Cody’s face darkened. “Because he’s an asshole, that’s why. He’s not happy until everyone around him is fucking miserable. I wish…”
When he didn’t go on, Luke prompted him. “You wish what, bud?”
“I wish they’d both leave him. Just walk out of the house and never go back.”
Luke finished off the last of his fries. “We could make that happen. If that’s what they both wanted.”
Cody blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I presume you’d like Autumn to live with you but if she wanted to stay with her mom, they could live in Charlie’s old house.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course I mean that. It was Evie’s idea. The place is fully furnished, and we could help them out with whatever else they needed. I don’t know what would happen to the general store if they left Jed, but we could find work on the ranch for them.
“They could even start their own bakery out of Charlie’s place if they want to. Evie is willing to put in a new kitchen with whatever ovens they need.”
Cody choked a little. God, he loved his brother and sister-in-law. They’d clearly been discussing everything at length and had come up with a plan that could actually work, if Autumn and Ruth were willing.
“And if they were worried about backlash from Jed, we’d just keep them on the ranch. Give them a cabin, or a couple of rooms in the main house, until they felt comfortable enough to go to Charlie’s. We wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them.”
Luke’s words seeped in, and Cody opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He downed the rest of his beer before he tried again. “I love you.”
His brother smiled. “I love you, too. It’s obvious you need your woman by your side, so let’s do what we can to make that happen.”
Cody rubbed his nape, thoughts racing through his mind at a thousand miles a minute. He had to find a way to talk to Autumn. Give her all the options, so she could speak with her mother.
Perhaps knowing they had support to help them get on their feet and start a new life would give them the courage to walk away from Jed Grant for good.
For the first time since he’d read that letter, he began to feel hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he’d get his girl after all.
Luke paid their bill and they headed back to Luco Ranch. The boys were still asleep when they got home, so Cody talked with his brother and sister-in-law a little more about helping Autumn and Ruth start a new life.
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud wail, which was soon joined by a second one. Cody went with Evie into the nursery, and they each scooped up a baby. “Hi, Colton.” Cody kissed the head of the twin he held. “Did you have a nice sleep?”
Colton blinked up at him with wide hazel eyes that contained flecks of blue. He didn’t make a sound, just gazed at his uncle, but when Cody lifted him up and blew a raspberry on his tummy, the baby started to cackle with laughter.
Cody grinned, and then glanced over at Travis, who sat in his mother’s arms with a smile on his face. He wandered over, and when Evie pulled his little tee up did the same to his other nephew. The laughter that came out of the babies warmed his heart.
“Shall we change your diapers and get you fed, my baby boys?” Evie cooed at Travis and kissed his cheek, then leaned over and did the same to Colton.
Cody and Evie changed the diaper of the twin they were holding, and once they were done carried them into the living room. Luke kissed his sons and disappeared into the kitchen.
Cody made himself comfortable and laid Colton down in his arms, watching as Evie did the same with Travis. She placed a long pillow underneath her arm and exposed her breast. Travis latched on furiously, making her wince. “You okay?”
“Yep. This one’s just a piggy who thinks it’s going to run out if he doesn’t suck like a Hoover.”
Cody snorted with laughter, which in turn made Colton laugh as well. He kissed his nephew’s warm cheek as Luke reappeared, bottle in hand. Cody took it from him and guided the nipple into the baby’s mouth. The little one did the same as his brother and latched on with brute strength, sucking the formula down.
It didn’t take long for half the bottle to be gone, so he pulled it out of Colton’s mouth and propped the baby up on his shoulder, a cloth over it. He rubbed the little boy’s back and was soon rewarded with a loud burp.
“Okay, piggy, break time. You need to burp or you’ll have a sore tummy.” Evie pulled her nipple from Travis’s mouth and he let out a wail of protest. She kissed his cheek and handed him to Luke, who was standing in front of them.
“It’s okay, buddy. You can have more. Just give Daddy a burp first, okay?” He rubbed his son’s back and, just like his brother, Travis let loose a loud, long burp. “Good boy.” Luke kissed his temple and gave him back to Evie.
Cody fed Colton the rest of his bottle, and once both boys were full, they were placed on a warm blanket and the two men played with them, stimulating them with toys that made sounds and rolling them over from their back to their tummies since they weren’t yet old enough to do it on their own.
Cody ended up staying for dinner but decided to head back to his cabin for the night. He embraced his brother and kissed his sister-in-law and nephews before hopping into his truck for the short drive home.
Once he got there, he turned up the central heat before changing into sweatpants. Starting a fire seemed like too much effort, so he didn’t bother.
Although he didn’t want to, Cody continually checked his phone for messages, but he only got two: one from his mother inviting him to dinner the following night, and one from Evie with a photo of the twins ready for bed that she’d captioned, ‘Sweet dreams, Uncle Cody! We love you xx’.
No text from the woman he loved.
Nothing.
24
Autumn was completely heartbroken. The last two weeks had been hell on earth. She knew she’d had no choice but to end the relationship with Cody, because she didn’t trust her father not to carry through his threat.
