Talk About… Rivalry (Rockwood Valley Omegaverse #2)

23. Sidney

Sidney

E ven though I knew the guys were going to let me hear it later, I snuck out of the house before any of them were up for the day.

Today was Avery’s baby shower and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything.

Not to mention, this was a great excuse to ignore the chaos that was my life.

Of course, my mind wouldn’t quiet down. I just kept thinking about the fact that they knew everything about me now.

They had reassured me that things would be fine but there was no way that I was going to be able to believe them.

Now that they’d had time to think, to sleep on it, I worried that they might change their minds.

If I didn’t put all my focus on Avery and this baby shower, I might go crazy waiting to find out.

It felt wrong to be back at my place on the ranch. I had ignored it for so long and the guilt was eating away at me.

There was still so much to consider. I had to go through my cottage and pack my things.

Then there was Sully. My little cat had gotten me through a lot but this ranch was his home. He was out there with the other cats as much as he snuck away in here.

I couldn’t bring myself to steal him away.

As I got ready, I kept sneaking peeks out of my window, expecting my uncle or father to storm over here and confront me.

The bitter truth was that my family never deserved my loyalty and one day, I’d have to accept that.

I tried my best to quiet my chaotic thoughts as I showered and got ready. Dressing up wasn’t my favorite but I was willing to do it for my best friend. I slipped into a floral sundress and a pair of white converse.

Heels weren’t ever going to be my thing, even for a baby shower.

Just as I was gathering up Avery’s gifts, the cat door flopped open and my boy Sully hurried in.

“There’s my baby,” I said, scooping him up to give him extra love. He had hay stuck to his fur and I picked it out, giving him a good scratch before going back to my task.

My heart broke at the thought of leaving him behind. I knew that if I didn’t have to come back, I wouldn’t.

I gathered up the gifts and walked out the door, not bothering to lock it as I closed it behind me.

Movement in the training yard caught my attention. More guilt piled on top of my shoulders as the black horse I’d been working with looked at me accusingly.

There was an abandoned bag of carrots and apples against the post. Maybe Uncle Dale left it in hopes I’d stop by.

The horse padded over, eyeing me carefully until I offered a carrot. She took it from me, her eyes still wary, but I swear she was relieved to have me close.

“I’m sorry, girl. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around,” I admitted. She was tense enough that I could feel it as I rubbed the side of her face. She shifted slightly, giving me better access.

A small, triumphant laugh escaped me but it was enough to spook her and she rushed backwards, away from me. I had no doubt that soon enough they’d have her living her best life.

“I thought you’d forgotten about us.” Uncle Dale’s voice had me turning, ready to face whatever he was going to throw my way. “Did you find a pack, Sidney?”

“Something like that,” I admitted. “Yesterday was a really hard doctor’s appointment and I’m going to have to go away for a week or two.”

He didn’t need to know the intricacies of my heats. That wasn’t exactly the type of relationship I had.

“I’ll talk to your daddy and let him know.”

“Thank you, Uncle Dale.”

He let out a sigh, glancing around at the pasture, and then back at me.

“Just make sure you tell him goodbye before you leave. I know your daddy’s never been good at words or emotions and that’s what chased your mom off. I get why you wouldn’t want to stay, and I’ve been waiting for the day that you’d run like her.”

“I’m nothing like her,” I bit out, tone sharp.

He gave me a sad smile. “No, you aren’t. You’re loyal and I know we took advantage of that. You were an asset here, but you deserve to be out in the world, living your life and finding a pack. Good luck, Sidney.”

We fell quiet for a moment, watching Queenie walk around for a bit before he broke the silence again.

“I’ll find another trainer to help me with the horses. She’ll be fine.”

He gave my shoulder a pat before walking away, his words hanging heavy in the air.

Reaching down, I grabbed a few more apples and carrots, tossing them over the fence before walking away.

I don’t think Uncle Dale had ever showed so much compassion to me. Even if it felt odd, his words rang with truth.

As I drove away from the ranch, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would even miss it when I left.

During the car ride I allowed myself to feel everything, doing my best not to cry and ruin the subtle makeup I had on my face.

And when I pulled into the driveway in front of Mama Whitaker’s house, I took a breath and put on my usual happy mask.

Today wasn’t about me and I was going to ignore all of my own drama, just to focus on my best friend.

She deserved an amazing baby shower.

I was one of the first to arrive. I knocked once on the door before pushing it open and stepping inside.

The air smelled like homemade food and my stomach growled loudly.

“You sound just like Avery,” Mama Whitaker said as she pulled me into a hug. She held on for a few extra beats like she always did. “Gifts are over in the living room and then you can come in the kitchen and help me out.”

“Of course,” I said easily, stopping to drop the gifts on the table she had set up before hurrying in.

“Sidney,” Avery said, opening her arms for me to hug her. It was a little more difficult these days. I swear that her stomach had doubled in size since the last time I saw her.

Pregnancy was crazy.

This did not make me want to have one of my own. She looked downright miserable. She had dark circles under her eyes and she was puffy from head to toe.

