I pull into the parking lot of the shop after lunch and realize I don’t know what kind of car she drives. I pull into my spot and grab both takeout containers and head to the office.
When I walk in, I can see Kierstie’s back. She’s busy with a customer, so I take both lunches to Pres’s office, letting him know one is for her or if she’s eaten, any of the brothers can have it. I get my ass back into the shop so I can get this car taken care of and off my rack today, hopefully. I know we’ve got appointments lined up for a while. Working in a shop with such a good reputation means I’ll always be busy. Just how I like it.
Kierstie
He brought me lunch. That was really thoughtful of him. It was a club sandwich. I can’t really have that right now according to the baby book I’m reading, so I told Jon I had something on my way back to work, but would eat the fries. Juan came in to talk about something, so he ate the sandwich. He did raise his eyebrows a bit when he heard that Shane had brought it for me. Jon waved it off as being nice to me, so I always remember to order the parts he needs. Gotta love my brother. He’s smart and observant about a lot of shit, but which guys are interested in me or Mads has never been a strong suit of his. If it was, he would’ve already beaten Mick to a pulp. One of these days, my sweet sister needs to put her big girl panties on and make a move on him.
Back at my desk, I get back into the mess of paperwork in front of me. Luckily, it’s not as bad as Jon thought it was. He may hate doing paperwork, but he kept it up a lot better than I expected. This means I can do some basic filing this afternoon and let my mind wander to my appointment earlier.
The doctor confirmed what all the sticks said. I am for sure pregnant. She said things looked good. She even gave me a reason to not feel so bad about not sharing the news yet. She said many people wait till the end of the first trimester to tell people, as miscarriages before then are common. That gives me almost a month to figure out how to tell people, though I should really start with its daddy. He doesn’t have the slightest clue that I’m about to change his world. If he wants to be a part of it, that is. Fuck, I’m gonna have to keep all my brothers and Pa from killing him. This means I’m gonna have to tell Ma. This is a whole lotta shit to think about. I’m gonna think about it tomorrow.
CHAPTER 3
Shane
Pulling up to my uncle’s house, I realize that most of my best memories of my mom are when we came to visit here. It’s when she wasn’t distracted by whichever destructive man was in her life at the time. Most of the time, it was my stepdad, who was a complete asshole on a good day. Grant would always open his doors for us to come visit, even if sometimes that meant he had to deal with my stepdad. He, like me at the time, thought he was my dad and, of course, Tyson’s dad. It wasn’t until Mom passed and I was going through all her paperwork that I found out a few bombshells. One, she had never actually married him and they only lived as common law spouses. Tyson’s birth certificate did list him as the father, and from her papers, it looks like he is the biological dad. Probably some genetic reason then why it’s been so easy for him to turn to drugs since my stepdad was a functioning alcoholic for the last half of his life. My birth certificate is blank for the father’s name, but I remember thinking that Grant might know him. Maybe I can find something in my storage if he doesn’t.
Getting off my bike, I see that Samson’s already here, and I can hear Saxon coming down the road now. I wait for him to pull up next to me, greeting him with a chin lift.
Before he can say anything, Samson’s yelling, “You two get your asses in here so we can move the shit and have a beer!”
Saxon yells at him, “Hold your horses there, Delilah. We’re coming.” The nickname Samson has hated since we were kids has him staring down his twin as we walk up the driveway toward Grant’s truck.
Knowing that this could end up in the two of them tussling on the ground, I ask Samson, “So what all do we have to move?”
Grant steps out onto the porch. “The old couch needs to be taken out, along with the love seat. I got a bigger couch and the two sides have recliners.”
“Let’s get this shit done then. I don’t know about y’all but I’m hungry for dinner and beer,” Samson declares as he turns to head into the house. We all follow him.
Thirty minutes later, the new couch is positioned and we’re all grabbing a beer in the kitchen. Looking at Grant, I swear something is different with him.
“So, what made you decide to finally get rid of that old couch? You seein’ someone new who refuses to sit on it?” Samson looks at his dad, waiting for an answer, while Saxon brings in the pizza.
“Please tell me it’s not that lady from the farmers’ market again. She was nuttier than a fruitcake,” Samson throws in.
“Or that last guy you were seein’. He was our age and wanted to call you daddy all the time. Just no, Dad.” Grant glares at them like he’s planning a double murder.
“No, I’m not datin’ anyone at the moment. If we’re bringing up questionable exes, you two both have lists longer than my arm, so watch what your sayin’, sons.”
A chorus of “Sorry, Dad” is mumbled around the pizza being eaten. We all grab a seat at the table and I put a few pieces on the paper plate in front of me.
After a few minutes of us eating in silence, Grant speaks up. “Erik was over last weekend to watch the game. He kind of sunk into the couch. The side he was sitting on finally gave out.” I try to hide my chuckle.
“Did he get stuck… Wait, he was here on a night other than Monday night?” Saxon chimes in with surprise.
“How’d he manage that with ET?” Samson asks, using one of the long-standing nicknames for Erik’s horrific wife. If she ever knew it stands for emotional terrorist, she would lose her shit on us.
Grant shocks us when he says, “He just decided to come. I guess both Leif and Jeremiah came to talk to him separately about leaving Celeste. They both just want him to be happy and they know their mom is horrible to him. He’s mulling it over, which you know is a huge step.”
Samson says what we’re all thinking. “It’s a big step that we’ve all been waiting for since we were kids. He’s a good man, and she’s sucking the life from him.”
Grant looks at us. “Until you boys become fathers, you’ll never understand the sacrifices you’re willing to make for your kids. He’s a good man and knows he has my support, whatever he decides. He also knows he’s got a place to crash if needed, but every man has to take their own journey in life. He’s in the process of deciding what he wants to do. Let him work through it and just be there if he needs a hand.” He says it in a way that closes the subject.
Kierstie
Last night, I almost broke. Mads called and said she was coming over and wanted to know why I went to the doctor during the day. Luckily, she got distracted by Mick needing help over at his moms. I know that luck won’t last, but he needs to be the first one I tell. It’s only right.
This morning I got into work first, on purpose. I wanted to get my bearings in case my little surprise decided to make my stomach do somersaults again. So far so good this morning. I’ve got my breakfast in the bag on my desk and I’m trying something new to drink—ginger tea. I can’t say I’m loving it, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever drank. I spent last night looking up all sorts of things to help with morning sickness, ’cause I tell you, this shit is for the birds. Yes, I’m fully aware that I’m probably making it worse by not telling anyone, but I’m working on it damn it.
