“Well, Cody is obviously busy.”Cat gave birth to a healthy baby boy three months ago.“And Zach and Libby have an appointment up in Goldacre.”Libby was going on seven months pregnant, so Zach was unlikely to be able to help much over the coming months.“But the rest of the Evans brothers have volunteered to help—so Wade, Matt and Jonah will be here.Then, of course, Luke and Hunter.”
Bethany nodded to herself as her fingers ran over the dilapidated walls.It reminded him of the walls upstairs.They didn’t look like that anymore, though.Not after months of blood, sweat and tears.He was suddenly grateful they’d finished doing up the apartment before they made a start on this project.It meant it was one less thing to worry about.
“I think we should make it a blank slate.Floors first.Then the walls.Then we can add counters, shelves, cupboards after.”
“And the back room?”
“That, we’ll have to contract out—I want a kitchen, and bathrooms put in, that’s beyond our skill set.”
Fair enough.He would speak to Wade about contractors, not long ago he’d converted a barn on their ranch into a restaurant, so he was most likely to have the contacts they needed.
“It’s gonna look great, baby.”His gaze darted around the space once more.He could already picture it.
“You know the best part?”Bethany asked, swaying those sexy hips his way.
“What’s that?”
“That the fire station is just next door.”Oh, he hadn’t forgotten.“Maybe we can have sneaky rendezvouses?”
They were absolutely going to have sneaky rendezvouses.
“Damn straight.”He pulled her into him, not waiting for their bodies to even meet before his mouth was on her.
Yep.One lucky son-of-a-bitch.
***
Two weeks later
You wouldn’t thinkthat the thick low gray clouds were out in force today.Or that most of the Woodvalley fields lay under a blanket of ice.Not while Bethany was in the warm and inviting home of Cat and Cody, complete with a huge fire blazing next to overly stuffed leather couches and large oak tables filled with all the essential January comfort foods.
Speaking of which, she slyly filled her plate with her third helping of chili and fluffy buttermilk biscuits.
Don’t mind if I do.
Today was a small gathering, just the guys from the fire station and their respective partners.Oh, and Lucy, who Bethany dragged everywhere.Cat and Cody’s latest addition to their family, baby Lucas, was ready to be shown off.And while they’d all visited and met Lucas individually, this was his first time being around so many of them all at once.
Bethany’s gaze went to Dylan, Cody and Cat’s eldest at eleven-years-old.He seemed so much more grown up since she first met him last summer.She could tell just by the way he was holding Lucas, with so much care, that he was going to be an amazing big brother.
“I want one,” Benny whispered into her ear as he slid up beside her.Holding his own plate of chili and biscuits.
“You want one, what?”She tilted her head in question.
“A baby.I want one.”
Good thing her mouth wasn’t full, or chili would be all over the colorful shaggy rug they were standing on.
“Um.”She coughed.Am I choking on air?“Y-you want a baby?”
A sexy smirk graced his lips.“Don’t worry, I’m not talking tomorrow.My woman has got important shit she needs to do first.But in a few years, yeah, I want one.I want a mini-Bethany running around pulling my hair and calling me a doofus.Is that something you think you’d want?”
“A mini-me calling you a doofus?”She wasn’t choking anymore.She was smiling.That image alone, as dumb as it was, it did something weird to her insides.“I mean, yeah, I could want that.”
“You could want what?”Lucy asked as she joined their little huddle by the fire.
Not ready to talk babies with her bestie, she changed the subject.“Oh nothing.You try those cornbread muffins, yet?I swear I wanna bathe in that honey butter.”
“Eww.”Lucy grimaced while Benny laughed.
