Breathless (Meadowlarks) (13 page)

“Well, happy birthday, beautiful!”

“Where daddy?” Scarlett asked, holding her hands up.

“Daddy is over there, baby.” I point
ed over to the lawn where everyone was standing and talking to Alex.

Nick and Owen
were there too, with all their children. They've decided it was best not to have Bennett here today, since he has gone even more downhill in the last month.

“Are you going to get out of the car?” Addison call
ed over toward her Ford, and crossed her arms.

“Is Blaine still in there?” I ask
ed, shielding the afternoon sun from my eyes.

“Yeah, he's having a
Jeremiah Moment.
” She frowned. “I hate calling it that, it sounds so insensitive. But, I don't know what to do.”

Blaine
eventually got out of the car and walked over to us. Even with all the sun he got from working outside, his face was pale. I'm sure from his emotional...whatever it was he was going through right now.

“You okay, Blaine?” I ask
ed.

“I'm good. Where's the birthday girl?” He
put on a smile, his pearly whites shining. And I’m sure he is forcing it, big time. Blaine kissed Addison and walked over to his family.

Blaine
hadn’t really been back here since Jeremiah died, only a handful of times, and he has only gone in the house twice since that day. To find something for Jeremiah to be buried in, and when a pipe burst in the bathroom and Alex didn't know how to fix it.

“Should we move? I don't want this to happen every time someone has a birthday here.” I frown
ed and shrugged.

Addison look
ed over to Blaine and furrowed her eyebrows. “No, of course not. He's okay, really. He just handles things differently than we do.”

“Okay, I just feel so awful.”

Addison took my hand. “Don't. Now, let's go celebrate Scar's birthday.”

Chapter Eight

As tradition, a large fire roar
ed as the night slowly came to an end. Scarlett passed out hours ago, snuggled in Lillian's arms, and Seth was sleeping, bundled warmly in Richard's.

Gotta love grandparents.

Blaine and Alex drove into town to pick up a few cases of beer, now that the little ones were asleep so adults could enjoy themselves. Isaac and Nick and Owen's kids bounced around in the castle, giggling and I was almost tempted to join them.

“How's Blaine been lately, Addy?” Richard ask
ed, keeping his voice low so not to wake the sleeping baby in his arms.

“Well
…” Addison sighed. “He has his days. He gets quiet and distant, but I give him space. Something like this takes a long time to heal, ya know?”

“Of course.” Richard frown
ed. “Jeremiah was one of the good ones.”

“He was the best,” Addison
said, half-smiling, half-frowning.

Richard and Lillian retired to bed. Owen and Kelsey took their children home. And Blaine and Alex returned from town with beer.

When Addison and I got back out to the fire from putting the kids to bed, we sat and Blaine passed us each a beer. “Time to play catch up,” he said.

“Catch up?” Addison raise
d an eyebrow.

“This is our third.” Alex grins and tip
ped his bottle to me, then lifted it to his soft lips.

“I don't know how you guys can drink like that. I haven't been able to
do that in years,” Nick said.

“Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get old.” Blaine sneer
ed at his brother and chugged back his bottle of beer, nearly emptying it. “Right?”

“Don't be an ass, Blaine,”
Nick bite out.

“No one is being an ass, Nicky, relax.”

Addison and I looked at one another, then to Maria who just shrugged, and then over to Blaine. He lifted his shirt and wiped off his mouth, revealing his abdomen and chest.

Whoa, Addy. You go, girl!

“Oh, put that away, Blaine.” Maria pretend
ed to cover her eyes. “You'll make your brother jealous.”

“Oh, please,” Nick scoff
ed. “I looked like that at his age too, then I got married and had kids.”

Maria gape
d at her husband and shook her head.

Blaine and Alex laugh
ed.

After another hour, Nick and Maria
took their kids home and Addison looks like she is ready to fall asleep in her chair. Blaine and Alex have finished off almost an entire case of beer, minus the two that Addison and I had between us.

Blaine ask
ed Addison to drive her car closer to where we were sitting so we could listen to the music from her stereo, and soon enough country twang was thumping from the speakers.

