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Chapter 16 - Danny: Thanksgiving
For the following five days, I didn’t leave the ranch. If I had to run an errand in town, Gavin or Marcus would do it for me. I didn’t want to run the risk of seeing Arthur.
The town had been abuzz about their ‘hometown’ hero coming back home. He was practically their golden boy, but those who knew of his past with me knew better. They knew that he was a good for nothing narcissistic human being that cared for no one but himself.
I spent my days with my son and spent my nights with Gavin. It was perfect bliss, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I still didn’t know what that idiot wanted, but whatever it was, I was sure that it wasn’t good.
Axel was none the wiser. He never asked questions about Arthur.. He had no reason to. To him, Arthur was just another stranger. Axel and Gavin had gotten very close as of late. Axel tended to ask more and more about Gavin and wanted to spend time with him when he was in the stables with the horses. It was nice to see how far their bond had grown. It gave me hope for our future as a family.
Family. That word should have freaked me out, but it didn’t. Because that was what I believed we were.
If you didn’t know that Gavin and Axel weren’t related, you would think they were father and son. They shared the same green eyes that I just thought were absolutely stunning. I don’t know where the green had come from, but now I was happier than ever that Axel had those eyes.
By the time thanksgiving had rolled around, some of my anxiety had quelled. We were meeting at Ethan and Lily’s for dinner, and I was excited. We were set to leave for LA on Friday, and I was looking forward to it. I would get to step into Gavin’s world for a little bit—well, his past world.
“Maybe I should have brought the apple pie instead of the pumpkin,” I muttered as we climbed Lily and Ethan’s stairs. Off in the distance, I could see the construction site that was Maddison and Marcus’ house.
“The pie is fine. I tasted it, and it’s great.” Gavin tried to ease my nerves with a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Tell your mom that she is amazing, and she shouldn’t worry.”
He bounced Axel in his arms, earning him a few high-pitched squeals. He looked so adorably cute in his little smart casual outfit.
“Don’t be scared, mama.” My beautiful boys beamed at me.
“Okay, baby, I won’t.”
We walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
A few moments later, Lily opened the door with baby Belle in her arms. If I didn’t have baby fever, I had it now. My mind couldn’t help but to imagine what mine and Gavin’s baby would look like. I knew it was still too early to be thinking about things like that, but I couldn’t help it. I found a future I didn’t think possible with Gavin.
“Hey.” She smiled. “How are you guys doing?”
“Good.” Gavin and I said in unison.
“Hungry!” Axel announced, making all of us chuckle.
“Come on in.” She opened the door wider for us and we stepped aside. “Welcome to our humble home.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Gavin placed Axel on the floor. He all but bolted into the living area where he knew Lily had a little play area. We had been here before, and Axel loved it.
“Axel, be careful!” I called after him.
“I’m just going to put her down. You guys can head in the living room. Ethan, Jade, and Grayson are already in there. There is some wine in a bucket if you want some.”
“Okay.” We said in unison. Gavin placed a hand on the small of my back and ushered me into the living room where we saw everyone seated.
Everyone knew about the Arthur situation, and it was safe to say that everyone was on my side. They checked up on me and made sure that, if I needed anything, they were there to lend a helping hand. The people I had chosen to surround myself with were friends, but I looked at them as family. I didn’t know what I would do without them in my life.
Half an hour passed and Lily walked in with a wide awake Belle. She bounced in her mother’s arms, making cooing noises.
“Someone refuses to sleep.” She walked over to Jade. “Can you hold her, please? I still need to finish off dinner.”
Jade happily took the baby from Lily’s arms and cradled her. She gazed down at Belle in awe and admiration. I knew that look. It was the look of longing, the same look I had seen in my eyes when I thought of giving Axel a sibling.
“I want one,” she cooed at the baby before looking at her husband.
“Babe, we literally just got married.”
“After a two-year engagement.” She rolled her eyes. “My eggs are frying as we speak. My uterus is practically crying to have a baby in it.”
