21. Juniper

TWENTY-ONE

"Hey, Juni," Birdie greets me as I look up from what I'm working on. It's time to order supplies for the clinic. There's been a lot more work lately with summer here. Between dehydration, cuts, and being kicked by an animal of some sort, my stock is dwindling faster than normal. It's also hay season at the ranch, and that's a whole other story with the injuries that come with it. These guys get the job done, even if it comes with broken fingers, a dislocated shoulder, or a jacked-up ankle. Still, they work and then don't come in until their day is over. Lawson grumbles and tells the hands to get fucked and to go into town to be patched up. My glare is strong, and he knows I'll push him out of my clinic if he keeps up with the drama of him not getting his way. Needless to say, the days are long and the evenings are longer. When Lawson suggested we take the afternoon off after my doctor's appointment, I was more than ready for the break.

"Hi, Tully, Birdie. This is a pleasant surprise." I push away from my desk to greet them. We've gotten closer since Lawson and I announced my pregnancy, and while they've tried to before, I tended to push them away or come up with an excuse anytime they'd ask for me to join them for book club night. That whole wall around my heart really was tall and thick. It's a good thing they won't take no for an answer now. They invite me over for girls' night, where Catherine usually makes an appearance. We'll joke about the guys and their overbearing ways. And while I may not read like Birdie and Tully do, they always make me feel welcome.

"You may not think that after our intervention," Tully says. There's a spiciness to her tone. Maybe this isn't the type of conversation to have this early in the morning. I'm down to one caffeinated drink a day, and I've already finished my iced coffee. What I wouldn't give for another one. I'd probably make it, too, if my earlier drink wasn't as massive as my water cup.

"Something tells me I'm not awake enough for this." I straighten my scrub top once I'm standing. The jeans I once wore are now in the back of my closet. Who knows if I'll get back into them, but I figure instead of donating my full closet while pregnant, maybe a few pieces will work with my after-baby body. Though the way my hips are growing, I'm thinking any of the bottoms will be a hard pass. Needless to say, if it's not stretchy, I'm not comfortable, and I'm not wearing it. Before I went shopping with Birdie, Tully, and Catherine, I put on a pair of leggings to wear to work, but Lawson was not having that. Apparently, too much of my body was showing, and he wasn't going to be around as much. I wouldn't budge. Lawson thinks he can run the show, but when I refused to change out of my black leggings and black tank top, he groaned and grumbled. Then he used his master negotiating tactic, stopping at his place on the way to work, where he put me in one of his flannels. I called it a win and then made plans to update my wardrobe with the Johnson women. Now I'm the owner of maternity scrubs in various colors. Today, however I'm wearing pink, and when Lawson saw me come out of the closet in them, I had to make a run for the front door. Of course, that set off another conversation where Lawson groaned about how pregnant women shouldn't be running. One arch of my eyebrow had him shutting up. Riding horses was now out of the equation, as well as being too close to some of the younger, more rowdier horses. Yeah, he was not taking running away from me or I'd likely wring his neck.

"We brought a gift." Tully shows me the iced lemonade and signature box from Whisked Away. She's trying to butter me up, that's for sure. Birdie gives me a hug first, then Tully does the same, but with her arms full it's kind of more like an air hug.

"Are those my favorite?" I"ve had a few cravings lately— watermelon, sandwiches galore, and lemon anything when it comes to sweet treats. Everything else is just okay in my eyes.

"They are, but there's a caveat. You see, we still don't know where you and Lawson will eventually call home." Tully walks us back to where my desk is, Birdie is pulling the chairs around my desk, and I do the same with mine. I'm not sitting behind it like some stodgy businessperson when my friends or, well, family is here.

"And I need to make a decision in order to get the dessert Maeve would have brought me anyways?" My house isn't near Lawson's, which in turn means I'm not near their place where they reside with their men. Each brother has a house, trees act as a barrier, and while you can walk to every house, it still takes a little bit.

"Because, dang it, it's almost baby time. We're trying to plan a baby shower. Which is hard to do when we have zero hints on theme or style or size. No offense, but Lawson's place is bigger. More baby stuff, more shopping for us to spoil him or her." Tully is expressing her opinion, and she's not wrong at all. I already know where we'll eventually end up together, except the first person I'll tell will be Lawson, not his sisters-in-law.

"Also, just putting it out there, the brothers are free this week. There are no rodeos, things are finally settling down for the hay season, and it'd be the perfect time." Birdie opens the box. Unlike Tallulah, who was holding the lemon-flavored cupcakes hostage, she doesn't.

"I already know where we'll be living. As for the nursery, I've got a couple of things planned out, and I've been working on the macrames I'll be making as well." I've downloaded a few patterns for the walls, a toy hanger that can be nestled in the corner, and then of course a mobile with feather and flower designs.

"Good, so this weekend, then?" Tully pushes.

"Hush, you're ruining my sweet treat," I say around a mouthful, letting the flavors rush over me. The girls laugh, and I'm about to grab my second dessert. If I can't have as much caffeine as I want, I may as well enjoy another cupcake.