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"It sounds like you've already thought this
through."

He shrugged, trying to keep a cool demeanor but really he was
freaking out inside. "Do you think I'm wrong?"

Mike leaned forward and took Connor's hands in his. Connor
leaned in, wishing that they'd stayed at the house so he could kiss Mike. But
in the house, he'd be thinking about Riley and how guilty he was for screwing
everything up.

"No, I don't think you're wrong for wanting to sell the
house. Just make sure you're doing it for the right reason."

"I think I am. I loved Riley. I don't ever want to
forget about him and I feel that if I sell the house I'm throwing away a piece
of him. He left me the house."

"Do you think he'd be pissed at you for selling?"

Connor shrugged. "I don't know."

"Why did he leave the house for you?"

"I don't know. It was a shock when I found out. I think
it was because I was the only one in his life that was close."

"Does it surprise you that he left it to you and not
Lane?"

"A bit. I mean, what if Lane was the one he wanted to
leave it to."

"You can't play the what if game. Connor, he loved you.
You two had some issues and he needed to get over Lane and focus solely on you.
But you aren't to blame. These next two months in rehab will give you time to
think. One of the things I want you to think about is the fact that you did
nothing wrong. You aren't to blame for what happened."

Connor closed his eyes and wiped his hand down his face. When
he cracked open his eyes he saw the love in Mike's gaze. That love gave him
confidence. "I hear you and I'm trying, but it's hard."

"I know, and I support you."

"Thank you." Connor sat back giving the waitress
room to put their food on the table. They ate in near silence, Connor deep in
thought. By the time the meal was over he'd decided to list the place once he
was out of rehab. He didn't know if he would return to the house after he got
out. He doubted he would. Later in the afternoon he'd call his old boss and
talk to him about coming back to work, maybe in a different role and a
different city, something closer to Dallas where Mike lived.

*~*~*

Jamie picked Liz up, driving her to her first doctor's
appointment. He was disturbed that she hadn't been going but he guessed since
she had no money he could understand. She looked great. The smile on her face
seemed a bit thin, but she was pregnant and he was sure she was tired.

"The lawyer called me this morning." Liz toyed with
her purse strap.

"Are you okay with everything?"

"Yeah, I am. I know it may sound weird that I'm ready to
sign over my rights."

"Not weird. You're at a different place in your life than
I am. I still can't believe you lied about your age."

"Hey, I was young."

"You still are young."

"Yeah, and the lawyer talked to me about that, making
sure I understood that even if I changed my mind in five years, I wouldn't be
able to get the baby back."

"Are you really okay with it?"

The corners of Liz's mouth turned up and she snorted. "I
am and you can stop asking. I love you and I trust you with my kid. I don't
trust myself with my kid. I want him or her to have the best possible chance in
life and I'm not willing to change everything to get that for him. I like being
irresponsible. I'm afraid that I would screw everything up if I was really left
with the kid on my own. This decision is hard, but I can't give up my dreams.
Not right now."

"Speaking of that, you will be using a condom from here
on out?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Sorry, I just want you to be safe. You'll be in a
different environment, living on a cruise ship. Things could happen."

"I know, and I'll be safe. Trust me, I don't want to get
pregnant again."

"If you do and you don't want to keep it, you know Kip
and I would take the baby."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to. I'll stay on birth control
and use condoms. I'm happy the two of you will have a baby, but I need to grow
up before I get pregnant again."

Jamie parked the truck, glad to see the Kip Had finished at
the feed store and was parked in the lot across from him. "Kip made
it."

"Cool. Let's get this show on the road."

Kip rushed over and helped Liz from the truck, keeping his
hand on her arm as they walked to the office building. Jamie's heart melted at
the sight. Kip was the sweetest guy in the world, being so nice to Liz. He was
glad Kip hadn't been angry about the baby. Jamie wouldn’t have been happy to
lose Kip, but he didn't know if he would be able to say no to Liz about the
adoption. Even if he had said no, he knew he would have regretted it for the
rest of his life.

