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Chad stumbles back, almost falling, holding his cheek. Obviously realizing the jig is up, he scowls at Emmett. “You’re punching me after she fucked me and is now lying and saying that the baby is mine? It’s not mine. Who knows how many men she slept with?”
Gillian steps up to Emmett’s side, but Ben pushes her back, coming shoulder-to-shoulder with Emmett. “Get the fuck off our property.”
Jude steps up so he’s on Emmett’s other side. I can see a part of Emmett knit back together when his brothers have his back.
“You’re on your own,” Chad says to me. “Don’t try to get child support from me.”
Gillian pushes through the two brothers and uses both hands to push Chad farther down the walkway. “She doesn’t need you. She has all of us. And I bet your wife doesn’t know what a slimeball you are. We don’t want your money or empty promises.”
I move to join Gillian. Emmett tries to keep me back, but I stand with my sister. “You’re a piece of shit. You played me for a fucking year. Told me lie after lie. You don’t want this baby? That’s fine, I don’t want you to be his or her father. I don’t need your money, and I don’t need you.”
Bruce steps forward now. “I suggest you get outta here before I grab my shotgun and start shooting trespassers.”
Parker comes back out of the building. “Whoa, sorry, my BFF is going through… what happened?” She runs toward Chad. “Oh my god, what happened?”
“I’m gonna sue you. What kind of place are you running here? The bastard punched me.”
Parker looks back at us, horrified. “Why would you do that?”
“Ask him,” Emmett says, nodding at Chad.
Chad walks off like the coward he is while Parker’s eyes ping back and forth between us all, trying to figure out what happened while she was in the bathroom and on the phone. Eventually she joins her husband, walking down the hill toward their expensive SUV.
I go over to Emmett and look at his hand. “Let’s get you some ice.”
I don’t wait for anyone else to say anything, leading him inside The Knotted Barn.
“Why does everything happen here?” Romy says, shaking her head and following us inside.
Everyone comes back in, and one of the servers gets me a bag of ice.
I sit Emmett in a chair and hold the ice on his hand. “Well, it’s all out now.”
He gives me a tender smile. “It’s out. You guys okay?” His gaze dips to my stomach.
I place my free hand on it. “We’re great.”
“I hate to do this, but I need the two of you,” Bruce interrupts.
Emmett looks up at his dad and nods as if he knows what his dad wants, but I have no idea.
Emmett stands and hands his bag of ice to Ben. “Ice your eye.”
“Fucker, it just healed.” Ben accepts the ice and puts it on his eye.
Eight of us walk out of The Knotted Barn. Bruce; Ben, Gillian, and Clayton; Jude and Sadie; and Emmett and I get into the UTVs. We drive until we reach the hill covered in daisies.
“Let’s go visit Mom,” Bruce says, and we all follow the trail up the hill.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Emmett
As soon as my dad came up to Briar and me after the huge fight that broke out at yet another family gathering, I knew he’d reached his limit. His sons have brawled twice now, and I’m sure he knows we haven’t been talking.
We all stand at the base of the hill covered in daisies, and my dad turns and faces us. “Now, I want you all to know, this is usually done on horseback, but what with the two of you being pregnant, I wouldn’t risk it. But be prepared for next time.”
Clayton walks with Dad, and the rest of us pair up in birth order. Jude and Sadie, Ben and Gillian, and Briar and me pulling up the rear. I hold her hand, wanting to comfort her. Emotions run high at these meetings. While I usually take the comedic route, my feet are on the coals this time.
