by Laura Gates
The walk up the driveway felt very long, but bearable as Beau squeezed Evie's hand. Eventually, Levi and Harper bolted for the front door and rang the bell. By the time the grown-ups got to the door, a middle-aged woman with dark hair and green eyes opened it. When she smiled, Beau saw Evie. He knew instantly that this was Karen West, Evie's mom. She was a little shorter than Evie and was more voluptuous than her daughter. "Hello!" Mrs. West said. "Grandma!" the kids shouted as they gave her a huge hug. Mrs. West looked up at her daughter and smiled even more.
The women hugged very tightly. "Hello, my pretty girl! Your hair has gotten so long," Mrs. West said. "You look good, too, Mommy," Evie said. Beau smiled. She calls her mother Mommy, he thought, that's sweet. The women separated, and Mrs. West turned to Beau. "This must be Beau," Mrs. West said, holding her hand out. Beau grabbed her hand and shook it. He watched his tattooed hand shake this woman's hand for a split second, and he could not help but wonder what she was thinking.
However, Mrs. West looked directly at Beau's eyes with the same kindness in them that Evie possessed. Rather than intense blue, Mrs. West's eyes were intense green. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. West," Beau said, trying to hide his nerves. "Please, call me Karen," she said, smiling. Beau could see why Evie was so warm and friendly. Her mom was like that. "Well, let's go inside. Everyone is here," Karen said.
Everyone walked inside. Levi and Harper were already running around outside with three other kids with brown hair and brown eyes. Beau looked around the hallway to see various pictures of her parents' adventures, Evie and her family, and another woman's family. She had red hair, green eyes, and was very fair-skinned in contrast to Evie's more medium complexion. Beau assumed that was Evie's sister, Jennifer.
They walked through the large foyer and into the living room with a huge sectional. Two men and the red-headed woman were sitting on it. The older man had dark hair that was going grey. He was average height and average weight with a more olive complexion. That explained why Evie's skin was darker than her sister's. He stood up, walked towards Beau and Evie, and hugged his youngest daughter. "How are you, Evs?" he asked. "Excellent," she said to her dad. Mr. West then turned to Beau, held out his hand, and said, "Richard West." Beau grabbed his hand and shook it. Both of them noticed that they each had a firm handshake.
As they shook hands, Evie and Jennifer were already hugging. Beau knew how close the girls were growing up since it was only them. Beau thought he saw Jennifer mouth the words, "He's cute." He smiled, feeling a little smug. "Jennifer, Evie's favorite and only sister," she said, holding out her hand. Beau smiled as he shook Jennifer's hand. The other man, Hispanic with dark brown hair and light brown eyes, stood up. "Andres Martinez, Evie's brother-in-law," the man said with a Spanish accent. "Beau Halstead," Beau said as he reached for Andres' hand. He also had a firm handshake.
Once all of the adults sat down, five children, including Levi and Harper, came running through the living room to go to the playroom. "Freeze!" Jennifer shouted. All five froze and turned to look at her. "Martin, Alicia, Matteo, we have a visitor," she said. The oldest boy, who was about seven or eight, noticed Evie sitting on the couch. "Hi, Evie!" he said. "Hey, Marty! How are you?" Evie said as she stood up to hug her oldest nephew. The little girl who looked about Levi's age walked up to Evie and hugged her. The three-year-old boy followed. He assumed the girl was Alicia, and the little boy was Mateo. All three kids looked very similar, but the youngest boy looked the most like his dad. Alicia looked a lot like her grandmother and similar to Evie. Beau could feel how warm and welcoming the household was.
Everyone celebrated Harper's birthday. Beau found out that Harper requested her uncle's famous tacos for dinner as well as the family's guacamole. Beau watched the family gather together to make the food. While Andres was cooking the taco meat, Evie and Jennifer were making the guacamole. Karen and Richard were busy adding in the extra leaf to the table and setting it up.
Beau also knew that once they were done eating their early dinner, they were going to go out on Richard's boat, have snacks, and eat birthday cake. Beau found Richard to be a little intimidating because he was the head of the household. He also seemed very protective of his family, especially his youngest daughter. Beau knew that Evie was her dad's little hunting and fishing buddy while she was a child.
