The Anderson Brothers Complete Series

by Kristin Coley

  “Oh my God!” I gasped, looking at her in disbelief. Ford reached over to look at the amount, and his mouth dropped open. Olivia just sat there with a Cheshire smile on her face. “I can’t accept this!” I told her. “It’s too much!”

  “Of course you can,” Olivia replied, rolling her eyes. “Did I not say it was our gift?”

  “You did, but this a five-thousand-dollar gift card to a baby store. How exactly do you benefit from it?” I asked, exasperated.

  “I get to go with you and pick everything out,” Olivia said, matter-of-factly.

  I looked at Ford to get his opinion, and I saw him sneaking away from the table. “Ford!”

  “What?” he answered guiltily.

  “What do you think?”

  “That I’m going to watch football and let y’all figure this out,” he replied, moving to the living room and settling in front of the TV.

  “Olivia!” I said, turning back to her.

  “It’s from my dad. I told him where I was having Thanksgiving and basically your whole story. He wanted to help out,” she told me with a shrug.

  “And this is how he helps?” I asked, in disbelief.

  “Well, I might have made the call on where and how much, but it was totally his money,” she said, with a nod.

  “You’re serious,” I said, exhaling.

  “Yep. This is going to be so much fun,” Olivia squealed. I winced slightly at the pitch, as she went on. “You need so much stuff: Crib, clothes, car seat, stroller, and other baby things that I don’t know about. We’ll get it all.”

  I shook my head at her, “We don’t need a crib.”

  “What? Why not?” Olivia asked, looking upset.

  “I’ll show you,” I told her with a smile. I got up from the table and gestured for her to follow me. I took her into the bedroom where Ford had set up the cradle from Joe and Martha. He’d surprised me with it the day before. He’d donated the twin bed to the Salvation Army and put the cradle where it had been.

  We’d been sleeping together in his king bed the past couple of weeks. We both slept better together than apart, and neither of us expected anything more than sleep right now. Cradled in his arms was the place I felt the happiest.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Olivia crooned, her hand stroking the cradle.

  “Joe made it for his babies,” I told her smiling. “He thought we would like it.”

  “Well, we definitely won’t need a crib then. This is perfect for the baby,” Olivia declared to me. “But that’s good, because now we have more to spend on other things.”

  “Diapers,” I told her with a nod. Olivia gave me a sigh, and I said, “I’m serious! Those things are expensive.”

  “Fine. Diapers can be added to the list,” she replied, with an eye roll. “Now let's go make that list. We are shopping this weekend and getting everything you need.”

  Olivia wasn’t kidding. She spent the majority of the gift card before the weekend was over. We agreed to leave a thousand on it, so I could buy diapers and things after the baby was born. She complained about the necessity of keeping everything gender neutral, but took it as a challenge when I questioned her ability. She was determined to make it stylish. The weekend was a whirlwind of shopping, while Ford hid at the shop making furniture.

  “Don’t you want to come with us?” I teased him on Friday before we started. He started stuttering in his rush to tell me no. “I need to finish that piece,” he finally got out, nodding authoritatively.

  “What piece?” I asked him, with a smile.

  “The piece that needs to be finished,” he replied, with a slight hesitation. I laughed and let him off the hook.

  “Alright, fine. We’ll carry our own bags,” I told him, with a quick kiss to the cheek.

  “Oh no, we don’t carry bags,” Olivia said, waving her hand. “I’ll find someone to do that.”

  I shook my head and mouthed, ‘Save me’ to Ford. He shook his head no and backed out of the door.

  On Sunday night I collapsed on the couch, groaning. Ford reached over and started rubbing my feet. I propped myself up on pillows and let him.

  “I had no idea babies needed so much,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t feel qualified to be a parent.”

  “I'm pretty sure that’s everyone,” Ford said, with a laugh. “We have the class next weekend. That should help.”

  “Oh yeah.” I remembered the doctor had told us at the last appointment to sign up for the hospital’s tour and ‘What to expect during labor’ class. We would fill out our pre-registration and sit through a four-hour class on labor and delivery.

  “Don’t sound so excited,” Ford replied, flexing my foot gently. I wiggled my toes in relief.

  “The only thing I’m excited about right now is a hot bath,” I moaned. “Olivia tried to kill me.”

  “You got everything I hope. Based on the number of things I need to put together?” Ford asked, gesturing to the massive number of boxes and bags strewn across the room from our epic shopping trips.

  “I hope so,” I said with a sigh. “There can’t possibly be anything else a baby needs.”

  “You had fun, though?” Ford asked me, a questioning look on his face. I smiled through my exhaustion. “I did. It was overwhelming, but exciting. Not many people are lucky enough to have a paid shopping spree in a baby store. It was awesome,” I ended with a laughed. “Olivia had more fun than me. Probably because she’s not eight months pregnant and doesn't have to use any of it!”