Blaine start
ed singing along, word for word and he actually sounded pretty good. Then Alex chimed in and I had to bite my lip to hold back my laughter.

Through my pocket I fe
lt my cellphone vibrate. I was almost afraid to pull it out and look at it. When I did, I saw a message from exactly the person I expected to.

It's been a long time since I have thought about Dane, I haven't spoken to him since the day be broke into the fitting room at Victoria's Secret and gave me back my phone, but kept my panties.

Dane: How was the birthday party?

Me:
How did you know?

Dane:
I know everything.

Me:
Creepy.

Dane:
You could say that. Others would call it interested.

Me:
Not many others.

Dane:
How's that sweet body of yours, missing my tongue yet?

I squirm
ed in my chair, quickly looking up to see if anyone notices me. Nope, I’m in the clear. For now...

Me: Stop, Dane. I can't do this. How many times do I have to say it?

Dane:
I can't get you out of my head. I have my favourite panties between my fingers right now.

Me:
Dane!

Dane:
Yes, baby. That's right, that's what I want to hear. Call me.

Me:
I am not calling you. Goodbye.

“Baby, dance with me!” Alex call
ed from across the fire as he hot up to stand but fell back in the chair and laughed. “Scratch that. Come here!”

I roll
ed my eyes at him, but got up. “Yes, my love?”

“Sit,” he c
ommanded, pointing to his lap.

“
Why, yes sir, right away!” I sneered at him, but sat down.

His arms
snaked around my body as he pulled me into a kiss.

***

“I just can't believe it!” Addison
said, exasperated. “I thought he was done with this.”

She
held a piece of paper in her hand, but it wasn’t just any piece of paper. It was a registration confirmation for a bull riding event in a rodeo that was taking place this weekend.

“He hasn't said
anything
at all?”

“No,” she said
.

To my knowledge, Blaine ha
dn't ridden a bull since his accident three years ago. Then he sold off his prized animal and made a promise to Addison to never do it again. I blew the steam from my cup of coffee and took a tiny sip, waiting for Addison to say something else.

A beat later I
spoke up. “Well, what are you going to say to him?”

“I don't know, I'm just disappointed.” She shrug
ged. “He has got more to lose now, it's not just the two of us anymore.”

Within a few minutes Blaine and Alex
casually strolled through the kitchen door.

“Speak of the devil,” I whisper
ed into my mug of coffee before taking a sip, and leaving the kitchen
post haste.
I left Alex in the kitchen with them, as I could bet money that he knew something about this. Guys talk just as much as women do.

I
sat down on the couch, and held my mug with two hands, braced and ready to hear Addison unleash...but, surprisingly she didn’t. I heard a few muffled voices, either Alex or Blaine saying something to her.

Then, finally, Addison
spoke up loud enough for me to hear her. “So, what you're saying is, you are doing this because of Jeremiah?”

I perk
ed up, leaning in like it was going to boost my ability to eavesdrop.

“No, I'm telling you that I
need
to do this. Since he died I felt like...” Blaine said, his voice low and controlled. “Like, he could have done so much with his life, but he didn't. He worked day in and day out for me...for what, Addy?”

“I think Blaine's trying to say that life is too short,” Alex chime
d in.

“Don't help, Alex,” Addison snap
ped. “Sorry, I guess I just don't understand why you would want to risk getting hurt again, Blaine.”

“I know what I'm riskin
g. I've done this so many times. It was a fluke the last time,” Blaine said, his voice a little louder this time. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was going to, I just didn't plan on doing it
today
.”

“So you're really going through with it?” Addison ask
ed.

“Yes, Alex is coming too,” Blaine
said.

My eyes flare
d, and I shot up off the couch and marched right into the kitchen. “Sorry?” I said, wiggling my earlobe. “I thought I just heard you say Alex is going to the rodeo with you? What exactly are you going to be doing there, Alex?”

Blaine look
ed like a deer in headlights and Alex slowly started to back away from me. He walked around the island in the centre of the room and smiled an “oops, sorry I forgot to mention this to you, baby” smile.