Before dinner started, Richard asked Beau to follow him outside where the kids were playing. Beau knew the talk was coming. "I am pretty sure you know what my question is," Richard West said. "I think so. Mr. West, I love your daughter. She is the most selfless, kind, caring, and nurturing woman I have ever met. She has so much talent and spunk," Beau said. Richard nodded his head and smiled. "I've never seen Evie so happy. About a year into her marriage, she started to lose a lot of her spunk and personality. Thank you for bringing her back."
"She saved me way before I saved her, I assure you. She puts everyone else first before herself," Beau said. "Ah, a family trait. Evie takes after her mother, but she inherited my temper. Be warned," Richard said. "Noted," Beau said, remembering the Strong Nation class.
The men continued to talk about common interests, including hunting and fishing. Richard told Beau about the time he took Evie to Alaska to hunt for moose when she was about 15. Richard then told stories of Evie when she was a child. Beau laughed because he now had confirmation that Levi was more like his mother than Harper was, but Harper was still incredibly sweet just like her mom.
The men went back inside after calling the kids inside for dinner. The three oldest wanted to sit by Grandpa, which they all did on a bench next to Richard. Matteo and Harper were in high chairs. Suddenly, Beau heard a baby cry. "I will go get her," Evie said as she stood up and walked out of the dining room. Beau remembered that Jennifer had another baby around Halloween. Evie often showed pictures of Baby Andrea to Beau.
After a couple of minutes, Evie soon walked back into the room, carrying a baby with chubby cheeks. Just like her older brother, she had dark hair, light eyes, and fair skin. Andrea was a beautiful chunky baby. Evie sat back down at the table, ready to eat, holding her sweet niece. Beau could not help but smile while watching Evie hold the baby. He wondered if there would be a baby in their future.
Everyone ate in peace for the most part. Levi ate his version of tacos, Marty ate the fruit on the table, and the rest of the kids ate everything else. Beau could not believe how delicious the tacos were. The meat, guacamole, and salsa had such flavor. He now understood why Evie's favorite food was tacos. Beau ended up eating about five tacos while everyone else had about 2-3 and snacked on the chips, salsa, and guacamole. Soon, everyone assisted Karen in cleaning up the table so that they could head out to the marina. Harper's excitement burst through the seams.
While everyone cleaned up, Karen took Harper into the other room for her birthday surprise. Richard went into the garage to gather the lifejackets. Jennifer and Andres were sitting on the couch cuddling with their baby while Evie continued to put dishes in the dishwasher and put food into containers. Beau walked behind Evie and put his arms around her. He kissed her cheek, tenderly. "Want help?" he asked. "Yeah, thanks." Beau went to the counter and began scooping the guacamole. "Remember to keep some of the pits in the container as well. That's what keeps it fresh," Evie said. "Didn't know that. Thanks," Beau said, fascinated.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Karen walked to the front door to answer it. "Oh, Jude!" Karen exclaimed from the foyer. Evie froze. Beau suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "I came to see my daughter," Jude said. Karen hated confrontation, and Evie knew that. Evie quickly came to her mother's rescue. Before the trip, Evie talked to her parents about not letting Jude in the house. Her dad was nowhere in sight, so she went to her mom's aid.
"Hi," Evie said, "Mommy, could you go help Jennifer with Andrea, please?" "Yes," Karen said before walking back inside. Just as Karen walked inside, she nearly bumped into Beau. "I wouldn't go out there. Might make things worse," Karen said. "I'm just going to watc
h unless he starts yelling at her," Beau said. Karen nodded. Beau listened carefully to their conversation.
"You look… just… wow," Jude said. "Yeah, yeah. I got my body back. What brings you here?" Evie said. "Our daughter is three today," Jude said. "You missed her birthday last year even when we lived with you. Why this year?" Evie asked. Jude stared down at the ground. "I don't know. No comment on how I look?" Jude asked, hoping for acknowledgment of some affection. "You still look like a lying, cheating, schmuck to me," Evie said without any emotion.
