Page 33 of Fall Back
Mom gives me a sweet smile. “We missed you too, Carson.” She pauses for a moment before her face turns serious. “Even though I was proud of you for going out there and following your dreams, I always hoped you would find your way back home. And now here you are.”
“It was time, Mom,” I admit.
Part of me wants to tell her and the rest of my family about Dave, but I keep it to myself. For now. I’m afraid my brothers will all jump into a truck and go driving through Wintervale looking for the man. No one needs that to happen.
I certainly don’t want to worry them. It’s bad enough being worried myself. Even though I haven’t seen him since he came up to me at the Range, Jared told me about the conversation they had. As much as I wish that would be enough, I know it won’t be.
Dave is not going to leave Wintervale without some sort of fight. Or maybe he just wants to terrorize me for a little while before he leaves. It’s not like I would ever agree to move back to Denver with him.
We’ve never even been out on a date. When I think about the whole situation for too long, it pisses me off. He came all this way to see me, to make me feel afraid when I was just settling in, and nothing has ever happened between us which would lead him to believe there is anything between us.
Hell, I’m with another man. Not to mention how I left his shop a while ago just to evade him.
You’d think it would be enough, but no.
And now he’s here.
My skin crawls and I have to push thoughts of the man out of my head or else I won’t be able to enjoy the time with my family. I missed out on enough nights like this. Dave isn’t allowed here, and I won’t give him the power to ruin this moment.
Eden sucks in a breath and everyone looks her way. “Sorry,” she giggles, “the baby just tried to take out a kidney.”
Mom chuckles while Delaney, Sunshine, and I look at Eden with horror written all over our faces. I have no doubt we’ll experience pregnancy and all its strangeness ourselves, but I’m fine with waiting a little while.
“I remember that,” Mom has a wistful look on her face.
“Does it feel,” Delaney pauses, her eyes stuck on Eden’s belly, “strange? You know, like an alien is going to burst through at any moment?”
Mack’s little voice is indignant as hell, “Hey, Auntie Dela, my brother or sister is not an alien. They’re a baby. A human, just like me. Not an alien,” his voice takes on a quality like he almost pities her for being so stupid to make such a suggestion.
I’m not the only one who needs to cover my mouth to hide my laughter.
Delaney shoots Mack an apologetic look. “Of course,” she practically genuflects, “I didn’t mean an actual alien. The baby will be perfect. I bet,” she muses, “they’ll look a lot like you.”
Mack puffs up his chest, pride radiating off him as Delaney turns toward Eden with a pointed look. She wants an answer, and she’s not the only one. It was a valid question.
“It is a little strange,” she admits, “but it’s also very cool. There’s no feeling quite like it.”
“I bet not,” Delaney mutters as she eyes the baby bump.
Noel leans into her side and whispers something into her ear. The way Delaney jerks back from him before blinking at him a few times, a soft blush covering her cheeks, has me twisting my face up in disgust.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for my brothers. Still, gross.
“Ew,” I admonish them, “don’t be whispering things over there.”
Noel glares at me, but I only shrug in response and stick out my tongue. It’s not like he’s cheering on Jared whenever my man shows me affection. Turnabout is fair play and all that.
Huxley claps his hands together and gains everyone’s attention. “I was thinking about getting the fire pit going and taking stuff out to do some smores.”
Mack and August cheer before they’re up and around the table to try and pull Huxley to his feet. They both tell him to get moving while asking if they can help when they aren’t able to move him.
Huxley’s laugh is big and bright as he gives in and stands up. “I knew I was the master of ideas around here,” he muses without a hint of humility or shame.
“Only one smore for you, Mack,” Eden says, her mom voice pitch perfect. “It’s getting late.”
“Same for you, Auggie,” Delaney agrees.
The boys groan, but they don’t argue. The more time I’ve spent around my family since I’ve been back, the more impressed I’ve become with Eden and Delaney. Both of them worked their asses off to give their boys whatever they needed. Eden grew Macklin, but Delaney didn’t hesitate to step in when her brother needed her.
