It Wasn't Me - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,75

choice to go home or stay. I chose to go home,” I answered. “How’s it going?”

“Halsey got to work on a back walkover and she totally mastered it. The other two, not so much.” He laughed. “But they’ll get there.”

They would. Halsey was just better at the agility thing. The other two were more like me, whereas Halsey was all Jonah.

“Mommy, watch!”

I turned my attention to Blakesley, who was trying to do a cartwheel.

I grinned at her and gave her a thumb’s up.

“Kid’s goin’ somewhere,” I teased.

Jonah pinched my ass, then brought his hand up and rolled it over my small baby bump.

I was four months along and just now getting to the point of showing.

“So what’s this mean for tonight?” he whispered.

I looked back at my mother who was watching my girls, too.

“I’m gonna see if she’ll take them tonight instead of tomorrow,” I whispered.

Jonah patted my ass. “Go arrange that so I can watch my girls.”

I tugged lightly on his beard and got up, heading straight for my mother.

I didn’t miss the envious looks, either.

Smiling at a bold woman that gave me an ‘I wish I was you’ stare, I made my way to my parents.

“Would y’all take them tonight?” I asked. “That way I can spend some time with Jonah.”

“But if I take them tonight,” my father said, “I won’t be able to do your…”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” I cried, covering my ears.

Pru made a gagging sound from beside me.

I gave her a commiserating look.

“Y’all want to go eat?” I asked.

My dad grumbled some more.

It’d taken time for him to heal, but my father had most assuredly gotten better. He’d also gotten his sweet tooth under somewhat of control, even though he still did what he wanted when he wanted when it came to the beer.

“Umm,” Hoax said. “I don’t mind getting food and taking it to the house, but it’d have to be yours. And I’m not going out because three area schools are having their senior shit tonight. I heard that three of the rooms at each of the most popular places in town are already booked. It’d have to be your house.”

After making plans, I stayed by my mom and watched the rest of the girls’ practice, and after they were done, I gave each of them a big kiss on the cheek, then went home with their daddy.

After dinner, when all of us were stuffed to our gills with pizza, I suggested a walk.

“I have a field of bluebonnets,” I whispered excitedly. “Do you want to go see them? I want to take pictures of the girls and yours and Phoebe’s kids in them. Like Mom used to do. They’re not all the way bloomed yet, but in a few days they’ll be perfect.”

“It’s almost dark,” Jonah tried.

I shot him a glare. “It’s happening.”

Hoax grumbled, but Pru stood up and clapped her hands. “Let’s go.”

So we did, flashlights in hand in case the darkness got too deep before we made our ways back.

It was as I was passing over a fallen tree, one that must’ve fallen recently since it hadn’t been there the last time I’d taken this path, when I saw it.

“Jonah?” I called out.

Jonah was at my side seconds after, hopping over the log like it was a branch instead of a seven-foot round tree.

“What?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

I pointed at the small brown door that looked like it was heading into a dirt hill.

“What’s that?” I pointed.

Jonah looked up and froze.

“Ummm,” he paused. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen it before.”

“This tree must’ve been blocking it,” I said as I pointed to the earth where the tree had been uprooted straight from the ground. Hell, there was still grass attached to the tree’s roots that were six feet high in the air.

Jonah walked over to it and touched the door.

It groaned.

Hoax walked up next to him and pulled on the lever, but it broke off in his hand.

“Hope you weren’t wanting to salvage this,” Hoax laughed.

Jonah held his hand out for the flashlight and said, “Let me see that so I can get a look inside.”

I handed it to him and waited for him to tell me what it was, but when he stood back up, he had a very weird expression on his face.

“Umm,” he licked his lips. “I think I found the treasure that crazy lady was talking about.”

Hoax bent down to look into the gap that the broken off handle had created in the door, then whistled under his breath.

“Let’s get this door off,” Jonah said as he gave the door a good tug.

The wooden slat he was holding onto broke apart like kindling into his hand.

And that was how the next four minutes went as both men pulled the wooden slats off the door until it was as open as it was ever going to get.

Jonah held his hand out for the flashlight one more time and shined it into the open, dark space.

At first, it took me a few minutes to comprehend what I was seeing, but then all the gold started to make sense.

“Holy shit,” I breathed.

“Holy shit, indeed,” Jonah rumbled.

“Is that real?” Pru whispered.

“Real fuckin’ gold.” Hoax picked up a handful of coins that were on the ground in wooden barrels. “Jesus Christ.”

Jonah’s eyes met mine, and suddenly, my big man smiled. “Fancy buying a boat?”

I burst out laughing.

In the end, we did buy our boat.

But mostly, I was just happy to have the final piece of the puzzle solved.

I was also happy to know that there was no ‘baby fetus’ involved. I had my limits, after all.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

I looked over at Jonah to see him staring down into my face.

And without a second thought, I kissed him.