Ellie threw her hand up to her mouth and started to giggle and woke up the little monster.

Just then I heard Ari and Jeff. I looked up and they were walking hand and hand down to the barn. I was so happy Jeff finally came to his goddamn senses. They both looked so happy. I was not going to tell Ellie but Jeff was planning on asking Ari to marry him graduation night.

Ari took one look at Ellie and she screamed. Ellie screamed back as she jumped out of the jeep, put poor little sleepy and lost looking Gus on the ground and ran over to Ari. Jeff just smiled and stepped out the way of two very excited females. Ari grabbed Ellie’s left hand and screamed again.

Little Gus looked up at me like I knew what the feeling of not being in her arms anymore felt like. Little bastard thought like me already……I was going to love this dog. I reached down and picked him up.

“I know buddy…...she has bewitched me also.” I said as I held Gus in my arms.

“HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT! You did GOOD Gunner!! FUCK ME that is beautiful!” Ellie turned around to face me with that sweet smile of hers. She gave me a wink and they both started to walk into the barn but not before she took the dog from my arms and gave him to Ari who went crazy over him.

Jeff started to make his way over to me. I had already asked Jeff for permission to marry Ellie last week. I knew how much he loved her and she didn’t have a father so I felt like it was the right thing to do.

He reached his hand out to me and shook it along with a slap on the back. A hard fucking slap.

“Jesus…what the fuck did you hit me so hard for.”

“I sure as shit hope you made it special for her or I will kick your fucking ass. And goddamn if the puppy was not a nice touch. Well played dude.”

I had to laugh.

“I sure hope I did also Jeff. From how happy she’s been all morning I would say I did at decent job.”

Jeff smiled at me and then shook his head.

“You know Gunner, if she had to end up with anyone, I’m thankful it was you. I see how much you love my sister and I see how much she loves you. By the look on her face when y’all pulled up I would say you did more than a decent job dude. I’ve never in my life seen my sister with such a glow on her face. Thank you. Thank you for making it special for her. Now……I don’t want to ever talk about the fact that you had sex for the first time with my baby sister on the night you asked her to marry you. You ever get drunk and tell me about it, I will kick your fucking ass. You got it?”

I just stood there and stared at him. God I loved Jeff like a brother. I shook my head yes and he laughed and pulled me into a head lock and we started to wrestle around before I heard Gramps yell out.

“Knock it the fuck off…..we got some male bonding to do, to the loft boys.”

We had to leave in a few days as Jeff and I had a bowl game the next week. Our last game as college football players…...I couldn’t believe it.

The day after I asked Ellie to marry me I got up the nerve that night to finally talk to her about the wedding. I was so afraid she was going to be upset when I told her I could not stand the thought of her staying in Austin after we got married. I was so worried about it, I was sure she was going to tell me she didn’t want to get married or that we were going to have to wait until she finished school but she just smiled.

“Gunner, I already made up my mind weeks ago I was not going back to school in the fall. I was coming out here with you to the ranch no matter if you had asked me to marry you or not!”

“Ellie what about school, I thought you would be upset if I asked you to give up school to come with me out here. Are you sure baby this is what you want?”

She threw her arms around my neck. “YES! I already figured it out. I’m going to take classes online and finish up my degree in business. That way I can help you run the ranch when you take it over from Garrett someday.” I was speechless. This girl never ceased to amaze me. I loved her so much. I leaned in and asked her if she was feeling daring and she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down. We snuck off to the barn and made love. Another first…although I spent more time pushing Gus away than anything, that little bastard was barking at me the whole time. He and I were going to have to have a man to man talk and soon.

Ellie was crying as she was saying goodbye to Grams. They had become so close and had been sneaking off all day yesterday with Ari and the puppy….I’m sure they were already talking about the wedding. Grams whispered something into Ellie’s ear that caused Ellie to blush. She quickly looked over at me and smiled. I don’t think I could ever be so fucking happy. Nothing would ever top this feeling.

JUNE……

“Gunner….dude you need to settle down. It’s all going to be okay, trust me….come on.” Brad handed me a beer and led me out to the deck that over looked Lake Travis. I didn’t want a bachelor party so a few of the guys decided some male bonding up at Brad’s parent’s lake house would do the trick. Gus took his normal position at my feet. I was surprised Ellie let him come with me and not her. She fucking loved this dog and he loved her just as much if not more!

Ellie and the girls were at Ari’s parent’s lake house which was actually two miles up the road. All I wanted to do was talk to Ellie. We were getting married in three days and I was a fucking nervous wreck. We were leaving tomorrow for the ranch. Ellie seemed so calm. Ari, Amanda and Heather were amazing friends to Ellie. They were handling so much of the planning for Ellie and were in constant contact with Jenny who we were using as the wedding planner. It helped Ellie not to stress too much so she could finish up school.

