Merry Mitchell (Mitchell/Healy Family #3.5) (4 page)

Chapter 6

Noah

It was unfortunate that Shalan wasn’t feeling well. I would have liked for her to be able to enjoy herself. Mostly I wanted her to be around when I gave my cousins a little payback. No matter how old they got, they couldn’t leave well enough alone. Last time they were in town they put Vaseline on all of the car door handles. Then they put plastic wrap around all the golf carts. It was dark out, so when we were all ready to head back to our houses, we got a huge surprise.

They got their witty ideas from their dad, who’d played the same kind of pranks on my dad. I remember being a kid and watching my dad lose bets. I even remember one year where he was covered in flour. I can’t remember why, but the family still talks about it.

One person that they never expected to get involved was my mother. She’d grown up with my uncle Ty, and loved to get him back for all the grief he’d caused her when they were kids. I wasn’t shocked when she handed me a bag of uneaten shrimp cocktail wrapped in a brown paper bag. “What’s this for, mom?”

“Stick it in your uncle Ty’s bag. I’ll keep him occupied. Go up to his room and put it in the front pocket of his hunting bag.”

Of course I did as I was told, aware that when Saturday came around when we did our big family hunt for opening day, it would be rancid.

All I knew was that I wouldn’t be riding on the same ATV as him. As soon as I got back from pulling the prank for my parents, I spotted my cousins with their bottle of booze. It was going to take some maneuvering, but I’d fill that bottle up with vinegar, and watch them drink it.

Sure enough, everyone went outside to watch some fireworks my uncle Conner had bought. I stayed back and emptied  the rum onto the ground then replaced it with white vinegar. They’d been drinking long enough to not notice the pungent smell. I sat there waiting for what felt like forever. Finally Jax came over with an empty cup. I watched him pour in his Cola first, and then the rum, or lack thereof.

I could hardly keep a straight face as I sat there by myself watching him lift it to his lips. Instead of sipping, he took a huge gulp, swallowing it before actually realizing what was in the cup.

I lost it when he began to grab his throat and lunge around the room, as if he’d been poisoned. His face turned red as he picked up the cup and smelled it, searching the room to spot me.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that I’d been the culprit, not that I’d hide that information. I wanted him to know.

“You dickhead!” He cringed and whined again when his mother came in. Bells spotted me and began to laugh. She knew I couldn’t contain myself when it came to giving them hell.

My dad came over and patted me on the back. “What’d you use?”

“Vinegar.”

“Wait until your uncle Ty gets a whiff of those shrimp.”

We both cackled in the corner of the room, knowing that by the time the family left, they’d already be scheming about how to pay us back. The game was never ending, and we’d be crushed if we ever had to stop.

When Jax and Jake challenged their father to a drinking competition I knew it was time to call it a night. We’d party until they all left on Sunday, and since Shalan wasn’t well, I knew she’d need to rest up in order to make it all weekend.

I think she literally undressed as she was marching up the stairs. By the time she climbed into bed she was in nothing but her underwear. I jumped in on the other side, thinking it was a sign that she wanted some loving. Instead she pulled my arms around her and closed her eyes. “I love your family, Noah.”

“We all love you.”

“I’m so tired,” she whispered.

I kissed her forehead and accepted that I wasn’t going to get any. She needed her rest, and I wanted her to feel better. Before going to sleep myself I said a little prayer asking God to heal her. Then, in that same request I asked for some help on getting her to see that a baby would be a blessing. I knew it was selfish of me to want one, but I couldn’t help myself. A part of me longed to be a father. I was ready. I just needed to convince my fiancé.

My internal clock woke me up before the sun was rising. I quietly climbed out of my warm bed and got dressed. My dad would be up, fed, and ready to work by the time I made it over to his house. That man was like a machine when it came to daily duties. Luckily we’d hired a lot more help, which meant we both had a lighter load on us.

For the most part we both oversaw that everything was moving properly. Since we knew that we’d be hunting on the following day, we’d be pretty busy making sure there was nothing that would be a problem while we were all out in the woods.

Hunting on opening day was a tradition. Women were never allowed until my aunt Miranda was born. She was adamant about doing all the things that my uncle Conner could do. In my opinion she was the better shot.

Once my dad and I set out for the morning, everything went as planned. We even had time to stop by and lock up the barn, where my surprise wedding was to take place. We didn’t want the younger teens sneaking off to explore and causing a ruckus that we’d have to repair later. I know I would have ringed their necks if they ruined something that pertained to my nuptials.

When I got back to the house, around ten in the morning, Shalan was awake, but she didn’t look good. She was sprawled out on the couch with my cousin next to her. “Hey ladies, where’s Rusty and the baby?”

“We didn’t know if Shalan was contagious, so he took her up to my mom.”

I sat down next to my beautiful girlfriend. “Everything alright, darlin’?”

“I’m still queasy. Bells thinks I should go to the doctor, just to make sure there’s nothing else wrong.”

I got this big smile on my face, because I could tell what she was thinking, even though she refused to admit it.

“Don’t you dare go there, Noah. I feel terrible. I don’t need your bad mojo making it worse.”

I tossed up my hands, as if to surrender the theory. “I said nothin’,” I couldn’t help but chuckle anyway. It was comical how we couldn’t find a happy medium when it came to a bundle of joy.

Was it so hard for her to see that I was that in love with her that I wanted to make a ton of babies? My father did the same damn thing.

“I was tellin’ her that she can’t go huntin’ with us if she doesn’t get checked out first. She can’t be out in those woods pukin’.”

“Yeah,” I added. “She’ll scare the deer away.”

Shalan lifted a blanket over her head. “You two are ridiculous. I’ll be fine. I ate a bad shrimp or something. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s been two days. You should be feelin’ better, even if it’s food poison. Let’s go get checked out. We can go Black Friday shoppin’ while we’re out.”