"So, can I see our girl?" Jude asked, ignoring the comment. "No," Evie said firmly. "Why not?" Jude asked, starting to fume. "Because you came here unannounced without checking with me first. I believe there is a clause under Visitation that states there needs to be open communication with both parties for visits, and by coming here without communicating with me, you are in direct violation. If you want to see her, you will need to call later and make the arrangements," Evie said, not letting up on the firmness.
Jude's temper began to flare. "I tried calling yesterday to make the arrangements," he hissed. "At 3 AM when we are in bed? You broke the agreement, so I have every right to say 'no' right now," Evie said.
"She's my daughter, though. Not that neander…"
"This has nothing to do with Beau! Leave him out of this!" Evie scolded.
"I'm the one who makes sure she and Levi get fed, attend good schools, have a roof over their head, clothes…" Jude snapped.
"Keep letting your ideal world tell you that when you send me that money, which only covers my rent," she responded to him. "So what? Is Beau her 'father' now? I helped create that girl!" Jude yelled.
"Yes, you provided 23 chromosomes to make her, but you're not her dad. Any douche can father a child," Evie said with a little chagrin.
Burn, Beau thought to himself as he watched his girlfriend confront her ex. He suddenly saw Jude raise his hand towards Evie's face. Before it made contact, Beau ran outside and punched Jude in the nose knocking him down. Beau wrapped his arms around Evie as they watched Jude roll on the ground gripping his nose gushing out blood. "Are you okay?" Beau asked, turning to look at Evie. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Were you seriously going to let him hit you?" he asked, sounding concerned. "No, I had it under control," Evie said. Beau realized that if he had waited longer, Jude would have received an uppercut to the chin.
Jude finally regained some composure to stand up, wiping his nose. Some blood had gotten on his shirt. Beau stared Jude down, and Jude scowled at Beau. "Evie, I need you to go inside, please," Beau said. "Um… no. You guys aren't going to fight," she said. "We're not going to fight, are we?" Beau said to Jude. "No, we're not. It will be civilized," Jude noted, wiping his nose some more. Evie slowly turned around and walked back inside.
"Wow, you have nerve," Beau said. "You're the one who punched me. I'd say you have nerve getting involved." "Getting involved? I have done nothing but trying to get Evie uninvolved with you from the beginning because all you want to do is control her. I know you regret letting her go, especially after seeing how happy she is without you in her life trying to control everything she does."
"She was happy with me."
"Keep telling yourself that," Beau said with a little arrogance.
"Why do you think Evie chose to be with you? Because she wants those feelings back when she was with me."
"No, she doesn't. Evie was miserable with you because all you do is think about yourself. You let her go, and you realized what an idiotic move that was on your part because she is the most selfless person you know, and you liked that ego boost every day. She chose me because we make each other happy. It's not a one-sided relationship," Beau concluded.
Just then, the front door opened again. Richard walked outside onto the lawn. "Jude, I need to ask you to leave. You are not welcome here anymore," Richard said. "My family is in there!" Jude yelled. "I have called the police. If you're not off my property in two minutes, they will escort you off," Richard said calmly but firmly. Jude slowly walked to his car, climbed in, and drove away.
As Jude pulled out of the driveway, Richard said to Beau, "Don't play his game. Don't argue with him, and keep loving and protecting my daughter like you did today." Richard walked back inside his house. Beau stared at the street again, making sure Jude was truly gone. Sure enough, he never came back, and Beau walked inside into the living room, sat down by Evie, and wrapped his arms around her holding her a little tighter than before.
Soon, everyone loaded up into cars and headed towards the marina, where Richard parked his boat. Before they left, Jennifer and Evie helped their mom pack the snacks. Jennifer asked, "So, are you guys going to get married, do you think?"
Evie blushed. "We've only been dating for six months. I think it's a little early to be thinking about that," Evie responded.
"True, but you both fit so well together, it's creepy. He's very charismatic and just lets you be you," Jennifer said.
"I know. That's why I love him," Evie said.
"He has such a wonderful smile and eyes only for you."
Evie blushed again. "Thanks. Even with his rough exterior?" Evie asked. "Did you think we would all have a problem with the tattoos and his past?"
