“Let’s wait until the crib gets here so we can make sure it’s centered. You want to get something to eat, then we can pack for tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.” She stretched her hand out, “Help me up?”
He took her hand to give her some leverage to get of the chair. “I am probably going to regret asking this, but what do you want to eat.” A devious grin crossed her face and Braxton groaned. “Again?”
“Oh, don’t complain, it’s been over a week since we’ve had them.”
“Yeah, but the week before we had tacos four times.”
She pouted her lips and looked up at him from under her lashes. He sighed and his lip pulled up in the corner in that smirk that she loved so much. Clapping her hands, she excitedly yelled, “Tacos!”
“Come on, let’s go get your tacos, then we need to get busy packing.”
That night, Allie was too excited to sleep. She turned one way, then the other, kicking Braxton several times in the process. Sometime in the early morning hours she succumbed to sleep. When Braxton woke her the next morning, she wasn’t exactly ready to get up. It took several times of gently shaking her and calling her name before her eyes finally opened.
“Wake up, babe. It’s almost time to get on the road.”
The same excitement that kept her awake into the wee morning returned and she kicked the covers off of her. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and stretched then waddled to the bathroom to get ready. Her hair was a bit unruly so she threw it into a ponytail, not caring what it looked like. Meeting Braxton in the living room, he’d already loaded the truck and had keys in hand. He opened the front door and ushered her out to the truck.
What normally took them three hours to drive, wound up taking almost four. Braxton had to stop three times to let Allie go to the bathroom. He didn’t complain. He imagined it would be a little difficult if he had someone sitting on his bladder all the time, too. It was about noon when they finally arrived at her parent’s house. Allie had the door opened to the truck before he even had it in park. She didn’t wait for him and was at the door before he could get out and get the door closed. When he entered the house, Allie and Amy were already in deep conversation about the baby. They were all smiles, giddy, and very animated. Braxton smiled at their antics.
“Can’t get a word in edgewise with them two.”
“Hey, Shane,” he said, giving him a one-armed hug. “I take it you tried already?”
“Not exactly. I think they both kind of forgot I was here after the first twenty seconds or so.”
His phone rang from inside his pocket. Pulling it from his pocket he answered it. It was his dad checking to see if they had made it in and wanting to know if he could meet him later, there was something he wanted to talk to him about. Braxton wondered what his dad could possibly have on his mind. Maybe it was something with him and Hannah, he wasn’t sure, but whatever it was sounded important.
Allie stayed with her mom and dad while Braxton went to meet Zak. Momentarily, he sat in the truck, looking at his childhood home. Things had changed so much over the years, none more than in the last one. The front door opened and Zak waved at him from the porch. Getting out of the truck, he all of a sudden felt very nervous. There wasn’t a reason to be, or not one he was aware of, anyways.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Son, it’s good to see you. How’s Allie?”
“She’s great, she’s watching home movies from when we were kids with Shane and Amy.”
“Good times. Come on in, I’ll make us some coffee. Hannah made a chocolate cake earlier, too.”
“How is she?”
“Good, she’s working late today, but she’ll be here later.”
The father and son duo caught up on the last few months as they ate their cake. An hour passed and still Braxton was no closer to finding out what was on his dad’s mind. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he opened the can of worms.
“There was something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Zak looked away then back to his son. He rubbed his hands together then pressed them flat on the table. “I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me.”
“Okay? What is it?”
“Are you this baby’s father?”
Braxton leaned back in the chair, rubbing his hands over his face. He never wanted anyone to know the truth. If there was anyone he could trust to keep his secret, though, it would be his dad. “No, technically I’m not. How did you figure it out?”
“I just noticed some things, little things, like the way Allie cut her eyes away from everyone and focused only on you when she was asked how it happened. Then I noticed she would say the baby, or my baby, but never our baby. It’s not my business who the father is, and I’m not asking you to tell me what happened or even why you are taking responsibility. That part, I understand completely why you’re doing it. I just want to make sure that you are fully committed to this.”
“I am. There is nothing I want more than her and this baby. He’s mine, the same way I am yours.”
“Are you prepared just in case the father does show up? Is that a battle you are ready to fight?”
“There’s no chance of that happening. It’s not my story to tell, but I can assure you we don’t have to worry about that.”
Zak leaned forward and squeezed Braxton’s hand. “I’m proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”
To have someone in your life that is always there, that supports you no matter what you choose to do with your life, is an indescribable feeling. Knowing that there is someone always looking out for you, is one of the most important signs of a great parent. Braxton could only hope to be half the dad to Zachary as this man, sitting in front of him, had been to him. He never once doubted Braxton’s abilities, never called him out on his weaknesses, and he never judged him even when he made mistakes. He had always been a guiding hand, a best friend, counselor, teacher, but most importantly to Braxton, he had always been the best dad. He knew that his biological father, Jacob, would be proud of Zak, proud of the way he raised his son. Zak had given him the best example to follow. He would do his best to pass those characteristics along to his son.