“T-team roping,” Alex
said softly and then cleared his throat. “I'm good.
We’re
good.”

“Okay, well. Addy and I are coming with you. This weekend right?” I ask
ed, and both Blaine and Alex nodded. “Addy, what kind of shoes do I need to wear to this type of thing?”

Addison smirk
ed. “Not those.” She pointed down to the sandals on my feet and laughed.

Over lunch Blaine explain
ed to Addison and me just what exactly team roping entailed, and how he promised Alex would be safe.

“So, I'm the heeler, and Alex is the header,” he
said with a smile. “He will rope first, around one or both horns, or right around the neck. Then I will rope the back legs,
hopefully
.”

Alex grin
ned from across the picnic table. “That's right baby!” He whipped his hand around like he had an invisible lasso and pretended to pull me into him with it.

I roll
ed my eyes. “Well, that sounds okay. I mean, I think it'll be fun to watch.”

“And then I'll ride whatever bull is chosen for me when I get there, since I don't have Del Mar anymore,” Blaine
said before shoving his sandwich into his mouth.

***

Anxiety, anticipation, and adrenaline flow
ed without end through my body while I tried and sleep the night before we left for the rodeo. I could honestly say I had never thought I would be preparing for this...ever. I pictured myself handing my husband his briefcase and maybe a travel mug full of coffee before he headed out the door to conquer the business world. Instead I've spent the last four hours preparing for Alex to rope a cow.

By the horns.

Oh, my bad; I mean a
steer
.

I thr
ew my arms over my face and sighed loudly, having no idea how I got myself into this life. Well, I know exactly
how,
I guess I still can't believe I am actually living it.

I remember
ed Addison telling me all about Blaine, and how he was into this lifestyle. I laughed, especially when I tried to picture her wearing a cowboy boots, sitting in the stands watching the show with all the other rodeo wives.

Now, it was
my turn. I looked over at Alex, trying to figure out this complex creature that I fell in love with. Sometimes I long for that playful and eager twenty-two year old that didn't have a care in the world; but then I think about how much he's changed and matured. It is crazy to think that it was only a little over two years ago that he was just some college drop-out living off the coattails of his older sister.

I groan
ed, frustrated that I am unable to fall asleep, so I get out of bed and decide that maybe a glass of warm milk will help. I stumbled my way down the hallway in the darkness, and gripped the banister tightly while I tip-toe downstairs.

The kitchen
was dimly lit by the moon creeping into the big windows, so I didn’t need to turn on a light to find my way to the refrigerator. I grabbed the carton of milk, and sighed when I noticed that the plastic cap was gone.

“Oh, Alex, can't you ever use a glass?”

Kicking the refrigerator door shut with my foot, I heard a soft chuckle and glanced over at the table before reaching for a clean glass on the dish rack.

“Can't sleep either, Jer?”
The words escaped my mouth before my brain actually registered what I've just said. I dropped the milk carton to the floor. I could feel the milk pouring out, spilling all over my bare feet. I stood, horrified, willing to pinch myself but I couldn’t.

“It's okay, Riley. This is your home now,” Jeremiah whisper
ed.

“Oh, shit! Riley! Baby, are you okay?” Alex lift
ed me up from the floor, and slipped in the spilled milk. “Riley? Oh, shit...”

I moan
ed, letting him know I was okay.

I hope I'm okay, what the hell just happened?

Alex grabbed me, trying to pick me up off the floor, and lifted me into his arms. He reached for the kitchen light and I covered my eyes when the room became illuminated. My heart thumped so hard from my chest I thought it was going to jump out of my skin, and I peered between my fingers at the table.

“He's gone,” I whisper
ed.

“What, baby? I didn't hear you,” Alex
said, frantically trying to keep me in his arms and check me for an injury. “Shit, you cut your forehead.”

“
I'm okay,” I said, forcing a smile to try and reassure Alex.

“No, you're not. You might need stitches
.”

“Let me down, I'm okay. I just need to sit for a sec.”

Alex gently set me down, and pulled out a chair for me.