has lessened again. Mrs. Miller was right about the lemon. It helped.” He grasped Blair’s hand and placed it over mine before he laid his own over both of ours
. “He or she is active today.”
The baby had begun kicking a few weeks ago and it was periodic. Over time, it slowly became more noticeable, and whenever Grayson felt it, he’d grab one or both of our hands and place them on his stomach.
“He,” Blair said with confidence.
I rolled my eyes. “She. The baby’s a she.”
Grayson chuckled and then paused. His stomach moved and I felt the small wiggle under my hand.
“There’s our boy.” Blair stared at me, smirking, as though daring me to challenge him.
I rolled my eyes instead. “We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.”
“Right, we will,” Grayson agreed. “There, they moved again.”
We sat there for at least ten minutes, reveling in the feel of our child shifting inside Grayson while he or she was trying to find the most comfortable position before the baby settled into stillness again. The feeling made my heart race, and the excitement made my skin tingle. I couldn’t explain the pride that swelled in my chest, and for the umpteenth time since I found out Grayson was pregnant, I imagined the farmhouse full of kids—our kids. A family.
Grayson’s phone let out a shrill ring and he sighed, releasing our hands. We pulled them away as he grabbed his phone and frowned at the screen before answering. “Dad?”
My mouth parted in surprise and I glanced at Blair, who shrugged. While we’d heard about his parents, we’d never seen him talk to them.
A voice sounded through the line, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. The deep tone spoke fast, but Grayson seemed to understand because he glanced at us in apology before he stood and swiftly left the room. I thought about following him, but he wouldn’t have left unless he wanted privacy.
“Has he spoken much about his family? I know he said they were broken since his brother’s death, but I’ve never heard him talking to them before.”
Blair shook his head. “Nope, me either, but my guess is that he’s seen Gray on TV and wants a piece of his fame. Remember what I said about people searching for their five minutes?”
Damn. I hope that wasn’t the case. Grayson deserved better than that.
He came back five minutes later, his face paler than it had been when he left. Falling into the seat, he ran his hands over his face. “He saw me on an interview.”
Blair sent me a knowing look and my gut dropped even farther.
“He wants to meet up, have a conversation. Papa contacted him too. They both do, said something about making amends.” A sadness lingered in his eyes and I hated it there. It made me want to throw something. “I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?”
Blair entwined their fingers. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
He shook his head and held out his other hand to me. I gripped it tightly, offering my support. “They’re still my parents. They deserve my time, even if they only contacted me because of the media.”
“You’ve told us that your brother’s death caused a family breakup. Can you tell us more?” I asked gently, not sure how much he wanted to talk about it. I wasn’t going to push him.
He peered at me, eyes a little wetter than before, and sighed. His grip on my hand tightened. “There’s not much to tell. After Jon’s death, my parents began to blame each other. It was Dad’s fault for giving him too much room to grow, it was Papa’s fault for trying to be too strict on him, it was Dad’s fault for letting him have his first drink of alcohol at fourteen, it was Papa’s fault for always criticizing him. The excuses just kept continuing until they absolutely hated each other. They called each other all the nastiest names they could, and they split ways. When I was campaigning to be mayor, Jacob tried to use my family’s history against me, but it created sympathy for me instead.”
I cringed. I didn’t remember Grayson, but Jacob had always been a pig of a man. I never liked him as mayor.
“My papa remarried, Dad enjoyed single life. They’re happier now, but I haven’t really spoken to them since. I didn’t think they’d be in contact with each other either, but apparently they have been.” He shrugged, but a cloud of anguish passed through his gaze. “I told them I’d meet them in town after our ultrasound. I want you both to come with me, if you’d like?”
I didn’t hesitate in nodding. “I won’t leave your side.”
To my surprise, Blair made a noise of agreement immediately. “We’ll always have your back.”
He smiled, kissing my hand that he clutched before doing the same to Blair’s. “Thank you.”
Blair
I’d never packed up my paperwork into my briefcase so fast in my life, but excitement swelled inside me, intoxicating me with adrenaline that pumped through my veins and made my blood hot. Today was the day we were having another ultrasound, when we’d finally find out what gender our baby was. Bristol and I had made an official bet, with one hundred dollars on the line. He still swore it was girl, but my gut told me we were having a boy. In the end, it didn’t matter what the baby turned out to be, but that didn’t stop us from having a little fun.
Todd glanced at me from his seat, eyebrows drawn together. “Ultrasound?”
