Life couldn't have been better for Bloom as she gazed up at the night sky. Her head rested on Pip's chest as he stroked her hair. The stars twinkled, seemingly giving the couple a blessing. "Pip?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you." She looked up at him with a smile.
"I love you, too." His hand stroked down her hair, following the curve of her neck until it reached the underside of her chin.
Her eyes gazing into his, she shifted her body so that she was straddling him.
She leaned down, pressing her lips to his. Her eyes fluttered closed as the kiss deepened. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight against him, as the other stroked down her back.
Their lips parted as he left a trail of kisses along her neck. "I can't wait until next year," she whispered into his ear. "We'll be eighteen, finished with school, and we won't have to hide anymore."
She felt his lips curve into a smile. "I still wouldn't want your brother to know. I mean, have you seen his arms?"
"Na, Mac isn't the one I'm worried about. AJ, now…"
Pip snorted. "Right. Your sister. What's she going to do? Mac would rip my head off."
Leaning down to kiss him, Bloom smiled. "Wanna know what AJ'd rip off?" she teased as her hand trailing lightly down his chest to the waist of his jeans. "And you know, AJ still lives here on the farm, unlike Mac. She could decide to take a walk in the west field at any time and just happen upon us." Suddenly, Bloom gasped. "Did you hear that?" She felt Pip's pulse spike and saw his eyes widen.
After a second, he realized no one was actually there. Rolling his eyes, he grinned. "Silly filly."
Bloom stuck her tongue out at him before giving a yelp of surprise as he rolled them over, so that he was now on top of her. "Funny," he said in a flat tone, though his lopsided smile said the opposite. He lowered his head, grazing his lips along her neck. "I'm only ever worried about getting caught when we aren't on your farm." He rose up, his knees supporting his weight on either side of her.
"Well, we're on my farm now," she said, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.
"So we are," Pip grinned. He bent down, pressing his lips to hers for a brief moment before pulling away just far enough to look into her eyes. It didn't take long for her to giggle and tug at his shirt.
Bloom's happy mood turned into a ball of worry in the pit of her stomach as she approached the old farmhouse. She was after curfew by nearly half an hour, she knew. She paused before walking in and taking a deep breath.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she began the instant she saw her sister sitting at the kitchen table. "We lost track of time and I came as soon as I noticed." All she received in reply was a stern look. "Is something wrong, Jack?" She can't know, Bloom thought.
"So, you and Pip had fun out at the old clubhouse, then?"
"I–We went for a walk. That's why I was so late."
Jack sighed. "Bloom, please. I know you think you're grown up now, but you still have a long way to go. I don't want you doing something you're gonna regret in a few years."
Bloom had to bite her tongue to keep from confessing when she met Jack's eyes. Her sister had never been good at hiding things, and her emotions were no exception. Disappointment, distrust, and fear all shown through, though Bloom didn't understand the last one. "Ah ain't," Bloom said, more harshly than she had intended. In a softer voice, she said, "I'm not. Pip and I know what we're doing." She resisted the urge to grimace at that statement. She was already positive her sister knew, but that sounded like a confession. "I mean, we know what we are and aren't ready for."
"Do you?" Jack asked, her eyes staying on Bloom.
The question hung in the air between the sisters. Bloom wasn't sure what to say. Should she just go to her room? Should she answer the question? Should she tell her sister everything? She licked her lips and took a deep breath, preparing to say something—what, she didn't know—when Jack spoke.
"I just want you to realize that what you do can affect other's too. It can even bring other people into being. You understand that, don't you? There are consequences for your actions." As if on cue, a baby's cry floated through the halls. Jack sighed as she stood, shaking her head. "I just want you to be safe, Bloom. Don't be stupid. You have your entire life ahead of you. Don't waste it." The blonde woman left the kitchen, walking down the dark hallway and into a room, where the cries were comforted.
Bloom sat at the table for a few moments longer before walking down the hall and into her own room. She changed into her sleeping clothes and slid under the old handmade blanket. She could hear Jack singing still, though she was certain the baby was asleep by now.
Like she waited until she wanted a family. Bloom snorted and shook her head. Pip and I aren't much different than her and Luke anyway. Pip and I have been together just as long as they have, and she acts like we don't actually love each other. Bloom rolled over, pulling the cover close to her and curled into a ball. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm practically of age. I'm seventeen. I can do what I want.
Still, she couldn't help the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The conversation from that night wasn't brought up again. Nothing had truly been revealed to Jack, but Bloom felt like she needed to make it up to Jack anyway. So the next weekend found Bloom pushing Jack and Luke out the door. She had insisted she would watch Bartley while they had a date night. It would be the first one since the three-month-old had been born, and probably since their marriage a year ago.
"His formula is in the fridge. He needs to eat at seven. Make sure you check his diaper. And don't forget—"
"I know, sis. You made me this list, remember? I think I can take care of my nephew for a couple hours."
Jack smiled, pulling Bloom into a hug. "Thanks. You're a good kid, you know?"
Bloom didn't say anything back, but she squeezed her sister tighter. "Now get going," she said as she gently pushed Jack toward the door. "You'll be late. You don't want that, now, do you?"
"How can Ah be late if Ah'm leaving with my date?" Jack asked, but she walked toward the door anyway. "Don't stay up too late, now. We'll try to be home soon."
"Don't. We'll be fine. Stay out as late as you want."
Jack stopped and looked back. "Ah don't want Pip here while no one else is home."
"I know. It's just going to be me and Bartley here. I didn't even ask Belle or Scoots for help."
With a nod and a smile, Jack was out the door. Bloom sighed as she walked over to the blanket Bartley was laying on. "So, what do I do with you, exactly? I mean, you don't even really play. You mostly just coo at things." She sighed as the baby did just that. "I don't get babies. Jack's a great mama, though. I mean, she was thirteen when mama died. I don't even remember her, or pa, really. A couple of fuzzy images."
Bloom sighed. "I wouldn't be a good mama, you know. Look, I don't even know what to do with you, and I've been living with you for three months. I reckon Jack helped mama a lot when I was a baby, and that's how she knows. Or maybe when you have a baby all those maternal instincts kick in or something?"
Bartley giggled. "Oh, am I being funny?" Bloom patted him on the tummy, like she'd seen Jack do. His face scrunched up, and he almost look confused, before starting to cry.
"What? What is it? You can't be hungry yet. And…what else was there? Food, sleep and…" Bloom's nose wrinkled as she caught a whiff of what was making Bartley cry. "Oh." Bloom hadn't realized how much work taking care of something that didn't really move could be.
The sun had sunk below the horizon not long before she was able to rock Bartley to sleep. She built a fire in the hearth in the living room, settling onto the couch in front of it. The worn couch was the most comfortable place she could think of to sit. Looking around the living room, she noted the little changed that happened with the more recent events.
Mac's work boots no longer sat by the door. His tool belt wasn't hung over the back of the chair. He had moved out four years ago, when he had married Rose.
Granny Smith's picture still held the center of the mantelpiece, as it had since she had died nearly five years previous. The small coffee table had a few more dings in it. A few more of the floorboards squeaked. Still, it was home.
Bloom snuggled into the couch, simply relishing in the feeling of laying there. She sighed, her thoughts drifting, as they often did, to her boyfriend. She hugged a pillow to her chest as she thought of the last time he had visited the farm. That led to her thinking of her brief confrontation with Jack.
AJ just doesn't understand. We love each other. We are being safe. We aren't kids anymore. She sighed again, unable to be angry with her sister. Bloom knew Jack just wanted her to be safe. Shaking those thoughts from her head, she closed her eyes.