She’d rather not have the man she loved in her life at all rather than lose him altogether. And if he was gone, she didn’t care whether she lived or died.
She stifled a yawn as she kneaded the pastry for the pies she was making. It was still dark outside; the sun didn’t rise until about 6:30 a.m. in September. Even though it was early, she’d been getting up in the dark for years to bake fresh pies and other pastries for the store.
Autumn wasn’t getting any restful sleep these days. She thought she’d gotten over the summer cold she’d picked up at the end of July, but lately she’d felt even worse. Symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, and lightheadedness had plagued her.
She’d put it down to her devastation at losing Cody and her inability to sleep, but maybe something else was going on. Her cold was long gone, but she made a mental note to see her doctor.
Several days later, she waited calmly in the doctor’s office. Although she had an early morning appointment, small towns like Aurora Springs rarely stuck to them and her time had come and gone.
When she finally heard her name called, she walked into Dr. Donovan’s office and took a seat. “Nice to see you again, Autumn. What brings you here?”
Autumn told her about the cold she’d had, along with her current symptoms. The doctor asked a few questions, then made some notes in her computer. “May I ask you a couple of personal questions?”
“Of course.”
“Are you dating anyone at the moment?”
The patient’s brows furrowed, and she hesitated before answering. “Not anymore.” The sadness in her voice was obvious, and she blinked back tears.
A flash of sympathy crossed the older woman’s face, and she brushed back a stray silver hair. “I’m sorry.” Her tone was gentle. “So you’ve been sexually active recently.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Donovan got up and came around to the other side of her desk, taking the seat next to the brunette. “Is
there any chance you might be pregnant?”
Her immediate response was to say no, of course not, but when she thought about it, it wasn’t impossible. “I’m on birth control.”
“Did you take anything for the cold you had recently?”
Autumn blinked. “Yes. I just got something over the counter at the drugstore.”
The doctor nodded. “Sometimes, medication for a cold can counteract birth control, so I think we should do a pregnancy test and make sure, okay?”
Her heart leapt into her throat at the idea. Oh God, what would she do if the test came back positive? She and Cody were no longer together, and her father would be absolutely furious. How could she raise a baby without his daddy?
“Breathe, Autumn.” She felt a pat on her hand and snapped out her reverie. “I’m just trying to figure out the cause of what’s been making you unwell lately, so we’ll run a few tests and see what the results show.”
Once she left the office, the doctor vowing to call her as soon as the results came in, she got into her car, sat behind the wheel, and burst into tears. The idea that she and Cody might have made a baby made her feel numb. She was twenty-eight years old, and perfectly capable of raising a baby on her own…but she didn’t want to.
She dried her tears and drove straight back to the store, praying her mom was alone. Ruth was heading to Colorado Springs to make some deliveries but was waiting for Autumn to come back from the doctor so it wasn’t unmanned.
She glanced at her face in the small mirror on the back of the sun visor and quickly coated her lips in some gloss before heading into the store. She was grateful to find no customers inside. Her mother was stacking a shelf with some newly made jars of fruit-flavored jellies and preservatives.
“Hi, honey.” Ruth glanced up as Autumn approached her. “Everything okay? What did the doctor say?”
Autumn forced a smile onto her face. “She’s running a few tests to find out what’s causing everything, but she doesn’t think it’s anything sinister.”
“That’s good.” Ruth went back to the shelving, and Autumn remained in place, suddenly unable to move. What she wanted—what she needed—more than anything right at that moment was a hug from her mother.
“Momma.”
Ruth froze in place, her hand hovering near a shelf. She quickly put down the jar in it and turned to her daughter. “Autumn, what’s wrong?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but burst into loud, messy sobs instead. Ruth drew her into her arms, holding her tightly and stroking her hair. “Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured softly. “Are you pregnant?”
She pulled back just far enough to look at her mother. “I might be,” she explained tearfully. “The doctor is doing a test for pregnancy, yes.”
“I had wondered.” Ruth’s face was a picture of sympathy. She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “If you are, you won’t be alone, Autumn. I’ll be here for you every step of the way, no matter what you decide.”
She cried some more in her mother’s arms, and once she’d quieted down, Ruth held her until she pulled back. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Ruth wiped the tears off her face with her thumbs. “You don’t need to make any decisions right now, Autumn. Wait until it’s confirmed and then we can talk about your options.”
She glanced up over Autumn’s head at the large clock that hung on the wall behind the counter. “I really need to leave soon to get the deliveries to Colorado Springs, but I don’t know if I want to leave you alone right now.”
“I’ll be fine, Momma.”
Ruth frowned and brushed a few stray hairs off her face. “Are you sure?”
Autumn squeezed her mother’s hand. “I’m sure.”
“Do you want me to pick up some pregnancy tests at a drugstore while I’m there? You know how nosy everyone around here can be.”
She hadn’t even thought about it, but it made perfect sense. Ruth was right. As much as Autumn loved living in Aurora Springs, keeping a secret, especially one like this, would be almost impossible. “Yes, please. That would be great.”
Ruth gave her another quick hug. “Hang in there, baby girl. I’ll be as quick as I can, promise.”