The only real break she took from school was for Brad and Amanda’s wedding on Valentine’s Day and spring break when we all headed to the ranch. Jeff and I spent most of spring break getting his property ready for the horse staples he was having built this summer. He was going to tear the small ranch house down and start from scratch by building something bigger. He thought Ari wanted something big but turns out she is just a simple country girl at heart and wanted a simple ranch style home. They would stay in the existing house until they built their house. Jeff and I had both been putting in a shit ton of hours at the firm where we had been interning for the last two years. I’m still surprised they asked us to stay on as consultants.

Fuck just sitting here and relaxing felt great. Graduation was over and now the wedding. Jeff came walking out and slapped me on the back as he ran his hand through his hair. He sat down and let out a sigh.

“She still pissed?” I asked as Jeff took a drink from his beer.

“Yep……god she has me all tied up in fucking knots!”

Brad and I just laughed. Ari was not speaking to Jeff ever since graduation night when he failed to pop the big question. Little did she know he was asking her the night of our wedding. He had Jenny working on the side taking care of it. I thought it was pretty cool he was going to ask Ari to marry him in the same cabin as I asked Ellie. Grams said it was a good sign. Ellie and I were going to be living in the cabin until we could get a house of our own built.

“Did you even acknowledge to her that you knew why she was upset?” Brad asked with a laugh.

“No….she’s so pissed and just started calling me a mother fucking dickwad for no reason when we got back to her place so I just left and came home.”

“DAMN dude…..no wonder she’s pissed at you. You better make it up when you do ask her this weekend.” Brad said as he tipped his beer back and finished it.

“Shit……I think I’ll text her.”

Jeff sat there and typed out a text message to Ari as Brad and I talked about some last minute shit that needed to be done before the wedding.

“There! I just sent her a text telling her I knew why she was upset and that I wanted to wait until after Ellie’s wedding. She just doesn’t know it will be the night of the wedding!”

Jeff’s cell phone started ringing and he must have thought at first it was going to be Ari. He pulled it out and frowned when he saw who was calling.

“What do you want Rebecca?” Jeff said with no emotion at all in his voice.

“Well honestly I don’t see what in the hell we would need to meet for lunch for. I have nothing to discuss with you. Fuck I haven’t even seen you since what….last November.”

Just then Jeff dropped the beer that was in his hand and it crashed onto the patio. Beer went everywhere and Brad jumped up!

“What the fuck Jeff!”

Jeff’s face was pale. What the fuck was going on.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now Rebecca? That is impossible, I saw it and it was not broke! No you listen to me, you’re wrong; I can’t talk to you now I will call you next week. NO…I will call YOU next week.”

Jeff sat there for a second stunned.

“Jeff, what the fuck was that all about?”

“Jesus Christ Jeff you look like you are about to throw up! Man don’t do it out here or my parents will kill me!”

Jeff turned and looked at me and he had tears in his eyes. Oh holy mother fucking shit………..

“She’s pregnant isn’t she?”

CHAPTER FIFTY NINE

Ellie……

“Holy hells bells…..Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I asked you to keep an eye on her Amanda!”

“Don’t yell at me Ari! She slipped out when I wasn’t looking!!”

“FUCK! That little shit is trying to make her way to Gunner! EVERYONE….spread out! Look for her!”

“Um, Ari…who the hell are you telling to spread out to…it is just you, Amanda and me.” Heather said with a laugh.

I started to laugh as I opened the bathroom door. “Um, ladies I just went to the bathroom!”

“Jesus Ellie, stop doing that. I know you are just trying to throw us off you and your fucking horny little self trying to get to Gunner. Once Amanda hear slipped and said he was two miles down the road it has been your mission to leave! Do. Not. Lie. To. Me!”

“I have no idea what you are talking about Ari.”

“For Christ sakes if she wants to go see Gunner I say we just take her! We can make a quick trip up there and say hi to the guys and then come back here.” Heather said as she downed another beer.

All three of us turned and stared at Heather. What was going on with her?

“Ahhh, are you drunk?” Ari asked as she walked over and took the empty beer out of Heather’s hand.

“NO! I’m not drunk! I was just saying if Ellie wanted to see her fiancé that bad who are we to stop her, that’s all. Gesh….”

“Oh holy hell…..”

Why was Ari smiling at Heather that way?

“Why are you looking at me like that Ari?”

“Mother fucker…you want to see Josh DON’T YOU!” Ari practically yelled out.

Amanda jumped up and down and was clapping her hands. “I KNEW you like him! I knew it when I saw y’all dancing at the wedding!”

“Wait…what? You like JOSH Heather?? Since when? I thought you couldn’t stand him! Oh my god….where I have I been that I didn’t know this!” I could not believe Heather was falling for…...Josh…...playboy Josh!