Mountain Man

by H. P. Mallory

  “Okay, about Janet,” he started as he took my hand and led me into the living room, both of us still stark naked. He grabbed a blanket that was folded over one of the couch arms and laying down, beckoned for me to lay on top of him. I did so, and he covered us both with the blanket.

  He wrapped his arms around me as I snuggled against his chest, loving the feel of him, his heat, his skin, everything. He began to play with my hair.

  “Janet is the last thing I want to talk about right now when I’m here with you, but it’s important all the same,” he started.

  “I don’t want to talk about it either, but it’s better to get it out of the way.” I laid my head back down on his chest, and listened to the steady thrum of his heart, the most reassuring sound in the world.

  William ran his hand through his hair and gave me a distracted smile. “There have been some developments since we last spoke.”

  “Oh? Like what?”

  “I went to see a lawyer.”

  My head snapped up, and I gazed at him in surprise. “Why?”

  “Janet left me a note with a sum of money she expected me to provide for Samuel. Regardless of whether Samuel is mine or not, I can’t afford to pay her the money she’s asking for. The sum was pretty ridiculous actually; I’d have to rob a bank to get it.”

  I winced at the memory of the bank robbery that had brought us together. His grip on me tightened as he began to knead my shoulders.

  “Sorry, poor choice of words,” he murmured, apologetically.

  “It’s okay,” I said as I planted a soft kiss on his cheek, letting my lips linger for a minute to feel his scratchy stubble against my skin. Just thinking about how far we’d come since the bank robbery was a thought that almost startled me. At that point in my life, I’d never imagined William and I would be where we now were. It was a comforting thought.

  “What if Samuel is yours?” I asked. “Would you have to pay it then?

  “I don’t know. At that point, I’d have to pay whatever the court tells me to pay.” He smiled over at me. “First, I have to make sure he’s really mine, and I’m starting to think he might not be.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  He shifted, so he could look at me better. “It’s this funny feeling I have. Of course, I’ve run the whole situation through my head repeatedly, and I don’t think the timeline matches up. That and Janet wasn’t exactly the most loyal of women, as I told you before. Regardless, my lawyer requested the DNA test, but Janet needs to agree to it as well.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “Then she legally can’t ask me for anything,” he answered. “So, if she truly believes Samuel is mine, she’ll agree to the test.”

  “Do you want him to be yours?”

  He sighed, long and hard. “I don’t know.”

  “Yeah, that was probably an impossibly difficult question to answer.”

  A minute passed by, and I wondered what he was thinking. I was worried that I shouldn’t have asked him the question because it wasn’t an easy one to answer.

  “There are moments when I’m amazed that you’re still here, standing by my side, when all of this crap is going on,” he said finally.

  “That’s what love is,” I answered. “It’s sticking by someone through the good and the bad.”

  “Promise me you’ll never leave,” he said almost immediately, and I suddenly felt his fear, his worry and his pain at the thought that I wouldn’t be there for him anymore.

  “William,” I started but he interrupted me.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask for, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to promise me, but at least think about it,” he urged, his expression serious, but also afraid.

  I reached out to smooth his worried brow. “William, you don’t even need to question if I’ll stay around. Of course, I want to, and I don’t need you to ask me to promise it. As long as you want me around, I will be here.”

  “I’ll always want you around,” he whispered as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Maybe someday you’ll get tired of me.”

  William shook his head. “I’ll never get tired of you, Angel. This newness and crazy excitement fades after a while, but what remains is the real part. And, to me, it’s the best part.”

  The sound of the doorbell interrupted us and my heart started to hammer as soon as I realized neither of us were dressed.

  “Just a second,” William yelled as he jumped up and immediately went for his boxers in the kitchen, pulling them on in a split second. I followed him into his bedroom as he turned to face me. “Just hold tight in here for a few minutes, okay?”

  I nodded and watched him throw on his jeans and a t-shirt. Then he hurried back into the living room but not before closing the bedroom door behind him. When he opened the front door, I heard a man’s voice and then William’s. And then I heard Camille barking as William growled at her to be quiet.

  “I’m sorry, I completely forgot we had an appointment,” William said.

  “Is that a wolf?” the man at the door asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll put her outside.”

  Then the sound of footsteps followed as Camille was escorted outside, and the man at the door walked into William’s living room. “Give me one second?” William asked him.

  Then I heard William’s heavy footfalls as he started for the bedroom and opened the door as he smiled at me. “I forgot that I have an appointment with my lawyer,” he started.

  “Oh, I can go,” I said but he shook his head.

  “I was going to suggest you get dressed and then come meet him…well, if you want to.”

  “Oh,” I said, surprised. “Sure.”

  “Okay, come out when you’re ready,” he smiled again and then shut the door as I busied myself with getting dressed. When I came out, I noticed William was sitting on his couch and the lawyer was sitting on the other side.

  “Mr. Paxton, this is my girlfriend, Delilah,” William said.

  “Nice to meet you,” Mr. Paxton said as he smiled and offered me his hand. I smiled back, but my smile was really more for William because I secretly loved the way it felt for him to call me his girlfriend. It felt wonderful. Amazing. Incredible.

