“Sounds perfect. One thing though, can I ask Heather if she’d like to come? I feel so bad for her, Gunner. She’s been through so much, and I’d never seen her cry so much as she did last night. I hate that she keeps calling herself a whore. God, it just tears me up. I knew something was wrong. I just knew it.”

“Of course, ask her. My heart hurts for her. She deserved to have her first time with someone she truly loved.”

“Yeah...and she doesn’t even remember it, Gunner. That’s what makes me so sad. Then Josh came and found out the next day. He must have been so heartbroken. Do you think things will ever be the same between them?”

“I’m not sure, baby. He and Lynda seem to be getting closer and closer. Although, I don’t know how he puts up with her ass. She might be my cousin, but holy shit, she’s demanding and treats him like shit. I never thought Josh would end up with someone like that.”

I shook my head as I looked at Gunner. Shit, I’m so lucky he never gave up on me.

Reaching down into my purse, he pulled out my cell and handed it to me. “Call her, Ells. She needs her friends right now. Then, get dressed. Jeff and Ari are meeting us in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

After ten minutes of convincing Heather that she needed this, she finally agreed. I hung up and smiled. Being around friends who loved her would be good for her. Hopefully, we can take her mind off of Josh and Jerry-the-asshole.

***

When we pulled into the state park, Gunner saw Jeff’s truck and parked next to it. Ari and Jeff were leaning up against it, and Ari looked so happy. I smiled, knowing that she was going to be a mom soon. June fifteenth was her due date, so it looked like we would be spending our one-year anniversary with our niece or nephew.

When Gunner opened the door, I jumped out of the truck, walked up to Ari and hugged her.

Just then, I heard another voice. Josh? Fuck a duck. Are you kidding me? I pulled away from Ari to see Jeff slapping Josh on the back. I glanced at Gunner to see him staring at me with a panicked look on his face.

Turning around, I grabbed Ari and walked her away from the group.

“What the fuck, Ells. What’s wrong?”

“Oh my god, what is Josh doing here?” I started to look around the parking lot.

Heather would be here any minute; she was only ten minutes behind us the last time I’d talked to her.

“Jeff invited him. Why?”

“I invited Heather to come along. She’s going to freak!”

“Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Ellie, is she okay? I mean, I called her last night, and she told me everything. My heart is breaking for her. I can’t believe she had sex with Jerry-the-fuckwad.”

“Never mind that right now. Is Lynda here?”

“No, she couldn’t make it.”

Just then, I saw Heather pulling up. Ari and I stepped out of the way, so she could park.

“She’s gonna be so pissed at you!” Ari said as she raised her eyebrows up at me.

“Me? Why me? Why not you? Y’all invited Josh.”

“You invited her, and I’m sure she asked if he was going to be here.”

Oh my god. I wanted to kill my BFF so badly at this very moment. “I swear, Ari if you weren’t pregnant, I would.”

Ari let out a laugh. “Oh, come on, bitch, I can take you, pregnant or not!”

Heather got out of the car and smiled at both of us. Her smile quickly faded when she looked between the two of us.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked at Ari and she looked at me. Then, I heard Josh laugh, and Heather looked behind us.

“I’m pregnant!” Ari shouted out.

I just stared at her a what-the-hell look. She glanced at me and shrugged her shoulders.

“What? I panicked, okay?” Ari said with a smile.

Heather seemed confused for a moment.

“Wait…what? You’re pregnant, Ari? Oh my god!” She let out a scream and hugged her.

Ari looked at me over Heather’s shoulder and made a face that made me laugh out loud. Only Ari.

Just then, Josh, Jeff and Gunner walked up. Gunner looked like he was about to puke, Jeff was shocked that Ari had just screamed out to the world that she was pregnant, and Josh couldn’t tear his eyes from Heather.

Heather pulled back away from Ari and smiled at her. “How far along are you?”

“Oh. um, two months.”

“Wow…early on into it.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone until after the wedding, but y’all are different. I just got too excited, and I couldn’t hold it in.” Ari shrugged her shoulders and looked at Jeff.

He had a huge smile on his face. My stomach did butterflies, thinking about my brother becoming a daddy. I smiled at him as he grinned and winked back at me.

Heather turned and saw Josh standing there, looking at her. I could tell she was somewhat shocked and mad as hell. She turned to glare at me. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

“So, who wants to hike up a giant ass granite rock?” Gunner said with a smile.

As we all started to head up the trail, Heather grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“What’s he doing here?” Heather said through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t know! Jeff and Ari invited him.”

“I don’t want to see him, Ellie.”

“Listen, Heather, I know it upsets you to see him just as I’m sure it upsets him to see you, but we’re all friends. You’re going to see him when we all get together sooner or later.”

