by V. Vaughn
He gives me his stoic poker-face look. “You forfeited it when you left, baby brother.”
“Oh, c’mon, that’s not fair.” I slip the wine into my overnight duffle bag.
“Hey, life’s not fair. Besides, didn’t you make millions playing ball? Did you spend it all?”
“No, I have a good chunk left.”
He shrugs, indicating that this is the end of the conversation. “There you go.”
I slam the screen door shut behind me as I leave, but I’m not really mad. I’m fine with Bruce having the house. It’s not like I’d want to move Hillary in here with him anyway. I guess I should look for my own place. When I first came home it was temporary. A rest area to chill out, heal, and think. I’ve done that. And now that my football career is over and I’ve decided to stay in Heartland, I should buy my own house.
When I get to Hillary’s, she’s already ordered the Chinese food, and it arrives within minutes. As we eat, I wonder if I should talk to her about me buying a house, but I decide I’d rather tell her by taking her with me to tour prospective homes. I think she needs me to do more than talk about our life together.
“Earth to Alec,” Hillary says to capture my attention.
I set my chopsticks down when I realize I was holding them midair. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
“Nothing. I was eating. What are you thinking about?”
“That you need more wine.” I lift the bottle to top off our glasses in an effort to avoid the question.
Hillary lets me and asks, “Do you remember Hanna from high school?”
“I think so. Redhead, played volleyball?”
“Yeah that’s her. She came into the diner yesterday with her new babies. Twin boys.”
“Cool. Did you sell her some blankets?”
She frowns. “No. I don’t pressure anyone to buy my stuff.”
I can tell I’ve hit a nerve, but I don’t know why. “I know, baby. I wasn’t saying that.”
Her expression relaxes, and she takes a sip of wine. “They were really cute. She named them Joshua and Jake.”
“Good names,” I say, because I’m sure I’m still walking on thin ice here, even if I don’t know why. “Maybe they’ll be football players, and I can coach them when they get to high school.”
Hillary nods as she chews her ginger beef. Once she swallows her mouthful, she says, “Oh, also I got a call from my cousin Beth, and she wants to know if we can babysit next weekend.”
“She’s got four kids, right?”
Hillary nods.
“That’s a lot of little tykes running around.”
“Is that going to be a problem?” Her stare is serious, and I’m definitely in the dog house for something.
“Ah—” I’m not sure what I’m dealing with, but I give it my best shot. “No. No problem at all. I like kids. It’ll be fun. We can take them to the park or maybe out to the falls. That’s not too dangerous for them, is it?”
She smiles as if I gave the right answer. “That’s not too dangerous.”
It hits me what’s going on. She’s trying to gauge whether I like children or not. Or maybe figure out if I want to have them. I like the idea of kids, especially with her. I want my mate to know that if she takes me back, I’m into the relationship one hundred percent.
I reach for her hand and squeeze her fingers. “If you’re trying to figure out if I want kids, the answer is I do. I would love to have a whole litter of children with you.”
Her eyes brighten. “You do? Honestly?”
“Absolutely. I can see us with at least four. Maybe even five. Show Cousin Beth how we do things around here.”
She giggles and lifts up from her chair to give me a quick kiss. “I was worried you might not want them. We never talked about it, you know.”
I smile. “To be fair, we were just kids ourselves when we were together before. Although now that I think of it, your mother did say something about me being a good father someday.”
Hillary chuckles. “Yes, my mom, the subtle one.”
I laugh and get up to clear our plates. As they clatter in the sink, it occurs to me I should find a way to show Hillary that I’m fully committed to her, to this relationship, and to whatever comes next. I need to do something big and grand. A gesture to show her she can trust me. Maybe I can decorate a whole nursery in the spare room in my house to prove my love for her.
Bruce will kill me. But once I tell him why, he might be okay with it. He might even want to help me with it, or he might call me an idiot. I grin at myself, pleased with my idea, and I decide I’m going to do it.