Braxton needed to get back to Allie. He stopped at the door, his dad behind him. Turning around to his dad, “Please keep this between you and me.”
“You have my word.”
He hugged his dad tight, “Thank you. I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too.”
In his truck, he waved once more to Zak before backing out of the driveway. He would forever be grateful for the man that stood beside him when he had no one left.
∞ Chapter 23 ∞
They had stayed the first few nights with Allie’s parents and now were at Zak’s house. By week’s end, Braxton had already begun feeling anxious. There was a purpose for this visit, unbeknownst to Allie. Of course, they were there to see their family, but there was a more important reason for Braxton. Luckily, he would get the chance tonight to put his plan into place, or at least get it started.
Allie was currently in the bedroom getting ready for her girl’s night out. Serenity had called her early that morning eager to see her new friend and spend some time with her. They were going to dinner, then to a movie. Some chick flick that Braxton was thankful he didn’t have to sit through. With Allie being pregnant, her hormones had been super active and her emotions tended to run from one extreme to the other. He thought maybe he should warn Serenity there was a chance that Allie would either be in hysterics or in full blown tears before the end of the movie, quite possibly even both. Girls knew how to handle those volatile moments so he decided to stay out of it.
Her footsteps sounded lightly on the carpeted floor of the hall. The scent drifting into the living room, a light lilac, tickled his senses. That magnetic pull that he always felt when she was near tugged at him and he looked in her direction. There standing at the entrance to the room was the wom
an who owned all of him and she looked exquisite. Her hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her eyes had a tint of blue shadow, her cheeks a light blush, and her lips were a faded rose color. The dress she had on hung just past her knees and was a light sky blue. Her rounded belly only enhanced her beauty.
Standing, Braxton’s smile was wide and he slowly walked to her, never once taking his eyes off of her.
“You look amazing.”
“Thank you. I feel awfully big,” she said, puffing her cheeks out.
“You’re perfect.” He kissed her soft lips, their smoothness glided along his. The knock on the door caused him to reluctantly separate his lips from hers. “Have a great time tonight. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” then she was through the door, linked arm in arm with Serenity.
Shortly after Allie left, Braxton dug his phone from the pocket of his jeans. He dialed the familiar number, his nerves ramped up and he paced the floor as he waited for Shane to answer. That had been the easy part. Now he was on his way to meet Shane at the all-you-can-eat buffet in town. His abdomen felt like ping pong balls were bouncing off the walls of his insides, his stomach turned in knots. He began to think meeting for dinner was a bad idea, maybe he should have chosen a coffee shop. It was too late to change that now.
It was twilight when he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Looking to the sky, the stars were barely visible. He took a much needed breath in and slowly let it out. He had never been scared of Shane, but tonight he was terrified. It was now or never though and he didn’t want to wait any longer. He closed his eyes and shook out his hands, trying to find that last bit of courage he needed to walk inside.
You can do this.
Shane was seated at a table on the far side of the dining area. A sweet tea sat on the table in front of him and another sat across from him. Braxton pulled the chair out and sat down.
“Hey. Thanks for meeting me on short notice.”
“It sounded kind of urgent. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes, sir, everything is fine.”
It was now or never. He cleared his throat and hoped his voice didn’t give away how petrified he really felt. “I wanted to talk to you. It’s about Allie.”
This caught Shane’s attention and he lifted a brow in question. “Go on.”
“First, I want you to know that I love her with everything that I am. She has been the center of my world since we were kids. Everything in my life has been about her. Everything I have ever done, I’ve done with her in mind. Now she’s having a baby, my baby, and I want nothing more than to love them and take care of them, not just for today, or next week, but for forever. I want to marry her, and so I’m asking you not for your permission, but for your blessing.”
For a moment, Shane didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. He only stared intently at Braxton as if studying his sincerity. Allie had always been his little girl and always would be, no matter how grown up she was. Braxton waited, not realizing he was holding his breath until his chest started burning. He let it out slowly, setting his elbows on the table. And he waited.
Shane finally broke the silence and the tension between them.
“Allie has always been my little girl. All I have ever wanted for her was for her to be happy. She is happy, you make her happy. I can see that. I see the way she looks at you, it’s the same way her mother looks at me, the same way your mother looked at Zak. I see that same look reciprocated when you look at her. There is nothing I would like more than to call you my son. You have my blessing; just take care of my little girl.”
Braxton visibly relaxed.
“You have my word. There’s one other thing. I’d like to marry her before we go back to Tuscaloosa. I know this didn’t start out conventional, but I want to do right by her. I would give her the sun, the moon, and the stars if I could, but all I can offer her, is me. All of me.”
“You might want to run this by her mother, I’m sure she would love to help and to be involved.”
“That would actually be awesome. I’m sure we’ll need all the help we can get.”