  “That’s a pretty incredible gift,” Ford agreed, smiling at me. His hands stroked up my calf, working out cramps I didn’t realize I had.

  “I might be the luckiest girl in the world,” I said.

  “Do tell?” Ford asked.

  “Baby shopping spree and then a massage. A girl couldn’t ask for a better best friend or boyfriend,” I answered him. His fingers hesitated slightly when I said boyfriend and I realized it was the first time I’d said it. I raised my eyebrow at him, questioning.

  “I like it,” he replied, a small smile playing on his lips, as he continued the massage.

  I leaned my head back, pondering my strange life, when my stomach started growling.

  “Did Olivia neglect to feed you?” Ford questioned.

  “We had lunch. Oh we stopped and got pretzels too. And there might have been a cookie … a big cookie. In fact, there might have been a cookie for you that I ate,” I admitted, slightly ashamed, as my stomach continued to growl. Ford smiled, as I started listing the food, and full out laughing when I finally admitted I ate his cookie.

  “I can live without the cookie, but I think someone could use dinner. There’s left over roast and potatoes in the fridge,” Ford mentioned, getting up and heading to the kitchen. “I talked to Colt today. He said Thanksgiving was good.”

  Their parents had gone to Alabama for the holiday. Colt wasn’t going to make it home, because they’d had a game the day after Thanksgiving. I knew Ford watched it, but hadn’t talked to Colt.

  “Did he say anything about your parents?” I asked, wandering into the kitchen to watch him heat up the leftovers.

  “He tried talking to them about me, but they ignored any mention of my name. He thinks everything will be fine by Christmas,” Ford chuckled reluctantly. “My brother, ever the optimist.”

  “Colt always loved his rose colored glasses,” I remarked quietly, remembering back to the summer before.

  “This year is going to be awesome,” Colt declared happily, his arm around me. “I’m a senior dating the hottest girl in the school and we are going to the championship!” He finished with a roar, arm raised up. The other guys started shouting, “Titans! Titans! Titans!”

  They came over and picked up Colt, preparing to throw him in the pool. I scooted out of the way, laughing at their antics. We were hanging around the pool at Ford’s apartment complex, enjoying one last big bash before school started. I heard the splash when they threw him in, followed by several more splashes, as the
guys joined him. Some of the girls shrieked, as they got splashed by the water.

  I backed up to avoid getting drenched and bumped into someone. I felt his warm hands on my waist, as he held me steady. I heard a low laugh and he said, “What? Don’t want to get thrown in with your boyfriend?”

  “I’d rather not,” I said, reaching around to give him a sideways hug. “You know how much I love getting wet.” He choked slightly at my words, and I looked up at him, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, with a half-smile. I narrowed my eyes at him and he changed the subject. “Colt is having a good time.”

  “When does he not?” I replied, rhetorically. Colt was the happiest guy I knew. Nothing got him down. The whole glass half empty was a moot point with him. You could give him an empty glass and he’d be happy at the thought that he could fill it with whatever he wanted.

  I saw the dragon tattoo out of the corner of my eye and I reached over tracing the tail of the dragon wrapping around his bicep.

  “You finished the tattoo,” I commented.

  “Yeah, a few weeks ago. It’s all healed up now,” he answered, his arm still wrapped around me. I felt the warmth of his arm through my black two piece. I settled against him, watching Colt wrestle with his buddies.

  “He can’t wait for this year. He told me earlier that it looks like Alabama will offer him a scholarship.” I admitted, happy for him.

  “Yeah, our parents are over the moon. I’m not sure who’s more excited. Colt or my dad,” Ford told me with a chuckle.

  “Colt,” we said in unison, laughing at each other.

  “How about you? Excited for this year?” he asked me, with a nudge of his hip.

  “I am. My grandparents gave me a car for my birthday!” I told him excitedly.

  “That’s awesome!” Ford said, giving me a high five.

  “Yeah, but now I need a job,” I said, a little worried. I’d made a big deal out of keeping the car against my parents’ wishes, but now I needed to find a job, so I could afford gas.

  Ford tugged me over to the table where we’d set out snacks earlier. He grabbed a plate and started loading it up.

  “You know, I saw a hiring sign at the leasing office. I think they’re looking for someone part time,” he mentioned, gesturing for me to grab him a Coke out of the ice chest. I grabbed one for me too, and we sat down at a table in the shade.

  “Really? That would be awesome. I think I’d rather an office than a fast food joint,” I responded, enthusiastically.

  “Eat up,” Ford told me, indicating the massive amount of food on his plate. I gave him a look. “I didn’t get this all for me. I’m trying to keep my figure,” he said, waving an arm over his extremely well built body and causing me to laugh.

  “Maybe I’m trying to keep my figure,” I told him smartly. He burst out laughing at that. “You’re good,” he told me, pushing the plate between us.

