I wish he would say something, anything. But if the last five minutes are any indication, he doesn’t have much to say. That’s understandable. I was in shock, too, when I found out. I have to admit, though, I thought he already knew. When he quoted my own words back to me and made fun of the fact I stole them from his favorite movie, I thought he remembered everything I told him while he was still sleeping.
Finally, he picks his jaw up and stares at me incredulously.
“Pregnant?” is what he starts with.
He’s such an eloquent speaker in the heat of the moment.
“About ten weeks.” I reach into the pocket of his letter jacket, where my wallet is stashed. I pull out the picture of Jelly Bean, and, staring down at it for a second, I hand it over to him. “I found out on my birthday but…”
“But I had to go and get the shit beat out of me. My news kind of trumped yours,” he says.
I wince, shocked by his crudeness.
“I just…I wanted you to know first. I know it’s not the best timing, but you deserved to know—”
“Dove, wait.” He shakes his head. He holds the picture up, giving me the most intimidating expression I’ve ever seen. “You think this changes anything? You think I won’t want to marry you now?” Startled by the brutal honesty in his questions, I nod, averting my gaze. “Look at me, Sabrina.”
I don’t know how to look him in the eye, because I don’t know what’ll be reflected there. I don’t know what he’s going to say, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to bear it if he reacts badly. If he decides to rescind his proposal or kick me out of his room. His behavior up until now has been unpredictable at best, so I’m reasonably cautious when it comes to him.
“Look at me, Sabrina,” he snaps.
My gaze meets his, and I’m surprised to see a small smile forming on his face.
“This isn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t think this was going to happen for a long time—for at least a few years after we’d been married. But Jesus. I love you, sweet girl.” Tears spring to my eyes at his words. I can never get tired of those three words coming from his mouth. “This is unexpected, but I can promise you that I have never been happier in my life.” He takes my hand, staring down at it. “This ring was my mother’s. She told me since I was a little boy that it belonged to me, and I was meant to put it on the finger of the girl who meant the world to me. I’ve been saving it for you. And on your birthday, I planned to give it to you, in front of all our friends and family. And I went in that house, ready to fight to the death—which I almost did—to retrieve this ring for you. Nothing on God’s green earth—not even an unplanned pregnancy—will keep me from giving this ring to you. Because I love you. Because there is no other girl in this entire world who deserves to have this ring on her finger. Only you. It’s always been you. So I’m going to ask you again. Will. You. Marry. Me?”
I stare down at the ring. It’s lovely. It’s a stunning diamond solitaire with four small diamonds flanking each side, set in platinum. I can’t take my eyes off of it. I’m stunned into silence.
“You’re cutting me to the quick here, Dove.” His voice sounds pained, and far away, and I realize that I haven’t answered him.
I blink, and I nod.
“Yes, Brody, I will marry you,” I say, extending my hand for him. He places the ring on my finger, and then kisses the palm of my hand. The minute the ring is on, I pull my hand away, and I place it on the side of his face. “Now hear me this, Brody Michael Durham.” I gather my wits before I tell him what I’m about to tell him. “If you ever senselessly risk your life for an inanimate object again, you will think this hospital stay was a fucking picnic.”
“Sabrina, the ring—”
“Do. Not. Do. It. Again.”
He nods sheepishly, and his acknowledgment of the worry, pain, and heartache I went through allows me to finally relax. I take a deep breath as he watches me intently.
“I know how much this ring means to you. And I know you wouldn’t have gone in there without telling anyone where you were going if you didn’t think you had to. But you almost died, Brody. Your little sister has blood on her hands. Your brother witnessed a murder. Things were touch-and-go for a while there, where we all thought we’d lost you forever. You almost left our child without a father. Do you realize how serious that is? How bad this could have been?”
He nods, and he takes a deep breath. “Could have been. But isn’t. Because I chose you.”
I must have the blankest stare ever on my face, because he chuckles.
