Page 90 of All For You
I glanced down to witness her eyes widening, but then she wiped away the expression in the blink of an eye. “But it turned real?”
“It did.”
“And you love him?”
“Yeah.”
I went on to tell her about his tattoo, the reason we started fake-dating, and even why he antagonized me so much in school. Autumn nearly swooned her way off the bed as she clapped and giggled.
“What are you still doing in Ashfield, Aspen?”
“He… never actually invited me to join him.”
“Do you think he wants you there?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. We always just talked about the time we’d have together during his off season. Five months is enough time. It has to be,” I whispered at the end.
Regardless of what my family thought, I didn’twantto give up my place at the farm. It was all I knew up until this point. Leaving it all behind would be a giant leap of faith I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Or if I ever would be.
Thankfully, Colton arrived, and I moved to the waiting room, where the rest of my family gathered. I messaged Owen to let him know what was going on, and five minutes later, he sent me a screenshot of a receipt for flowers and chocolates he had sent to her room.
It was around 10:00 p.m. when I walked out of the waiting area in search of coffee. I knew it wasn’t going to be great, but it was better than nothing at the moment. Colton had popped into the room a few times to let us know the baby had turned over and they were working to get the little troublemaker back into position. Then he updated us when Autumn got her epidural and was finally sleeping.
I watched enough medical dramas that I knew we could be here for the rest of the night and the next day. Mom and Dad already ushered most of our crew to a hotel close by to get some sleep. I was hopeful they’d do the same soon too, but as for me, Iwas invested in this birth at this point. As the person who got the honor of being the official escort, I was staying.
“Hey, getting a coffee?” Andrew called out as he exited the restroom.
“Yeah. I think the cafeteria is open for another hour or so.”
“Great. I’ll join you.”
We boarded the elevator and headed toward the cafeteria on the third floor. Thankfully, they had a twenty-four-hour coffee shop, so I didn’t have to settle for the nasty stuff out of a tap.
I grabbed a tea for Mom while Andrew dressed a decaf coffee for Dad. He’d been laying off the caffeine since his heart attack.
“So, I was serious about helping more with the farm.”
“Really? I thought you decided against it when you never mentioned it again, after we talked a couple of months ago. I figured you didn’t have any interest in it.”
“No, I mean, I’ve always been interested. I just found another passion for a while. But I’m not twenty anymore and need to look toward my future.”
“Is that why you’re moving back home?”
“Partly.”
“Can I ask why you’ve always been so… I don’t know… distant, when it comes to talk about the farm? If anyone should have taken it over, it should’ve probably been you and your kids.”
“Yes, you can ask,” he joked.
“Andrew—”
“It’s hard to take over a family birthright, when you never felt like you truly belonged. Nash isn’t my father, Aspen, and the farm belonged tohisfamily. It felt…”
As we stepped into the elevator to return to the labor-and-delivery floor, I wrapped my arms around my brother’s waist.
“You are just as much a part of this family as any of us. You’re my brother, and Dad has always viewed you as his own flesh and blood. And don’t you ever forget it.” I poked his chest as I pulled back in mock anger.
“Yeah, okay, squirt. Calm down now.”
