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Then, I thought about Ari again and I tensed
up.

Gunner pulled away from me and frowned.
“Ellie….what’s wrong?”

“Gunner, I have to tell you something, but
you have to promise me that you won’t say anything to Jefferson.
Will you promise me?”

Gunner rolled off of me, and we turned to
face each other again. As he pushed a piece of my hair behind my
ear, I had to smile.

“Of course, Ells. You know I would never
betray your trust. Is everything okay?”

I shook my head. My heart started to ache as
I thought back to Ari in the bathroom, throwing up as tears just
poured down her face. I don’t know who was more shocked, Heather or
me. I’d never seen Ari so broken. She should have been happy. She
should have been excited to run back to tell Jeff. Instead, she’d
sat on a cold bathroom floor, scared shitless as she cried her eyes
out.

“No. Tonight, when we went into town to pick
up mason jars for Emma well, that’s not why we went into town.”

Gunner let out a laugh. “I knew that wasn’t
the reason, Ells.”

“You did? How? Why didn’t you say anything to
me if you knew that wasn’t the reason we were going into town?”

“Well, I figured if Grams was backing y’all
up, then it must have been something important between you girls. I
wasn’t about to pry. I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d tell
me.”

Oh. My. God. I married a
fucking saint.
My heart was bursting with
love for this man. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any better,
he proved me wrong.

“Gunner, I just want you to know that I love
you so much. Thank you so much for trusting me and knowing I would
never hide anything from you.”

“Ellie, I love you so much, baby,” Gunner
said before he leaned in to give me a soft, sweet kiss.

“Plus, I know that Grams has like two hundred
mason jars in the cellar. The second I heard her hush gramps after
she gave that excuse, I knew y’all were up to something.”

Laughing, I pushed Gunner’s shoulder
back.

“Anywho…Gunner something happened tonight
with Ari. It’s something big, and I’m not so sure that I can help
her with it.”

Gunner sat up with a sick look on his
face.

“Jesus, tell me she’s not leaving Jeff. He
would be devastated.”

“What? No! Oh my gosh, no, she’s not leaving
him.”

“Thank God. I don’t think Jeff could take
another blow right now. He’s really torn up with this whole Rebecca
pregnancy thing. I think one more thing just might just push him
over the edge.”

Oh shit.
Now I was starting to feel sick. I’d been so
wrapped up in my own happiness that I didn’t even talk to Jeff
about everything today.
Shit, shit,
shit!

I sat up, pulling the covers over me a bit.
Gunner instantly yanked them back down, exposing my breasts. I
smiled but quickly frowned as I thought about how Jefferson might
being happy about Ari being pregnant.

“Ellie, what’s wrong? You just went white as
a ghost.”

I just blurted it out. “Oh, Gunner! Ari found
out tonight that she’s pregnant.”

Now, Gunner looked like a ghost.

“What? Holy shit, Ellie. Is she okay? I mean,
how did she take it? Is she going to tell Jeff tonight?”

“Um..well, I don’t think she’s okay. She had
already scheduled a doctor’s appointment for Monday, so she could
be tested for the Fragile X gene. So, she’s worried about that, but
I think she’s more scared about how Jefferson is going to take
it.”

“Ellie, you have to know that Jeff is going
to be ecstatic about it. He wants nothing more than to have a baby
with Ari.”

“Well, yeah, I’m sure under normal
circumstances he would be overjoyed, but with Rebecca being
pregnant, I’m not so sure. Ari said that Jefferson drops everything
every time that bitch calls. I think Ari is about at her breaking
point. She also thinks that Rebecca is lying. When Jefferson and
Rebecca met for lunch on Monday, Ari got a good look at her. She
said that Rebecca looks a lot bigger than seven months.”

“Shit. This is all so fucked up. I can’t even
imagine how Ari is feeling right now. Are you going with her to her
appointment oh Monday?”

Oh Lord. I thought about Ari and her big
plan. I just nodded my head and tried to smile.

“Gunner, no matter what, we have to be there
for both Jeff and Ari. She’s not planning on telling him anytime
soon. I think she’s making a mistake, but I told her that I would
honor her wishes. I just don’t want her to take this on all alone.
By the way, Emma knows. As a matter of fact, Emma was the one who
told Ari that she was probably pregnant. I swear that your
grandmother has magical powers!”

