Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Forty Four

Time seemed to stretch.
Bird's chirped in the fruit tree's and I wanted to pelt rock's at them to make them quiet their jovial chatter.
My heart seemed to have stopped in my chest.
A lump the size of Uluru felt like it was lodged in my throat.
A flood gate of tear's threatened to break from the dam wall's of my eye socket's.
"This..."
Blayze slowly joined me on the bench seat.
"For real?"
Unable to talk, I just bit down hard on my lower lip and nodded.
"When?"
When what?
"What?"
My voice came out croaky.
Blayze lifted his eyes from the glossy photo.
"When did you find out?"
I pointed toward the photo.
"That was this morning."
"But you knew before today?"
I see-saw'd my lower lip across my teeth.
This seemed like one of those time's where there really was no right answer.
"I t-took the t-test Monday."
I whispered.
"Fuck."
The one word came from Blayze as little more than a whisper.
He removed one hand from the photo and ran it across his face, knocking his hat askew in the process.
I felt my eyes start to water.
"I- I'm s-sorry."
"I..."
Blayze shook his head.
"Shit, I think there was one time we didn't be careful."
His voice seemed far away.
It was like I got slapped in the face.
He doesn't believe me?
"I- if you d-don't b-believe me w-we'll g-get a DNA t-test."
He went through all that with Rikki why should he just go and believe me?
Humiliated, I jumped to my feet and started to walk.
I need to get away.
I'd known it was going to be bloody hard.
I didn't know it would be this torturous.
"Oi."
Blayze grabbed my arm, pulling me around to face him.
I blinked furiously against my tear's and lifted my free hand to wipe at my eyes.
"I did not say I don't believe you."
He released my arm and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arm's around me.
I clutched at the back of his shirt, several hot tear's spilling out of my eyes.
Fuck.
"I'm just...in a bit of shock."
Blayze said over my head.
I inhaled his familiar scent, managing to somewhat find serenity in his embrace and his familiar smell.
"I guess now's the time where your Grandpa and your Uncle shoot me."
He sounded grim.
I shook my head against the warm, worn fabric of his shirt.
"They don't know."
I croaked.
Blayze held me at arms' length.
"They don't?"
I shook my head.
"So who does?"
"Mum."
I squeaked.
"And she knows...?"
He seemingly purposely broke off, but I was pretty sure I understood where he was going.
"I told her yesterday it's you."
I all but whispered.
Blayze nodded, clenching his jaw.
"A-are you angry?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"How'd your Mum take it? She hasn't punched me."
I shook my head.
"She was, is, fine."
"Man I- shit! It seem's kinda obvious now!"
Blayze let go of my shoulder's and ran both hand's over his face.
I blinked.
"It- it does?"
How exactly is it obvious?
"You wanted weird food at the muster."
He ticked off a finger.
Uh oh, here we go...
"You came off Phoenix from bein nauseous."
Blayze ticked another finger.
Shit.
"You've been sick."
He ticked another finger.
Maybe he does get it.
"You've been falling asleep a lot."
He ticked another finger.
"Okay you can stop now."
I grabbed his hand and pushed his finger's back down.
Blayze looked somewhat confused.
"Well what made you realise?"
Argh.
I guess we are having this talk!
"Most of what you just said."
I admitted, refusing to look at his face.
"Also the fact that I've skipped a period."
I felt my cheek's flame upon saying that word to him.
I guess now we're going to have to have a few awkward talk's.
"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"
"Because I could barely admit it to myself."
How did he not understand that?
"Alright."
He held his hand's up as if to hold off an attack.
"So you saw Doctor Glen today?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"And what did he say?"
"To tell you he said for you to not throw a tantrum and beat up the guy responsible."
For what felt like the first time in month's, I managed a smile.
Blayze grimaced.
"I do wanna beat him up. But I think it'll be a little hard to beat up myself."
Smiling, I shook my head.
He sucked in a long breath.
"Though your Uncle will likely take that job for me."
Yeah, Uncle Lukas is likely to be pissed as hell.
"I plan on begging him to not take his emotion's out on you."
I promised.
Blayze shook his head.
"I made my bed by goin behind his back. Whatever he want's to do, I deserve it."
I grabbed his hand's and looked up at his face.
"No you don't!"
"Yes I do."
He pulled his hand's free from mine.
"We might've gone and done what we seemed to think to be right for us, Bailey, but you are his niece and he trusted me to look out for you."
"And you have! You are."
I insisted.
Blayze shook his head.
"That's not how he's gonna look at it."
"We'll deal with Uncle."
I reached for his hand's.
This time he let me hold them.
However he didn't look convinced.
I eyed him curiously.
"Since when are you worried about anyone?"
"I've gone behind their back's, Bail's. They brought me in. They can easily turf me out."
Fear gripped at my heart.
I squeezed his hand's.
"I won't let that happen."
It tore at my heart that he didn't look convinced.
God I can't stuff the security Blayze has at where he is in life.
He's had enough shit to deal with in his life!
I stretched onto tip toes and pulled his face down so I could smash my lip's onto his, my desperate emotion's consuming me.
It felt like way too long since our lip's have been connected.
Momentarily he didn't kiss me back.
I was about to pull back.
Then he slid his hand's around my waist and kissed me back hard, clearly wanting and needing it as much as me.
"Yay!"
A girlish voice crowed.
Heart in my throat, I ripped myself away from the kiss and turned around.
Oh god.
Uncle Lukas was now through the tree's and holding a lead rope attached to Nugget's bridle.
Amara sat in the small pony's saddle, grinning from ear to ear.
She was the only one who hadn't registered there was anything going on beyond a fun pony ride in the afternoon sun with her Daddy.
Uncle Lukas' bright green eyes went from me, to Blayze and back again, then swung to the bench style seat, then back to us.
Oh shit.
The ultrasound photo was sitting there, on full display.
A whole new sweat coated my palm's.
My heart was pounding like a horse's hoove's on a racetrack.
"We're talkin later."
Uncle Lukas practically said through his teeth.
It was clear he was trying to protect Amara from the depth's of this issue.
I felt like I was struggling to breathe.
Uncle Lukas turned to lead Nugget back the way they'd come.
"Bye!"
Amara called, waving.
"Bye Amara."
I all but whispered.