“Who?” Jason didn’t want to talk about how shit had gone down with her. He didn’t want to talk about her, didn’t want to think about her and certainly didn’t want to tell his brothers he’d fucked up royally by asking her to marry him in a nervous fuck up.
“Peyton? You know. Pretty, nice rack, works at The Dusty Boot? I thought you were fucking her?” The look in Joshua’s eyes as he brought up Peyton made Jason want to punch him.
“I was. Drop it.”
“Ah.” Joshua and Joey exchanged amused glances.
“Quit acting like you two are laughing.”
“We aren’t laughing at you, Jason. We’re laughing with you. I bet she was a great lay.”
“Maybe, but it’s none of your business anyway.”
“If you aren’t fucking her anymore, you can tell us.” The brothers leaned over the metal fencing with their arms under their chins.
“Yeah, spill it,” Joey said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“I don’t fuck and gossip.”
The two brothers looked at each other and then back at him. “Sure you do. You always have before, what’s so special about her?” Joshua asked, putting the toe of his cowboy boot on the bottom rung of the fence in preparation for a longwinded discussion about women.
“I’m not talking to you about Peyton.”
“Why not? What’s the deal?”
Jason stored the sperm in a container to inseminate the cows in a little while. He needed to take care of the bull and the steer first. He wiped down his hands with disinfectant. “Because I don’t. What happened between us is private.”
“I don’t believe you. You always talk about the women you’ve been with.” Joshua elbowed Joey. “Didn’t he talk about, what was her name? Sheila?”
“Oh don’t get me started on her. She’s trying to say she’s pregnant with my child.”
“She what?” Joshua asked, shock clearly written on his face. “Didn’t you use a condom man?”
“After we’d been together a few times, no. She said she was on birth control.”
“And you fell for that shit?” Joey shook his head. “Never fall for that crap. She’s a user if I ever saw one.”
“I know. Right now I’m not even sure she’s really pregnant, much less if it’s mine. I know she’s been with other guys since me so who knows.” Jason grabbed the rope to lead the bull back outside into the holding pen he would be housed in until they’d extracted a few more sperm samples from him.
“What did Peyton say?”
“What the hell does it matter? Peyton and I aren’t together anymore so let it go.”
“What happened between you two? You seemed happy before, now you’re like a bear with a thorn in its paw,” Joey said, lifting his hat off his head and wiping his brow from the sweat collecting under the brim.
The heat today was almost unbearable especially in the stuffiness of the barn. Sunlight filtered through the hayloft slats to the floor below, reflecting the dust floating in the air. The bull stomped his feet, stirring up the dirt from beneath his hoofs as Jason got him situated in his pen. “Easy boy. You’ll get your treats and feed in a minute.”
“Yeah, Jason. Tells us what happened.”
He shut the gate behind the bull. “I asked her to marry me.”
“What? Seriously?” Joshua slapped him on the back. “I guess since you aren’t seeing each other anymore, she said no.”
“Not just no, but hell no.”
“Why’d you do something so stupid?” Joey stood with his hands on his hips and his legs braced apart like he planned to jump on some bucking bronc to bring him to his knees.
“God love you, little brother. I really hadn’t figured out how stupid I was before now.”
“Well?”
He shrugged as he coiled the rope he’d been using. “I don’t know why I asked her. After what happened with Joel and realizing all of this could be gone in a split second, I thought about having someone permanent in my life instead of fucking anything that moved. I really want that for some unfucking godly reason.”
“With Peyton?” Joshua asked, his stunned expression almost hilarious.
Jason laughed as he nodded his head. “Yeah, with Peyton.”
Joshua nodded, clapping Jason on the back. “Good for you, brother. I can see you two together. She seems like a nice girl.”
“Wait. Did you miss the part where we aren’t seeing each other anymore? She turned me down flat right before she sprayed dust and gravel all over my front door in a hurry to get out of my life.”
“You’ll convince her.”
“And just how the hell am I supposed to do that? She won’t even talk to me. I’ve tried. I’ve sent her text message after text message. I never get a reply.”
“Have you lost what little sense Mom and Dad gave you?” Joey asked. “You don’t do this kind of shit over text message, you dumbass. Go to her house. Corner her. Fuck her. Talk to her. Whatever. If you really want her, you need to get right in her face and make her listen to you.”
“Oh and you’re an expert on relationships? You don’t even have a girlfriend.”
“But if I did, I’d know how to treat her. I would make sure she knew she was the most important thing in my life the whole time we are together. I’d bring her roses. Take her to lunch just because. Buy her special little presents. You know, all those things girls like.”
Jason rubbed his chin, the whisker scraping against his palm. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, hoping he’d have a chance to talk to Peyton. He thought she liked the five o’clock shadow and rough whisker burn on her skin. He knew he liked seeing it on her. “Maybe.”
“Maybe? You really need to pull your head out of your ass, brother. Do you want her?”
“Yes.”
“No, do you really want her, like as in permanently?”
“I think so. I mean I can’t picture my bed or my life without her in it these days.”
