Page 170 of Maple Mountain
He didn’t move for a moment, and then all of a sudden he wrapped his arms around my body and pressed his cheek to my belly.
With my free hand, I dragged my fingers through his hair.
Archer and I were going to have a baby.
“What the fuck is in the water in Huckleberry Hill,” I said after a few moments of tender silence.
He didn’t release me, but he did tilt his head up to look at me.“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I have three friends who fell in love with cowboys and all three got pregnant.And now I’m in the same boat.”
He grinned.“Cowboy sperm.Nothing like it, babe.”
“Hmm.Yeah ...”I sank down on the edge of the bed next to him.I leaned my head against his shoulder.“Archer?”
“Yeah, Wyn?”
“I know we’re supposed to stay another day, but can we go home?”I lifted my head and stared at him and smiled.“I want to be with family right now.”
He brushed a strand of tangled hair away from my face.“Yeah, babe, we can go home.”
ChapterThirty-Seven
The Truck
“You’re quiet,” Archer said, reaching over the center console as he searched for my hand.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“About how we’re going to tell Lenni,” I said.“And if she’s going to be mad or not.”
He sighed.“Yeah.I’ve been thinking about that too.”
“She might be mad, Archer.Likereallymad.”
“She might.”
“She just found you, and now she’s got to share you with me and soon another sibling?”
“Or she might be really happy because she’s finally got a family and her family keeps getting bigger.”He looked at me and winced.“I’m prepared for the anger though.”
“Me too.”
“What if we bought her a horse and then sprung the news?”he asked.
“A bribe?You want to bribe your daughter with the tween gift equivalent of a car?”
“Tween?What the hell is a tween?”
“Literally Lenni’s current age.Not a teen.Not a child.And again, you want to bribe her with a horse?”
“You think that’s bad?You’re judging my parenting skills, or should I say lack thereof?Bribery equals bad, right?”
“Gray area,” I teased.“But once she knows she’s got us wrapped around her finger, we’re doomed.We have to at least pretend like we’re in control here.I don’t think buying her a preemptive pony is a good plan.”
“Got any other ideas?”