Chapter 33
HILLARY
The diner is packed with townspeople today. It seems like everyone is here to celebrate Marvin and Ida getting hitched. I can’t believe it myself. A week after he joked about her being a fox, he’s in here with Ida to celebrate their marriage. They’re both in their seventies but still full of life, and I think it’s sweet.
People tap forks and spoons against their glasses to hush the crowd, and a pretty blond girl stands up to speak. She glances around the room. “For those of you who might not know, I’m Lily, Marv’s oldest granddaughter. And his best man. Who knew shifters could change gender too?” she asks, getting the crowd to laugh. When they stop, she continues. “Now that you know I have Marv’s sense of humor, you should also know there is no way I can give a toast without using a bad pun. So…” She looks at Ida. “The day this foxy lady agreed to marry Marvin is the day she gave him a new reason to live, and we’re so glad you’ve joined our crazy family.” She lifts her soda glass. “To another thirty years!”
“Here, here!” shouts more than one guest, and my eyes fill with tears when Marv and Ida kiss.
I do believe in love, and I silently wish that Alec and I will someday have a wedding toast made for us. I picture Bruce getting up to give a short, sweet but growly speech.
And then I take in Marv’s big family and wish for that too. I do have plenty of cousins, but Dad was the rabbit in my immediate family, and I long for the day when I have oodles of kids underfoot.
When someone manages to hack their phone into our stereo system, a playlist of dance songs begins to play. Mandy, Rita Mae, and I retreat to the kitchen for a break while the partygoers get up to dance.
I sink my teeth into a thick roast beef sandwich Tony made for me and take a moment to taste the salty meat before gobbling it down. Weddings are hard work, and I’m famished.
Rita Mae swallows a mouthful of food and asks, “How are things with Alec?”
I flash to a sexy image of him naked and give her a goofy smile I hope doesn’t give too much away. “Good.”
Mandy asks, “Has he gotten a job yet?”
“He’s still waiting to hear back from the high school about being an assistant football coach.”
She nods. “So, are you officially back together?”
“It feels like it.” I squirm a little on my stool to get a more comfortable position. “I mean, we’ve been spending nearly every day together for the past week…” I lift up a chip suddenly interested in the shape of it.
The kitchen door swings open, and one of Marvin’s granddaughters asks, “Rita Mae?”
The older woman hops up to go help her, and once she’s gone, Mandy asks, “But what, Hillary? What’s bothering you?”
I let out a sigh. “There’s still this doubt hanging over my head. I keep waiting for him to leave again. Like I think it’s inevitable or something.”
Mandy shrugs. “You were burned bad. It’s hard to get over something like that. But if he gets the coaching job, then he’ll have a reason to stay.”
“I should be his reason for staying, not his job.”
“Oh, I agree, but you realize he could coach a college team for far more money than he’s going to make in Heartland. I bet any university would jump at the chance to have him if they knew he was looking.”
She’s right, and it’s something I’ve considered to
o. But it doesn’t make me feel better. In fact, my stomach clenches around its contents because the idea makes me feel worse. I’m afraid he’s going to grow bored of the high school job quickly and want more.
And I can imagine if big name teams get wind of Alec coaching, they’ll come knocking on his door. It would be just like the talent scouts coming to take him away from me all over again.
As if she read my thoughts, or more likely saw my scowl, Mandy asks, “What would it take for Alec to earn your complete trust again?”
“He’s trying awfully hard, and I wish I knew the answer.”
Mandy smiles as she grabs our plates to bring to the dish sink, and I get up to go check on the wedding party. Before I get to the dining room my cell phone vibrates with a call, and I notice it’s Alec.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you.”
“Hey baby, how’s your day?”
I smile at the sound of his voice. “Good. Busy. We ended up hosting a wedding reception.”
He chuckles. “Really? Whose?”
