Page 84 of Against All Odds

When I get home, I head upstairs and turn the water on for a quick shower. As I wait for the water to heat up, I stare at myself in the mirror, moving my body right and left, imagining how I’ll look when I start to show.

I grab my phone and send off a text to Analeigh, knowing she’ll call as soon as she sees it.

SOS 811 . . . or even 911.

We have only ever used up to a 7, so she’ll know this means business and I need to talk to her.

Then I hop in the shower and wash away the last twenty-four hours, ready to see some goats and forget about the circus that is my life.

“Oh my God, I want one!” I say as the baby goat climbs up in my lap. I pet him, giving him kisses. “He’s so cute.”

Everett laughs once. “Where do you plan to keep him?”

“Umm, in the house, duh. I’m sure he could be potty-trained, couldn’t you?” I pick him up, rubbing my nose with his.

I had no idea how therapeutic this would be. The farm is absolutely incredible. The Jones family has pretty much every animal you can imagine. A lot of them are rescues, and the owners are in the process of building an equine therapy program.

Everett was busy with the cow for at least three hours, but I haven’t cared in the slightest. I’ve been in goat heaven.

He squats, rubbing the goat’s head. “I promise, you don’t want a goat and you definitely don’t want one in the house. He absolutely will not be potty-trained. They just poop as they walk, and I don’t think you want a newborn baby crawling around shit—literally.”

Fine. He’s right. I forgot for a second I have to think about those things now. “Yeah, no.”

“Maybe you can start small with like a dog.”

I sigh dramatically. “It’s no animals for me until I figure out my life.”

“Good plan. Let’s not complicate your situation more. Come on, you need to see the new foal. He’s going to be an incredible stud.”

I take his hand, and we walk out of the goat pen. “Bye, baby goats! I love you!”

Everett chuckles. “They will undoubtedly try to escape to find you.”

“Aww, don’t tell me that!”

“You’ll be fine, trust me. When you see the foal, you’ll forget all about the goats.”

I doubt that. I loved those little guys.

“If you say so. Why do you think this baby horse is going to be a good stud?”

“You’ll see.”

I don’t know anything about horses, so I’ll just trust him. Everett takes me around the farm, showing me a few different areas that house chickens, ducks, alpacas, and a few peacocks.

As we approach the paddock, the mama horse and her foal come up to the fence, but she angles herself so we can’t see the baby. “Hello, Mystic,” Everett says, placing his hand on her nose. “How is your baby doing?”

The horse lifts her head and then drops it. “She likes you.”

“She does. This little guy was a rough birth, and I had to intervene. I think she knows I was there to save her.”

The foal peeks his head around his mother, and I smile. “He’s beautiful, from what I can see.”

“Can we say hi to him?” Everett asks the horse, and she huffs but shuffles her backside to the left, giving us a view of her baby.

A baby. A little, beautiful baby. One that is close to his mom, knowing she’ll protect him, love him, give him all he needs.

I stare at the foal, my heart swelling as I think about how, in months, I’ll be the same. I’ll hold my child, hoping that I can also provide shelter, love, warmth, and security in a world full of anything but that.

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