by C. A. Harms
***
I came home and walked down the hall, hearing the sound of the shower running and the soft hums of AJ. It was always the same, the radio on the vanity playing her favorite country station, and she sang along to the words, humming the tune in between.
Without a second thought, I started to strip in the hallway, dropping clothes onto a pile on the floor. I had a whole new respect for my girl after last night. We sat down with our families, all of them gathered in my Gran’s kitchen, and shared the news of our pregnancy. There were a few concerned looks, but quickly the congratulations were shared, mixed with tears too. The women in my family were emotionally chaotic whenever babies were involved, and marriage too. You could practically see the wedding bells and baby bottles dancing in their eyes.
But AJ took the reins, and I fell in love with her even more. I didn’t even know that was possible because I already felt consumed by her.
I reached out and moved the shower curtain aside just enough to peek inside. Her back was to me, her hands massaging the soap into her hair. She was gorgeous, every little curve of her body, her long, flowing brown hair. The girl was such a weakness to me; she floored me and knocked me on my ass almost daily. A heart of epic proportions—there really wasn’t a thing she wouldn’t do. The compassion and kindness inside her amazed me.
“You are so beautiful.” I thought she’d jump in surprise, but instead, she turned her head slowly, her eyes still closed, and smiled at me. “Thank you.”
“Can I help?” I asked, stepping closer as she turned and faced me. Her head tilted back, her hands now lowered and resting at her side. It was the only yes I needed. Lifting my hands to her hair, I took over her movements.
“I made our first doctor’s appointment,” she whispered, her eyes still closed. “It’s next Tuesday at two. I thought that would work best since finals end on Friday.”
I used my hand on her shoulder to guide her backward, her head now positioned under the spray of the shower head. “I want you to move in.” I was looking at her hair as the soap began to wash away and trailed over her shoulders and down her back. But even though I wasn’t looking directly at her, I could see in my peripheral vision that her eyes were open as she looked up at me. “You’re here almost every night, but that’s not good enough.”
“How is that not good enough?”
“Because I want you here permanently. I want all your stuff here, not just a few articles scattered here and there,” I explained. “I already talked to my mom and my dad. They expected it and pretty much asked why it took me this long to bring it up.” AJ smiled. “I also talked to Uncle Colt about helping me convert the space above the stairs into a nursery. It’s not huge, but big enough. Especially if we use the space like I hope. It’s just storage now, but the stuff can be moved. The room will be around a seven by ten space.”
AJ was just watching me, an unreadable expression on her face.
“I want you here,” I repeated, “and when the baby comes, the last thing I want is us shifting him back and forth between two different spaces.”
“Him?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah.” I continued to massage the soap from her hair.
“It could be a her, ya know?”
“Nah,” I shook my head just slightly, “believe me when I say him. I just know.”
“And how is it you know?” She was trying to hold back her smile.
“I can just feel it. If I told you how, you’d think I was crazy.” Hell, even I thought I was crazy.”
“Tell me,” AJ said as she placed her hands on my chest. “Please.”
“I told you about my biological father.” She nodded, still looking up at me with that look of hers that made me feel like I was a god. She had this way about her that left me feeling as if I was some type of superman. “I’ve only ever saw him in photographs and videos that my grandparents sent to us from when he was younger. I’ve never dreamt of him, never had a full-on conversation with him, until last night.”
I had to look away from her for a second, because I could feel that huge knot I’d felt earlier when I told this same story to mother slowly returning. It had left me feeling so raw from the moment I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling to realize it was all just a dream. A dream that felt more real than any other dream I’ve ever had in my life.
“What did you talk about?” AJ slowly moved her fingers over my chest in a soothing manner. “I wanna hear everything.”
I took in a deep breath and allowed it to escape me slowly. But the second I looked back into her eyes, my own clouded once more. The thing was, falling apart in front of her didn’t worry me.
“We talked about you.” I gripped the back of her neck, almost as if she was the foundation I needed to hold myself together. “He told me I’d found the one I was meant to share my life with.” AJ’s lower lip trembled, and because I couldn’t stand to see her cry, I leaned in and attempted to kiss the emotions away. “He said that our son was going be a mixture of the best parts of the both of us. And that he was proud of the man I’d become.”
I kept my head pressed to hers. Even when she attempted to pull away, I held her close. Feeling the tears trail along my cheek and drip to my chest, I knew I just needed a minute before I pushed on.
One deep breath in, and a slow release.
“I’ve always wondered if he’d be proud, and I feel like in some weird way this was his attempt to assure me that he was.”
“You’re an amazing man, Rhett. Of course he’d be proud.” AJ’s shaky voice was a mirrored image of exactly how I felt. “I think whether we have a boy or girl, we should name them Blake.”
That alone broke me and healed me as I reached out and pulled the girl that held my soul in the palm of her hand closer. I held her tighter than I should have, but, my god, she was the most beautiful person I’d ever met. AJ was a dream, a gift, and again I let myself believe that it was my father who led her to me.
