by Elias Taylor
Even Karly was on her best behavior. “You’re kidding! How are you getting married before me? Look at that rock!” she wailed, but I could see the smile in her eyes.
“Well, you know. I wanted to be sure.” I beamed.
“I won’t steal him, even though he looks nice.” She snickered as she gave Carter a once over.
I glared at her for old time’s sake.
“What?” She put her hands in the air. “I guess I’m happy for you. Plus, I’m going to be an aunt, so congratulations,” she mumbled quietly as she hugged me.
I shook my head. “How do you know?” I asked.
“Mom let it slip. Blame her.” She smiled and sashayed off to see the other guests.
A man that heavily favored Carter approached me. He was tall, strong, and had prominent features as well as a full head of salt-and-pepper hair. Like Carter, he had the same eyes and nose. His mother was a tiny, petite woman with kind eyes. She was like a little nervous puppy, though, and it kind of put me off. With them was a cute girl with dark hair and bright eyes. She was the female version of Carter. I couldn’t believe it. He had such a striking family.
“Autumn, meet my father, Dante.”
A well-groomed hand reached out to me. “Hello, Autumn. Congratulations on taming my son. He needs a good woman.”
Carter gave him a head shake. “Pops, take it easy. But you’re right.”
A rich, hearty laugh came from Dante. He looked me square in the eyes. I didn’t know why, but I thought his eyes lingered a little too long on my stomach region. Had Carter told him? Surely not. I was standing right next to him when he made the call.
“Carter, my boy.” The small petite woman touched Carter’s cheek, and Carter pulled away. I sensed annoyance from him. She returned her focus to me.
“Hello, dear. I just got to talking to your mother and father, and they are delightful. I’m so happy for you both. You look like a strong woman who will take care of my Carter and pump out those grandbabies!”
“Thank you. Your son is definitely for me. I think we’ll start with just the one.” It sounded so weird coming out of my mouth.
My only concern was that I wanted this to last. I hoped that Carter wasn’t only proposing to me to keep me for the meantime. I looked up and around the room, which was filled with all the people I loved. I even managed to get Roscoe to come. He was an influential part of my world, and we were friends. He had helped me set up The Red Gorilla. I followed a lot of his methods from the days I spent working with him.
“Hey, now. Look who’s getting married. This is a real hoot. Oh, the gangs all here I see.” Roscoe meant my parents and other close friends of mine who he knew. He gave Carter a once over. “Hi, I’m Autumn’s old boss. If you hurt her, you know I’ll have to break your ankles, right?”
Carter deadpanned. He looked Roscoe in the eye, shaking his hand. “I wouldn’t dare. You have my word.”
Carter’s mother witnessed the whole conversation and put a hand on her chest. “Oh my goodness. I don’t think there’s any need for that!”
Carter waved at her, and before I could speak, he said, “It’s okay, Mom. He’s just looking out for Autumn. He didn’t mean any harm.”
I backed Carter up. “Sorry about that. Roscoe has a weird sense of humor sometimes. Never mind. Plus, he wouldn’t harm a fly.”
“Well, I hope not.”
“Mom, come over here for a minute, and let’s pour you another drink.” Carter poked his tongue out and ran his eyes in circles, implying that his mom was looney. He made me giggle a little.
Raven—the name fit her with her dark, jet-black hair—had her hands clasped in front of her, and she slowly made her way over to me. She was watching me carefully. I liked her immediately. She was truly stunning.
“Hi,” I smiled at her.
“Hi, I’m Raven.”
“So, we are going to my sisters-in-law.”
She nodded as she got used to the idea. “Yep. I like your hair. It’s really pretty.”
I touched my locks. “Thank you.”
“How did you curl it like that?”
“Hmm. I have a curling wand to do it. If you want to come around sometime, I can do yours like this for you.”
She twisted her arms shyly. “Really? I would like that. I like makeup, as well.”
“Me too. We have plenty in common already. Have you had anything to eat or drink? There’s plenty in the kitchen.”
“Yes. Thanks. I had some chicken and stuff. I’m good.” She stopped for a second and then continued. “I wanted to let you know my bro can be a pain sometimes, but he’s good people.”
I laughed and touched her arm. I liked her. We would get along just fine. “Yes, he can be. All boys can. But he is a good person.”
“That’s a nice rock he got you,” Raven said as she looked at my glimmering ring.
Carter came back, minus his mother. “I see you met my little sister.” He ruffled her hair, and she pulled away.
“Stop! Yep, we met, and I warned her about you,” Raven said. He laughed and started tickling her, pulling her in for a hug.
Yep. This was a family I could certainly see myself being a part of, and it seemed like that was just what was going to happen now that Carter and I were engaged.
The afternoon turned into night as my world turned right-side up. My only fear was that I would wake up from the dream, and Carter would realize he made a huge mistake and leave.
Chapter Nineteen: Expansion
“Hey, Magner! Do you know where the welding mask is? I can’t find it.”
At Custom Made, the run of business had dried up a little, not enough to panic about, but enough to be worried about providing for a newborn. At this rate, I would never be getting my franchise going. One minute, I was up, and the business was stable, and another minute, I was down, trying to scramble for more business. I had been operating for a long time and knew I would pull through.