Heather let out a sigh and looked down the trail. “Where is the bitch girlfriend of his?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Fine. I’m only doing this because I need the fresh air and exercise, but I have no intentions of talking to him.”

Heather pushed past me and started to walk up the trail. Gunner stopped and waited for me. By the time I caught up to him, I was fuming mad.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“Heather. She’s what’s wrong. She is so messed up in her stupid-ass thinking that she’s pushing away the one and only person she is ever going to love. She’s pissed because he is here, and she won’t talk to him. I mean, I love Heather like a sister, Gunner. Does she even realize that she is the one who keeps hurting him?”

Gunner looked at our friends walking down the trail. Jeff and Josh were in the lead, and Ari and Heather were behind them talking.

“Don’t worry, Ells. Things have a funny way of working themselves out,” Gunner said with a wink.

“I sure as shit hope you’re right.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

JEFF

I opened the truck door and helped Ari into the truck. After I gave her a kiss, she smiled at me and then looked past my shoulder. When I turned around, Josh was standing at Heather’s car, talking to her.

Jesus, those two. I thought Ari and I had acted like idiots, but these two were making us look like love at first sight. I looked back at Ari and leaned into the truck.

“Don’t worry, baby. They’ll be okay.”

Ari gave me a funny look and nodded her head. I shut the door and started to walk around to the driver’s side of my truck.

Gunner and Ellie had already left to head back to the ranch. We’d decided we were all going to go to a barn dance tonight. The couple who were hosting the dance were good friends with Garrett. I was surprised that Heather decided to crash at our house since she’d found out that Josh was staying there also.

The drive back home was dead quiet. My princess had fallen fast asleep with her hands on her stomach. Each time I looked over at her, my heart swelled more and more. For some reason, knowing that our child was growing in her body just turned me the fuck on. When I saw a small gravel dirt road coming up, I smiled. I turned down the road and drove a few miles until I found an open field. While my truck drove over the bumpy field, Ari woke up.

“Holy hell, where the fuck are you going? See, I knew it. I knew if I fell asleep, you’d get lost. I just knew it.”

I started to laugh as I looked over at the love of my life, who was now was carrying the next love of my life. I pulled up under a large Oak tree, turned off the truck and looked at her.

She glanced around and then turned back to me. The smile that spread across her face would have dropped me to my knees if I had been standing up.

“You horny-ass bastard,” she said with a wink. “How far from home are we?”

“Not far, but Josh and Heather will be there, and I want you...now.”

“Oh yeah? How bad do you want me?”

“Pretty fucking bad…enough to turn down a damn gravel road, trespass on someone’s property, and risk getting caught making love to my future wife.”

The next thing I knew, Ari jumped out of the truck and looked at me with a smile that had my stomach knotting up. She lifted up her finger and motioned for me to come toward her.

So, she wants to play, huh? I opened the door, slowly got out, and started to stretch.

“Oh man, this place is perfect for cows or horses. I wonder how many acres it is. Hmm, why the hell isn’t it fenced?”

Ari looked around and then she started to walk over to me. It was everything I could do to act like I was checking out this ranch. When she stopped right before she got to me, I turned to face her.

“Oh damn, you’re good,” she said before she spun around and took off running into the open field.

It didn’t take long for me to catch up to her. I grabbed her and picked her up while she yelled for me to put her down.

As I put her down, she slowly turned around to face me.

“Be careful, babe. I don’t want anything to happen to you or the baby.”

She stared up into my eyes and smiled.

“Take me under that giant-ass tree before we both want some food again!”

I laughed when she jumped up and wrapped her legs around me. I brought her back over toward the truck, showering her with kisses the whole way.

After I slowly let her down, I reached into the backseat of my truck to pull out the quilt that Emma had insisted I keep in the truck at all times. I was beginning to think that her and Garrett were masters of fooling around in other places besides their bed.

Ari threw her head back and laughed. “Damn, I love Emma and Garrett. I bet those two were hot and heavy in their day.”

I laughed and laid the blanket out on the flattest, softest area of grass I could find. I sat down and leaned up against the tree. Ari gave me a crooked smile and came over to sit down on my lap.

“Hmm…this feels familiar,” She said with a wink.

I looked around and then back at her. “It’s a good thing there are no horses around this time. I’d kick your ass in another race.”

The way she laughed caused my dick to get even harder. I gently rolled her off my lap, slowly laying her down on the blanket.

“Ari, I’m gonna make love to you now.”

When she bit down on her lip, I let out a small moan. Son of a bitch, the things this girl does to me.

I took her mouth with mine and never stopped kissing her the whole time we made love.

***

We wrapped ourselves up in the quilt and stayed there for a bit talking. We talked about the wedding, the baby, the wedding some more, and horses. I loved my life so much, and in that moment I thanked God for giving me such a blessing.