by Kelly Moore
“I’m sorry about you and Mr. Taylor.”
“Me too. How did Will take the news?”
“He hurts for you and of course he blames himself. You know his father showed up here yesterday, and they talked. Will said that it was a ploy to win you back, and maybe it was, but I’m glad they were civil to one another, but Will still blames himself for the two of you splitting.”
“That’s ridiculous. None of it is his fault. Patrick made his own choices and today is not the day to get into it. Today is yours and Will’s day. Now, I’m going to go find that handsome son of mine. I’ll see you again when you are on my son’s arm.”
As soon as she walks out the door, Hank walks in wearing a khaki-colored suit with a blue tie that matches his eyes. “You look beautiful, Maggie. Are you ready?” He holds out his elbow for me to take.
I reach up and fix his tie then take my arm and wrap it in his. “Thank you for walking me down the aisle, Hank.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me. “I promised Will that I would get your brother on video phone.”
I take it from him and dial in my brother’s number. Once we have a good connection, we head outside onto the white sandy beach where there is a tent set up and a red-carpet walkway leading to the makeshift deck that Will is standing on waiting for me. He looks so handsome in his black suit. He’s nervously tugging on his white cuffs that are sticking outside the sleeve of his jacket.
I run my hands down the sheer sleeves of my dress that are covering my tattooed arms, then I take Hank’s arm again and head straight to the man that I’m madly in love with. A soft, salty breeze picks up loose strands of my hair, stirring them around my cheeks. I brush them back with my fingers and look toward my soon-to-be husband.
As soon as he sees me, he runs a hand through his neatly combed hair, messing it up. He looks even sexier with a curl of hair on his forehead. His face lights up like a man in love as Hank hands me over to him.
“You are simply stunning,” he says as he takes my hand and faces me.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I say, looking him over.
“Are you ready for forever with me, Mags?”
“More than ready.”
We say our written vows to each other in front of the few friends and family that we invited, and then we spend the rest of the afternoon celebrating with food and dancing under the white tent.
“Are you ready for your surprise, Mrs. Taylor?” Will asks while we dance in the sand to the music the band he hired is playing.
“You mean there is more? I thought the band was the surprise?”
“Nope.” He releases me and takes my hand, walking more toward the water. “See that sailboat out there?” He points out to a boat a few hundred feet offshore.
I shield my eyes with my hand. “Yes.”
“Hank helped me pick it out, and I bought it. That’s where we are spending our honeymoon. I hope you’re not too disappointed. You said you wanted to stay on the island. I would have taken you to Paris.” He suddenly looks unsure of himself as he digs the polished toe of his shoe into the sand.
I face him and step up on my tiptoes. “This is all I want.” I place my hand on his heart and kiss him. “It’s the perfect honeymoon.”
“Good because I can’t wait to have you out of this dress on that boat alone. I want to be buried deep inside my wife, and I don’t think I can wait much longer.”
I feel his cock harden between us as I reach up and loosen his tie. “I think we could have a little fun with this,” I tease him.
He takes my wrist and presses it to his lips. “These will look sexy all pink.”
I giggle. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about yours.”
He takes my hand and pulls me back toward the tent. “That’s it. Say your goodbyes, and we’re getting on that sailboat, now.”
I willingly follow him and tell each person goodbye. When we get to Hank, he leans in and whispers something to Will and then winks at me.
“What did he tell you?” I ask as we grab a bag of clothes that Will packed.
“He said to take good care of you.” He raises his thick eyebrows.
“You’re such a liar.” I laugh. “He probably said go get ’em, tiger.”
He slides his arm around my waist and kisses my temple. “Something along those lines.” He chuckles. “Now, let’s go get started on this honeymoon.”
We spent the next two days wrapped up in each other’s arms on that boat, making love and talking for hours. We talked about Hank’s idea of staying here and running the market. The decision to stay was a no-brainer for either of us. We love it here, and neither of us wants to return to the city. This is where we both want to start our lives together and raise a family.
When we finally make it back to shore and to the house, Hank and Caroline are having coffee together on the back porch.
“Well, the lovebirds have finally surfaced,” Hank teases.
“I thought you were heading back to Savannah after the wedding,” Will says, kissing his mother’s cheek.
“Hank said if I’d stay a few days, he’d show me the town.”
“He did, did he? That should have taken all but a minute,” he says as he leans against the railing.
“I like it here, and I needed some time away.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want to,” I tell her and squeeze Will’s hand. “We’ve decided to make it our home.”
“You’re not going back to New York?” She is all smiles.
“Nope. Hank wants to retire and has offered us the market, and I too need a change of pace.” He turns to face Hank. “I know we’ve not discussed the details, but I’ll have my attorney draw up papers for any amount that you want to sell it for.”
“I’m not selling it to you. I’m giving it to the two of you. I’m an old man, and I have plenty of money. It’s a gift, son.”
I see Will fight back the tears. His own father was never as kind to him as this man we’ve only known a short time. “I don’t know what to say, Hank.” He chokes back his words.
“Say thank you. And oh yeah, I’ll still be around showing you the ropes and living upstairs.” He laughs.