I nodded. I’d already prewarned him I’d be leaving early today, along with Grayson.
“Are you going to find out the sex?” He fiddled with the pen between his fingers, lips pursed.
“Yeah, we are.” I clipped my case closed and turned to him. He had his own office, but over the last few weeks he had started doing his work on one of the spare desks we had in our rooms. Other than me, there was only one other PR staff member who worked under him, and she spent most of her time handling the social media accounts. Jenika came in with some photocopies Todd had asked for and handed them to him. She barely looked at me anymore, and I didn’t blame her. I had fucked her over, and even though I felt guilty for it, I still wasn’t at the stage of apologizing to anyone but Bristol and Grayson.
“What are you hoping for?”
I didn’t know where the need for conversation came from, and while I didn’t want to humor him with it, Grayson needed him on our side. That meant I had to hold my tongue and be professional. “I think it’s going to be a boy, Bristol says a girl.”
“And Grayson?” The way he said the words were similar to a gentle whisper of a lover’s name. I couldn’t blame him for falling for his charm. Grayson was definitely one of a kind. At least Todd mostly supported us now.
“He hasn’t guessed and doesn’t want to. I think he’s happy with either gender.” Mostly because he was the peacekeeper between me and Bristol. He never chose sides and that’s why the three of us worked so well. Both Bristol and I could spend our alone moments with Grayson without the other one feeling jealous, but we could also have time together without the urge to strangle each other. We truly were turning into a real family again. It certainly felt like that when we were sitting on the couch at the farmhouse, Grayson snuggled between us, Emily on the other side of Bristol. It wasn’t a four-person couch, but we made sure we all fit.
“You should go, then.”
I hesitated, not quite sure what else to say, so I just nodded again, grabbed my briefcase, and left our assigned office area of the town hall. I power-walked toward Grayson’s office, and with a simple tilt of my head, his secretary waved her hand as a signal to go in.
Grayson was ready when I entered. He already had his desk tidy and his suit jacket on his slim shoulders. His rounded stomach looked strange, and oddly beautiful, in his plain white dress shirt, and I couldn’t help but admire the strong lines of his slim and delectable body, even as he finished whatever conversation he was having with Hayden, his campaign manager. At least I remembered his name now.
He grinned as soon as he saw me and patted Hayden on the shoulder. “We’ll need to finish this conversation later. I have an ultrasound I need to get to.”
Hayden glanced my way and greeted me with a tilt of his chin before his attention returned to Grayson. “Of course, Mr. Mayor. We’ll need to discuss your appearance at the
Cherry Festival as well.”
“Remind me tomorrow.”
Hayden nodded and spun on his heel, walking past me in his usual brisk way that made him look as if he had a stick up his ass. As soon as the door closed, I crowded Grayson against his desk, laying sweet kisses on his lips, along his jaw, and down his throat. He wrapped his arms around me and groaned.
“Stop it, we have the sonogram.” His husky voice sent a shiver down my spine.
“I need some of your sugar,” I murmured, sucking a sensitive spot on his neck until the skin reddened.
He slapped me on the shoulder, but he didn’t try to shift away from my touch. I pressed tighter against him, his extended stomach caught between us as I returned my lips against his, sucking his tongue into my mouth.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I whispered against his mouth. “How’d we get so lucky with you?”
He hummed against me, jerked his hips forward so I could feel his other bulge. “We shouldn’t be doing this. We have to meet Bristol at the doctor’s.”
I groaned and reached down to cup him through his pants, giving his hardening cock a massaging rub. “Do we have to?”
“Yes. Don’t you have a bet with him?” He raised his eyebrows at me, grinning.
Damn. He was right. I forced myself to pull away with a caress of his jaw. “We’ll finish this tonight, after we have coffee with your parents.”
He grimaced. “Talk about a mood killer.”
“Sorry, baby.” I kissed him on the forehead and dragged myself away from the sweet feel of his body against mine. Sliding my hand into his and entwining our fingers, I led him out of his office. I said a goodbye to his secretary as I led him down the long hallways of the town hall. We still got curious looks every now and then, but mostly they’d stopped, and we could roam the hall without feeling similar to wild animals at a zoo.
We didn’t need to take the Lamborghini because both the doctor’s office and the town hall were on Main Street, a few blocks apart. We walked out of the front doors and down the tall set of steps, before heading along the street filled with flowerless cherry trees. I missed their sweet smell and I couldn’t wait for spring to come around again.