The heaviness had lifted, his nerves had returned to normal, and he felt free. Now that all of that was out of the way he was also starving. The two men piled plates high with food and ate until they felt they would bust. Over the course of the meal, they bonded, building something between them that Braxton was sure would last a lifetime. He’d always been fairly close to Shane and Amy, but this went to a whole other level and it made him wonder what he had been so scared of in the first place.
It was Friday and the day before he would propose to Allie. Braxton had enlisted Zak’s help in picking out the perfect ring for Allie. Several different rings sparkled from beneath the glass counter. Allie wasn’t a materialistic girl, and he knew she wouldn’t want something too big or ostentatious. He wanted something that defined her, their relationship, and all that they were together. Nothing he saw in any of the cases caught his attention and soon he grew very frustrated. Zak recommended they make the drive to Birmingham, the big city had far more stores than their small town had.
The first jewelry store they went in to was much bigger than the one in Gardendale. They had a nice selection, hundreds of rings even, but none that said, ‘this is the one’. So they tried their luck at a place called Soleil’s Unique Jewelry. The inside of the store was decorated in metal’s that had been twisted and molded into different suns, moons, and stars. It was very different from anything that either of them had ever seen before. A woman, maybe in her early forties stood behind a wooden table, diligently working on what looked like some kind of charm or trinket. When she noticed them, she came around the table and greeted them.
She showed them various displays after learning they were looking for an engagement ring. Braxton and Zak walked from one case to the next, looking at the variety of single engagement rings, and wedding sets. The last case that Braxton stopped in front of, he saw it.
Nestled in a velvet casing, sat the ring he knew had to have been crafted just for her. It signified all that she was, all that she meant to him. In the center of the ring, a half carat diamond rested inside of four white gold prongs. To the left of the diamond, thin raised bands fanned out from the center, wrapping around half of the main band. It reminded him of the vast sky stretching out as far as the eye could see. On the other side, a sun with its rays reaching around the other half of the band completed the ring. He was the sky and she was his sun. No other ring could have been more symbolic than this.
“Can I see this one?” he said, pressing his finger against the glass.
“Of course.” She unlocked the sliding door of the case and set the ring on the counter in front of Braxton.
“This is the one. Dad, look at this one.”
Zak joined him and Braxton told him the significance of this particular ring. “Looks like you found it then.”
“Wonderful choice. I custom make all the jewelry you see in here, so you’ll never see another like it.”
“You made this?” Braxton asked, astonished.
“I did,” she said, smiling at him. He could tell she took great pride in her work.
“It’s beautiful, perfect and I’ll take it.”
Braxton paid for the ring and thanked her. He put the ring in his pocket hoping he could find a hiding spot for it without being caught by Allie.
Tomorrow he would take the next step in this journey. Tomorrow, he would ask her to become his wife.
∞ Chapter 24 ∞
Allie sat on a blanket that Braxton had spread out on the green grass. Leaning back on her arms, she turned her face toward the sky. The gentle breeze blew across her face, her hair swirled around behind her in the warm air. The sun had brought the temperatures up, but it wasn’t unbearable. There were a few clouds in the sky and every now and then, they would move to cover the sun casting them in shade. Braxton watched Allie basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun.
After everything he went
through to get to this point, he still felt like the luckiest man in the world. His patience, although sometimes tested and spread thin, his preservation and determination to never give up, had paid off in the end. He had won the ultimate battle over her demons. He knew she still questioned herself. She sometimes worried that she was keeping him from experiencing all that life had to offer because of his choice to stand by her, to take care of not only her, but her baby as well. Braxton hoped that after today she would see that he didn’t care about anything else the world could offer or give him, because to him, she was the world.
Braxton opened the picnic basket he’d brought and set up their lunch on the blanket. Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and peach cobbler were on the menu. Allie opened her eyes, looked down at the meal and tilted her head to the side.
“No tacos?”
Braxton laughed.
“No, sorry. You’ll just have to deal with chicken today.”
“Eh, that’s okay. Tacos probably would have gotten soggy and then it’d ruin my love for them.”
“Maybe I should have brought the tacos then.”
She made a pouty face which Braxton found adorable. Allie knew he was teasing her, but her bottom lip poked out always had him responding with a kiss. This time was no different and he leaned in to her, touching his lips to her soft, smooth ones.
Hope’s Garden was a beautiful place. Flowers of all kinds and colors grew alongside the path leading into the butterfly garden. Allie stopped to admire several different purple and blue flowers, touching their velvety petals between her fingers. Small plaques that gave the names, species, and where each flower originated from were nestled between the greenery.
Braxton took her hand, squeezing lightly, and they slowly made their way to his chosen spot. When they entered the butterfly garden, Allie gasped audibly. Her eyes open wide taking in the beautiful flowers and hundreds of butterflies of all colors and sizes floating around their petals. She walked further into the garden, paused and held her arm out in front of her. Her face lit up, her eyes sparkled and her smile was radiant, stretched across her face, as not one but two yellow and black butterflies landed on her arm. She stood as still as she could until they flew off. Spinning around, smile still bright, she giddily bounded over to Braxton.
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