“Sorry, man. It’s over here.”
“Thanks. Hey, I got something to tell you.”
Magner stopped and stood up. “What mess do I have to bail you out of now?”
I laughed. “No. Not like that. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Magner stopped what he was doing and put down his tools. “It’s a beautiful thing? Since when do you talk like this? You’ve changed.”
I shuffled around a little bit. This was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. Magner was my best friend. He was under the impression that women were a distraction. Autumn taught me otherwise. She opened up the locked chambers of my heart and made me a better man. I only hoped that Magner could find what I had.
“Remember Autumn?”
Magner smirked. “Autumn, who you said you weren’t dating when really you were.”
I gave him a head nod. “So you knew?”
“Yep, I did. How long have I known you?”
I couldn’t hide my shock. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was waiting for you to come to me. I figured if I pressed you about it, you’d just clam up.”
“You really do know me.” I murmured.
“For sure.” He listened to hear what I had to say next.
“I asked Autumn to marry me, and we’re having a baby.”
Magner put his hands on his knees and started wheezing with laughter. “You’re not serious?”
I sat down and waited for the penny to drop.
“Oh, you are?”
I nodded my head to clarify.
“Holy shit. This is fucking huge! Congratulations, man.” Magner got up, walked over, and hugged me.
“Thanks, Magner. I appreciate it. I don’t know how it happened. She put a spell on me or something. I’m really happy, though. I love her.”
“I knew something was up with you. You’ve been coming into work all goo-goo eyed. Like you’re floating around the garage.”
“Get outta here. I’m not that bad.”
“Okay, maybe not th
at bad. You’ve changed, though. I’ve noticed. I knew you were still seeing her. I had a feeling about it.”
“Well, there you go. And here I was, trying to hide it from you.”
“Buddy. You’re not hard to read.”
“All right, ease up. Get back to work. I’m still your boss.”
He squeezed my shoulder, and we got back to it for a few hours. Magner paced around a few times with a frown on his face.
“So, what’s going to happen with the shop?”
“Business as usual. I might need you to help out more. I got a lot going on with the wedding.”
“A wedding? Man, what have you done with my friend, Carter?”
“I know, right. I don’t know who I am anymore, myself. I am the official foot rubber of a pregnant woman.”
Magner laughed. “Man. You have to bring her in. She’s right for you. I liked her when I met her. You met your match, and I’m happy for you. You seem calmer, too.”
“Thank you. She’s the love of my life.”
“Then don’t worry about anything. I can take care of it while you get the wedding preparation done.”
“I appreciate it. Means a lot to me,” I said.
Magner hesitated for a minute.
“What is it?”
“How is the business going? Are you going to be able to handle everything financially?”
I felt my body clench. Finances were something I was worried about, but I didn’t want to tell Autumn. “Yup. No sweat.”
Magner observed me and said, “I got a little money stashed if you run into trouble. I know you’re good for it.”
“Seriously, Magner, I’m good. Don’t worry about anything.”
“All right, if you say so.”
In a lot of ways, I felt like the walls were caving in on me. I had the baby, the wedding, and Autumn to take care of. Not to mention the garage. Turns out, I was expanding, just not in the way I expected.
Autumn and I had been going strong since the announcement. Our bond had deepened, and she was included in my every decision. Every move I made was an adjustment, and I had to think about having a family now. I had to admit, I had a purpose now, something more than me to live for.
I got to know her parents. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on her, though. All in due course. My habits pretty much stayed the same. I still went to The Red Gorilla at lunchtime. Phoebe’s attitude had softened just a little toward me. I couldn’t say I blamed her for her protectiveness, though, because I was pretty much an insecure asshole to Autumn. I snagged a good one. Phoebe knew about the baby, and I guess she was reserving judgment at this point. As I thought through everything, a phone call interrupted my thoughts.
“Hey, honey.”
“Hey, Autumn. Do you still want me to take you down to the bookstore?”
“Yes, if you have time.”
“All the time in the world for you. How are you feeling today?”
“Not too bad. The morning sickness had passed. So, much better, but I wouldn’t mind a glass of wine.”
“Not long to go, babe. I will come to pick you up at lunchtime. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
This was the norm for my life now, and I loved it. Who knew that love could change a man.
Lunchtime came, and I went to pick up my lady. After seven months, Autumn’s body had changed. I could see her baby bump, and much to my liking, her breasts increased in size, too. She had a glow to her that I’d never seen before.
“Hey, babe.” I greeted her with a kiss.
“Hey, honey. Did you tell Magner?”
“Yep. I told him. He’s supportive like I knew he would be.”
I rubbed her stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling pretty good.”
“You sure? You feel up to it?”
“Baby, I’m pregnant, not an invalid.” Autumn rolled her eyes softly.
“Sorry, I just don’t know what you need, sometimes. You were so sick.”
She rubbed my back. “I know you care, but I really want to get on the back of the bike with you. I trust you,” she coaxed in my ear.
“Okay. We’ll go the back way. Hold on tight, Autumn. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“Babe. Everything is going to be fine. Now, let’s take a ride.”