She waved her mom goodbye, and in between the somewhat steady stream of customers she stocked shelves and made a list of kitchen supplies they would need in the next few days. By the time Ruth arrived back about three hours later, Autumn felt better than she had when her mother had left.
“I picked up three different types.” Ruth held out the paper bag she’d plucked from her handbag. “Go do them now, put your mind at ease.”
Autumn took the bag with a slightly shaking hand and retreated to the private bathroom off the kitchen. Nobody used it except the two women, unless the occasional customer had an emergency.
Her father would only come to the store to bring the larger, heavier items they sold, such as feed bags, but he only stuck around long enough to unload his supplies. He preferred to be on the ranch, and the women were happy to be away from him for most of the day.
She took a test from each of the three boxes and carefully laid them next to the small sink on a sheet of paper towel. The few minutes it took for the results to come through seemed to drag for an hour, but finally all three yielded the same result.
A wave of emotions so strong it nearly brought her to her knees washed over Autumn, and she stared in disbelief at the three white sticks.
The knock at the door had her letting out a startled cry.
“It’s just me, honey.”
“It’s open.” Her voice sounded foreign to her ears, like somebody else was talking.
Ruth came in, and the two women stared at each other. Her eyes softened. “They’re all positive?”
Autumn nodded. “Yes. I’m pregnant.”
The tears flowed freely as her mother gathered her into her arms and rocked her. Autumn cried her heart out until she had no more tears left.
“We’ll need to talk about everything, of course, but why don’t you get out of here for a little while. Maybe go talk to Evie. Perhaps speaking to her will give you some perspective, and I’m sure she’ll be able to talk to you about your options, especially since she’s just given birth.”
“I don’t know, Momma. She’s busy with the twins and I don’t want to burden her.”
“She’s your best friend, honey. I think she’d be mad if you didn’t tell her straight away.” Ruth kissed her cheek. “Go hold her beautiful babies.”
Suddenly, that’s exactly what Autumn wanted to do. She grabbed her tote, got into her car, and drove over to Luco Ranch. It was only when she got to Evie and Luke’s cabin that she realized Cody might be around, but his truck was not parked there.
Although she knew she was welcome to just go on inside, Autumn knocked anyway. “Come in!” a harried voice called out. She pushed the door open and found Evie on the sofa, one baby suckling on her breast and the other in a bouncer that Evie was gently pushing with her foot.
“Oh, thank God you’re here. Could you take Travis for me, please?”
She nodded toward the baby in the bouncer, and Autumn gave her friend a genuine smile. “Of course.” She dumped her tote on the floor next to the sofa and leaned over to pick her godson up. He gave her a gummy grin and she pressed kisses to his warm cheek. “Hi, gorgeous boy.”
“Somebody’s happy to see Aunty Autumn.”
The younger woman sat down on the sofa next to her blonde friend, holding Travis securely in her arms. “I’m happy to see my handsome boy, too.” She kissed his little face again, then turned to her friend. “You okay?”
Evie looked at her, absently stroking Colton’s cheek as he fed. “I’m wondering if it’s me who should be asking you that question. Are you okay, sweetie?”
Autumn nodded, worried she burst into tears again if she answered differently. “I needed a cuddle.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place.” She looked down again as the baby detached his mouth fro
m her nipple. “Are you done for now, mister?”
Leaving her breast exposed, she sat Colton up on her leg and rubbed his back. He soon rewarded her with a loud burp. “Good boy.” She kissed the side of his head, and Travis suddenly began to wail in Autumn’s arms.
Evie let out a sigh. “Here, can you take Colton for a moment as well?”
Autumn had her arms full with both babies. Evie covered up the breast Colton had been nursing from, then promptly exposed the other. “Come here, my angel.” She took Travis from his godmother and laid him down in her arms. He latched on to her nipple immediately.
Evie looked up at her friend. “I know how cows feel when they get milked now.”
Autumn couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that escaped her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.”
“I’m glad you are. You look like you could use a laugh.” Evie nudged her friend gently. “How are you doing, sweetie?”
Autumn looked down at the precious human in her arms and lifted him up for a kiss. “Kisses from these gorgeous boys always make me feel better.” When she met her friend’s gaze, she sighed and leaned her head on Evie’s shoulder. The blonde rested her head on top of Autumn’s comfortingly. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yes.” When Colton yawned, Autumn carefully laid him down in her arms and rocked him softly, and it wasn’t long before his eyes closed.
She glanced over at Travis, who had also fallen asleep, his mouth still wrapped around his mother’s nipple. Evie lifted him off it and up onto her shoulder, and as soon as he burped, she stood up. “Come on, let’s change them and put them down for a nap.”
The two women each carried a baby into the nursery, which was next door to Evie and Luke’s bedroom. They changed the diaper of the twin they were holding, and then placed them down in their respective bassinets.
Once she was sure they weren’t going to wake, Evie took her friend’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen, where she poured two glasses of water. They then made themselves comfortable on the sofa.
“Okay, spill. I sense there’s something particular on your mind.”
Finding Home (Being Home Book 2) Page 19
