Ty blew out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Jared. There’s a lot of shit to worry about.”
“Yeah, there is,” Jared agreed. “But there’s also a lot of amazing shit, too. Tell me you weren’t in complete awe when you felt your pup move.”
A smile crept over Ty’s face. “It was awesome. I don’t even have the words for it.”
“It gets even better. Wait until you hear the heartbeat or see it moving on that screen. I’ll be honest with you, man, the worry never goes away, not really. But there are so many amazing moments like those that make up for it, and it’ll all be worth it in the end.”
Ty cleared his throat. “Listen, Jared. I really do appreciate all of this. I’ve been a dick to you since Cassie died. Hell, I probably would have tried to kill you that one day if Jake hadn’t pulled me off. It would have been understandable if you refused to talk to me about any of this.”
The line was silent for a moment before Jared spoke again, voice gruff. “Don’t mention it, Ty. I know you were hurting when Cassie died. You loved her, too. I never held it against you, and I’m not going to start now. Seriously don’t worry about it anymore. It’s in the past.”
They talked for a while more, about ranch and farm stuff, both of them uncomfortable with talking about their emotions. When Ty finally hung up, he smiled and relaxed a little, for the first time in a week. There was still stuff to worry about, but for now at least, it all felt like it would work out. The pregnancy, anyway, as long as nothing happened to Parker. Telling her what he was… that could go either way. And he still wasn’t sure that he could tell her yet, because she could run or react like Cassie had.
Parker was smiling as she pulled up to the diner. She hadn’t seen Tiffany since her sister’s wedding, and she was excited to see her. They were cl
oser now that they were adults. It wasn’t that they’d fought or not gotten along when they were younger; they just hadn’t had much of anything in common.
Tiffany had always been popular, with a ton of friends. Tall, blonde and athletic, she’d been a cheerleader and the star of the girls basketball team. Parker had been… well, Parker. Polar opposites in looks and temperament, with her nose always buried in a book. They’d had very little to talk about or ways to relate to each other back then.
They hadn’t really started to grow closer until Parker moved away for college. Since then, they spoke often on the phone, and had found more in common. Her sister was her best friend.
Parker entered the diner, jumping when she heard a squeal. She turned just in time for Tiffany to throw her arms around her in a hug.
“Oh, Parker girl, it’s so good to see you! When did you get to town? And why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Tiffany led her to a booth in the back as she chattered away, never pausing long enough for Parker to actually answer her. Parker slid into the booth, noting that her sister had already ordered them drinks.
“Well?” Her sister demanded.
“Oh, are you actually going to let me get a word in edgewise?” Parker replied laughingly.
Tiffany threw a balled up napkin at her. “When did you get here?”
“Almost a week ago.”
“And you’re just now calling me?” Tiffany asked in disbelief.
“Well, I had some stuff to get straightened out first,” Parker hedged, still not sure how she should start, or if she should just blurt it out like she’d done with their parents and Ty.
“What in the world would you need straightened out before you called me?”
“You know Tyler MacKeltar?”
Tiffany wrinkled her brow. “Of course, yeah, I know who he is. What does he have to do with anything?” She asked, picking up her glass to take a sip of tea.
Parker took in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant. With his baby.”
Tiffany choked on her drink, spewing tea across the table. “Shit. Sorry!”
Parker laughed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her shirt before using it to clean up the table. “It’s okay. Lesson learned, don’t tell anyone while they have food or drink in their mouth.”
Tiffany finished mopping up her side of the table and then looked up, shock still in her eyes. “You’re having Tyler MacKeltar’s baby? Ty? Big, tatted up, gorgeous, Red Moon Ty?”
“Geez, is that so unbelievable? Or did you think I was a lesbian, like Dad did?” Parker said with a wry laugh.
“Wait, what? Dad thought you were a lesbian?” Tiffany shook her head and waved a hand. “We’ll get back to that later. I’m more interested in Ty. No, it’s not that shocking, I just didn’t even realize you knew him.”
“I didn’t, not really. I ran into him the night of your bachelorette party.” Parker proceeded to fill her sister in on what had happened that night and since. “So I’m staying at Red Moon for now. We’ve been getting to know each other more.”