  “Have a seat, Angel,” William said as he patted the empty space next to him. I was surprised that he wanted me to be there when I was sure his lawyer had to discuss personal matters with him but I sat down all the same.

  “I have some news about your case, Mr. Black,” Mr. Paxton started as he hesitatingly looked over at me.

  “Angel can stay to hear it,” William answered as I blinked away my surprise.

  A surge of pride and affection burst through me at his words. He even wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him, holding me close. Yes, I loved this man with my entire being.

  “As per request, I’ve attempted to get a DNA sample to see if you are, in fact, Samuel’s father,” Mr. Paxton started.

  “And?” William prompted.

  “Your ex-wife has refused to have him tested.”

  “She refused?” William repeated, obviously surprised.

  “Yes,” Mr. Paxton grimaced. “It would appear that your ex-wife is less than cooperative—”

  William snorted in response to that. “That’s the understatement of the century.”

  “I informed her that in order to proceed, the court would demand a DNA test as well,” Mr. Paxton continued.

  “And?” William asked.

  “I explained that if she wanted to continue forward with the financial requests she was making of you, she wouldn’t be able to refuse the DNA test,” Mr. Paxton continued as he took a deep breath. “And then she simply said she didn’t want to continue.”

  “What?” William and I said at the same time.

  Mr. Paxton shrugged. “She started going on about how much she hated Marshall Heights and that she’d already wasted too much of her time out here or something to that effect. I reminded her that there
was no way she could ask such a sum from you without getting the court involved, and she said she wanted to drop the case!”

  “So, what does that mean about Samuel?” William asked.

  Mr. Paxton shrugged again. “I did mention to her that you would undoubtedly still want to know if the boy was yours.”

  “Right,” William added.

  “And she said you would never know because she was done with you as much as she was done with Marshall Heights.”

  “Can she do that?” William asked. “I mean, I would like to know if the boy is mine.”

  Mr. Paxton nodded. “Legally she can refuse but you also have rights. The first step would be to file a civil lawsuit in which case the court will determine if a paternity test should be ordered. Once it’s ordered, all those involved will be required to submit DNA samples.” He took a deep breath. “But I would advise you against it.”

  “Why?” William asked as I thought the same thing.

  “Because Samuel isn’t yours,” Mr. Paxton continued.

  “How do you know that?” William asked.

  “At first, I believed it highly suspicious that Janet gave up as quickly as she did at the mention of the paternity test. If the child was biologically yours, Janet only stood to benefit by having the child tested and proving that you were, in fact, his father. She stood to gain financial benefits for certain.”

  “Right,” William said and nodded.

  “So, I decided to further research this case, and I found out that she was already receiving child support from another man for Samuel,” Mr. Paxton continued.

  William’s eyes about popped out of his head. “She what?”

  Mr. Paxton nodded. “Yes, she had taken a man to court when the baby was just a few months old, and paternity tests were ordered and confirmed that the man was, in fact, the child’s father.”

  “Then why?” William started but Mr. Paxton interrupted him with a sigh.

  “I believe she just got greedy and figured she could convince you that you were the child’s father so you’d pay child support that was never yours to pay.”

  “She didn’t stop to think I’d insist on a DNA test?” William asked, but he was more asking himself.

  “Apparently not,” Mr. Paxton said. “At any rate, I hope this information finds you content,” he said as he stood up. William followed suit.

  “Yes,” he said as he nodded. “I have to admit that I’m relieved. Shocked by Janet’s nerve but relieved all the same.”

  “Well, I’m glad to be the bearer of good news,” Mr. Paxton said as he started for the door. “You will receive my bill in the mail, Mr. Black,” he said as William nodded and held the door open for him.

  “Thank you,” he said as Mr. Paxton nodded and walked outside, headed for his Cadillac which was parked just out front.

  William and I watched Mr. Paxton start the car and drive away, neither of us saying anything. Once Mr. Paxton was gone, I turned to face William, not sure if I should congratulate him or not. For myself, I was beyond relieved. Not so much that William didn’t have a child but more so that neither of us would ever have to deal with Janet again.

  I slipped my hand into his and squeezed. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  He nodded immediately. “I’m more than okay,” he said. “I’m actually relieved more than I can ever tell you.”

  “Me too,” I answered. “Now we never…”

  “Have to see Janet again,” he finished for me as I smiled up at him.

  With that, he hoisted me into his arms and swung me around as we both laughed. When he put me down, he was beaming.

  “We’re free now, Angel,” he said.

  “Yes,” I answered with a huge smile.

  “Now we can make our lives whatever we want them to be, and nothing is holding us back,” he said as he pulled me into his huge chest and hugged me like I was the most important thing in the world to him.

  Chapter Thirty

  Delilah

  The next day after William walked me home from work, he hung out with my mother and me for a bit and then left earlier than he usually did, claiming he had a headache. Of course, that was suspect to me because William didn’t get things like headaches. He was just way too… wild to fall victim to something as ordinary as a headache.