  I wasn’t shy, so I dug in. I couldn’t deny my love of party foods. Meatballs, chips and dip. He even had a hamburger and hot dog on the plate. I was thinking we couldn’t finish it, when I felt cold wet droplets on me.

  I arched my back and shouted, “Colt!” Ford was laughing his ass off next to me. He had seen Colt coming and hadn’t warned me. I slapped his shoulder and used my other hand to push Colt away. Colt just laughed and reached down to kiss me. His lips were cold against mine, but they warmed up quick. He stroked my back, as his hand smoothed down my hair. He opened his mouth against mine, and I felt his tongue against my lips. I heard a throat clear and Ford said, “Keep it PG.”

  Colt leaned back, flipped his brother the bird and dropped into the other chair. “You need to find yourself a girlfriend, my brother,” Colt told Ford.

  “What happened to Connie?” I asked, curious. She and Ford had been dating the past two years, and I thought they were serious. Colt let out a snort and Ford shuddered.

  “She started talking about when we get married. We’ve never discussed marriage. I still have a year left of college and then law school,” Ford muttered unhappily.

  “Maybe that was her way of bringing it up?” I asked, hesitantly.

  “Probably, but the minute she did and I actually thought about spending the rest of my life with her, I realized there was no way,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  I winced slightly, out of sympathy for Connie, but at the same time, I was relieved. She wasn’t the friendliest to me. I guess it didn’t really matter in the scheme of things, but I still thought Ford could do better.

  “I guess you can’t be lucky like me and meet the love of your life in high school,” Colt declared dramatically. I shook my head at him and ribbed him, “Uh huh. Until you get to Alabama and meet all those college girls.”

  “You’ll be there soon enough,” Colt told me offhandedly. “Plus, we’ve got this year. Football is starting back. Homecoming is soon. Then prom and graduation.”

  “You seem awfully confident that I’ll be going to Alabama,” I teased him. I hadn’t told him that I’d actually gotten an application for the University of Alabama. My main school was Baylor where Ford went, because they were close and had a good engineering school, but I’d been thinking about following Colt.

  “Of course you are. That’s where I’ll be,” Colt replied, confidently. “After college, I’ll go pro, and we’ll get married and have a family.”

  “Got it all planned out there, bro?” Ford mocked him.

  “And what about me?” I asked him. “What will I be doing?” I tilted my head questioningly, as I looked at Colt.

  “You can do whatever you want. We’ll be rich, once I go pro,” Colt said, with a shrug, as if life was just that easy.

  “What if it didn’t work out that way?” I asked, seriously.

  “It will. No matter what, I’m playing football. It’s my dream and I know it’ll happen,” Colt replied, determined. “And you’ll be by my side all the way, baby.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. His best friend, Weston, shouted for him to come join them in pool volleyball.

  “You wanna come?” Colt asked me, jumping up to join them.

  “I’m good,” I replied, absentmindedly, braiding my hair. It was drying from an earlier dip in the pool, and I didn’t want it to get wet again. My hair was halfway down my back and took forever to dry.

  Ford looked at me through heavy lidded eyes, as he slouched in his chair. “I hope you’re on board with all that.”

  I gave a soft laughed, “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Don’t let him force you into a life you don’t want,” Ford commented wearily.

  “You sound like you speak from experience.”

  He gave a slight shake of his head in the negative, and I got the feeling he didn’t want to talk about it. “Your hair is more blonde,” he mentioned, obviously changing the subject.

  “Yeah, all the sun over the summer,” I replied. My natural light brown hair had streaks of blonde from all the time I’d spent laying by the pool. “I’m thinking about cutting it,” I continued, feeling how dried it was from the sun and chlorine.

  “Don’t,” Ford said, his eyes never leaving me. I felt a pull between us, as I nodded slowly. The comment about cutting my hair had been a casual thought, but there was nothing casual about this interaction.

  Ford broke the spell when he sat up and asked, “What are y’all doing tonight?”

  It took me a second to gather my thoughts, as Ford looked toward the pool. “We’re going to watch a movie at Colt’s house. He said his parents are going out for their anniversary.”

  “Is that code for having sex?” Ford said bluntly, causing my cheeks to burn.

  “Ford!” I said shocked. “No, of course not. I'm not ready for that. Not that it’s any of your business.” I was mortified about Ford bringing up sex. I knew Colt was ready and only waiting for my okay. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d discussed it with his brother.

  My father was a preacher at a local chu
rch, but I’d never gone with the idea of waiting till marriage. I knew it would happen eventually with Colt, but I didn’t want to discuss it with his brother.

  “Good, if you’re too embarrassed to talk about it, then you’re not ready to have it,” Ford said, matter-of-factly, before he continued, “Either way, remember to stay safe. An accidental pregnancy could ruin both your lives. Especially Colt’s dream of going pro.”

  “I know that. I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t take chances with Colt’s dream,” I snapped, aggravated at his assumption.