by Fredrick, MJ
She hadn’t, but then again, she hadn’t watched him with the others.
“Are you sure you want to make excuses not to ride with him? He has the biggest truck.”
“Well, he can take Javi and Con, and we can take Sofia and Hailey. And we’re not telling them about the babies, either.”
They were the last to arrive to the gathering. Lacey as genuinely surprised to see Con there, and Hailey. A little excitement stirred in her when she saw Beck. She hadn’t told Poppy that she’d thought the babies’ movements were her own reaction to seeing Beck the other night. She didn't need to encourage Poppy’s romantic fantasies further.
But he looked particularly fine today, his hair mussed by the wind, in a t-shirt and shorts that showed off a fit body. She already knew he was fit, but her doctor’s words came back to her, reminding her that her hormones were not to be trusted this trimester.
She needed that tattooed on her arm, because damn. He, Javi and Con stood in the shadow of his truck, all three handsome men in the prime of their lives, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Beck.
“Yeah, I’m not making any promises,” Poppy said as she hopped out of the car and went around to the trunk to get out the insulated bags with the sandwich supplies.
Beck stepped forward to help her as Lacey got out of the car, grabbing her own plastic tote bag of clothes and supplies. She wore her bathing suit under her clothes because she didn't know what kind of facilities the pool would have and she didn't want to take any chances. She was going to float in the water.
She also dragged a tube she’d ordered from the internet out of the back seat to make room for Sofia and Hailey. Maybe Beck would let her put it in the bed of his truck, if he didn't have much else back there.
Con came over and took it from her. “We have a pump, so you didn't have to blow it up ahead of time.”
“I wasn't sure.”
“I think it’ll fit in the truck.”
Beck had already popped the lid to the truck bed to put Poppy’s bags in, and he made room for the float. “You going to share?”
“Fat chance. If no one else thought to order one, that’s on them.”
“I got dill pickle chips for the trip.”
She blinked. “Oh. Thanks, but I’m riding with Poppy. I was just making room for the girls.”
“I thought we could all ride in the truck.”
“All of us? Your truck is big but it’s not that big, for a two hour drive. You take the boys, and we’ll take the girls.”
His mouth twisted in disappointment. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
She turned to face him. She’d thought he’d been avoiding her on purpose. Weird of him to say he missed her, so maybe he hadn’t been avoiding her. “We’ll see plenty of each other once we get to the pool.” Before she could let him talk her into changing her mind and going with him, she headed back to Poppy’s car, gathering Hailey and Sofia on the way.
“I thought we were all going together,” Sofia complained as she climbed into the back seat of Poppy’s sedan.
“We can’t fit. And besides, we have better snacks, better music, better gossip,” Lacey promised.
“Just like high school,” Sofia said with a sigh.
“Not better scenery,” Hailey grumbled.
“Wait, what?” Lacey twisted in her seat as she buckled her seat belt. She couldn't believe the jealousy that was bubbling up in her. “Who?”
“Javi.” Hailey batted her eyelashes.
Poppy nudged her. “He’s too young for you.”
“Only about five years. No big deal. And he’s pretty. Those big brown eyes. Those shoulders. The curly hair.”
Lacey was too busy being relieved that Beck wasn't Hailey’s focus to insert her opinion.
“Curly hair? I guess?” Poppy said, putting the car in drive and pulling onto the road before the guys had even gotten into the truck.
“It’s got those nice thick waves that I just want to bury my fingers in,” Hailey said with a smile.
“You know, I know we don't have a lot of guys around town that are our age,” Sofia said. “But Javi?”
“No, he’s cute,” Poppy said, drawing the word out so it was almost a question. “Definitely fit. And just because we’ve known him since he was a little gordito in first grade doesn't mean he’s not cute. I just look at him and see the toothless smile and the wild hair.”
“I bet he was adorable.”
“He was a pain in the ass,” Poppy countered. “Our last names are alphabetical, and we were always in the same group. I mean, he was smart, but lazy, so he’d never do any of the work, but he’d still get the good grades.”
“Ah, why are you taking the shine off my crush? I just want to look at him. I don't think he’s lazy now, is he? I mean, he works for the highway patrol.”
“Not that that requires a lot of work around here. I know sometimes they have to go into some of the man camps north of here and take care of some issues, but not often. He’s just not high-energy.”
“Well,” Hailey said. “That’s not always a bad thing. Slow and steady and all that.”
“Eww!” The other three women chorused, then burst into laughter.
The two hour drive passed in a blink, because they were laughing, talking, singing along with Poppy’s phone’s playlist. Lacey hadn’t known Hailey too well—they’d decided to invite her because she was close to their age and didn't seem to have many friends in town, and she was always good to them when they came to The Wheel House. But she was pretty damn funny herself, and Lacey’s stomach hurt from laughing as she climbed out of the car at the springs.
“You okay?” Beck asked, appearing suddenly at her side.
The two drivers had played along the road, jockeying for first place on the two-lane road, and Beck had put on the last burst of speed to get the guys to the pool first. Con and Javi were unloading the truck as Beck put his hand on Lacey’s arm.
