I blinked.“He’s out hunting turkeys and he’s finding time to text you?”
She nodded.
“You’re not worried, are you?”
“No.I just miss him.”Her eyes grew watery, and she settled a hand on her belly, which had just started to show.
“You’re too cute,” I said as I closed the hatchback.
“You don’t think it’s pathetic?”
“Pathetic that you love him so much that you want to be with him all the time?No.That’s not pathetic.That’s beautiful.I envy you.”
She cocked her head to the side and nibbled on her lip.“Get in the car.I want to take you somewhere.”
I climbed into the passenger side of the car Brooks had bought her and buckled myself in.
While Poet drove, I glanced at my phone.I lit up the screen but there were no missed texts or calls.While Archer’s friends were out turkey hunting, he was helping his suspended daughter with her family tree project.I was curious how it was going.
A few minutes later, Poet parked the car and cut the engine.We were in the middle of a flat stretch of land, surrounded by trees that had lost their leaves, but the snowcapped mountains were visible in the distance.
“This is where we’re going to build our dream home,” Poet explained as she looked at me.
My heart shuddered in pain.
I forced a smile.“You couldn’t have chosen a better spot.It’s gorgeous.”
“I didn’t choose it.Brooks did.He only brought me out here after the fact.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Aren’t you pissed about not being involved?”
She frowned.“Pissed?No.Why would I be?”
“Because he didn’t include you in the decision-making process.”
She peered at me for a long moment before saying, “He knew it was perfect.And that it would make me happy.So, he took care of it.He took care of me.Brooksalwaystakes care of me.”
I swallowed the lump of emotion in my throat.I didn’t want to cry in front of her, so I wrenched the door open and spilled out of the car.It was cold and I turned the collar up on my coat.I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets.There was nowhere to really walk to, so I took a few steps and then stopped.
The driver’s side door opened and shut.Poet sidled up next to me.
“Remember when you were the last to know about Salem’s pregnancy and you felt left out?”I asked, looking down at my petite friend who reminded me of a fairy princess.
“Yes.”
“Did you also feel left out because Salem and Hadley had this new life they were building with their husbands, and you didn’t?Did that all change when you found Brooks?”
She nibbled her lip.“Yes and no.Priorities shift.It’s inevitable.But it feels like ...there’s more room now.”
“More room?I don’t understand.”
“Like, you don’t just love one person in your life.You love your friends; you love your family.You love a man.But like, your heart just grows bigger.So there’s more space ...but that also means rearranging and reorganizing.”
I swallowed.“You can say the truth, you know.”
