“Aren’t there cameras in here? We can see if they caught anything.” Savvy said, instantly jumping into lawyer mode.
My blood turned to ice, and Emmett froze, glancing over at me. I wasn’t sure he was breathing. The last thing we needed was for everyone to see us fucking. There were bigger issues at hand.
Beau pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. “They aren’t hooked up to the system yet.” I knew I shouldn’t be relieved since it’d help figure out who was behind this, but I was. And given the slightly guilty look on Emmett’s face, he was relieved, too. “I’m gonna call first thing in the mornin’ to get them to come set it up.”
Another set of car doors shut outside. Tess and Levi appeared moments later with bewildered expressions.
“You can’t be in here! The baby!” I yelled at Tess right as her foot was about to cross the threshold. She shouldn’t be around the chemicals. I slammed my hands over my mouth with a gasp, the broom falling to the ground with a smack.God, what have I done?
Tess went stock still, all the blood draining from her face, and Levi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Claire frowned. “What? Baby? What are you talking about?”
I shook my head, my heart in my throat. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered to Tess, my hands muffling the words. Emmett took a step towards me, looking concerned.
Tess glanced up at Levi, a silent exchange happening between them. Levi placed his hands on Tess’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. But then he smiled at us, a kind of smile that was bursting with pride and joy. A kind of smile I could only dream of someone having because of me one day.
“Tess is pregnant.”
“What?” Savannah shrieked. Claire gasped, staggering back into Beau, who was grinning almost as much as Levi.
Weston blinked quickly. His mouth hung open. “Goddamn, you two move at the speed of light.” A laugh bubbled up out of me just like everyone else. It really was insane how quickly their relationship had progressed.
“It’s really early,” Tess said, placing a hand low on her still-flat stomach. “I’m only seven weeks, so there’s still a chance?—”
“You’re having a baby?” Emmett’s voice cracked on the words.
My chest tightened when a single tear slid down his cheek, and everything fell out of his arms. He was in front of Tess in two seconds, so much bigger than her that I couldn’t even see her past him.
“Yeah,” Tess replied tearfully. “Ready to be Uncle Emmy again?”
She squealed when he scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around just like he did on her wedding day, not even three months ago. Watching them together always made me feel good. She laughed, smacking his shoulder. “Put me down before I puke!”
“She’ll do it too. Just ask the feed bucket out by the corral,” I teased. I went over to her, wrapping her in my arms. “I’m so sorry. It just slipped out.”
Tess took my hands, giving me a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay. I was going to tell everyone soon anyway.”
“How long have you known?” Savannah asked from behind me.
I spun on my heel, wincing as I dragged out the words, “Just…three weeks, maybe?”
“I know we need to deal with this,” Beau said, waving a hand to the wreckage, “but I think we all need a little happiness, andwe’ve got somethin’ to celebrate, now. So I say, we go back to our place and celebrate the new member of our family.”
Beau’s idea of celebrating sounded good. Tess and Levi deserved it. But as everyone left the tack room one by one, I couldn’t stop staring at the wreckage. At the ruined saddles, the torn bridles, the dark stains on the blankets.
My chest tightened. I wanted to hold onto the happiness, to Tess’s news, to the warmth of Emmett’s kiss still on my lips. But deep down, I knew this wasn’t over. Whoever had done this wasn’t finished. And next time, they might come for more than just the tack room.
10
Ch 9 - Emmett
Listening to forty kids shrieking on a sugar high wasn’t how I planned on spending my Sunday. But I refused to miss Luke’s birthday party, so here I was, escaping a dinosaur bouncy house after an hour of jumping with him and his friends.
Leaning against the house, I twisted open a beer, needing a moment to decompress. I watched as Luke jumped with his friends, a lightness blooming in my chest, seeing him so happy. It was a level of love I didn’t know existed until I met him that I wasn’t sure I was capable of feeling for anyone else.
“Is it bad that I hate kids’ parties?” I jumped, not noticing when this woman had come over. She must’ve been one of the kids’ moms.
“I’m not particularly fond of them either,” I murmured into my beer. Or small talk with strangers, for that matter.