“I saw my mom. And I had a choice, to come back to you, or to leave with her. I remember you telling me you were pregnant. I remember the song you played. I remember Cason yelling at me. I had a choice, and I chose you. And I chose our baby. I chose life. You are my life, Sabrina.”
Great. Here come the waterworks. Again.
“Thank you for choosing me,” I tell him, and I smile. “Thank you for choosing us. But please, don’t risk your life again. I like you breathing without wincing every five seconds. And I like your hair all messy first thing in the morning, not covered in bandages.” I run my thumb along the stubble that’s grown on his cheeks. “You don’t have to be Superman, babe. Regular old Clark Kent is just as sexy, I promise.”
He grins at my superhero reference, and he shakes his head at me. His eyes roam over my body, from the top of my head, to his letter jacket still strewn over my shoulders, to the dress I haven’t changed out of, and finally, his gaze comes to rest at my middle.
His hand stretches out, and he presses his palm to my stomach. He leaves it there, and he just stares at my belly in awe. He glances up at me, eyebrows furrowed. “We’re going to have a baby?”
I nod. “So it would seem.”
He laughs, his gaze meeting mine once more. “Happy birthday, I guess.”
I laugh. Best birthday gift ever.
THIRTY THREE
NOW THAT BRODY’S AWAKE, he’s been alternating visitors every hour. His grandparents came in first, because they haven’t seen him in years, and everyone else kind of followed suit. Out of everyone who showed up, he was most surprised by Kyle’s presence and Michele’s absence.
I talked to Nickayla about that, and she had some pretty strong opinions about Michele deciding not to come. We decided that there were too many people who did show up, too many people who care about Brody to focus on the one who doesn’t. I don’t know why Michele decided not to come and see if he was okay, but it doesn’t matter. Not to me, anyway.
Once Brody was awake, the police came to take his statement about what happened at his father’s house. I couldn’t make it five minutes without having to leave the room, listening to him explain what was done to him. I can see the results of what happened, but I don’t think I can stomach hearing the specifics right now. Once the police were done taking his statement, they promised they would be in touch.
Now, it’s just me, Brody, Mom, and Daddy.
Nickayla took Cason and Dalis to the house to shower and get some sleep, and we’re waiting for Brody’s doctor to clear him to be released.
The first thing that happened when my parents came in is pretty obvious. Their gazes immediately went to the ring on my finger. Surprisingly, though, my father beamed proudly, and my mother burst into tears. So, now we’re having wedding talk.
“When? Where? Why?” Mom asks, pulling out a notebook.
“As soon as possible,” Brody says. “I don’t want to go much longer without being able to call your daughter my wife. And where? The lake house. It’s small, and intimate. We don’t want many people present. Just you all, the Quinns, and our friends. And why? Because I love your daughter more than life itself.”
“And because I want to make an honest man out of him,” I point out with a grin.
“That too.” Brody winks.
My mother coos, gushing over my ring, explaining to my dad all the intricate details about why it’s so special. And that’s considering she do
esn’t even know it was his mother’s ring.
I haven’t left Brody’s side since he woke up, and I’m hoping he gets to come home soon. This hospital bed is anything but comfortable. I’m dying to get a good night’s sleep with the man I love beside me in our bed.
My mother looks sad at the prospect of me having a quickie wedding. It’s so unlike me. Since I was a little girl, I thought I wanted a giant wedding like the ones on My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. But now that I have the right man in my life, I don’t care how big it is. I just want to declare my love for him and become his wife in front of all my friends and family.
And I want to do it before I start showing.
Before the visitors started piling in, Brody and I decided to keep the pregnancy a secret for a while. Given life’s tendency to kick us in the ass when we think everything is going great, we think it’s a smart decision on our part. Besides, my dad might be a little more reluctant to accept our marriage if he knows this is a shotgun wedding. If we do it as soon as possible, we can at least say that we didn’t know beforehand.