“Marvin Buckley and Ida Woods. They’re both in their seventies.”
“No way. That’s cool.”
I chuckle but a wave of sadness about the possibility that I might not have a wedding of my own washes over me.
“I have something I want to show you.”
“You do?” I ask cautiously and I hate that I’m so skeptical.
“It’s a good thing, Hillary. I promise. But you have to come to my house.”
“What time?”
“Right after work.”
“Can I go home and change?”
“No, come here right after. No going home. I don’t think I can wait any longer than necessary to show you my surprise.”
He sounds like a kid with a secret he’s dying to share. And I want to be excited in a good way, but I’m finding it hard. The last time he was this excited and called me on the phone to come see him, he’d just gotten a call from the Dolphins to join their team.
I shake my head at myself. Alec isn’t an idiot. No way would he break my heart with news he’s leaving again. “Okay, I’ll see you around six.” I hang up and slip the phone in my pocket and get back to work. But I can’t shake the feeling something big is about to happen, and that it might not be good.
Chapter 34
HILLARY
When I drive up to Alec and Bruce’s house, I find Alec sitting on the steps of the porch, waiting for me. He jumps up with a big grin on his face and meets me at the car, opening the door for me to get out. Before I can ask him any questions, he spins me around and tells me to close my eyes.
“What? Why?”
“Just do it.”
“Fine.” His enthusiasm makes me think there’s no way he’s about to leave again. I get excited now, too.
Alec leads me by the hand to the house, up the steps, and through the front door.
My skin tingles with anticipation as our feet tap on the hardwood floor. He gets behind me and puts his hand over my eyes. “No peeking, curious little bunny.”
I laugh, because he’s got my bunny’s number. His playfulness chases the remains of my fear away. He wouldn’t be so giddy if it wasn’t something I’d love too.
He stops us from moving and says, “Open your eyes!”
When I do, I blink in surprise as I take in the room he brought me to. It’s set up like a nursery. An oak crib with white and yellow bedding is in the middle of the room. I notice it has bumpers to protect a baby from the wood rails, and one of my hand-knit blankets hanging over the edge. A strand of tiny yellow star-shaped lights is hung along the top of the walls, giving the neutral ivory color a warm glow, and a fuzzy yellow rug with stars is spread out on the hardwood floor. In the corner is an oak rocking chair with a yellow cushion, and beside it is a changing table covered in supplies one might need. I walk over and lift up a tube of zinc oxide one uses on a baby for diaper rash. “Where did you get all of this?”
He grins. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” I hold up the diaper rash cream. “Do you even know what this is for?”
He gives me an incredulous look. “Diaper rash.” His eyes twinkle with his next words. “’And sunburned noses.”
I chuckle at him. My heart fills with love as I glance around the room again. My emotions spill over, and tears fill my eyes.
“What do you think?” He has the biggest smile on his face as he sweeps his arms around the room. “I’ve been working on it ever since we had that talk about having babies.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Did you see this?” He picks up a stuffed rabbit and stuffed bear and waves them at me. “Look, just so our baby knows what we look like.”
I smile through the tears streaming down my face, and Alec comes up to me and wrap his arms around my waist. “I want to have babies, Hillary. I want to have babies with you. Hundreds of them.”
Now I’m crying so hard I can’t speak. He rubs a thumb over my cheek to wipe away tears. “Do you think you can trust me again now? Because I’m not sure the salesgirl will take it all back. I heard something about taking a trip to Aruba with the commission she made off of me.”
I smile up at him.
“For real, Hillary. I’m all in. I swear I’ll never leave you.” He kisses my cheeks.
I can’t believe he did all of this for me. It a huge grand gesture and so over the top. But it’s like the final piece I needed to truly open my heart. “Yes, Alec, I trust you.”
“Thank god.” He lifts me up and spins me around. When he sets me down, he says, “I bought stuff to baby-proof the kitchen and bathrooms, too. I haven’t tried it yet, though, because Bruce drew the line at that.”