"Maybe a little considering the last guy I was in a serious relationship was a narcissist, so my judgment on men might be compromised."
"We were a little surprised to see you with him on TV, but we noticed the way he looked at you, and we quickly got over that. Plus, it's ironic that the clean-cut guy turned out to be a complete douche, whereas the rough rocker turned out to be the loving and supportive man you always deserved."
"I've often pondered the irony myself."
Soon, everyone was on the boat. Richard pulled out of the marina and drove towards the open ocean. Soon, they were going fast. Beau held on tightly to Harper and Evie as she held onto Levi. Richard drove his boat very fast as they pulled out of the harbor. He soon pulled up to the West Secret fishing spot, as Evie called it, and soon started pulling out fishing poles. “Want some help?” Beau asked. “Sure,” Richard responded.
Beau handed Harper to Evie before standing up to assemble fishing poles. In about ten minutes, everyone had a fishing pole in the water. Within fifteen minutes, Levi and Marty had hooked some fish. Harper soon followed as well as the other kids. Beau watched the kids reel up the fish. Evie and Jennifer took pictures of the kids with their fish. Soon, Karen pulled out the birthday cake and candles. Everyone sang to Harper, and her grin was the biggest as her mother took her picture. Evie was so thankful that Harper was having fun.
After about two hours on the water, everyone reeled in, and they drove back to the harbor. Soon, Beau, Evie, Levi, and Harper were back in the rental car heading towards Baltimore. The kids were sound asleep, and Beau held Evie’s hand. “That was lots of fun,” Beau said. “Yes, it was. What did you think of my family?” Evie asked. “Everyone is so kind, especially your mom,” Beau responded. “She is the most selfless person I know,” Evie said, thinking about her sweet mother. “I’m glad you take mostly after her.” Beau squeezed Evie’s hand. “Me too.” Evie smiled.
Chapter 18
Evie Moves In
The first leg of the tour was over. Evie felt super relieved as she crashed on the first living room couch, where she talked with Dr. Bennett. She and the kids would be living at the studio for a while until she could find another place to live. Beau walked into the living room and sat down next to her just as Dr. Bennett walked out with his briefcase.
"So," Beau said, "it was good meeting your family."
Evie smiled. "It was. Fishing was a lot of fun," she said.
"I keep forgetting to take you and the kids fishing."
"Since when do we have time?"
"The next couple of months before we go back on tour."
"Maybe. I need to see what the schedule will be like after I hire a tutor for Levi to keep him caught up with school during the summer."
"What
if I helped out with that expense?"
Evie considered it for a minute, but ultimately, she thought it wouldn't be a good idea because Levi was her responsibility, not Beau's. "I appreciate the offer, but I can educate my own son," she said.
Beau knew how relentless, stubborn, and independent she was, but he also knew how to get past the walls. "What if I was around more to ensure Levi got the right education, and Harper got into a good preschool?"
"How?"
"The three of you move in with me."
Evie paused. "Sorry, what?"
"Move in with me." Beau grabbed both of Evie's hands, feeling like he was pleading.
"What…? Are you…? Have you…?" Evie was having a hard time forming a sentence. "How long have you been thinking about this?" she finally said.
"Since I saw you holding Andrea."
"Why didn't you mention anything all those months ago?"
"Because it was just an idea, but think about it. You need a roof over your head. You guys stay at my house about four days a week, and my house is in a good school district where they can accommodate Levi's behavior issues."
"What would that mean for our relationship?" Evie asked. "Well, I think that means it's progressing," Beau joked. Evie could feel herself start to hyperventilate. The thought of living with Beau was both exciting and terrifying because she loved Beau and wanted to be with him, but Evie was afraid that living with Beau would change their relationship in a negative way like it did before with Jude.
Beau realized his joke triggered Evie's anxiety, so he pulled her next to him, hugging her tightly. He noticed this move instantly calmed her down. Evie closed her eyes listening to Beau's soothing heartbeat again. "I understand you're freaking out," Beau said, trying to comfort Evie, "but I haven't been able to get your words out of my head since before we started dating."