I watched Shalan come out from behind the blanket with a curious smile across her face. “Fine. You talked me into it. Let me go get changed.”

While she went upstairs I sat down on the edge of the sofa. “You think she’s pregnant don’t ya?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. It’s probably not that at all.”

I opened my mouth to attest  her statement, but decided on biting my tongue instead. I didn’t want Shalan feeling pressured, and I knew my cousin would push the subject if I brought it up. “I only want her well. She’s lookin’ forward to huntin’ tomorrow. I even put cushions up in my stand so she’d be comfortable.”

Bells rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of God, are you serious? It’s about bein’ one with nature.”

“You have a five gallon bucket with a trainin’ toilet seat on top of it, so you can shit properly. Don’t get on me about luxuries while in the woods.”

“I have a sensitive ass,” she said sarcastically.

“You’re full of shit. That’s the real truth.”

She shoved me off the side of the couch. “Quit hatin’ on me, cuz. Ever since I did that you’ve all put one in your stands. You can’t be a hater if you’re goin’ to steal my ideas. You’re the one who hunts in a mini-house.”

She was right. Most of us had spent a lot of time on our spots to hunt. I’d closed my stand in, on account of having problems falling asleep. It was so quiet and peaceful that I’d felt comfortable. There were several times when I opened my eyes to catch myself falling out of a tree. Then I added a roof, so that I was able to hunt in the rain. My dad liked it so much he did the same to his stand. Since both of us finished work early in the day we’d spend our afternoons out hunting together. It was nice. We were bonding, but too far away from each other to hold conversations. It kept him happy, unless he chased a big buck in my direction and I took the kill. Then I never heard the end of it.

“Shalan’s goin’ to shoot a buck tomorrow. She’ll get that beginners luck, and we’ll mount it right up there on the wall.”

“Say what?” I watched her coming down the stairs. “Noah Mitchell, we discussed the hanging of animal heads in the living room.”

I put my head down like I was sulking. “Yeah, I know. They go in the den. You don’t have to remind me, darlin’.”

She leaned over and kissed me goodbye before they left out of the house. I looked around at all the boxes of decorations I still had to put up. Then I looked down at the comfortable leather furniture. I could take a nice nap to pack in my energy for an early morning hunt, or I could make Shalan happy by decorating the whole house while she was gone.

I decided on the second choice, knowing she’d had a rough two days. I went outdoors to start  hanging the garland on all of the windows and entryways when I heard two familiar voices.

Jake and Jax were approaching the house on a golf cart. “What’s up, bitch.” One of them yelled.

I shook my head and kept on lining up a nine foot piece of garland. “I don’t have time for you two.”

“We came in peace, cuz. It’s too early for pranks. You need some help?” Jax walked over and helped secure the opposite end of what I’d been trying to hang. “We figured we’d be of use before we start drinkin’.”

Jake stepped onto the porch wearing a cowboy hat, a humiliating Christmas sweater that had actually bells hanging from it, and a pair of skinny jeans. “What the hell are you wearin’?”

“Tis the season, fucker. It’s my holiday cheer outfit. I’m wearin’ it every day until Christmas.”

Jax motioned with his index finger that his brother was crazy. “Ever since I got my girlfriend he’s gone a little wacko.”

“Because you traded pussy for a good time. We had a pact, man.” Jake pretended to be sad. I still wondered which one of them got the brains. It was always difficult to tell.

For the next couple of hours the three of us acted like normal family members and worked together. I loved my family, even when we were messing around. Still, it made things so much more fun when there were pranks being pulled. According to my father, it’d been going on since his dad was a kid.

Once we’d finished, we all sat in my living room drinking beer. Jax went on and on about his new girlfriend that we’d meet for Christmas, because he was planning on bringing her. Jake kept interrupting him, going on and on about her little quirks that drove him mad.

I could tell he was jealous, not that his brother was happy, but because he hadn’t found that same kind of connection. For their whole lives they’d worked as a team, and now they’d been challenged to do this separately.

I listened as they bickered amongst each other, as if they couldn’t find common ground. It was entertaining to me, since they’d always been a force to be reckoned with. Now that they were divided, I wondered how it would impact every part of their lives. Literally they spent every second together, on the field and off. I could see our family’s two football stars going in different directions.

“If you two don’t stop arguin’ I’m kickin’ you out. You’re messin’ with my buzz.”

“Noah, tell Jake how good it feels to get a kiss when you walk in the door at night. Tell him that being in love ain’t givin’ up on your manhood. I’m sick of this little prick draggin’ me down.”

“I ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Leave my relationship out of this completely.”

On that note Jake got up and went to the bathroom. Jax leaned forward so he couldn’t hear us. “I’m in love, bro. Wait until you meet her. You’ll see why. She’s perfect. I can already tell she’s the one. She makes me want to be better.”

“That’s good to hear. I know the feelin’.”

“It ain’t like I’m choosin’ sides. I’m with Jake all the time. He’s treatin’ me like it’s the end of the fuckin’ world.”

“It’s got to be hard for him. How many years did you all use that sayin’, bros before hos?”

He shooed me away with his hand. “Whatever, man. He needs to get over it and be happy for me. I’m serious about her, and it ain’t going to change. She loves me.”

“Wow,” I took a sip of beer before continuing. “That’s a big word for you.”

“Piss off.”

Jake came out of the bathroom rubbing his hands together to dry them, although I was actually surprised he washed them at all, since their manners lacked so much etiquette. “Dad texted us. He wants us to meet him at uncle Colt’s house.”

The guys got up and hurried out like their life depended on it. While I sat there looking around at the finished decorating, I was happy they’d helped. Then I tipped my ball cap down in front of my face and settled in for a long awaited nap.