Page 77 of Fall to Me
Wrapping her in my arms, I roll us onto our sides. “Four,” I tell her.
“Huh?”
“Four kids. Starting next year . . . after the season ends.”
She laughs, but realizing that I’m not kidding, her laughter dies, and she gazes into my eyes.
“You’re serious.” She frowns. “But next year after the season ends is in like, six or seven months.”
I kiss her, mumbling against her lips. “You’re so smart. Our kids are gonna be so smart.”
“You’re crazy.” She giggles. “But I’ll negotiate. Two full years.”
“One and a half. That puts us at the end of next season,” I counter.
“Deal.”
What?
I can’t believe she’s even entertained this conversation.
A part of me worried that when our year was up this might be all over, but here she is, lying in her childhood room with me, making plans for our future. Her entire face lights up. When she smiles . . . God, when she smiles, it’s fucking breathtaking.
“I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”
Twenty-Five
River
“Stop it, you mean little shit!” I yell.
That fucking asshole rooster runs at my feet for the fifth time, his wings spreading out and flapping against my legs. I hold out my hand trying to talk him down.
“Richard! I swear to God, I’ll never let you out of that coop again if you don’t fucking quit it.”
Carter laughs, startling me. “You named your rooster Richard?”
“Yeah. Cause he’s adick!” I say, keeping my eye on the rooster.
He runs at me again. I put my boot out trying to stop him, but he flies up and pecks my thigh.
Ouch. Fuck!
“Why don’t you just run?” Carter asks.
“Because, when you run, it encourages them to attack.”
I stand still, holding out my hand again as Richard prepares to attack, but before he can, I drop and pin his neck to the ground, then hold down his wings.
“Shhh.” I soothe the bird. “I’m not trying to get in your hen house. It’s okay.”
Carter watches as I calm Richard down. I hold him down for a few more minutes, and begin to stroke his back, making sure he’s relaxed, then let him up. It’s like nothing even happened as he runs off toward the coop. I push to stand.
Woah.
Too fast. I stood up way too fast. Everything spins around me. I close my eyes and breathe through it. I feel Carter’s hand grab ahold of my elbow.