The wait at the doctor's office was short and before Jamie
could even sit down they were ushered back to an exam room. He and Kip stood in
the hall, waiting for Liz to change into a gown. When she cracked open the door
they went in, Kip standing on the right side of the table and Jamie on the
left. The doctor came in, lifting his brows when he saw the group.

"So, Liz, nice to meet you. And who do we have
here?" the doctor asked.

"Kip and Jamie will be adopting the baby when he's born.
I want them in the delivery room with me."

"Boys," the doctor shot them both a look, "you
okay with that. I don't want you passing out from blood."

"We've both delivered cows," Kip said. "We'll
be okay."

"Babies are different. Plenty of ranchers drop like
flies in the delivery room."

Jamie laughed and reached for Kip's hand. "If he passes
out, I'll be there to catch him."

"Good, at least you have a plan. So Liz, you said he,
but we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. The technician should be
here—"

A knock sounded on the door and the doctor shrugged. "I
guess she's here now." He opened the door, admitting the technician.

"I'm Misty, I'll be doing the sonogram. This is your
first sonogram?" the nurse asked.

"Yes. I'm a bit nervous." Liz clutched the thin
material of the gown she wore.

"Nothing to be nervous about. Just lie down and let's
get a look."

Liz leaned back on the table. Kip stepped away and Misty
arranged two blankets over Liz's belly. Kip moved over to Jamie's side of the
bed, grasping his hand. Goop was spread over Liz's belly and Misty turned some
knobs. She placed a flat paddle over the baby bump, spreading the goop thin.
The technician move the paddle around, saying nothing for a long moment before
she smiled, her mouth quirking up and she laughed.

"What?" Liz asked.

"So have you been getting prenatal care?" Misty
asked.

"Not really," Liz said. "Actually I haven't
been to the doctor since I found out I was pregnant."

Jamie shifted from one foot to the other. "Is something
wrong?" Jamie asked the tech.

"Not so much wrong." She lifted her shoulders in a
shrug then glanced at the doctor.

The doctor stepped next to Misty and smiled. "Nothing
wrong, but my dear and you two fathers, you're going to have your hands
full."

"What's up?" Kip asked, his fingers tightening
around Jamie's.

"Well, you're having twins."

Jamie swore his heart stopped and he felt Kip dip a bit
beside him. He dropped Jamie's hand and wrapped his arms around Jamie's
shoulder.

"Twins?" Kip asked.

"Yes sir, you two will be fathers to a baby girl and…"
Liz moved the paddle as the doctor stared over her shoulder. "What looks
to be a baby boy."

Jamie turned to Kip, his eyes were wide and glassy.
"Twins!" Jamie pulled Kip close, kissing his cheek. The news was
shocking and he hopped it wasn't a deal breaker for his husband. Two was much
more than one and the extra baby might be enough to push Kip over the edge.

"Are you okay with that?" Jamie asked.

"Are you kidding me? A boy and a girl. Oh my God, Jamie,
we're going to have babies." Kip looked like he was going to kiss him then
paused, glancing over at Liz. "Liz, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm good. A bit shocked." Liz's face had turned
pale.

Jamie disentangled his arms from around Kip and bent to give
Liz a kiss on the forehead. "Wow, I'm so impressed. Twins."

"Are they healthy?" Liz asked the doctor.

The man stared at the video screen for a long moment, asking
Misty to move from one area to another. Jamie felt like an eternity had passed
when the doctor spoke up. "From what we can tell, they look healthy. We'll
do a few tests on you, Mom, then we'll have some more information. But I don't
see why they wouldn't be good. You're young and in good shape. Have you had any
issues while pregnant?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Misty is going to take a few pictures for you and
do some more measurements. Once you get dressed we'll talk to you about the
babies and take some blood. I also need to get a urine sample."

The doctor left the room, and the sonogram technician
continued with her task, making measurements of the babies. By the end of the
appointment Jamie was scared to death but excited beyond belief. How the heck
would they deal with twins?

*~*~

Every time the phone rang, Lane jumped. Two weeks had flown
by and Leigh had a doctor's appointment today to find out if she was pregnant.
Lane and Gresh had decided not to go to the appointment because they didn't
want to be unsupportive in front of her if the first procedure didn't work.

