Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

HOUGHTON

E veryone was sitting around the large dinner table, and he could feel Jill’s eyes on him. How was he ever going to keep this a secret from her for two more days? It was killing him to stay away from her, but he knew from experience over the years that if he even remotely looked at the woman who owned his soul, he’d be a goner.

When he was overseas in Afghanistan, everyone called him ‘grumpy,’ ‘cold-blooded,’ and ‘hard-hearted,’ but maybe on the outside to people who didn’t matter. Jill was his very reason for living – and he was a complete noodle when it came to his girl, always had been. Those soldiers in their dusty uniforms long ago would have laughed their rear-ends off if they saw him painting her toenails glittery pink while they watched television together, snuggling, while he was on leave.

When Logan sent him home on a forced leave after Minter lost his leg, he had called Jill from the airport, begging her to make him a Chantilly cake. That had been their wedding cake, and he needed to get lost in a happier memory, planning to disgrace himself on sugar, cry, and hold her close while he fell apart – and he had.

Even when Collins lost his leg a few months ago, Jill had been his rock. He’d walked into the cabin after returning from the hospital and slammed the front door shut, causing Christina to yelp and jump in surprise, but not Jill.

Never Jill.

She simply followed him, taking his hand, and tugged him toward their bedroom. Once the door was shut, she whispered, ‘you’re safe now’ as she removed his coat… and he hit his knees. Yeah, he might pretend to be tough, but he was a mess behind the mask. He’d collapsed onto the floor, hearing the former soldier’s screams of horror and betrayal – knowing it had been him. He’d taken the sick man to the hospital, knowing they would amputate his leg. Jill was there, she was always there, to help pull him back together again, and he looked up.

Her beautiful eyes met his as he felt his heart skip a beat at the tremulous smile on her face. He knew she was aware something was off between them, but how could he even tell her differently without giving it away?

Clearing his throat, he wrenched his gaze from hers and looked at one of the children at the table. Griffin, Logan’s child who was named after his best friend, was currently holding up a green bean for Juliet’s inspection, and Michael was sitting beside him, both in booster seats, however, Michael wasn’t looking at his green beans. No, John Griffin’s youngest child was currently in the process of putting a niblet of corn in his nostril.

Houghton reached over and fished the niblet out, shoving it in a napkin to be thrown away as the child stared at him in confusion. That boy didn’t know if he should laugh or start crying because some stranger stopped his entertainment. Instead, Houghton did the unthinkable without giving it a second thought.

He picked up his spoon, breathed on it, before hanging it off the end of his nose, and crossed his eyes at the child. Michael took one look at him, his mouth opening in surprise, before letting out a chortle of amusement that seemed to come from his very soul.

“You’re pretty good at that,” Lily said approvingly. “If you ever want a job as a babysitter, say the word.”

“Maybe you can apply that new skill someday,” Logan teased knowingly, causing everyone to stop… and Houghton looked at Jill. She was wiping her eyes, smiling at him with such love and warmth that he was sure he was going to cave any second now – until Lena’s voice split the silence.

“Jake, you better take notes.”

“And you better explain that statement, Lumberjack,” Ortega said, shooting up out of his chair and knocking it over behind him. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“It sounds like she’s announcing that she’s pregnant,” Logan chuckled.

“That’s what I’m thinking she’s alluding to,” Juliet quipped, looking at her husband as they shared a knowing smile. “He looks just as shocked as you were when I told you about my pregnancy with Griffin.”

“Lena, are you sure?”

“The man looks completely befuddled…”

“You’d think with as much smack as he talked overseas that he would know how babies were made.”

“Oh, I know!” Ortega practically giggled as he set his chair upright and sat down before Lena, who was beaming at her husband. “I know it, I love it, I practice it every chance I get.”

“And here we go,” Logan, Griffin, and Houghton all groaned in unison. He knew Ortega was about to go on some big spiel about his junk, make a bunch of innuendos, or crass comments of a sexual nature, but he shocked them all.

“Lumberjack… are we gonna have a baby? ” Ortega said in a hushed voice, thick with emotion, as a tear ran down his cheek. “Are you sure? You aren’t kidding me, are you?”

“I’m sure,” Lena chuckled, touching the man’s face tenderly.

Houghton looked at Jill again, feeling like a troll. He’d ruined her moment, and he knew it. She had been so excited to tell him about the baby, so happy and looked so nervous, and he’d left the room, left the house and her behind.

They didn’t have that hug, those shared kisses, those whispers of love between them that were happening not six feet from him as the couple held each other close. Everyone was congratulating the newly expecting parents, and no one had done that for his wife. She deserved so much better than him, and he knew it.

Houghton was failing her as a husband - and all to keep his stupid surprise a secret. He uttered a foul word under his breath, threw down his napkin, and walked out of the house to be alone.

“Babe?” Jill called out from behind him, and he kept going, walking past Lyndsey as she entered the cabin, late, to join them for dinner. Panic was standing in the distance, watching, only to turn around and go back inside his own small cabin.

Weirdo, he thought angrily and kept marching forward, needing to be alone and think of how to make this up to Jill.