Chapter Twenty: Dollar Bills
My stomach had a mind of its own, and it was growing outward every day as it grew a precious life. It felt so utterly surreal to be cultivating a life inside of me. I had a number of fears about the pregnancy, and my body was doing a lot of weird things I wasn’t used to. I tried my best to keep them at bay. Bless my mother’s heart, she came with me to prenatal classes and helped me work on my breathing. Carter came when he wasn’t working.
“Mom. I don’t know if I can do this. How did you do this?” I pointed to my stomach.
My appetite was off the charts, and some of the food I craved blew me away. Phoebe had The Red Gorilla under control, and once the morning sickness passed, I could do a half-day to take care of paperwork. As time moved forward, my instincts became heightened. Carter started acting funny. Something wasn’t right with him, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. The same feelings I had when he left me last time were starting to crop up in my head.
He was hiding something from me, and I didn’t know what it was. It started with the hushed phone conversations in the other room and his smiling when I walked in on him like that. I let it slide for a week or two, but it was starting to bug me. My hormones wouldn’t let it sit for too long, and I felt myself snapping for no reason lately. Then the receipts. We weren’t quite living together yet. We had some things to work out in terms of joining our lives together. I found some bills at his house—all of them with overdue stamped at the top of them. My businesses were intact, but the way I saw it was that we had both have to pull together in order to make it work. I eased into the conversation while we ate at his house.
“Hey, babe, how is Custom Made going? I remember when you got all those orders in a while back. I haven’t heard you talk about anything lately.” I casually ate my salad. I didn’t want to throw him off with the questioning. I figured if he had anything to say, he would tell me. I gauged his reaction.
“Umm. I mean, it’s doing okay.” Not much, and it didn’t give me anything to go on. “Are you finished with that? I’ll make you some tea. Want some?”
He took my plate. That edgy feeling I’d been having was re-surfacing in a big way.
“Why do you keep changing the subject when I ask you about finances?” I heard him putting the dishes in the sink.
“Chill out. I have everything under control. Things are a little slow, but it will pick back up.”
“Well, we have to put our heads together and work out the next steps. I mean, what room are we going to set up for the baby? The Red Gorilla and the bookstore are in good profits.” Carter brought a cup of tea over to me. “I need to know where you’re at so we can make some family decisions.”
“Umm. I mean, can we talk about this later? I just want to relax with you and watch TV.”
Agitation festered in my spirit as I refused to let him dismiss it. “If we discuss this, it will help me feel more relaxed. What aren’t you telling me, Carter? Stop ducking my goddamn questions!”
“Baby, you’re being hormonal. This is exactly why I didn’t want to discuss anything with you.”
“Are you fucking serious? Don’t you dare try to blame this on my hormones.” I pointed to the desk in the office where the bills with glaring red overdue notices were sitting. “Especially, when I see overdue notices all over your desk. Explain it,” I said firmly. I was pregnant, not dumb.
“So, now you’re snooping around the office instead of asking me? Half of those have been paid and settled.”
I closed my eyes and held my stomach. “Carter. Please stop making excuses and dancing around the issue. I’ll ask you again. How is the business g
oing? Tell me the real story, whatever it is.”
Carter sat beside me, and his shoulders deflated in defeat. “It’s sinking, to be honest. I’m in a little bit of strife. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to be stressed out with the baby and the wedding.”
Anger immediately rose in me, and I breathed a few times to calm down. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me. Why would you keep it from me?”
“Baby I didn’t want to upset you. I’m going to work it out like I always do.” Carter attempted to grab my hand, and I forcefully pushed it off me.
“How do you expect to build a family and trust with me if you can’t even tell me what’s happening financially?”
Carter, with slumped shoulders, stared at me. “I’m trying to do my best by you, and all you’re doing is throwing it back in my face. I can work this out.”
All I was seeing was red. I wanted to run at him like a bull at a gate. “If you told me, I could’ve helped you!” I exclaimed.
Carter was letting his pride get in the way.
“No. It’s my business, and I can sort it out. You have to start trusting me more.”
“How can I trust you? What the hell are you talking about Carter?” I knew I looked like the crazy pregnant woman, but I didn’t care. “Stop all the lying!”
“What do you mean, stop all the lying? I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you. I wanted to wait to see how things pan out.”
“Why not tell me that? What are you thinking? We can’t get married like this! We can’t start a marriage if I’m the only one being transparent. I can’t fucking believe this.”
“You’re overreacting, Autumn, and accusing me at every turn is fucking ridiculous!”
I couldn’t take it anymore, and I needed a time-out. I picked up my keys and located my purse.
Carter waved his hand at me. “Where the hell are you going?”
“Home, Carter. That’s where I’m going. I need some space.”
“Autumn. It’s really not that serious.”
“Like hell, it isn’t. We have a baby and a wedding, and we need to sort out living arrangements. We have businesses. You need to grow up, Carter, and fast.” If I were a dragon, Carter would have been burnt to a crisp. Pure fire was coming out my every pore. What was the point of this relationship? I felt like I was the only one considering our future.