“Thank you, Hank. You know you don’t have to live upstairs anymore. I put an offer on that big blue two-story house on the end of Oak Street. There is plenty of room, and there is enough property to build an in-law suite in the back.”
“I’m perfectly happy where I am. Besides, you two are going to be filling up those rooms pretty quickly.”
He turns to his mom. “What about you? I can build you a house.”
“How about you just keep one of those rooms empty for me to come visit?”
“You don’t have to stay in Savannah.”
“Savannah is my home, and I love my work, but who knows, maybe one day I’ll build a small bed and breakfast here in Southport so I can be near my grandkids.” She winks at me.
I point my finger between the two of them. “I swear you two know something that I don’t.”
“You do have this gleam about you,” she says.
“It’s called happiness and sunshine on my face.” I laugh. “I’m married to the most handsome, sweet, smart man in the world and I have the two of you. What more could a woman ask for? A few months ago, I thought I’d never have any of this. I thought I’d be lost and alone for the rest of my life.”
Chapter 14
Turns out, Caroline and Hank did know something; I was pregnant, and in two more weeks, Will and I will be meeting our son. It’s springtime, and the town is buzzing with families on break from school. I had planned on a teaching job, but when I found out I was pregnant, I decided to take a part-time tutoring job instead.
Hank took some time off and traveled to Paris. He wanted to go back and revisit all the places he had taken Alice. He said it was his last goodbye to her. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that until Caroline started visiting more o
ften, and it wasn’t just to see Will. Her divorce was final a few months ago, and she’s a free woman. Will hasn’t spoken to his father since he showed up here and Will kicked him out.
It doesn’t seem to bother him much. He loves running the market and has settled in like he’s always lived here. The women in the town are constantly flirting with him, but he’s always proud to tell them that he’s taken. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. He’s even volunteering at the school one day a week. There are two kids in town that are dyslexic, and he spends time teaching them to read. He’s found what color transparencies work for them and it makes him feel good about helping them. He has truly found his purpose, and he’s an amazing husband, and I know soon-to-be father.
When he gets home every night, he’s taken up reading to my big belly before we go to bed. This kid will be able to recite Ferdinand when he comes out of the womb.
Will is behind the register when I walk into the store, and Hank is helping one of the customers carry her bags. Caroline is even helping make sandwiches behind the deli.
“Hey, beautiful,” Will says when he sees me.
I join him behind the counter and give him a soft kiss. “I see you have everyone working today.”
“Yeah, there’s been a tour bus of people flowing through here today.”
“What can I do to help?”
He rubs his hand over my belly. “Sit on that stool so I can admire you.”
“You’re sweet, but I really want to help.”
He places the stool in front of the register and points to it. “If you’re going to help, I at least want you off your feet.”
“I won’t argue with that,” I say and sit.
“I’m going to go help my mom in the deli.”
We all work hard for the next hour before it slows down a bit.
“How are you doing, momma?” Hank asks as he comes back inside from helping an elderly lady out with her bags.
“I’m exhausted and fat and I can’t wait for this baby to be here.”
“Maybe he won’t come out until you have a name for that little one.” He points to my stomach.
“I heard a great name for a boy today,” Will chimes in. “It was a customer’s last name, but it would be perfect for our son.”
“Well, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?”
“Jett.”
“Jett,” I repeat. “I like it. Wills Jett Taylor.”
“No, we agreed to not use my name.” He points at me.
“No, you said no. I never agreed.”
“I have a better idea.”
“I’m listening.”
How about we name him after your brother. Phillip Jett Taylor.”
“I love that idea.”
“Yeah, Phillip did too when he suggested it. You know he’s thinking about moving here. Ever since he visited during New Years, he’s talked about it.”
“I would love that, but I doubt he will ever move away from his practice. But seriously, I do love the name Jett.”
“It’s settled then. Our son has a name.”
“Good. According to Hank, he can be born now,” Caroline says, snuggling up to Hank.
“I, more than any of you, would be happy for him to come out,” I say directly to my swollen stomach. Just as the words leave my mouth, the baby kicks me really hard, and I feel a gush of water run down my leg. “Oh my God. My water broke!”
All eyes are staring at the puddle forming on the tile beneath me.
“Well, don’t just stand there—one of you needs to take me to the hospital.”
“I’ll go to the house and get her bag,” Caroline says.
“I’ll go with you,” Hank says, already moving toward the door.
“Wait. One of you has to stay here and keep the market open. Were too busy to close the doors,” Will says.
“You’re right, I’ll stay, you go,” Hank says. “As soon as we slow down, I’ll come to the hospital.”
Will helps me to the van he bought for us a few months ago. I climb inside as my first contraction starts. I wince, and Will tells me to breathe through it. As soon as it’s over, he drives like a bat out of hell to the local hospital.
Eight hours later, the doctor is laying our beautiful brown-eyed son in my arms.
Will is wiping his own tears as he’s counting fingers and toes. “He’s perfect.”
“Yes, he is.” I kiss the top of his little head. “Welcome to the world, Jett. Your mommy and daddy love you very much.”
