Page 57 of Just Curious

Deb also received a hefty fine for slapping her lawyer’s face when the verdict was delivered. She left the courtroom bawling after she glared one last time at Willa. It just wasn’t fair. Why should Willa have all the talent and beauty?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stripped Deb of her Oscar. Deb bawled about that too. Her cellmate was unimpressed.

Chapter 38

The three parents-to-be ended up making several trips north to Castroville to see Jackson and Casey’s families—now that they could pop up there easily in their fancy new jet. The novelty of having the plane was going to take a long time to wear off, and they all felt a giddy thrill each time they made a trip. And, just as the men predicted, the families in Castroville fell head over heels in love with Willa. Not one person raised an eyebrow at their triad, and everyone commented on how happy the three of them seemed. Their union was a beautiful thing, and who could begrudge such devotion?

Willa especially loved seeing where the guys had grown up, and the massive artichoke farm fascinated her. The fields spread out forever, it seemed, and there was a lovely café and a fancy gift shop on the property that sold artichoke-related products like cooking utensils, cookbooks, and jars of many varieties of preserved artichokes. A seasonal farm stand offered fresh artichokes to local shoppers and tourists when the buds were harvested. They also offered cooking classes that sounded interesting, but Willa was secretly happy she could rely on Phillipe rather than learning to cook more things herself.

She was happy to get to know Miles finally, and he was thrilled to see her looking better than last time he’d seen her. Willa had to admit, “I’m sorry, I don’t even remember that you were at the hospital, but I’m so glad you could help Jackson out that day. I’m sure he was terrified, and having his big brother there probably helped tremendously. I can’t imagine how he’d have been if he’d had to drive himself home during that fiasco.”

Willa discovered that both sets of parents were thrilled to become grandparents. She felt as if the baby would be lucky to have two sets of them since her own parents would not be around. She often thought wistfully of her own parents, but it helped that Casey and Jackson’s families welcomed her so eagerly. She knew now that if she needed a mother’s advice, she had two lovely women she could turn to.

Another trip Jackson insisted they make once the trial ended was to see his newly completed estate in Aspen. It was past ski season—not that Willa could have skied anyway—but the views from the floor to ceiling windows were breathtaking, and the house was beyond magnificent.

When they got to Aspen, Casey had a surprise for them. He’d selected frames of their GoPro video of each of them skiing in the Cariboos and had the still photos blown up and framed as a large tryptic. He’d made sure to have it hung over the mantle of the enormous stone fireplace in the great room.

On the right side, Willa looked graceful and determined with her movements all precise and collected, but the viewer got the sense that she was traveling through the sparkling powder at breakneck speed. The pattern she made in the snow behind her showed a series of perfectly executed parallel turns. Her blonde hair was loose that day and created a shining golden aura around her. She looked like a snow goddess.

The left panel was filled with Casey, snow-covered with his hands held high, his body in a semi-tucked position and looking right on the verge of being out of control. Because his hair and eyes were concealed by his hat and goggles, the most distinguishable characteristic of the photo was his ear-to-ear grin. It was classic Casey.

The center panel contained Jackson. Rather than being in the sparkling snow, he was several feet above it, soaring through the air. His arms were raised in victory, and his legs were spread, making him into a giant flying X. His mouth was open and gave the impression that he was shouting with glee. As Casey put it, “You can almost hear him whooping it up.”

Willa and Jackson were speechless for a moment as they took in the wonderful gift Casey had made for them. It wasn’t fine art, but it was personal and recorded one of the best days of their lives. It was also beautiful with the clear blue sky, the pristine snow, and their colorful ski outfits. The triptych was a masterpiece to them. They both turned and showered Casey with kisses.

“It’s amazing,” cried Willa. “You’re a genius to make this for the house and for us. Thank you so much.”

“I love it, Case. Thank you. And you did a great job keeping this a secret. We’ll all treasure this forever.”

Chapter 39

As Willa’s due date approached, they spent all their time in La Jolla, reasoning that they were close to the hospital and Willa’s doctor that way. Willa also enjoyed taking long walks on the beach with her men, and the constant rumble of the surf grounded her.

Willa’s labor became intense in the middle of the night while the men were sleeping. She scared Jackson half to death when she gripped his arm and started to moan in pain. He sat up in bed and said in alarm, “Do you need an ambulance? What’s happening?”

Casey grabbed for his phone and announced, “We’re going to time your contractions. Just remember the breathing exercises. He turned on the timer and patiently waited for Willa’s current contraction to end.

Grabbing his hair, Jackson asked wildly, “Why are you just sitting there?”

“Don’t worry, Jax. We’ll just see how far apart they are. It might be hours before we need to go to the hospital,” Casey said in a soothing, businesslike voice. He held his phone in one hand and came around to sit next to Willa so he could massage her back with the other.

Willa choked out, “I need to get to the bathroomnow!” She scooted to the edge of the huge bed and moaned again, doubling over.

Jackson hopped out of bed and reached for Willa, scooping her up in his arms. He carried her to the bathroom and was just about to set her down when a flood of liquid poured down his body.

“Oh! My water just broke,” Willa pointed out.

Casey followed them into the bathroom and asked, “How long have the pains been going on?”

“Um, they started at around lunchtime, but I thought I just had an upset stomach. Now I don’t think that was it.” She doubled over again.

“Willa! These aren’t even a minute apart!” Casey cried, not nearly as calm and collected as before.

Jackson set Willa down and, with a rather green face, turned on the shower. He was in and out of it before the water heated up and immediately called the doctor—whom he had on speed dial, of course.

After a rushed conversation, it was determined that driving to the hospital would be faster than dispatching an ambulance, so they summoned their driver who said he would be there in less than five minutes. They cleaned Willa up as quickly as possible and wrapped her in a soft robe. The two guys threw on whatever clothes they could grab quickly, and Casey carried her out to the waiting limo.

Jackson’s shirt was inside out, and Casey’s shoes didn’t match. One of them belonged to Jackson.

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