Gunner threw his head back and laughed.
“Yeah, my cousins and I used to say that when we were little. She
always seemed to know when we were up to something. We thought it
was pretty cool that she was so smart. Now it just seems kind of
creepy how she knows something before you even know it.”

“Well, I sure wish she could use her powers
to help Ari and Jeff figure this shit out.”

“I know, baby. We’ll be there for both Jeff
and Ari. Don’t worry. Let’s just get Ari through her appointment on
Monday, my dad’s arrival Tuesday, Grams and Gramps party on
Wednesday. Shit.”

I knew Gunner was nervous about his father
coming to the ranch. It had been four years since he’s even talked
to his dad.

I got up on my knees, letting the sheet fall
completely off my body. Leaning over, I captured Gunner’s mouth
with mine as I ran my hands through his beautiful messy hair. I
tried to kiss him with as much passion and love as I could. The
moan he let out just about gave me an orgasm right there on the
spot.

“Drew, make love to me, please.”

Gunner gently laid me down, barely putting
any weight on me, while he returned my kiss with just as much
passion and love.

“Shall we practice making that baby?” Gunner
said as he smiled against my lips.

Letting out a giggle, I wrapped my legs
around him. The moment he pushed himself inside of me it felt like
heaven.

“Yes…and I think we’re gonna need a lot of
practice.”

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

ARI

I watched as Jeff pulled up and parked. When
he got out of his truck he glanced over at Jeff. He looked around
as he walked up to Garrett and Emma’s house, and then went inside.
I was sure that he was looking for me.

I’d gotten up earlier and
taken one of the horses out for a ride.
God, I wish I could just ride away from all of this
shit
.

I put my hand down on my
stomach while I imagined telling Jeff about the baby.
He would be so happy. He would take me in his
arms and tell me how much he was going to love both of us, no
matter what.

I closed my eyes and pictured a little one
running around the ranch. I would teach her how to ride a horse for
the first time, play chase all over the country-side, and swim in
the river.

My eyes flew open the moment
I thought of Matthew. My sweet, sweet baby brother. I loved him so
much. He made our lives so incredibly special.
But am I as strong as my mother? Would I be able to handle a
child with Fragile X?

I heard the screen door open. I pulled Big
Roy back behind the tree while I watched Gunner and Jeff talking. I
wondered if Ellie had told Gunner about me being pregnant. I knew
that Gunner would honor my wishes and never tell Jeff.

I saw Gunner and Jeff shake hands, and then
Gunner slapped Jeff while he walked back out to his truck. Running
his hand through his hair, he looked so damn sad as he looked
around again.

Just then, my cell phone rang, spooking both
Big Roy and me. Grabbing it quickly, I answered it without looking
to see who was calling.

“Ari! I love you!”

I let out a laugh. “Hey, little buddy! I love
you, too, Matthew. What are you doing today, sweets?”

“Can we go to lunch today, Ari? Please? Jeff
too. I want to see Jeff, Ari. Where is he today?”

My heart broke.

“Um… well, I can have lunch with you today,
buddy, but Jeff can’t. He has other plans with someone else. Give
me a couple of hours to get home, okay Matt? Can I talk to
Mommy?”

“Okay! Here is Mommy. I love you, Ari.”

“I love you, too, Matt.”

I heard Matt running up to my mother to hand
her the phone.

“Ari, sweetheart, how are you doing?”

Oh, fuck a
duck
. The moment I heard her voice the
tears started.

“Um…” I sniffled.

“Ari! Are you crying? What did he do to you,
Ari? Your father will kill him.”

I had to let out a
laugh.
God how I love my
parents.

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m just a bit…emotional.
Jeff didn’t really do anything other than drop everything this week
whenever the bitch called him.”

My mother let out a sigh. “Talk to me, Ari.
Are you outside? It sounds like wind is blowing into your cell
phone.”

“Yep, I took Gunner’s horse out for a ride
this morning. I needed some fresh air and a strong man between my
legs to clear my head.”

My mother let out a giggle and said something
about raising me right.