“Then go to her.”
“Okay. I will. After we’re done with this shit this afternoon. I’ll go to her house and make her listen to me so she’ll realize, I was a bit desperate when I asked her to marry me and maybe that is in the cards down the road, but we can go back to what we had before I blurted that out.”
“There you go!” Joshua punched him in the arm. “Now you’re on the right track.”
“I’m not sure I am, but what do I have to lose. She won’t talk to me now so it can’t hurt anything by going over there unless she’s got a shotgun or something.”
* * * *
Peyton stared at the television without conscious thought of what actually played in front of her face.
Paige swiped her hand in front of Peyton’s eyes. “Where are you?”
“Huh?”
“You are totally not here right now.”
“Sorry. I know we are supposed to be having a girl’s night out, but I’m not into this.” Peyton got to her feet, spilling popcorn from the bowl as she sat it down on the coffee table. “My mind is elsewhere.”
“Yeah, we know,” Mandy said, picking up the popcorn bowl.
Her phone beeped. Another text message. She knew who it was from without even looking. Jason. He just didn’t give up although he didn’t bug her at the bar or come by her house, he still sent text message after text message trying to get her to talk to him. At the bar, he watched her, unnerving her to no end with his piercing blue eyes. He always stayed until she closed, never leaving until he knew she was safely in her car. It had kind of become a game to her. See how pissed off she could make him by flirting with guys at the bar, but she never went home with any of them. No, Jason Young had wormed his way into her thoughts, dreams and life inside of a few short weeks. Damn him.
Being this hung up on a guy usually turned out bad. Look at her relationship with Charles.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Paige asked, grimacing a little as she shifted on the couch.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, my bac
k hurts is all. Nothing new there, but it’s been cramping off and on all day.”
“Cramping? Are you sure you aren’t in labor, Paige?”
Paige cocked her head to the side. “I still have like two weeks before they’ll even take them c-section. I can’t be in labor.”
“Paige, you’re having twins. They do whatever the hell they want. I think you should go to the hospital to get checked out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“I need to call Jacob. Can you drive me? I’m scared.”
“Nothing to be scared about. Those babies are well done already. Aren’t you like thirty-eight weeks?”
“Yeah, but I thought pregnancy lasted forty weeks?”
“In the perfect world, honey, but with twins, it’s not unusual to have them early.” Peyton grabbed her tennis shoes and slipped them on in a rush. Who cared if she was in her Hello Kitty pajama bottoms, a T-shirt and shoes with no socks? Her friend needed her. “You can call Jacob from the car. Let’s go.”
She quickly ushered Paige and Mandy out to her car, got them inside as Paige got on the phone with Jacob, and then went around to the driver’s side. It was going to be a long night if Paige was in labor.
“Hi Honey. Yeah, it’s me. Listen, Peyton is taking me to the hospital. I’ve been cramping all day. I know. It’s okay. No, my water hasn’t broke. It’ll be okay, Jacob. I’m in good hands. Just meet us at the hospital in the labor and delivery department. We’ll be there in about forty-five minutes depending on how fast Peyton drives.” She glanced at Peyton as she nodded. “Yeah, forty-five minutes. Okay. I love you. See you soon.”
Peyton took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “You’ll be fine.”
“I know. I trust you.”
“Thanks. We’ll get there in plenty of time.”
Twenty minutes later, found them on the side of the road changing a tire. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
“Is this going to take much longer, Peyton? I think it’s definitely labor. My belly is cramping now.”
“How far apart?”
“About five minutes.”
“Shit. I’ll hurry.”
“I sure don’t want to have these babies in your car.”
“I don’t want you to either.”
Headlights blinded her for a moment as a truck pulled up behind her car before it shut off. “Oh, thank you, Lord. I hope it’s someone who can change this damned tire faster or take Paige onto the hospital before it’s too late.”
“Peyton?”
“Ah, fuck. It had to be Jason,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Jacob has half the county searching for you guys. What’s the problem?”
“I picked up a nail and got a flat. I can’t get these damned lug nuts off. They are too tight.”
“Let me try.”
He crouched down beside her, bringing the scent of his aftershave with him. That smell on him did wild things to her insides. She inhaled, bringing the scent to her nose as she closed her eyes.
“Are you sniffing me?”
She caught herself leaning toward him with a jerk. “No.”
A half crooked smile creased his lips while he wrestled the last of the lug nuts loose. Damn the man.
“Grab the spare for me, would you, please? We’ll get you ladies on the road here in a minute.”
Within minutes, he had the tire changed.
“Can you hurry please?” Paige groaned as another pain hit her. “They are pretty close together.”
“We’ll be on our way in a second. Hang tight.” She glanced at Jason as they both stood and he put the tire back in the trunk. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Get her to the hospital before she has those babies in your car.”
“We aren’t far. Five minutes.”
“Hit the emergency room when you get there. Jacob has everyone on high alert.”
