“I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t mean to take this out on you.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “But am I hearing this right? You were almost killed by a rattlesnake in our own damn yard?”
“That sounds terrible.” He gives me a look, and I stand straighter because I won’t be intimidated by his nasty scowl. “But yes. A rattlesnake almost bit me, but Amelia rescued my ass, and now I have to let her rent the casita for the fall semester because she saved my life.”
I’m out of breath after spitting out all of that.
Squinting, he stares at me. “This isn’t one of your pranks? Like that time you broke into my locker and spread peanut butter in my gym shorts so it looked like I took a giant crap?”
I laugh uncomfortably. “Forgot about that. But no, I swear it’s not a prank. I haven’t done a prank on you… in a while.” Guilt niggles me for the last one I did, which wasn’t really a prank exactly, but I don’t think Olly would agree.
After a long, tense silence, he heads out the front door.
“Where are you going?” I yell.
“I want to see it.”
I speed-walk after him and direct him to the metal trash can next to the driveway. “It’s in here.”
When he lifts the lid, he lets out a string of curses and glares at me again. “This motherfucker is huge.”
It is, and as I stare at it, I’m terrified about what could’ve happened.
That’s when I finally break down. “I know. I was so scared. I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.” Giant sobs spill out of me, and he pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t just wait for you to clear that area, but what if it had bitten you instead? What would I do without… without you? And damn it, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore!”
“Baby. It’s okay. You’re all right.” He holds me until I calm down, and then he kneels on the ground. After kissing my belly, he starts whispering to the boys. “Gotta keep the mothership safe, fellas. Don’t let your mama get into any more trouble, ya hear me?”
I laugh and wipe away my snot with the back of my hand. “I think I’m done with the yard for a while. If the city wants to fine me, so be it.”
“This is my fault. If I had listened to Amelia’s warning a few weeks ago or just cleared the area when you asked me to, none of this would’ve happened.”
“You’ve barely been home this month. When were you supposed to work on the yard?” I start hiccupping. “God, not this again.”
“Are you okay?”
I take his giant hand in mine and place it on my gut. “Wait for it.” I hiccup, which is followed by hiccups from Tiny Number One and Tiny Number Two.
“Y’all are all hiccupping?”
“If I’m lucky, this time it won’t go for hours.”
My belly lurches, and Olly and I look at each other. “Was that the babies?”
“Yes, I’m baking two football players in there, and they’re each vying for space.”
He pulls me close and kisses me until I’m breathless. “You mean the world to me. You know that, right?” he asks quietly. “I love you, Magnolia, and I just don’t want anything to happen to you or our kiddos.”
I’m choked up all over again. “Love you too, Michael.” I bite my lower lip to keep it from quivering. “Hey, you cured us of the hiccups.”
He smiles and wipes my cheek with his thumb. “I’m home now. Don’t worry about the yard. I’ll take care of it.”
“Promise to be careful? What if there are tiny, evil snake babies out there, waiting to bite us on the ass?”
“I’m calling wildlife control first thing in the morning.”
We walk back to the house hand in hand. “Tell me about camp. Are you hungry? I was thinking about making enchiladas for dinner.”
“Can I take a shower first?”
“Sure.”
