Page 32 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies (Men of Medford #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Riley

The drive back to the cabin felt long. The silence was heavy in a way I really didn’t like, every mile of winding road through the pines pressing harder against my chest.

Asher didn’t say much after the shock wore off. He kept his eyes on the road, hands tight on the wheel. His jaw clenched as if he was trying not to break apart.

I wanted to fill the silence, to apologize for my brashness, to explain, but nothing felt like the right thing to say.

I hadn’t meant to tell him in that manner. I hadn’t even meant to tell him at all. Not yet. Not until I was sure.

Not until I’d figured out how to make sense of the chaos myself.

But now the words were out. Real. Irrevocable.

I was pregnant.

And the second we pulled up to the cabin, I knew the truth wouldn’t stop there.

The porch light was on, which meant someone was home. Beckett’s truck was parked just off the drive. My heart thudded harder at the sight of it.

Asher killed the engine and sat back for a beat. “Do you want to talk first, or…?”

I sighed. “At this point, we might as well all talk, don’t you think?”

I was too exhausted to keep going over everything again and again.

His eyes flicked to mine, and I could see the range of conflicting emotions dancing all over his face. “You sure?”

No . I wasn’t sure about any of this.

But I nodded anyway and pushed the door open.

The air inside the cabin was warm, thick with the scent of woodsmoke and Beckett’s favorite coffee. For a second, it almost made me feel safe.

Almost .

Beckett stood near the fireplace, mug in hand, watching us the second we walked in. His eyes moved from Asher to me and back again.

He knew.

Not just about the baby… but that I’d told Asher as well. It was written all over his face.

He didn’t say anything, he gave a small nod, like he’d been waiting. Something in him had already prepared for this.

But Garrett…

Garrett was on the couch, bent over his worn notebook, sketching some new wooden design that I had to admit looked incredible. He looked up at the sound of the door, his whole face lighting up when he spotted me.

“Hey,” he said, smiling. “Didn’t know you were coming over.”

Then he looked closer. His smile faded.

“What’s going on? Are you alright? I’ve been worried about you.”

Asher stepped back, giving me space. Beckett set his mug down with a quiet thunk .

I took a breath that didn’t feel deep enough. “Garrett I need to tell you something.”

He stood slowly, brows furrowed, his posture shifting as he read the room. “Okay.”

My throat burned. I tried to steady myself.

“I’m…” The words caught again. Damn, why was it so hard? “I’m pregnant.”

The silence that followed stretched too long.

Garrett’s mouth parted slightly. “What?” His voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “You’re pregnant?”

I nodded once.

“And it’s… one of us?” He wasn’t angry. He sounded lost. Disbelieving.

“I don’t know who,” I admitted. “I haven’t figured that part out.”

He staggered back a half-step, like the air had been knocked from his lungs. A hand went through his hair. “Shit.”

Beckett stepped toward him, but Garrett flinched. Even kindness was too much.

He looked around the room as if he didn’t recognize it anymore.

He wanted to disappear into the walls.

“Are you sure?” he asked, voice trembling. “You took a test or…?”

I nodded again. “I found out at the doctor’s office.”

He pressed his hands over his face, voice cracking with something broken underneath. “I don’t know how to deal with this.”

“I’m not expecting anything from you—” I started.

But Garrett shook his head, quick and desperate. “It’s not that. It’s not pressure. It’s—” His hands fell to his sides. “You don’t know what happened the last time we tried something like this. You don’t know what it did to us. What it did to me.”

Beckett moved again, more carefully this time. “Garrett.”

But Garrett’s voice rose—not in volume, but in urgency. Panic.

“And Lucy…” he said suddenly, eyes wide. “God, Lucy. What happens when she finds out?” His voice cracked again. “She’s going to hate us.”

That one hit. Right in the gut.

“I didn’t want it to happen like this,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to drop this on you all.”

“And you live in LA,” Garrett said, softer now. Almost dazed. “You’re not staying here forever, right? So what does that mean?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” I told him, voice thin. “I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it.”

The words dropped like a boulder.

Beckett froze. His jaw clenched, but his face stayed neutral. He was fighting the instinct to fix something he couldn’t fix.

Asher’s eyes closed. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a breath as if he’d been punched in the ribs. When he spoke, it was quiet.

“That’s your choice,” he said, voice rough. “We don’t get to decide that for you.”

Garrett turned away, hands on the back of the couch like he needed something solid to hold him up. He let out a shaky breath, then another.

“This is too much,” he whispered. “This is too much.”

