Page 84 of Wilde Flame

I took her hand in mine. “Thank you, Mom. Lilibeth was really worried about what you might think of her.”

My mother looked surprised. “I don’t think of her any differently, other than the fact I love her even more for giving us our first grandbaby.” Turning to my father, she clapped her hands. “Oh, Ladd, let’s redo one of the bedrooms and make it into a nursery!”

“A nursery?” he said with a laugh. “I thought those days were behind us.”

Waving him off, she looked at me with a hopeful smile. “Once you’re past the first trimester, I’ll talk to Lilibeth about it. I don’t want to overstep or anything, but we’d love to watch the baby as much as possible.”

I grinned. “I’m sure she’ll love that.”

“Oh my goodness, I didn’t even ask. When is she due?”

“The doctor said August twenty-third.”

“A summer baby!” my mom declared. “She’ll have all the fresh fruit and vegetables. What a wonderful time to be pregnant!”

“Until it gets hot as hell out,” I said with a chuckle.

“That’s true,” my father agreed. “Better make sure your AC is working well.”

I chuckled, and we soon fell into a conversation about my father’s sporting goods store. In a way, I was glad to leave behind all talk of babies and nurseries. The reality of it all was settling in, and I wasn’t sure when the freak-out would happen…but I knew it would.

The rest of dinner was about the ranch, my mother’s new pickleball obsession, and my father’s latest woodworking project, which was a purple martin house.

After helping them clean up the kitchen, I said my goodbyes and drove straight over to the horse barn. I parked behind Gatlin’s truck and made my way, two steps at a time, up to his door and knocked.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked, as he motioned for me to come in.

“You free tonight?” I asked.

He raised a brow in question. “For what?”

“I need to get shit-faced and don’t want to drive.”

Laughing, he said, “So you need me to be the designated driver while you get drunk. I can do that. Any reason why?”

I signed and rubbed at the back of my neck. “Can you keep a secret?”

My brother looked intrigued. “I can, and you know I can. I’ve still never told anyone it was you who nearly set the barn on fire when you took Mary Lindale up into the hayloft to fuck her by candlelight.”

“I was trying to make it romantic for her!”

He rolled his eyes. “The point is, yes, I can keep a secret, and I think I’ve proved that time and time again.”

I sat down on the sofa, sighed, and said, “Lilibeth is pregnant.”

A stunned expression appeared on his face. “You’re the father?”

“Yes,” I said with a nod.

Gatlin dropped down on a barstool. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.” I laughed humorlessly. “Holy shit.”

“When is she due?”

“August twenty-third.”

He slowly blew out a breath. “Wow. You’re going to be a father. How’re you feeling? Did you tell Mom and Dad?”