“Fine. Just need to find a bathroom.” Part of the reason the girls came in second was that Poppy had to stop a couple of times to let Lacey go behind a bush on the side of the road.
He scanned the area until he saw a sign and pointed, but she’d already seen it and was race-walking, along with Hailey.
“God, nothing feels as good as going to the bathroom when you have to go,” Lacey said as she washed her hands.
Hailey met her gaze in the mirror. “Girl, you have to get out more.”
Lacey felt her face heat. “Well, it’s been a while since that’s happened.”
Hailey dropped her gaze to Lacey’s belly. “Not that long.”
“Long enough.” She didn't want to think about Jesse today. She wanted to float around on this beautiful day and have no worries. She couldn't wait to get into the water.
When they walked out of the restroom, they saw the group had found a spot in the shade. They had arrived early enough that they were able to claim a table and spread out their towels. Lacey’s float was already in the water. She gave the others a glance as she made a beeline toward the water. She couldn't wait to get in.
The water was cold, and she couldn't stop a shriek. She gave the others a wave to let them know she was okay before she decided the best way to get in was just—plunge. She gauged the depth of the water and did a cannonball—well, as much of one as a woman five months pregnant with twins could do.
Her entire body went stiff as the cold water wrapped around her, as the shock went through her. She bounced up, pushing her hair out of her face as she surfaced and reached for her tube, which had floated away on the ripples of her cannonball.
Okay, getting in this was not going to be easy, or graceful. And she felt like everyone was watching her.
But then a splash rippled the water behind her, and she turned to see Beck wading toward her. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his broad chest was tanned and sprinkled with dark hair....and she was staring.
“Wow, cold!” His Adam’s apple bobbed and he bounced on the
balls of his feet. “I wasn't expecting it to be so cold.”
“The website said it stays sixty eight degrees year round.”
“I didn't think sixty eight was so cold. I’ll hold the tube while you get on.”
She laughed. “I don't even think that will help.”
“Well, use my shoulder to haul yourself up.”
She looked at the curve of his shoulder and imagined the smooth strong skin under her palm. Oh, that would be a bad bad idea. This time she knew the flutter was not her babies, but her attraction to him.
Before she could make a decision, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her.
She laughed in surprise and grabbed at the slick wet rubber of the tube, but it shot free. She turned to grab onto Beck instead as he reached out a hand to pull it back, and she felt the flex of his muscles under her hand.
She could have moved away. She should have moved away. But she held on him as he moved to grab the tube, and they moved together, legs tangling a moment, and desire shot through her. The sensation took her by surprise and she looked into his face.
He met her gaze and she saw the awareness in his eyes, felt the tension in his body that had nothing to do with retrieving the tube.
“Hang on,” he said, and put a little distance between them as he swam over to the tube and held it from the other side as she heaved herself out of the water. She got herself halfway up, grabbed his arms and pulled herself up, twisting around and plopping her ass into the hole, dragging her butt in the cool water.
Laughing, she dropped her head back on the tube and looked up. The sky was a brilliant blue with big fluffy clouds, a perfect summer sky.
And Beck was still holding on to the tube, kind of cradling her in his arms. The tube shifted and she looked down to see he’d lifted his feet off the ground and was using her tube.
“Good idea you had.” He dipped his head back into the water, emerged again with his hair slicked back, water streaming down his back.
“I thought it was yours.”
“Well, whosever. It was a good one. This feels amazing.”
“Better than working on your mom’s house.”
“Yeah, I have kind of slowed down there.”
“I noticed you haven't been around much lately.”
“No, actually I got a job.”
“You did what?” She whipped toward him so fast the float started to bobble, and he shifted his weight to steady it.
“I got that job you told me about at the water recycling plant. It’s not long-term, and it’s a lot of work, but it’ll replenish the money I’ve been spending at Mom’s.
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy I could help. But how were you able to get a day off in the middle of the week?”
“I’m going in on Sunday to make up for it.”
“Aww, you’ll miss our washer tournament.”
“I figured the payoff is worth it.” He smiled at her. “Hey, so I’ve had something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What is it?” She twisted her head to meet his gaze.
“Beck! Lacey! You need to put on some sunscreen!” Sofia yelled from the bank.
“I did!” Lacey called back, holding up her arm as if that was proof.
“Beck? Did you?”
“We’re in the shade. I’ll get some when we go back over to eat.” He turned his attention back to Lacey. “Did you really, or were you lying to her?”
She gasped in mock outrage. “Why would I lie about something so important as skin cancer?”
He rolled his eyes, kicking his feet lazily beneath her. “So what have you been up to this week?”
“Fitting my patients into four days so I could take the day off.” She dropped her head back. “Totally worth working until seven every night.”
“Look, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something, ever since the Fourth of July, you know, but there hasn’t really been time, with me working and you working, and the house.”
Con and Javi followed Lacey’s method of entering the pool, their cannonballs sending a wash of water over Lacey and Beck, sending the tube rocking. Beck’s grip slipped, then he grabbed on again, emerging from the water and coming face to face with Lacey, laughing as he did.