“Will do.” She saluted smartly before she walked around to slide inside the car. Jacob stood by his truck as she pulled away, watching him in the rearview mirror. She wondered if he’d follow to the hospital since Jacob sent him out looking for them. Sure enough, he pulled out behind them, the lights of his truck reflecting in her eyes as she glanced back, keeping him in sight.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the overhang of the emergency room. Two nurses with a wheelchair rushed out and around to the passenger side of the car as Peyton and Mandy got out. “She’s having pains about three minutes apart.”
“We’ll take it from here.” As one nurse helped Paige out of the car, water gushed down her legs. “It appears your water just broke. We are taking you straight to the delivery room. We can check you there.”
“But they were supposed to be born by c-section, not natural.”
“Honey, these babies decide when they’re coming and how they’re coming, we don’t. You’ll do fine.”
“Where’s Jacob?”
“Right here, darlin’,” Jacob answered coming around the car. “What happened to you and Peyton? I thought I would go crazy.”
“We got a flat. I couldn’t get the damned lug nuts off.”
“Jacob, I’m scared.”
“You’ll be fine, baby. Let’s get you inside. The doctor is waiting.”
“Oh.” She held her stomach as she doubled over in pain.
“Get her inside. I have a feeling baby number one will be making his or her debut soon,” the nurse said, taking control of the situation as they pushed her inside the double doors.
Peyton stood there, not sure what to do next. Her friend was in good hands, she hoped, and the babies would be born without any complications. She had to believe that.
“Pull your car around to the parking lot and park to the side. You can meet her upstairs,” the second nurse said before she went through the double doors behind Paige.
After a few seconds, Peyton got back in the car with Mandy in the front passenger seat and moved her car to an empty spot. She debated for a few moments when she saw one available next to Jason’s truck. He wasn’t in it. Apparently, he’d already gone inside to let Jacob know they’d arrived. Good. She really didn’t want to be near him anymore than she had to. Not that she minded his physical nearness, but being too close to him brought back the memories she’d been trying desperately to forget over the last two weeks. “Marry him. Is he crazy?”
“What’d you’d say? Marry who?”
“Jason.”
“What? He asked you to marry him?”
“Yeah, crazy, huh?”
“I would have said yes in a heartbeat.”
Peyton opened her door and slammed it shut behind her as Mandy got out on the other side. “Well, I didn’t. I told him he was nuts and there would be no way I would marry him now or any time in the near future. We fucked. It was good, but I’m not in love with him.”
“I think you protest too much myself. If you really thought about it for more than a few minutes, you’d realize you are at least half in love with the man already.” Mandy came around the front of the car.
“You’re as crazy as he is, Mandy.” Peyton headed for the sliding door to the hospital lobbying. Bah, in love with Jason. No way. She wouldn’t give into that silly emotion especially with a cowboy. Yeah, he was good in bed. They connected that way, but really what else did they have in common? He came from a prominent, solid large family whereas she came from a nonexistent one.
She had baggage, emotional scars she wasn’t sure she could get past with another man. Fucking had been great between them, but she didn’t do emotion very well with anyone. Not since Charles raked her through the coals with breaking her down to a needy wreck.
“You need to move on, Peyton. Jason is a good guy.”
“Move on from what?”
“I know about Charles.”
“How? I never told you.”
Mandy put an arm around Peyton’s shoulders even though she tried to shake her off. “Yes you did. One night, when you were very
drunk, you broke down and told me everything. He did a number on you, I’ll give you that, but are you going to let him ruin you for any other man?”
“Butt out.”
“I can’t. You are my friend. I see how miserable you are. You were happy when you were with Jason, you aren’t now. You’ve been a bitch the last two weeks since you walked out on him.”
“I can handle my relationship with Jason.”
“You don’t have a relationship, remember?”
“I don’t want one either.”
“You might lie to me. You might lie to Jason, but don’t lie to yourself. You’re the only one who knows everything about what is going on inside your brain and your heart. He’s good for you. Admit it, even if it’s only to yourself.” Mandy kissed her on the cheek before she walked inside the hospital, leaving Peyton to ponder her words as she watched from outside.
Jason stood with his family in the waiting room. Every Young was there except Joel, Mesa and Terri who probably stayed home with the boys since they wouldn’t be allowed in the hospital anyway. It wasn’t a good idea to have kids around all those germs. They looked happy awaiting the arrival of the newest additions to the family.
When Mandy walked in, Jason greeted her with a smile. Jealousy zinged through Peyton. Was he flirting with Mandy? Did Mandy flirt back? Was there something going on there between them? Maybe he’d been fucking all of them simultaneously. Her, Mandy, and Sheila.
“No, that’s nuts. I would have known.”
Would you?
Jason broke off from the crowd and came out the doors toward her. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You okay?” he asked, shoving his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.
“Yeah.”
“Why are you standing out here?
“Just gettin’ some air.”
“You can come in with the family, you know. You’re good friends with Paige. No one will kick you out.”
“I didn’t think they would, but…”
“But what, Peyton? Is it me?”
“Well, it’s kind of awkward, you know, since we were doing the horizontal mambo.”
He smiled as he looked down at the toes of his boots. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She frowned.
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