By ten he was fit to be tied. He finally went out to the
barn, thinking that a bit of physical exercise would take his mind off the
issues. He cleaned one stall, checking on the others, finding them clean. He
went to the tack room, ready to organize the area only to find it in perfect
condition. He checked the hay supply and then glanced through the bins, looking
for anything to keep him busy. The cowboys were doing too good of a job keeping
everything running smoothly.

When he couldn’t find anything left undone, he headed toward
the dining hall, ready to do some heavy cleaning. Gresh stepped out of the
bunkhouse and held on to the porch roof support.

"Hey, Lane," Gresh called out. "I got a
call."

Lane's heart hammered, fear raced through him.
"And?"

"We did it. She's pregnant."

"Yeah!" Lane raced to Gresh, whooping the entire
way. He was going to be a daddy. "I'm so excited." Lane hugged Gresh
and kissed him. All thoughts of work fled as he danced around the yard with
Gresh. He knew spinning Gresh around too much wasn't safe so he stopped moving
and held his lover tightly, supporting his weight.

"Wow, the first time. That's amazing."

"You okay?" Lane asked.

"Yeah, just nervous. Now we have to wait and you know
how I suck at waiting."

Lane stepped back and looked Gresh in the eyes. "We're
going to be parents. Fuck, this is amazing and frightening."

"Yeah, and now you have to stop saying fuck in
public."

"Oh crap."

"That too."

"Damn."

"Lane, maybe I should just kiss you to keep you from talking."
Gresh grabbed the front of Lane's shirt and yanked him forward. Lane could feel
Gresh waver but he was holding onto the porch post so he didn't fall. They
kissed, leaning against each other as they shared their euphoria. Lane felt
like he'd been given the keys to the world.

The days flew past, and Lane and Gresh began buying things
for the nursery, storing the furniture in Houston. Their house would be done in
a little over a month and they were both looking forward to decorating the
baby's room.

Gresh was doing great, his doctor asked him to start physical
therapy and occupational therapy. The therapy was in Houston so they packed a
bag and moved to the city for a few weeks. Lane missed the ranch life but he
loved Gresh so much he'd do anything for him. The therapy sessions would lessen
eventually, but for now it was intensive.

They were able to see Leigh each week, though the meetings
were uneventful. Once she started showing Lane knew his excitement would grow.

Chapter Nineteen

Jamie's phone rang at three in the morning. He grabbed the
thing, trying to get it to shut up. Eventually he answered and held the device
up to his head.

"Is anyone there?"

The voice sounded familiar then it clicked. "Liz?"

"Jamie. Thank God. I'm in labor."

"What. The doctor said you had at least a week."
Jamie pushed the covers out of the way and punched Kip in the shoulder. Kip
didn't move.

Liz growled. "Yeah, well tell that to your impatient
daughter. I'm having the babies."

"Daughter, how do you know she's the impatient
one?"

"She's a girl," Liz screamed.

"Maybe the boy will be impatient too."

"Jamie, just get your cute little butt over here. I need
a ride to the hospital."

Jamie pushed the off button and scrambled out of bed.
"Kip, get up." Jamie flipped on the light. Kip moaned and reached for
the cover. "Babies, now."

Kip sat up, wiping his face. "Baby?"

"Liz is in labor."

Kip jumped out of bed, pulled on his underwear and tossed
Jamie his clothes. Kip was dressed and brushing his teeth before Jamie even had
his pants pulled up.

"How can you be so calm?" Jamie yelled.

"I'm freaking out too." Toothpaste spit dotted the
mirror. "I'm just freaking out while I brush."

Jamie tugged on his shirt and spun in a circle. "Kip, I
need help."

"Sure thing babe. I'll get us organized."

Jamie tried putting on his boots but got them on the wrong
feet. He pulled them off then went to grab his bag. Kip waved him off. "Go
brush your teeth."

It was easier to just follow Kip's instructions. He did what
he was told to do and they were soon out the door. Kip drove to Liz's place and
Jamie felt just as scattered as he had when he first received the call. Liz
seemed calm and Kip was solid, emphasizing Jamie's freak-out.