Chapter Thirty-Three
AJ
“I’m so excited to be an aunt.” Grace held the sonogram picture in her hands, a huge smile on her face. “I better get first dibs on babysitting too. I know we have a big family, but I have blood rights. This little person comes to Aunty Grace first. Because I won’t accept him having a bigger attachment to Chloe, or even Maddison. I am number one, got it?”
I laughed as I nodded my head. “You’re on the boy train too, I see.”
“Yep, this little jelly bean is most definitely a nephew.” She handed over the sonogram Rhett and I had just gotten that morning. “Plus, Rhett shared his dream with all of us, and if that’s not a sign from above, then I don’t know what is.”
“I have a feeling it's gonna be a boy too, but I just really enjoy the fear in his eyes when I tell him his little girl is gonna have all the little boys chasing after her.” He gets all dominant daddy, threatening bodily harm, and it is the cutest thing. Full-on badass daddy mode makes me smile every time.
Adorable.
“Grace.” I turned to the left at the sound of Grace’s name being announced through the patio where we were eating lunch. Rhett had been whisked off shortly after our appointment to a job site with Reed. Instead of sitting at home, I decided to drag Grace to the Italian restaurant in town.
Which brought me to the moment where I was faced with Harley as she moved through the crowded space, a big, fake smile on her face as she looked between me and Grace knowingly.
“Look at you,” Harley said as she reached our table and reached out to wrap her arms around Grace.
I didn’t miss the remorseful look on Rhett’s sister’s face, but she didn’t need to feel bad. After all, they all knew Harley before, and there was no reason they should pretend that they didn’t for my sake.
“You’ve grown up and are so pretty,” Harley added as she pulled back, still smiling wide. “I’ve been meaning to stop by and see you and your mom. I’ve just been so busy getting settled.”
I’d ne
ver really been this close to Harley, but it floored me at just how gorgeous she was. The perfect teeth, smile, and those eyes.
“So you’re staying in Brooklet?” Grace asked, again looking over at me cautiously. I lifted my glass of water to moisten my now very dry throat and avoided eye contact with either of them.
“Yeah,” she added cheerfully. “I’ve rented an apartment just at the edge of town and start at the dance studio in Statesboro teaching five days a week. I actually talked to Rhett about a week and a half ago. He seemed surprised to see me, but we made plans to catch up once I got settled.”
That was like a kick to the stomach as I hid my scowl behind my glass.
“Actually, this is Rhett’s girlfriend,” Grace announced, and I choked on my water as I tried to swallow and take in a deep breath simultaneously. Very bad idea.
I sputter and grab my napkin to cover my mouth as Grace moved in quickly to pat my back. “You okay?” I nodded, because there was no way I could speak. Talk about mortified as I wiped at the tears that were now rolling along my cheeks caused by my coughing fit. “Are you sure?” Again, I nodded as I mentally tried to regroup.
Grace moved back to her side of the table, and I finally took in a deep breath and looked up at the blonde bombshell at my side. She was flawless, and I suddenly felt frumpy. “Are you sure that you’re okay?” She pursed her lips, and I did my very best not to be petty and immature. “Really, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“So you’re Rhett’s girlfriend.” The way she said the word “girlfriend” was more like a curse. “Funny, he never mentioned being with anyone.”
I bit the inside of my cheek harder than intended and instantly tasted blood.
“I’m surprised he never did, because AJ is all he talks about,” Grace added, and that moment alone solidified my love for her. “They actually went today to see their baby for the first time.”
“Baby?” Harley suddenly lost the spark she’d had only moments ago, and the color drained from her face.
“Yep.” Grace again was the one to drive the nail into Harley a little deeper. “We all think it’s gonna be a boy. Rhett is over-the-moon happy. I’ve never actually witnessed him in the state he’s in now. Like he’s lost in the clouds, sliding on rainbows, kind of happy.”
“Wow,” Harley added, I’m sure because it was the only word she could form at the moment. “Congratulations.” She was anything but happy; that was evident in the way her nostrils flared and her lip practically curled.
“Thank you.” I owned the moment, suddenly feeling a little less frumpy than before.
“Well, I better get going.” Harley took a step backward, turning her attention to Grace. “Maybe I’ll stop by and soon all of you soon. I’d love to catch up with you and your mom. She was always like a second mom to me, and I’ve missed you all.”
She offered another quick hug to Grace and hurried off without a second glance in my direction. I stared at her, trying to not show the distaste I felt. That woman was going to be trouble, I could feel it.
***
“What’s this?” I asked as I stepped through the door to find Rhett standing near a table by the large window that overlooked the lake. Our window, our spot. The table was covered with a white tablecloth and set so elegantly with plates I’d never seen before. I knew then that he’d had help with this setup. But it was the thought, I knew the idea of this was all him.
“This is us celebrating.” He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back slightly. He looked so young at the moment, like a little boy fearful of making a move with a girl for the first time.
“Celebrating?”