She was still as gorgeous as ever, though. Her hair was curled and shiny and she was wearing a pretty, floral maternity dress.

As I pulled away she let out a little gasp, both hands flying to her stomach. Mama Whitaker and I both froze but Avery just let out a small laugh.

“They’re moving if you want to feel.” She didn’t even wait for my answer before she took my hand, pressing it to her stomach where I could feel something moving inside.

“That’s so fucking weird,” I said as a shudder ran through me. She didn't fight me as I pulled my hand away, laughing at me instead.

Mama Whitaker had no such reservations. She rushed forward and placed her hands on Avery’s belly. She put on a cutesy voice as she talked to her grandbabies.

“Oh, your Mimi can’t wait to meet you. You’re going to be just as spicy as those uncles of yours,” she teased before placing a kiss on Avery’s forehead.

“What can I do to help?” I asked when she turned back to the kitchen.

The next twenty minutes were a whirlwind of plating up the dishes, finishing off the final touches on lunch, and demanding that Avery stay off of her feet.

She was never one for sitting back and letting others take care of things, but now she had no choice. She’d be a hazard with that belly at this point.

“Why don’t you just go settle in the living room, honey, and then you won’t have to move for a while.”

“Just because I’m the size of a house right now,” she argued with a winded huff. “Does not mean that I can’t do anything.”

“Listen to your Mama,” I said, teasing her, but also gently guiding her to the living room and settling her in the comfiest armchair. Avery let out a sigh of relief as she sat, all the fight leaving her.

Mama Whitaker and I had just finished putting the final touches on the buffet table when the doorbell rang.

There was everything from fried chicken, to mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, salad. Anything Avery called comfort food. She hadn’t missed anything.

Then there was the dessert table filled with tiny little Bundt cakes. I just hoped that she had gotten these from the bakery, not made them herself. I swear this woman was going to work herself to death one day.

Despite being exhausted, Avery was captivating. She greeted everyone with smiles, telling them all about the babies and her pregnancy.

She passed around some 3D ultrasound pictures. You could make out the babies’ features but it was a little weird. The takeaway from this experience was that I was destined to be a cool aunt, not a mom.

Especially if Maverick and I were actually mates. He could keep his triplet genetics to himself.

After everyone had eaten their fill of Mama Whitaker’s cooking, Mama Whitaker and I carried the gifts over one by one for Avery to unwrap. Her mates were going to need every single truck they had to take these all back to their pack house.

These babies would be spoiled beyond belief.

When she got to my gift, I started to get nervous. It was one of those gifts that wasn’t expensive, but took time. I’d worked on it for months when I first found out she was pregnant. It was truly a labor of love.

I shouldn’t have worried. This was the kind of thing Avery went crazy for. When she pulled out the three matching quilts, her eyes lit up.

“Sidney you didn’t,” she gasped.

Mama Whitaker looked at me with a grin. She’d helped me gather all of our old T-shirts from all the things that Avery and I did together. We’d outgrown them by now but there was everything from school events, to town-wide carnivals, to our first concerts. It was a timeline of our friendship.

Mama Whitaker had cut them all into quilt sized pieces and I had sewn them together before putting backing on them. At least one of my many hobbies had paid off.

Avery inspected each one and when she looked back up at me her eyes were full of tears.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling almost as emotional as she did.

“Okay, no tears, you two!” Mama Whitaker was exasperated through her own tears. “We still have desserts and you have a pile of gifts left.”

When she finally opened up the last gift she had everything that they could possibly need for these babies. Swings, playpens, blankets, diapers, wipes, outfits, an array of bottles, and anything in between.

I just hoped the nursery was big enough to hold it all.

As the party started to wind down I stood off to the side nibbling on a piece of chocolate cake. My goal was to avoid small talk but Mama Whitaker zeroed in on me. She leaned against the wall by my side, looking out over the party.

“When are you going to give me grandbabies?” she teased, bumping her shoulder against mine.

For a moment I panicked, worried that she suspected about me and Maverick. Maybe she read too much into him storming here during meal prep day or maybe he’d said something.

One glance at her had me taking a breath. She was only teasing, so I forced myself to joke right back.

“If I have any say about it. Never. Avery’s got that covered for the both of us.”

She chuckled at that. “Her hands are going to be full.”

“She’s got a village, though,” I promised. “Between you, me, and half the town, those babies will be well loved.”

“They sure will,” she agreed. “This town did the same for me when I needed them. Rockwood Valley is special, we always look out for each other.”

Someone grabbed her attention and she gave my arm a squeeze before hurrying off. I let out a breath, relieved to not have to keep hold of my own mask for much longer.

People started to leave, and like the coward I was, I slipped out with them. I’d at least stopped to give Avery a tight hug before rushing to my car.

When I was behind the wheel, I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go. The idea of relying on the guys was still crazy and I was terrified that they had changed their minds. I hadn’t even gotten a single text today.

My plan was to head back to the ranch and hide away. Yet, the moment I left Whitaker Ranch, I found myself driving right back to Leo’s place.