Page 60 of The Rough Rider

He knew who he was. And he knew why he and Alaina had to keep things this way.

“Sit down,” she said.

He did, at the head of the table.

There was a seat available next to him, and he figured she could sit there if she wanted to. But it gave them just a tiny bit of distance putting her around the corner of the table.

Or she could take the foot.

That would make them like lord and lady of the dilapidated castle.

He started to serve himself some food, and quietly, she took a seat next to him, sticking a beer right next to his hand.

He looked over at her. “Thanks.”

She shrugged, the expression on her face shy.

“Of course.”

Why was she being so nice?

He liked her scrappy.

Liked her with her passion emanating from her like a scorching flame. Because it was who she was. Because it was all the things he could never let himself be.

He shoved that thought to the side.

“Hey, since we’re all together,” Tag said, lacing his fingers through his wife’s, “Nelly and I have an announcement. We’re having a baby.”

Cheers erupted around the table, and Gus sat there, feeling...like he was in another world. Tag and Nelly were having a baby. And that was great. Good for them. But they were married for real. And they were having a baby. And there was a kind of joy to the announcement that he and Alaina hadn’t gotten. They’d gotten suspicion. Which was fair enough, all things considered. And they’d gotten tolerance, but no one had been all that excited.

And then...he hadn’t gotten to sit there holding her hand like that.

He looked at her face, tried to see what she thought about it. She looked sad, and he hated that. So he took action.

“A cousin,” he said, looking at her. “For the baby. Cousins close to the same age. That’s great. That’s...that’s great.”

And her eyes went round, and then a little bit liquid. “Yeah,” she said. “Cousins. Thank you...thank you, Gus.”

And she realized everyone was looking at them.

“When are you due?” Elsie asked.

“May.”

He and Alaina still didn’t know their exact due date. And he realized he hadn’t even ever asked her for a projection.

He didn’t know how to dobaby math. Otherwise he might’ve been able to figure it out. Since he knew the exact day the kid had been conceived. He’d been there to pick her up.

“They’ll be really close to the same age,” Alaina said.

“That’ll just be the best,” Nelly said. “And I just... I don’t know, I feel like this is... When you had such a difficult childhood, like I did, like you all did... It feels especially miraculous. To get to experience it again. Through the eyes of your child.”

He felt a stillness grow in Alaina. A quietness.

“Well, you guys have fun with your babies,” Elsie said. “I am in no hurry.”

“Me either,” said Hunter.

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