No one moved.

The only sounds were the soft hum of the heater and the quiet, uneven breathing of a room that suddenly felt much too small.

Beckett finally spoke, setting his coffee aside like he was laying down a shield. “We can’t solve it all tonight.”

Garrett’s shoulders twitched. His voice came small and tired. “Yeah? Well, that doesn’t make it go away.”

But then his gaze flicked to me, and whatever panic was still flickering behind his eyes seemed to drain out all at once. His body slumped, the fight going out of him.

He scrubbed both hands over his face, a shaky breath escaping, and slowly, like he wasn’t sure his legs would hold, he sank onto the couch. Elbows to knees. Head down.

The room stayed quiet. Still heavy, but not as bad as before.

This wasn’t tension. It was waiting.

Breathing.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice catching as I sat down across from him. My hands twisted uselessly in my lap. “I’m sorry for all of this. I didn’t mean to drag you into something so messy.”

Garrett didn’t look at me right away. He stared at the floor as if it might offer him an answer. Or at least a place to hide.

After a long pause, he shook his head slowly.

“It’s not just you,” he murmured. “We were all in this. All of us.”

His voice broke on the last word, barely holding together. And when he finally lifted his eyes to mine, they were red-rimmed.

Tired. But clearer. Braver, even.

“I just…” he exhaled, his voice thin. “I hate that you’ve been carrying this on your own. And I hate that we don’t even know where we stand right now.”

“I don’t either,” I whispered, my throat tightening.

There was a beat of silence, like the whole room was holding its breath.

Then Beckett stepped closer, his voice low and even. “You don’t have to know everything tonight. But you’re not alone in this, Riley. We’re here for you, no matter what.”

I looked up at him, my heart thudding painfully against my ribs.

And then Asher came to stand beside Beckett. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were soft. Uncertain but unwavering.

“He’s right,” Asher said. “Whatever you decide. Whatever happens next. We’re here.”

Garrett let out a trembling breath and closed his eyes. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “Same.”

Something cracked in me at that. And before I could think, I reached for Garrett’s hand.

He didn’t hesitate. He squeezed back immediately, his fingers rough and familiar.

Beckett’s hand landed on my shoulder, solid and warm. And Asher knelt beside me, his touch light on my knee, like he didn’t want to startle me.

Ever since everything had started unraveling, I hadn’t breathed until now.

It wasn’t fixed. It wasn’t simple. But it was something.

Beckett’s thumb brushed over my shoulder in a slow, calming stroke, and I instinctively leaned into it, soaking up the quiet strength in his presence.

Asher’s grip tightened slightly on my knee, his gaze locking on mine with a look that said I see you , even if the words wouldn’t come.

Garrett’s hand stayed in mine, strong and unmoving. As if he was afraid everything would fall apart if he let go.

Tears welled up in my eyes. My voice came out in a whisper. “I’m really scared.”

Beckett crouched in front of me then, his large hands gently framing my face. He tilted my head toward him, forcing me to meet his gaze.

“We’ve got you,” he said, fierce and unwavering.

And then he kissed me.

Soft, but sure. His lips brushing mine in a way that sent my heart careening.

I melted into it, my body sagging with the weight I’d been carrying. The tears I’d been holding finally spilled over, sliding down my cheeks as his mouth lingered on mine, careful, comforting, but full of something deeper, too.

When Beckett pulled back, he caught a tear with his thumb.

And then Asher lifted my chin toward him. His eyes searched mine, stormy and soft all at once.

“Come here,” he murmured.

And then he was kissing me, too.

This kiss was different. Heavier.

It trembled with all the emotions he couldn’t say out loud, worry, longing, something that felt dangerously close to feelings .

My hands gripped his shoulders as he kissed me deeper, and for a second, everything else vanished. The fear, the questions, the weight of it all.

There was only him. His mouth on mine. His breath mixing with mine. His hand warm on my skin.

When Asher finally pulled away, breathing hard, I could barely think.

Then Garrett’s hand squeezed mine again, drawing my attention back to him. His eyes were still a little glassy, still unsteady.

But they were open now.

Raw.

Scared.

But there.

“I shouldn’t have…” he started, then trailed off. His voice was thin. Frayed. He didn’t know how to say what he needed to say without falling apart.

“You don’t have to,” I whispered.

But he stood anyway, tugging me gently up with him.

His eyes flicked to Beckett, then Asher, and back to me. His throat bobbed like he was trying to swallow everything he felt at once.

Then he cupped my face with both hands.