“Yeah.” The confident smirk returned as he removed his hands from his jean pockets and moved closer to me. “Graduation, you moving in.” He tilted his head to the side as if waiting for me to deny it, and I didn’t, which seemed to please him. I hadn’t yet told him “yes,” but I had slowly been bringing more of my things over each time I visited with my parents. “We also have our son to celebrate.”
“Or daughter,” I added and saw him narrow his eyes.
“It’s a son.” He hooked me around the waist and pulled me in closer. “Trust me.” His lips covered mine, taking away my chance of arguing. Or of throwing another terrifying story of having a daughter at him. I loved doing that.
“I thought we could share dinner in our favorite spot.” Again, he kissed me, only this time it was on the corner of my mouth as he moved toward my ear. “Then later we could have dessert.”
“What’s for dessert?” I asked and whimpered when I felt his teeth graze over my ear.
“Me,” he whispered, “but just in case, there’s ice cream too.”
I thought about teasing him, but quite frankly, the guy was very skilled in persuasion. “I’m completely happy with the first option. We could even skip dinner if you’d like.”
“Oh, I’d like that a lot, but we need to feed my boy.” I could feel him slide against my jaw, and that rush of excitement I got whenever he talked about our baby hit me. He was so accepting of it and had been from the beginning. “So let’s feed ’em, and then I’ll feed you.”
“So romantic.” I laughed and shook my head.
“It’s better than me saying I’m gonna hammer you into the mattress tonight over and over.”
“Oh my god.” I pushed against him and he stumbled back, laughing.
“See? I told you it was better.” He held on to his side and he continued to laugh. I loved more than anything to see him like this. So relaxed and comfortable.
Then suddenly Rhett moved forward, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me over to the table, where he sat me down in the waiting chair. He took the seat opposite mine and then lifted the dome lid off the platter in the center. The smell of steak filled my senses. Along with it were vegetables and potatoes seasoned and grilled.
“Did you do this?”
“Yeessss,” he dragged out the word and looked away from me for a few seconds. I arched my brow and waited for him to once again meet my gaze. “Okay fine, I grilled the steak, or at least I started to before my dad took over. He thinks he’s a grill master, and who am I to argue? Then my mom handled the rest.”
“It’s perfect,” I told him, “all of it.” And it was, but the best part about it was the person I got to share it with.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rhett
“AJ didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” I asked as I handed a bag of feed to Grace, who stood just on the ground below.
“We were having lunch at Marino’s in town, and we sorta ran into Harley.” I froze mid-pass and waited for my sister to fill me in. “Or should I say, Harley ran over to us.”
“And?”
“She’s different.” Grace shrugged, and again I just waited. “Harley was all kitty and ‘Grace, I’ve missed you, you’re so pretty now,’ completely ignoring the fact that I was with someone. She brought up seeing you and made it sound like some great reunion between two of you.”
“It wasn’t.” It was more of an annoyance.
“I know this, but like I said, she is different. Almost condescending and childish even.” Grace lowered the bag she held to the ground at her feet and stood up looking at me once more. “I introduced her and AJ, telling Harley that she was your girlfriend, and you should have seen the way she snarled. It was like AJ was instantly an enemy.”
“What did Harley do?” She better not have been an ass to AJ.
“She didn’t say much really, it was just the way she acted, like she was amazing and AJ was beneath her.” My blood boiled at the thought. “So, I kinda brought her down off her high horse with the announcement of my nephew.”
I couldn’t help it; I smiled. It happened every single time anyone brought up the baby, especially when they agreed with me about it being a boy.
“She looked like she swallowed a cockroach and it was lodged in her windpipe. Her face went from tan to white to flushed in
a matter of seconds. I may have loved Harley before, but there is no dang way I’m going let her make AJ feel like she doesn’t belong.”
“Thanks.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I loved my little sister. The girl was a badass.
“But just so you know, I think AJ feels inferior to Harley,” Grace added, making me feel nervous.
“How?”
“You could just see it.” She reached down and lifted the bag of feed off the ground once more, cradling it in her arms. “She just looked her over again and again, and then you’d see her look down at herself like she was doing some type of comparison. Call it intuition, but a girl can sense when another girl is uncomfortable, and AJ was definitely feeling out of place.”
Grace spun around and walked away, leaving me with the same unsettled feeling in my stomach I’d felt when Harley walked around the front of her car toward the field at my grandparents’ place.
I reached around to the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone, typing out a text message.
Rhett: Be ready by six. I’m taking the most beautiful woman I know to dinner.
AJ: Lucky girl, do I know her?
I smiled down at my phone to her response.
Rhett: Look in the mirror AJ, no one compares to you.
I waited for her to respond, and it took a little longer this time.
AJ: Rhett, you are such a smooth talker.
I agreed with Grace one hundred percent. There was no way in hell I was going to allow anyone to make my girl feel like she wasn’t amazing.
Rhett: You are my world AJ, see you soon.
I tucked my phone into my pocket and jumped down off the tailgate of the pickup truck, heaving two bags of feed onto my shoulder. Harley had another thing coming if she thought I’d sit back and allow her to make AJ feel like she didn’t belong. That shit was going to end.