“Eat your pancake, Kate. You know your mom likes you to eat breakfast. Whitley, can I talk to you outside?”
I leaned down and smiled at Kate. “I didn’t know your mom had a rule, Kate. If you know that you’re breaking a rule and I don’t…you can’t just go along with it, okay? That’s still breaking the rule.”
Kate nodded and gave me a weak smile. She reached for the syrup as I stood and followed Layton outside. I was ready for him to lay into me.
Here, I thought he was grumpy from not getting sex last night.
As I shut the door behind me, I braced myself for his onslaught.
I turned around, and he grabbed me and pulled me to him.
He put his hand behind my neck and barely brushed his lips against mine as he said, “God, I’m so sorry I snapped at you just now. I’m so sorry, baby.”
The feel of his tongue moving against my lips made me moan. I wanted him so badly.
I instantly relaxed and whispered, “Layton…”
He reached down and picked me up as I wrapped my legs around him. I instantly felt how much he wanted me, and I was aching to have him inside me.
“When is Jen picking up Kate?” I pushed myself into him.
He moved his lips down and kissed along my neck. “Any. Moment,” he said between kisses.
“Thank God. I mean, I love Kate and all—”
Layton slammed his lips against mine as he moved his hand up my shirt and then along the top of my pants. “I want you, Whit, so damn bad.”
“Yes. Touch me, please, before I go insane.”
Just as I felt his hand about to go down my pants, I heard a female voice.
“Um…excuse me for interrupting.”
Layton pulled his lips from mine and put his head against my forehead.
“What do you want, Olivia?” Layton closed his eyes and slowly moved his hand out of my pants.
“My event planner. I realize it’s a Saturday, but if she wants to plan my wedding and reception, we should probably talk about it. It seems like every time I see her though, she has her damn legs wrapped around you like a horny-ass teenager.”
I leaned my head against the house and sighed. I was so tired of this girl. I’d had enough. I leaned in and kissed Layton on the lips before motioning for him to put me down.
I walked up to the edge of the stairs and looked down at Olivia. “Listen, Olivia, I worked your engagement party. I never said I was going to help you plan your wedding.”
She let out a laugh. “Well, I would think if you’re trying to start a business, you wouldn’t want to turn down any jobs.”
I wasn’t going to do this. I am so done with letting people walk all over me.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. This is one job I’m going to turn down. I don’t think it’s very appropriate for me to be the event planner for your wedding and reception.”
Her smile dropped, and she snapped her head over toward Layton. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was smiling as he gave me a wink. I knew he was happy that I was telling her no.
“What do you mean, it’s not appropriate? Why the hell not?”
“Well, for starters, I’m dating your ex. And to be honest, the first wedding I’m going to plan is gonna be my own wedding.”
Olivia’s hands flew up to her mouth as she started to shake her head. “Oh my God. You’re pregnant?”
“What?” Layton and I both said at the same time.
Just then, Jen opened the back door. “Oh my God, you’re pregnant, Whitley?”
Kate came running out, singing, “Whitley’s got a baby in her tummy!”
I started shaking my head as Layton reached down and grabbed Kate. I turned to see Mitch and Courtney walking up with one pissed-off Reed following behind them.
The moment Kate saw Reed, she jumped down from Layton and started to run toward him. “Guess what? There is a baby growing inside Whitley’s tummy!”
Reed and Courtney quickly looked up at me, and both said, “What?”
“Wait—what? How? I mean…when?” Layton asked from behind me.
Oh shit, my head is spinning.
“You bitch! You’re pregnant, and you didn’t tell me?” Courtney pushed her way past Olivia, who was now staring at Layton.
“I’m shocked that you would knock up this poor girl, Layton.” Olivia slowly shook her head.
“What?” I spun around and looked at Olivia and then Layton.
Layton just stared at me as I tried to push Courtney away from me.
She was leaning down, talking to my stomach, “You’re going to be the best dressed baby in Llano!”
Layton took a step toward me and smiled.
Ah shit…does he think I’m pregnant?
The smile on his face made me weak in the knees.
Would he be happy if I were pregnant? Oh. My. God.
Everyone was talking all at once. Courtney was still talking to my stomach, and Mitch started saying something about teaching the baby how to rope as he smiled down at Courtney. Olivia was trying to tell Layton what a huge mistake this pregnancy was, and Reed was trying to grab Kate, who was running around, screaming that I had a baby growing in my stomach.
The only two people not talking were Jen and Layton. Jen was standing there, smiling at me.
No, wait. Oh my God, this has to stop!
“STOP!” I screamed. “Everyone, just shut up!”
Instantly, everyone stopped talking, including Kate.
“Oh…Whitley said shut up, mama,” Kate said.
Courtney was now on her knees with her hands on my stomach. I pushed her away and took a few steps back.