I’m not ashamed of Jelly Bean, but I’m not going to deal with my father’s wrath if I don’t absolutely have to.
“I just don’t see why it has to be so soon, Yarida,” my dad says, suddenly, staring at the two of us.
Just when I’m about to say something, Brody starts to slowly sit up. He gives me a look, and I retreat. I know he’s going to take care of this. This needs to be done, and it needs to come from him.
“Sir, I love your daughter. I honestly don’t care if you like me or not. Because it’s not you who has to marry me. It’s not you who has to live with me. It’s her. And she’s chosen to be with me.” My father is fuming at Brody’s words, but Brody continues nonetheless. “I’m not going to pretend I know why that is. And I am definitely not stupid enough to believe that I am even half the man she deserves. But I am smart enough to believe that she deserves nothing less than all of me. And that’s exactly what she’s going to get. I love her. And I’m going to marry her. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life struggling to prove to her that she made the right choice. I’m going to spend the rest of my life struggling to become the man she has always deserved. You can feel free to object, but just know, as long as she’ll have me, I’m going to marry your daughter. With or without your blessing.”
Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.
Clearly no one warned Brody how my father can be when it comes to his girls. My father may as well have steam coming out of his ears with the way he’s glaring at Brody.
He’s trying to intimidate him with a single glance, but Brody refuses to back down. He won’t give up, not when it comes to this.
“With or without my blessing, huh?” Daddy asks.
“Yes, sir. There’s not a thing in the world that will keep me away from Sabrina. I’m here until she no longer wants me. And even then, I’ll still fight for her until my dying day.”
I can’t breathe. I know my father, and I know how he gets when it comes to his children. Shit, at this point, I’m just afraid for Brody. I’m afraid that my dad is going to beat his ass even worse for talking to him like that. I hold my breath, waiting for the explosion.
But it never comes.
Instead, booming laughter escapes from my father, and he nods at Brody in agreement. “Okay, then.”
Brody exhales a sigh of relief, and he nods at Daddy. “Okay, then.” He turns to look at Mom and gives her a smile. “One week, Ana. We don’t need anything huge, and we don’t want anything huge. I know you can whip up a great cake in less than a day—I’ve seen you do it. And I can get my friends at Little Sicily to cater for us at a discount. Just…I want to make Sabrina my wife as soon as possible.”
Oh, if only he knew what those words just did to my heart.
My mom squeaks, and she stares at me in bewilderment. It’s like she’s expecting me to object. But I won’t.
“One week, Mom. I want to marry him as soon as possible. As soon as Brody’s out of the hospital, we can go get everything done. I know you can do this. You’ve done much more in much less time.”
She nods, accepting my terms, and she exits the room in a frenzy, ready to make calls and make shit happen.
…
THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS is much harder.
After all that’s happened, I successfully convinced Brody that he should tell Nickayla how truly bad things have been for him since his mother died. She knew to some extent, but I felt like it’d be beneficial if she knew everything.
I feel close to her, and I feel even closer to Colin because of how similar our situations are. Just a few months ago, the day after prom, we were sitting in this exact hospital, waiting to hear about Nickayla, who’d been directly hit by a drunk driver. We were all Colin’s strength then, and they were all mine, while I waited on news about Brody.
It’s because of them being here for me that I started championing for Brody to tell Nickayla about his adolescent years. I demanded that he tell her every gory detail, even if it was hard for me to hear.
So once they returned to the hospital after taking Cason and Dalis home, I made sure Brody made it his first order of business to tell her.
Understandably, she was upset to know that for years, she’d been in the dark. I could even understand her feelings of betrayal when she found out her mother knew what was going on with Brody all this time and neither of them thought to keep her informed or in the loop. She was upset, and she was angry, but once Brody broke down and explained why he kept her in the dark, she understood his reasoning.
