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My parents were outright laughing behind me now.
“Is that so?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. It’s very gender-neutral. So it can be a boy name or a girl name. I’m hoping for a boy, though. Because I think it’d be funny if I wanted the baby to come out looking exactly like you. You’ve got very manly features. I like your strong arms and broad chest. Your beard and your pen—”
I put my hand over her mouth.
“Please remember that our parents are here,” I chided.
She gaped. “I was going to say pen—”
I placed my hand once again over her mouth and she glared.
“Ashe,” I warned.
She licked my hand, and I pulled my fingers away. “I was going to say pen…” She waited for me to stop her, and when I didn’t, she all but yelled, “PENIS!”
We stood there, my face flaming, while Ashe all but told everyone that she liked my penis.
She leaned around my big body so that she could stare at my mother.
“You gave him a fine penis,” she informed her.
I shook my head, my eyes going to the ceiling.
“Ashe, honey.” Tru tried not to laugh, but she wasn’t successful.
“Jesus Christ,” Torren said. “That’s how you got into this predicament in the first place. I told you to stay away from boys. Especially that one.”
Ashe batted her eyes at her father. “You might have, but I’m glad that I didn’t. Then I wouldn’t have experienced his magical—”
I placed my hand over her mouth. “If you say penis again, I’m going to walk out of this room.”
I moved my hand and waited.
She batted her eyelashes at me innocently.
When she leaned around me again, she looked at my father this time.
“Not that I ever think about you in that way, because why would I when Ford’s right there, but I’m assuming I have you to thank more than Viddy for that fine appendage,” she pointed out.
Then she promptly closed her eyes and passed the hell out.
Thank. God.Chapter 22
Me? Overreacting? Probably.
-Coffee Cup
Ashe
I woke up from my nap to hear my favorite voice in the world.
“…apparently she got pissed over a fight they had and ran from him. Lacy’s parents were able to ascertain a little bit from her over the course of the weekend. She moved in with him down the street. Jeff said that every time she would get sad, he’d get her a cat. And she’d stay. He didn’t put any limits on where she could go or what she could do. Which was how she got the cats to Ashe’s shelter.” Ford paused. “She apparently did this while he was at work. But he’d just go steal more when she got sad all over again. Apparently when she crossed the road in front of that motorist, he was able to recognize her and call it in. Thinking that her boyfriend was going to get mad that she was seen, she’d tried to cut across the cold pond and couldn’t make it. We started searching, and that’s when we found her.”
I smiled at Ford’s words.
He’d found out quite a bit since I was last awake and aware.
That was good.
“Then he came up here looking for her.”
My dad.
What was my dad doing here?
“Yep,” Ford confirmed. “And then Ashe wouldn’t let him pass. So Lacy shot her.”
So that was why my leg hurt so badly.
I blinked my eyes open, the haze of pain still very much there.
I must’ve made a sound, or moved in some way, because seconds after opening my eyes, Ford’s rather large head was filling up my vision.
“Hey, Soot,” he teased. “You’re okay.”
I licked my lips. “I know I’m okay, Chevy.”
There were snorts of laughter around the room.
“Why is everyone laughing at that?” I asked curiously.
“You told us before you fell asleep that you were calling our baby Chevy,” he hedged.
I narrowed my eyes, knowing there was more to the story.
“I like it,” he commented.
But something else filtered into my conscience before I could question him on what he was hiding. “The baby.”
I whispered it so softly that there wasn’t an immediate outcry from the room beyond.
Ford smoothed my hair away from my eyes. “You’re okay. So is the baby.”
There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the room.
The soft kiss that Ford placed on my mouth caused everyone in the room to shut up.
When he pulled away, his eyes were full of laughter.
“That’s still so weird to see,” Banner said. “I keep expecting her to haul back and punch him in the nose.”
There were sounds of agreement all around me.
“So Ashe and I,” Ford said, not taking his eyes off of me. “We’re going to get married once she’s out of school. Oh, and you’re going to be grandparents to a Chevy whether it’s a boy or a girl. Also, we’re moving in together as soon as I can get all her shit moved to my place, and since y’all are here, you might as well help.”