“Ari, I hear it in your voice. Something’s
not right, sweetheart. Please talk to me.”

There was no way I was telling her about the
baby.

“I have a doctor’s appointment on Monday mom,
I’m getting tested. I guess I’m just scared.”

That wasn’t a lie. I was scared shitless.

“Do you want me to go with you? Is Jeff
going?” she asked.

I sighed as the conversation from last night
came rushing back to me full force. I thought about Jeff standing
on the porch, talking to Rebecca.

“No, Jeff isn’t going. Ellie and Heather are
going with me. There’s no need to worry Jeff with anymore shit.
I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll have my girls with me.”

“Are you sure, Arianna? I really don’t mind
going with you. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of questions, but Dr.
Wyatt is so good. You’re in good hands, honey.”

“Yeah, Mom I know. Don’t worry about me. I’m
a strong bitch. What is that Katharine says, Mom? ‘Drive on. We'll
sweep up the blood later!” That’s me.”

My mother laughed.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Now I’m quoting
Katharine Hepburn. Fuck. If this was what being pregnant wass all
about, then I was in for a long damn ride.

“So, Matthew wants you to take him to lunch
today, honey, but I wasn’t sure if you were coming into town or
not.”

“I would love to have lunch with him. Give me
a few hours to get there. I need to put Big Roy up and get him
taken care of. I’ll grab a quick shower, and then I’ll head in. Oh,
I didn’t tell you! Gunner and Ellie are back early from their
honeymoon. Gunner’s father had a heart attack. He’s okay, but
Gunner’s mom and dad are coming to stay at the ranch for a few
weeks.”

“Oh no! That’s terrible. I met Grace at the
wedding. She seems like a sweet lady. She told me a little bit
about Gunner and his father’s troubled relationship. I look forward
to seeing them at Garrett and Emma’s anniversary party. I hope
Gunner and his dad can make peace with each other.”

“Yeah, so does Ellie. Alright, Mom, I’m gonna
let ya go, so I can get ready to head in.”

“Alright, sweetheart, be careful driving, and
we’ll see you soon.”

***

Matthew came running out of the house the
moment I pulled up and got out of my Jeep. He ran into my arms, and
I picked him up and gave him a big bear hug. I held on to him just
a little longer than normal.

“Ari! Put me down now. You will suffocate me
with your bear hug!” Matthew said with a laugh.

“Oh my gosh! Do you think I’m that strong,
buddy?”

“Where’s your horse, Ari?”

“She is at Jeff’s ranch back in Mason. She
has a new stall, and she loves it. You’ll get to see her in a few
days when you come out to Garrett and Emma’s big party.”

“Another party? Is this a wedding, too? Do I
get to be in it again?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Not this
time, sweets. Come on. Are you ready to go eat?”

I looked up and smiled when I saw my mother
standing on the porch watching. She tilted her head and gave me a
funny look. She started to walk down the steps while I was buckling
Matt’s seat belt.

“Y’all have fun this afternoon okay?”

I turned to look at my mom, I started to
answer her when she stopped dead in her tracks.

She looked me up and down and then smiled.
“Oh. My. God.”

I looked behind me and then all around me.
“What? What’s wrong? Shit! Do I have a flat tire or something?”

My mother walked up and placed her hands on
my shoulders. As she looked at me, she said,

“Arianna Katherine Peterson. How long have
you known?”

What the fuck is she talking about?

“Um, Mom…when did you take up drinking in the
mornings? What the hell are you talking about?”

My mom shut the door to my Jeep and pulled me
a few steps away.

“Smile big, Ari. Let me see your gums?”

“What the hell, Mom? Oh my god, does Dad know
you finally snapped? You need a vacation in a bad way.”

My mom threw her head back and laughed. Then,
proceeded to try and stick her fingers in my mouth to look at my
gums.

“Mom!”

“Ari, when did you find out?”

“When did I find out what, Mom? Oh my god,
just come out with it. You’re starting to scare me.”

“That you’re pregnant. How long have you
known?”

Fuck. A. Duck. What is with these women and
their super-natural powers?

“How did you…what made you think…wait…” I
couldn’t even talk right, I was so shocked that my mother just had
to look at me to know I was pregnant.