She’s his best friend. I see that. They have the most beautiful connection, and if Colin or I weren’t in the picture, I’d say they’re perfect for each other. The way they interact, though, it’s like they’re two of the same person. They act exactly alike.
“So,” Brody says, glancing at my hand. “Sabrina and I were wondering if you wouldn’t mind sticking around for another week or so.”
Nickayla takes his spare hand, nodding. “Of course, B. We were going to stay anyway, but if you need us, we wouldn’t mind postponing our move a few more days.”
He nods at me, and I grin.
“Um, we wanted you both to stay because Brody and I are getting married.”
Nic raises her eyebrows, a smile lighting up her entire face. “When?!”
I avert my gaze, feeling shy. “Next weekend?” Her eyes widen, and I give her a shy smile. “I know it’s soon. But…we’re in love. Insanely in love. And we want to get married as soon as possible.”
I feel bad, a bit, like I’m stealing Nickayla’s thunder. She and Colin got engaged on prom night, and they’ve got plans to marry within the next two years. Not that our love diminishes theirs or vice versa, but I don’t want them to think that we got engaged, or are getting married before them because this is some kind of race. Because it’s not.
“Of course we’ll stay for your wedding! You guys! This is fantastic news!” Nickayla squeals, wrapping me in a hug. “I can’t believe this! Let me see the ring!”
I extend my left hand for her to see, and the minute she lays eyes on the ring, they fill with tears. She shakes her head and covers her mouth with her hand. I know immediately that she recognizes it. I smile, knowing that everyone knows precisely what this ring means, besides the fact that I’m going to marry this wonderful man.
“This is Aunt Rissa’s ring,” she whispers. “Oh, Brody. I’m so proud of you. And I’m so happy for you. I’m so happy for both of you!”
Colin, ever-silent, chooses this moment to speak up.
“Whatever you need, man, we’ve got you. Congratulations, you two.”
…
He’s being released today.
The doctors came in shortly after Nic and Colin finally left, each on their cell phones and making arrangements for our shotgun wedding. They told us what we needed to do to ensure Brody recuperated as quickly and successfully as possible, and he
brought us Brody’s discharge papers.
I am so happy to finally be going home. I haven’t been able to leave his side knowing he’s unable to go with me. But knowing that he can come home today, and we can sleep in our own bed again, that’s a hell of a relief.
We’ve been told that his physical state should improve as long as we follow the strict orders of his doctors, but his mental state is what I’ll be worrying about most. He hasn’t had any nightmares since he’s been in the hospital because he’s been drugged up the whole time. But I’m nervous about whether or not the nightmares will resurface once we’re back home and there are no medications at work. Regardless of if they resurface or not, we decided together that he’s going to see a psychologist for a while. I think he’s perfect, but I’d sleep a lot better at night if I knew guilt, shame, and self-loathing weren’t plaguing him every time he closes his eyes.
It’s going to be a Hell of a ride trying to get him to understand that what’s happened to him is far from his fault, especially when it’s been so ingrained in his mind that it is. But I’m willing to work with him. And I’m damn sure willing to fight for him, just like his mother said I should.
We found out, after we received Brody’s discharge papers, that no charges will be pressed against Dalis. She did what she had to do to protect herself and her brothers, and after Brody’s retelling of what happened on my birthday, there’s no doubt in the world that they were all in danger. The world is a much better place without Andrew Durham around to hurt his children.
He’s set to be cremated, and his mother came to identify his body. There’s going to be a small service next week, and Brody and both his siblings decided they would much rather not attend. Dalis still has to live with the guilt that she took her own father’s life, and Brody, well, he was damn near killed, too. I can see why they wouldn’t want to relive any of that, when the mental scars are going to be forever etched on their souls.
Brody is sitting in a wheelchair, ready to be taken downstairs and out to the car. I’ve packed his bags for him and made sure that he had everything. Now, he’s just waiting for me to whisk him away.
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