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“You’re not wrong, but I don’t know who has time to run something like that. Diesel and Kane are busy with family stuff and Tex is wrapped up now. Maybe Chap?”
“I was thinking you. You ran the program last winter with the kids, and had it not been for that bear, you’d have done great.” He laughs. “Just promise you won’t pull any guns. We don’t want to scare people away.”
Axel glances back toward me and his eyes widen. I know he’s insanely excited to tell everyone the news we’ve been holding, but I’m not sure we’re ready yet. “What do you think? Could we tell him?”
“Tell me what?” Doc presses playfully. “You know I can keep a secret.”
I laugh. “You most definitely can’t keep a secret, Doc.”
“How so? When you two eloped, I told no one.”
“Because you didn’t know.” Axel laughs. “We lost ourselves in the mountains and had a private ceremony. Chap was the only one there.”
“Well, either way, I didn’t say dick to anyone.”
“You sure didn’t, man. This might have to wait, though. We’ll tell people when May’s ready. Besides, we only just found out a couple days ago. It’s crazy what they can do with technology these days.”
He nods slowly with a knowing grin plastered onto his face.
I glance toward Axel. “He already knows. We might as well tell him.”
“Go ahead.”
I smile wide. “We’re pregnant!” Doc is the first person we’ve told. Hearing the words out loud in a public space is so much different than saying them alone with Axel. There’s another layer to it now, making official news somehow more official. Excitement rushes through me. “Anyway… we’re due next May. If it’s a boy, he’ll be Hickory and if it’s a girl, she’ll be Petunia. Either way, we’re happy!”
Doc scratches his hand over his beard and stands from the edge of the couch. “Fuck, guys. This is fantastic!” He hugs me first, then Axel. “We’ll be having another baby shower. Seems like we’ve had a run of those lately.” He laughs. “Shit. This is great news.” He’s saying all the right words and I know deep down Doc is excited, but there’s a tinge of something else behind his eyes. A sadness, an emptiness I recognize, and it breaks my heart that Doc is in that place. He’s rough around the edges, but the guy is also a saint.
“Have you heard from Nora lately?” I change the subject hoping to lift him up a little.
“Nah. She wanted those riding lessons, so I helped her find a bike and taught her how to ride, then she rode off to California. I think she was looking for investors for that dating site. Have you heard from her?”
For a while, Axel and I had bets on Doc and Nora getting together, but before it turned into anything, Nora got hyper focused on her business and Doc pulled away again. I’m sure to avoid getting hurt.
“No, but now that you say it, I think her updated website was supposed to be live now.” I pull out my phone and click past the fourteen messages waiting for me from Axel. For some reason he texts me from wherever he is on the property. Sometimes he just tells me he loves me. Other times he reminds me how proud he is. This one is praise for some chocolate chip cookies I packaged in a tin and left on the seat of his tractor.
“Looks like the site is up and running!” I turn the screen toward the guys showing off the flashy pink and gold home screen forMail Order Marriage, the name of her business. Beneath that, a flashing button to apply for love. I glance toward Doc. “Maybe you should give it a shot. It worked for us.”
He shakes his head and holds up a hand. “Nope. Thanks. All good here. So good, I’m going to get going.” He hugs us both and heads out the door. I feel bad. It’s not like Doc to run off so quickly.
I glance toward Axel. “I upset him talking about Nora, didn’t I?”
“He’s going through a tough time. I’ll reach out to him tomorrow morning. Maybe we’ll go fishing or something.” He kisses my forehead. “Right now, though, I have something to finish.” He snags my phone from my hand and plunks down on the couch.
“What’s that?”
“I have a review to leave.”
“You really don’t have to leave a review at this point. If the site is up, she found an investor. She’ll get reviews.”
He shakes his head and pulls me down onto his giant frame.
My thighs straddle his lap, and my head nuzzles perfectly against his chest.
“Don’t care. This is the best business I’ve ever worked with, and they deserve the five-star rating.”
I glance toward him and smile. “Five stars, huh? You must be really happy with your experience.”
Axel kisses my forehead and holds his hand on my stomach. “I love you, May… and I’ve never been happier.”