“He has my lips,” Will says, placing a finger in the small dimple.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what?” He sits on the bed next to me.
“For making my life mean something. For making my world big and beautiful. Before you, I was fading away into a mundane life that had no meaning. Because of you, I’m a wife and a mother, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“You did the same thing for me, except the mother thing.” He laughs. “And well, the wife thing. You know what I mean,” he says as Jett wraps his small fingers around Will’s pinky. “Our lives were meant to be entwined the day I sat across from you on the train. From the moment we met, until this moment, I’ve never felt more alive and in love with anyone. And now, this little guy has made my heart swell even more. How is that possible since he just made his grand entrance?”
“I don’t know, but it is. I feel the same way. I didn’t think I had any more room in my heart for love, but it expanded, and I feel complete with the two men in my life.”
“Can we have five more of these?” He strokes the baby’s arm.
“One more.”
“Oh, good, two more.” He laughs.
“I think now that you have those reading skills down pat, we need to work on your math,” I tease him.
“I think it’s time we bring in the grandparents.” On that note, they come bolting through the door.
“Let me see that baby,” Hank says with Caroline on his heels.
Will takes him from my arms and hands him to his mother. Her tears of happiness spill on Jett’s tiny head and Hank leans down and kisses his hand.
Just watching them with him brings on my own floodgates. The people I love and adore the most are all in one room, minus my brother. I want to cherish this moment forever.
“I could stare at him all night,” I say as I lay Jett in his crib. After he was born, Hank spent the next day painting the nursery navy blue and white. Will kept meaning to do it, but never found the time. Caroline ordered baby blankets and curtains and hung them before we came home with our son.
“You need to get some rest before he wakes up and wants to eat again,” Will says, snaking his arms around me from behind. “But, I agree, I could watch him sleep too.”
We both stand in quiet, admiring our new son for a moment. I yawn, and he takes my hand, leading me back to our bedroom. He pulls back the covers, and I slide under them as he gets in behind me and kisses the back of my head as he draws me into him.
“Sleep, baby.”
“I love you, Will.”
“I love you, too.”
Chapter 15
My eyes are wet, and my skin feels like it’s on fire. I wipe the matted hair from my face and lift my head. The room is dark, but a white haze is floating in the air. I blink a few times trying to focus, and I see Phillip wide-eyed and slumped over to the right in the beanbag. Beads of sweat roll down my face, and I feel locked in place.
“Lip?” I form the words, but no sound comes out. “Lip,” I try again. The smell of death rolls around in my nostrils. As if in slow motion, I raise my arm in the air and look at the track marks on my arm. Other than the scarring and redness from the needle, my skin is porcelain white. A numbness fills my chest where I should feel my heart beating. I need to get up…run…scream…something, but my body feels like petrified stone, unable to move, barely able to breathe on its own.
Squeezing my eyes tight, gathering all the strength left in me, my
words grow legs. I kick hard from my belly and draw all the breathable air from my body. “Lip!” This time his name floats through the white haze of the room, but he doesn’t budge. Not a blink, nor a breath.
Panic swells up inside me, threatening to consume me whole. Finally, a harsh breath leaves my body along with a bloodcurdling scream that slices the white haze. I can feel my own blood drain from my face as I fall forward onto the dirty carpet.
I claw my way over to Lip as despair gnaws at my gut. I pull myself up to my knees in front of him and cover my mouth with my fingers, holding back my fear. Tears streak down my face as I realize he’s already gone. His face is leached of any color, and there is no rising of his chest from air leaving his body. My body starts to tremble as fear pricks at my scalp.
My heart finally finds its rhythm, rapping in my chest and ringing in my ears. As I reach for him, the walls seem to shift closer, making me nauseous. I wretch, but my empty stomach revolts. Fear continues to roll through me like ice water in my veins.
I get back on my knees and with a shaky hand, touch Lip’s cool face. My voice comes out low and cold like the air around me. “I’m sorry, Lip. I should have stopped you. I should have stopped us.”
I collapse down on the floor and drown in my own sorrow. The drug that I took still flows through me, giving me moments of darkness only to wake up again to my bleak reality. My brother is dead, and I did nothing to stop him.
As I fall into darkness again, I see flashes of a life in front of me. It feels so real it makes my heart ache. The deep ache turns to a soreness in my throat and lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe. Curled up in a ball on the floor, the only movement I can make is to press the heel of my hand into my chest, hoping to supress the pain. I want it to end. My life is over. I’ve lost the last link to my family, and I want to disappear with him.
Behind my warm, gummy eyelids, the flash of a face holds steady this time. He’s beautiful with his jet-black hair that curls up on the ends. His eyes seem to look right through me. He smiles, and there is a sexy dimple in his bottom lip that causes a hitch in my breath. It takes the ache away for a brief moment. I know his face and what his skin feels like pressed against mine. How is that possible? I’ve never known love like his. I feel his large hand reach inside me and make my heart beat slower, calming it, making it one with his. His warmth permeates over the drugs still flowing through me. I want to stay wrapped up in his image and forget about my reality.