I wander over to the rocking chair to sit. I slide my hand down one of the arms and the varnished wood is smooth under my fingers. “I can’t believe you did this.” I rock as I imagine holding a baby in my arms, and I’m pretty sure my ovaries are weeping with joy too.
“I had help. Believe me, the salesgirl earned her commission. I bought the crib, dresser and changing table.” He comes to crouch at my feet. “But this chair? It belonged to my mother and was up in the attic. I sanded, stained, and sealed it to be like new.”
My chest tightens with the urge to cry again, because this is about the sweetest thing he could have done. “You were rocked in this chair?”
He nods.
“Oh, Alec.” I think about how he could have given me a big diamond or taken me on a lavish trip to show me how much he loves me, but this? A nursery set up in a spare bedroom to show me how much he wants babies too? This truly captures my heart. Because it means Alec understands what’s important to me.
I gaze into his eyes. “You get me.”
He takes my hands. “I sure hope I do. Tell me you love me, Hillary. Tell me that you believe in me, that you believe in us.”
I nod. “I do. I so do, Alec. I do believe in us.” And the knowledge that I’ve got my dream come true fills me as I kiss him.
Chapter 35
ALEC
My arms flex as I carry two front wheels across the shop for the Pontiac convertible Bruce is fixing up, and the tires thud loudly when I set them down by the car. I’m his grease monkey assistant today as part of my payment for letting me transform one of the spare rooms in the house into a nursery for Hillary.
So far I’ve cleaned the shop from top to bottom, driven junk parts out to the salvage yard, and now he’s got me moving heavy things around for him. I won’t complain, though. I figure it’s a fair trade since he didn’t have to agree to my wild gesture of love to Hillary.
An impact wrench whines as he puts the tires on the car, and then he stands to observe his work so far. The car is really shaping up. It just needs new chrome, a paint job and the motor, which goes in last.
“Looks good,” I say.
He nods and makes that all-purpose grunt of his.
“Another year and you’ll be done.” I’m teasing, but Bruce o
nly raises an eyebrow at me to warn me I’m pushing it. He really needs a woman to lighten him up.
“Speaking of work, you got that job yet?” he asks with a smirk.
“I haven’t heard back yet.”
“I’d call them if I were you. If you really want the position, you have to let them know.”
I know that, but I’ve been putting it off. Everything is going so well with Hillary that I don’t want to jinx it. I’m afraid of her disappointment if I don’t get the coaching position. But Bruce is right; I need to follow up.
Since I’m sick of being my brother’s go-to guy, I take the opportunity he just offered. I strip off my work gloves and toss them onto a bench. “I’m going to go make the call.”
Bruce grunts again before I walk out.
I place my call once I get to the house.
“Coach Weaver here.”
“Coach, it’s Alec Thompson calling.”
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m fine sir. I’m calling to find out if there’s an assistant coaching job available for me.”
There’s a long pause that makes me hold my breath. He says, “I’m sorry to say, there isn’t. I talked to the school board, and there just isn’t any money to take on another coach right now. I wish I had better news for you, son. But if you need a reference, just let me know.”
Disappointment fills me. “Thanks, I may take you up on that, Coach. I really appreciate you asking. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Alec. Good luck. Whoever gets you will be darn lucky.”
“Thanks again, sir.”
When our call ends, I set my phone down and take in a big deep breath. My heartbeat speeds up as I worry about what this is going to mean for Hillary and me. I’m afraid she’s going to shut me out, and that makes my chest tighten with the beginnings of a panic attack.
Instead of letting that happen, I decide to shift and run to get my frustrations out. I charge into the woods and run as fast as I can. It doesn’t take long before my knee hurts, and I slow down to keep from injuring it further. As I walk despair fills me, and I know I need to break the news to Hillary. She needs to be a part of this, no matter how much I dread telling her.