“For Christ’s sake, stand the hell up, Court. You look like an idiot!” I said, shaking my head.
Courtney jumped up and started smiling.
“I’m not, let me repeat this, I’m not pregnant.” I looked around.
Jen’s, Layton’s, and Court’s smiles all disappeared. Olivia smiled and seemed to be relieved.
I took a few steps closer to Olivia. “I really don’t appreciate you assuming that I’m pregnant because I want to plan my own wedding first, Olivia. I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested in planning your wedding. Period. You’re going to have to find another event planner or wedding planner for that. And when Layton and I decide to have children, it sure as hell will not be any of your business, so don’t ever say what you just said again. Do I make myself clear?”
“But—”
“No, I’m done with this conversation with you.”
Olivia put her hands on her hips and gave me a drop-dead look. “Fine. I was just trying to do you a favor by having you plan what is sure to be the year’s most talked about wedding in Llano. But if you don’t want to—”
“I don’t want to,” I said with a smirk.
Olivia gave me the dirtiest look I thought she could muster. “Layton, it was good seeing you.” She looked around at everyone else and shook her head. “Have a good day, everyone.”
I watched as she walked toward her BMW. I rolled my eyes and turned back to look at everyone staring at me.
Kate walked up to me and pulled on my shirt. “So, you don’t have a baby growing in your tummy?”
I bent down and took her hands in mine. “No, sweetheart, at least not yet, but I hope to someday soon.”
I looked up at a smiling Layton. The butterflies in my stomach were going crazy. I almost fell back on my ass just from the smile on his face. I was going to have to talk to him about his reaction to all of this.
“So, are we still going out for my birthday tonight?” she asked me with the cutest smile.
“Of course, we are! This is your day.”
Jen walked up and took Kate’s hand. “Speaking of your day, birthday girl, come on. We have to go shopping for a new birthday dress for tonight.”
Kate jumped up and down and ran to give Reed a hug good-bye. Then, she hugged Layton, smiled at Mitch, and said good-bye to Courtney before running back to Jen.
After they left, I started laughing. “You’re going to have to keep a close eye on her, Layton. That girl likes to flirt.”
Everyone started laughing.
I looked at Courtney.
Her smile faded for a quick second before she took a deep breath and smiled. “So, Mitch and I are taking a drive toward Fredericksburg. He wants to take me to Enchanted Rock.”
“Oh, I want to go there!” I glanced back at Layton, who was looking at Reed.
“Reed, I didn’t think you would be here so early this morning,” Layton said with a wink.
Reed quickly looked at Courtney, who had walked up and put her arm around Mitch. The hurt on his face about gutted me.
“Well, Anna spent the night last night, and she had to be up early to get ready for work this morning. Since I was up, I thought I’d head on over.”
Oh, Reed, why would you say that?
I took a peek at Courtney. I could tell she was trying to hide her disappointment in finding out that Anna had spent the night with Reed.
Layton, Reed, and Mitch started talking about the cattle, so I took Court by the arm and led her into the house.
Once we were inside, I poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her. I was just about to ask her about last night when she let out a laugh.
“I can’t believe she spent the night with him! What a total slut. I mean, they haven’t seen each other in how many years? And he has the nerve to call me names!”
Ah hell. She is totally not over her feelings for Reed.
“Court—”
The sound of the back door opening and Layton and Reed arguing stopped me from saying anything else.
“Reed, you don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about,” Layton said as he grabbed a coffee cup out of the cabinet.
“I disagree with you, Layton. I do know what I’m talking about. You’re making a mistake by not getting rid of it.”
Courtney rolled her eyes, and Reed saw her.
Reed walked up to Courtney and leaned down. “You have something to say there, Miss High and Mighty?”
Courtney sat up straight and smiled. “Yes. Yes, I do, King of all Assholes.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Courtney stood up and put her game face on.
“Uh, Court, how about you and I head on up to, um…the guest room?” I glanced at Layton, who was shaking his head. I shrugged my shoulders. “What? I’m not good at spur-of-the-moment things.”
Courtney walked up and started poking Reed in the chest. “You and your I-know-everything bullshit. You don’t know shit, Reed Moore. You run off at the mouth and then turn around and sleep with exactly what you were accusing me of.”
“Oh shit,” Layton and I both said at the same time.
“What? What in the fuck are you even talking about? I’m talking to Layton about some damn plants his cows are eating. What in the hell are you going off on?”
Then, it hit Reed what Court was talking about. He took a step back and looked at Courtney. “Are you fucking kidding me? Are you talking about Anna staying with me last night? Last I checked, Courtney, what I did was none of your business.”
Courtney laughed and shook her head a few times. “Why can you call me a whore, but then you turn around and fuck a girl you haven’t even seen since high school? Who’s the whore now?”