Page 176 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

We shake. “My pleasure.”

She glances down at my rounded stomach and sighs. “Good luck with the baby. I hope for its sake the father is more present than Lucas’.”

I struggle to swallow.Don’t bite. She has no idea what my situation is, or does she? Small towns...

With a caress of my bump, I shake off the negative thoughts of town gossip. “Thanks. Take care.”

On my way home I collect pizzas from the Central Café. It’s after six when I arrive at the house. Jerry is out in the fields pruning, Pirate passed out beside him.Such a long day for them. If I could withstand kneeling for longer than a few minutes, I’d be out there with them. Jerry’s been at it all week and has so much more to do. We can’t complain though, the crop is growing well.

I bip the horn three times. Jerry glances up and gives a wave. I point to the house and blow him a kiss. Pirate scrambles to his feet and sprints, racing me home.

I unload the pizza boxes on the kitchen table and grab napkins instead of plates. Neither of us need to be fussing with washing up tonight.

My phone beeps as Pirate whines at my feet.

“I’ll feed you in a sec, buddy.”

I retrieve my phone from my bag. A text from Daynah awaits me. Just the thought of her makes me smile. We’ve been catching up for morning tea at Emily’s every Saturday. The more time we spent together, I’m convinced she’s the sister I never had. She has a way of getting me to talk, which has seen me open up about family and my struggles after their death. Is it because she’s Jerry’s biological sister that we have this connection? Does she get how similar they are? They’re both empathetic creatures, although Jerry was a tougher nut to crack when it came to discussing his past.

Despite her heart issues and the close management of her pregnancy, she’s positive. The way she talks about Finn turns my insides to goop. Without a doubt, the love they share runs deep.

Daynah: We’re all sorted for November 13. Bernie’s going to set up the community hall :) I know you wanted to have the baby shower at your place, but she insists. Is that okay?

As much as I wanted to have it in the renovated drying shed, I appreciate Bernie’s offering is more neutral territory for Penny. Jerry and I haven’t had any contact with her since we made our announcement at Banridge. Whilst we’ll have to see her sometime, I don’t want things to be weird for Daynah. It’s her family too.

I punch out a quick reply.

Me: That’s fine with me. Are we still catching up in the morning?

Three dots bounce on screen.

Daynah: I’ll let you know. It’s been a pretty tiring week.

Hmm, that’s not like her. She hasn’t missed a Saturday yet. She’s only a week behind me in her pregnancy, but we all have weeks where a sleep-in on a Saturday is warranted.

Me: Okay, rest up. Talk to you tomorrow x

Jerry pads into the kitchen with sock-cladded feet and settles behind me. Strong arms cocoon my body, his stubble grazing the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck as he dots kisses up to my ear and around to my temple. “How can you still smell so sweet at the end of the day?”

I swing around in his arms and link my fingers behind his neck, which is wet to the touch. His woodsy aftershave mixed with the scent of earth and sweat doesn’t smell as bad as he thinks.

“It’s my superpower.”

He chuckles and kisses me swiftly on the lips before moving to the sink and washing his hands. “How’d you go with dragon lady?” He leans back against the sink and dries his hand on a kitchen towel.

Guilt hits me. As much as Ms Masters misjudged me, I did the same to her. It’s a lesson I need to remember. Everyone has their battles, and often, we know nothing about them.

“It went surprisingly well. All my meetings were.”

Jerry cocoons me once more. I drop my head back, allowing the warmth of his body to soak into my bones. I moan as he rubs at my lower back, soothing the ache, the way only Jerry knows how. When I turn around, his heated gaze pins me in place.

He winks. “That’s my girl.”

I cup his prickly jaw and kiss him. “I could climb the highest mountain right now, except my body wouldn’t let me.”

“Hey, your body’s busy doin’ more important things. The mountain can wait.”

“Hmm, it can. Come eat while it’s warm.”

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