Then he disappeared under the water again, suddenly, and Lacey gasped, peering beneath the surface to see one of the guys had pulled him under. One of the three surfaced, upending her float, and she went under, flailing her arms. She pushed herself up and Beck grabbed her hand, helping her steady herself. She grabbed the tube but didn't try to get back on it while the guys were roughhousing around her. She pulled it closer to the edge of the water, toward her friends who were entering the water in a more graceful fashion, shivering and crying out as they acclimated to the cold water.
With Poppy holding the float, Lacey heaved herself back onto it, forgetting for a moment that Beck had said he’d wanted to talk to her.
“The smell of water always makes me hungry,” Sofia said. “My abuela would always make us empanadas in the summer and so now every time I think about swimming, I think about food.”
“Where did you go swimming?” Hailey asked. “I thought you had lived in Broken Wheel all your life?”
“At the motel. It’s been in my family for years.”
“I don't remember there being a pool there,” Hailey said.
“The insurance got too high, so they had it filled in.”
“We’d all go swimming there,” Poppy said wistfully. “’Sofia’s parents didn't mind. The guests might have, but her parents didn’t.”
Sofia made a sound in her throat, floating on her back and looking up at the sky. “I’m just thinking about the families I see coming into Broken Wheel. Wouldn't they like a park, you know, with a swimming pool?”
“Well, my dad is working on the park idea, you know, a playground in the area where we set off the fireworks. Broken Wheel wasn't laid out to make a public area like that, so it’s taking some time to get people to go along with it. And even if they wanted to put a pool there, there’s not a lot of space, and digging into that ground isn’t easy, either.”
“Yeah, but I imagine pool companies who work in this part of the state have equipment for that. It’s not like we have to go out and dig by hand.”
Lacey shrugged. “You can float the idea to the council, but I don't think they’re prepared to go to the expense. Just building the playground was a fight, since the elementary school already has one.”
“I can see that.”
“But the school won’t let people on the grounds after hours,” Lacey said. “Again, insurance purposes. And people with little kids don't have a place to take their kids to play.”
“That makes sense. I still wish we had a pool. Something everyone could enjoy.”
They broke for lunch, and Lacey was pushed to the front of the line, since she was eating for two. Well, three, but no one but Poppy knew that. To be honest, she was pretty hungry, so she didn't argue too much. She had argued that they should make the sandwiches ahead of time, so they didn't have a mess, but she’d been talked down, the others saying the sandwiches would be soggy by the time they ate. She really didn't care at the time, but when she sat on one of the blankets Poppy had brought, and bit into the fresh sandwich, she was pretty glad she’d gone along with the plan. Beck, who got his sandwich last, plopped down beside her when she was licking chip crumbs from her fingers before wiping her hands on her damp suit.
“There’s still more,” he said, motioning back to the table.
She glanced back to see Con pouring the last of the chips she’d been eating into his mouth from the bag. “So much for that.”
“So, yeah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you since the Fourth of July,” he said when she turned her attention back to him.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. You’d said. What did you want to talk about?”
“Beck! When you’re done with your sandwich, can you blow up my tube?” Hailey called.
He
blew a breath through his nose. “Sure!” he called over his shoulder. “It’s like they know I’m trying to tell you something.”
Her stomach tightened. He was going to move to Midland to be closer to his job. That had to be what he wanted to talk to her about. And if that was it, she would welcome all the interruptions she could get. “Maybe we shouldn’t be trying to talk with all our friends around.” That’s why she hadn’t told him she was having twins. She wanted to have his complete attention.
“Maybe.” He twisted when Poppy came over with a sleeve of cookies.
“Want some?”
Lacey gave her friend a look. Was her friend interrupting on purpose? And why? What did she know that Lacey didn’t? Or was she just oblivious? No, she knew Poppy better than to think she’d insert herself into their relationship. “We’ll come get some later.”
“Okay, great. Don't forget. Our little mama can’t go hungry.”
Lacey vowed she’d give Poppy hell when Poppy got pregnant. She would annoy the patience right out of her. Poppy lingered a minute, but when neither of them engaged her in conversation, she took her cookies back to the table.
“Okay, what?” Lacey asked.
But now he looked cautiously back at their friends. “Maybe it should wait.”
“Are you leaving?” she asked, knowing she didn't want to wait until later to hear bad news. “Moving closer to your job? The commute must be terrible.”
“It’s not great, but no. I don't want to live up there.”
“Even temporarily?” She knew she was pushing. “I mean, you said you’re not going to work there long? You don't want to live there temporarily if it means saving you hours a day?”
“No, I mean. No. I don't want to live there."
She nodded, and stretched out on the blanket, suddenly sleepy. And suddenly very very aware of how close Beck was to her. She wished he would lay down beside her, but he wouldn’t, not with their friends nearby. Everyone was already speculating about the relationship between them. Maybe if they’d come out here by themselves.
“You want me to go over there so you can get some rest?”
“I’m good,” she said sleepily, letting her eyes drift shut. Her body was cool from the water, her tummy was full. Even the babies were still, sleeping, she liked to think.