Page 119 of Yolo

I watched her for the next fifteen minutes as she all but finished mowing the yard. All that was left were the parts that she didn’t want to get too close to.

Her father had joined me at some point, watching his girl with fascination just like I was.

“She’s something, isn’t she?” he asked.

“You’ve definitely given me a gift,” I agreed.

We’d been married last night.

We’d decided to forgo the honeymoon because she was six months pregnant with our baby.

Maybe next year we’d go on that honeymoon, but for now, she was staying in sight of her doctor.

She wasn’t high-risk or anything, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t freak out constantly.

“Wow,” Auden said as he came up to stand beside me. “I’m impressed.”

I was, too.

Her sheer stubbornness was intoxicating.

“Do you think she can do mine next?” I heard Atlas call.

The lawnmower shut off, and she turned, searching for the source of the yell.

“What are you doing, baby girl?” her father asked.

Bindi beamed, and I couldn’t stop myself from walking toward her.

“Mom helped me,” she glowed. “She FaceTimed with me and told me when I needed to turn a little bit. We’ve never mowed a lawn before, but it was fun.”

I looked at the woman on the screen and smiled. “I appreciate it, Lea. Lunch break?”

Lea waved. “You’re most welcome. I can’t wait to do it again with her next week. And yes, we’re just eating and talking.”

She signed off, leaving the now-black-faced phone strapped to her chest.

She placed the headphones she’d pulled out of her ears into her pocket and said, “I thought you were planning our vacation?”

“I was, until Hollis came in from work and said you were mowing the lawn,” I drawled.

She scrunched up her nose. “I was bored. And I miss being outside and sweating.”

I could imagine being stuck inside the house with nothing to do was suffocating sometimes.

“We go on walks every night,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but I miss the sun. I miss the burn of the muscles in my legs as I push them. I’m…” She trailed off.

“You can start working out with me,” I said. “If your doctor okays it, that is.”

She patted her belly. “I don’t need more than just a walk for now. When he’s born, then we’ll discuss more.”

I was relieved, even though I didn’t tell her that.

“Hey, bro.”

I looked over to find Quincy walking toward me, his youngest daughter strapped to his chest.

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