  “Are you sure you don’t want any Advil?” I asked as he stood by the front door and adamantly shook his head.

  “No, I just didn’t sleep well last night, and I think I need to hit the sack early tonight.” Then he leaned down and kissed me on my forehead. “Don’t worry about me, beautiful.”

  “Okay,” I said with a sigh.

  “Don’t fuss over him like he’s a child,” my mom called from where she was sitting in her rocker by the fireplace. “You’ll suffocate the poor guy.”

  I frowned at her, wondering why she didn’t seem concerned about William’s health at all. But the fact remained that she wasn’t.

  “Well, text me when you get home please,” I said as I got onto my tiptoes and gave him a kiss.

  “I will,” he answered and then hugged me before he started for his truck. Once he had driven away, I turned around and closed the door as I made my way back into the living room.

  “That was weird,” I said as I shook my head. “William’s never had a headache.”

  “Well, maybe he just was tired like he said,” my mom answered, seemingly unconcerned.

  “Maybe,” I said as I took a seat on the couch and started watching whatever old, black and white movie was on. “How are you feeling, Mom?”

  She faced me and shrugged. “Better than I’ve felt in a very long time actually,” she said, and I could see the truth in her words. Her skin was brighter and clearer than it had been in a long time, and her eyes had the same life to them they’d had before she got sick.

  “I’m so glad to hear it,” I said and smiled at her.

  ******

  Just like he promised, William texted me when he got home.

  How are you feeling? I texted back.

  Still not great, he responded.

  I’m sorry to hear that, babe. Is there anything I can do for you?

  Maybe. Would you mind coming over? I think I might have a fever.

  As soon as I read his message, my heart dropped. “Mom,” I started as I glanced up from my phone and looked at my mom. “Would you mind if I went to check on William? He says he has a fever.”

  My mom didn’t even look away from her movie. “No, go ahead. I’m fine.”

  I stood up and grabbing a jacket, kissed my mom on the cheek before I beelined for the car. I hated the idea that William was feverish.

  “Just be careful driving up the mountain, Delilah,” my mom added. “Go slowly please. And don’t drive back home. Stay there tonight. I don’t like it when you drive that road at night.”

  “Okay, thanks, Mom. I will text you when I get there to let you know I made it okay.”

  “Thank you,” she said as she waved to me from her rocking chair, and I opened the garage door before getting into our car and starting the engine.

  The drive to William’s went by in a flash because I was so busy worrying about him. By the time I reached his door, I was surprised because I couldn’t remember anything along the way. But, no matter, I was here now.

  I bolted up his front steps and didn’t bother knocking. Instead, I threw open the door and noticed Camille who was sleeping in her customary spot. She opened one eye, recognized me and then went back to sleep.

  “William, where are—” The words died on my lips when I noticed the rose petals strewn all across the floor, and the candles that illuminated the entire room giving it a soft glow.

  “I’m back here,” he called out from the bedroom. “Just follow the rose path.”

  I couldn’t help my smile as I thought about how he’d planned this whole thing. He hadn’t been sick at all, but he’d wanted to go home early to set all of this up. He was amazing. He was the most amazing man I’d
ever met, and the fact that he was mine almost made me giddy.

  The slight scent of roses filled the room as I walked down the hall and opened his bedroom door. Inside his room, the rose path continued to the bed and candles decorated every corner. William was standing in the middle of the room, wearing a nice collared shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, but I did want to surprise you,” William said, apologetically.

  “Well, you definitely did that,” I answered with a smile as I went to hug him, but before I could, he dropped down to one knee. My heart began to pound as I wondered if this was what I thought it was.

  “Angel, I know we haven’t known each other long, but I know that what I feel for you is real, and it’s never going away,” he started.

  I felt tears starting in my eyes as my smile beamed across my entire face.

  “From the moment I saw you, I recognized something within you that my heart has been missing all these years. I didn’t know it at the time, but I know it for a fact now. You are my other half. You’ve given me hope and strength, and you’ve really proven to me how important love is.”

  “Camille!” he called and then paused as he glanced down the hallway. Pretty soon Camille’s paws sounded against the wood floors as she trotted forward. It was only then that I noticed the ribbon tied around her neck and the ring that was hanging like a jewel from the ribbon. William carefully untied the ribbon and removed the ring. Then he looked up at me again.

  “I have no idea what you see in me, Angel,” William continued as he looked up at me. “And I do still seriously believe that I don’t deserve you, but somehow you still love me. What I will do is promise to spend the rest of my days trying to make you as happy as you’ve made me. That is, if you’ll let me.”

  I started to tremble as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe this was real. I couldn’t believe that this was really happening.

  “Will you marry me?”

  At first, I couldn’t respond because I felt like I was choking on my own happiness. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. “William, if I could use all the words in the dictionary, they would not even begin to describe the depth of my love for you,” I said as I leaned down onto my knees so we were eye level. “I’ve known it since I laid eyes on you when you first came into the bank. You make me feel safe, cherished, and respected. More than that, you make me feel like I’m home.”