Page 23 of Sweet Beloved

It takes a second, but Slate detaches himself from the mob and comes over to hug Freya first. She holds him tight, and when she lets go, a tear slips down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb.

“Took you long enough to get back here,” I say.

He laughs, hugging me. As he steps back, his face sobers. “You both want to say hi to Hazel?”

He’s acting a little weird, one hand in his pocket, like he’s nervous. Freya and I exchange a glance, following him as he walks back to the truck and circles to the passenger side. Hazel pushes the door open as we walk up, and Slate lifts her carefully, setting her down like she’s made of glass. He lets her go, steps back, and Freya gasps.

“Hi,” Hazel whispers shyly.

She’s pregnant, easily halfway along. Her hand rests on the top of her bump that stretches out her t-shirt. Shocked, I glance sharply at my eldest son. He meets my eyes sheepishly. Slate is the last person I expected to have a baby before he graduated. He’s the steady one, the planner.

“Oh my,” whispers Freya, surging forward to hug Hazel, who stiffens with surprise. Slowly, she relaxes as Freya pulls back and starts assailing her with every question in the book. When is she due? Do they know if it’s a boy or girl? Has Hazel told her parents yet?

I take a step back, jerking my head, and Slate follows me around to the tailgate.

“I’m happy for you both,” I say carefully. “But was this part of the plan?”

He clears his throat, shaking his head. “Don’t come at me too hard. I know I was an accident.”

“Yeah, and I was forty,” I say. “I had ajob.”

“I have a job now,” Slate says, assertively. His dark eyes square up to mine, shoulders straight. “Jay Reed introduced me to a guy out in South Platte, and I just had an interview this month at his firm. He’s bringing me on full time this summer, and I’m completing my last year remotely.”

I take a beat, impressed he’s taking this seriously.

“Alright, that’s a good plan,” I say, putting my hand on his shoulder. “I’m not angry. I just want to know you can take care of your family.”

He doesn’t break eye contact. “I’m good, Dad. We’re all good. And we’re coming back to South Platte.”

“I’m glad you’re taking this seriously,” I say. “I’m proud of you. And I’m feeling pretty old now that I’m going to have a grandchild.”

He glances back at Freya and Hazel. By now, the other boys have gathered around and realized they’re all about to be uncles. There’s a lot of yelling and jostling each other. Gage come out of nowhere and jumps Slate from behind, slamming him to the ground. That’s my cue to go collect my wife and get everybody inside.

Bittern and Janie are at the table, having coffee. They both stand, shocked by the sight of Hazel. Then, the questions start all over again. I have a feeling we’ll be going around in circles about this all day.

Freya, Lady, and Janie sit Hazel down and start talking. The boys get banished to the living room. Bittern and I find ourselveson the far side of the kitchen, making coffee and pulling food from the fridge.

Bittern has thrived since rehab, years ago. He and I, despite our age difference, are both aging around the same rate. We’ve bonded over the years. And I’ll admit, I’m actually glad I kept my word to Freya and didn’t just pop Bittern the night I killed Aiden.

“What are you thinking about all this?” He jerks his head towards the table.

“I mean, I’m happy,” I say. “Slate’s a good kid, got a job lined up.”

He jabs me in the side as he reaches past for a mug. “You got no room to talk, Ryder.”

I laugh, shaking my head. From the living room comes a distant crash. Bittern cringes.

“We might want to take the boys outside,” he says. “Otherwise, Freya’s going to start giving us the look we don’t want to be getting.”

We take the loud half of the family out to the yard. It’s dinnertime when everybody gathers around the table again. Ginny and Andy come up from employee housing. I have to add an extra leaf into the middle so we can all fit. The atmosphere is jubilant. Everybody has settled down, and the food is perfect, as usual.

But I only have eyes for Freya. I’ve never seen her happier before.

That’s worth everything to me.

Late that evening, I go in search of my wife. She cleaned up, said goodbye to Bittern and Janie, got Hazel and Slate settled upstairs, and disappeared. Red, Remington, Gage, and I finished all the chores and locked up the barns. The boys said they were going for a walk with Andy Jr, which means they’re all going tosmoke blunts on Deacon’s Hill. I don’t care; we’re on our own land, and the worst they can do is fall asleep in a ditch.

I walk down the silent hallway to my office, moving through it to the door on the far side. When Freya became the sole owner of the café, I built her an office just off mine. It’s a beautiful little room with big windows that look out over the southern hill. I creak open the door, leaning against the sill.

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