"Tell me everything," he demanded. His chest rose and fell with the exertion it took to maintain control. He wanted her hard and fast, but that would have to wait. He had more vested here than just sex. This woman meant something to him and he had to have all or nothing. Her heart first, her mind second, her body last, but he had to have it all.
"Sit down, Jackson," she said as she pulled out a chair and turned it away from the table. He sat in it. Then she pulled out another chair and sat it right in front of his. She got as close as she could. Their legs and knees were entangled and she held both of his hands. Jackson was getting extremely nervous.
"I want to tell you about my family first," she said.
By the time Ramsey was done talking, they had moved to the living room and were on the couch. Talmus had come and picked up Cassandra and taken her out to dinner. The house had grown dark except for a single lamp in the living room. Ramsey was practically in his lap. He now understood why she was down. He was feeling down himself. Sometimes life can be so ugly that just hearing about it does a number on you even if you didn't experience it or was even touched by it. Sometimes knowing things could be just as disturbing as experiencing them. He was torn in his feelings towards Pam and Herby. They had messed up their children's lives, but no one could have been prepared for the stuff that had happened to them. Finally, he decided that he just felt sorry for them. They were still doing the best they could.
What he wanted to focus on was making things better for Ramsey. It took a lot for her to tell him her family's secrets. It was an act of trust. He put his arm around her waist and lifted her further onto his lap. Her back was against his chest and he could smell her hair and her skin. It made him hard instantly. She wiggled a little to get comfortable and he clenched his teeth to keep from groaning out loud. This was not the time for sex. She needed him to be gentle with her and to just show her some love.
"I love you, Ramsey," he said against the back of her neck. She leaned back until her neck was against his shoulder. Turning her head towards his face she kissed his cheek.
"I love you too, Jackson. I always have. I cried and cried when you left without telling me goodbye. I didn't know what was going on," she said.
Jackson tightened his arms around her stomach. Her legs were open and hung along the outside of his legs. She was a tall woman and he liked that.
"I'm sorry. I was young and stupid. I shouldn't have believed all that crap they said about you. I should have known something was up."
She raised her hand to the other side of his face and pulled his head down for an awkward, backwards-like kiss on the mouth.
"I have something else to tell you, Jackson. Something you won't believe," she said.
"I guess this is the night for unbelievable stories," he laughed.
He felt her back stiffen against him. He had inadvertently said the wrong thing. What now?
She slowly peeled herself off of him and stood up. He stood up as well. They faced each other.
"I'm pregnant, Jackson."
CHAPTER 22
Those movies in which a person is so shocked that the room spins and the camera does a whirling thing and it looks like the room is really spinning....well, that is exactly how Jackson was feeling. To his credit, he didn't fall back onto the couch. He kept standing. He kept his eyes glued to Ramsey's face. He didn't even blink. But his heart was pounding. The temples of his head felt sunken in and the pulses within them throbbed relentlessly. He felt like he was going blind. He had never been more shocked in his life.
"Jackson!" Ramsey yelled as he fell to his knees.
"I'm fine, Ramsey. I'm just a little shocked," he whispered.
Ramsey went to her knees too. They knelt together and just looked at each other.
"We didn't use protection," she said nervously. "I wasn't thinking."
"Not your fault. My fault," Jackson whispered. His breath was coming back to him and he could see again. He picked up one of her hands and laid it against his chest. He had been so careful. All of his life, after the incident in the cove, he had been scrupulously careful. Had he really had sex with Ramsey without using a condom? For the life of him, he could not remember or even understand how that was possible. How could he have done this with Ramsey? He had made a baby with Ramsey after one time....no after the second time of taking her virginity. He started laughing. It was just too incredible. He could not stop laughing.
He dropped her hand and stood up. The laughter was choking him and he coughed and laughed. Tears came to his eyes as he threw his head back and laughed even more.
"Ramsey.....I'm sorry....I can't.....," he couldn't finish his sentence because he could not stop laughing.
Ramsey was smiling because she understood how crazy the situation was. It was like something you couldn't even make up. It was too unbelievable.
"They are going to laugh us out of town aren't they, Jackson."
He knew she was talking about their families. He nodded his head, "yes," and kept laughing.
"I haven't told anyone. There's been too much going on in my family and I wasn't sure how they would take it," she said.
"It doesn't matter how they take it now, Ramsey. There is a baby on the way and they better be happy about it. All of them, my side and your side, better be happy for us. We've been through enough."
With every word Jackson said, Ramsey was feeling more and more relieved. She had been so scared that he would be mad about her being pregnant. She had been prepared to be the baby's only parent, but she could see clearly that Jackson was on board and there was not a thought in his head about rejecting the baby. She felt like crying with joy at hearing him refer to them as "we."
She moved to the couch and sat back. She realized she was starving for the first time in weeks. She had been so upset about the pregnancy that she had lost her appetite, but now that Jackson was with her and was fine about the pregnancy, she wanted to eat a whole cow.
"I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat," she suggested.
"Nope. Let's order in. We have a lot of stuff to talk about," he said.
"Stuff like what?"
"The baby, us, marriage, where we are going to live, grandad, Cassandra...you name it...our lives...everything. We have lots and lots to talk about and we also have some making up to do," he said as he slid beside her onto the couch.
"I'm still standing by what I said, Jackson. No more sex until we're married."
"Well, in that case, we have one thing to talk about tonight and that's how we're going to manage being married within the next few days."
"Months," she countered.
"Weeks," he re-countered.
"Okay," she agreed. She didn't want to be without him too much longer either. She needed Jackson Steele in every way a woman could ever need a man she loved.
THE WEDDING
In honor of their unusual union and interesting history, Jackson and Ramsey wanted their wedding to be the least traditional as possible. They wanted a very small and intimate wedding with only close family members and friends in attendance. Ramsey stood alone and gave herself to Jackson. Jackson chose to stand alone as well. There were no bridesmaids or best men or groomsmen.
Instead of an aisle with one set of family on one side and another set of family on the other, they put the rows together. Their families had been divided long enough. They decided to stick them all on the same rows.
They, each, entered the room at the same time with one walking on one side of the room and the other along the opposite side until they met together in the middle at the front of the room.
There was no preacher presiding over their wedding. They went straight to their vows and signed the license. It was very intimate, simple, and fast.
Ramsey didn't wear a white gown. She wore a silver floor length gown. She wore real jewelry consisting of a diamond necklace and diamond earrings. She was the picture of simple elegance and she was radiantly beautiful. The sight of her took Jackson's breath away. He couldn't belie
ve she was the same girl he had grown up with.
Sliding doors opened into a decorated reception hall. The celebration was about to begin. They gave each other a promising kiss before they parted ways. Jackson hated to leave her side, but they both had loose ends to tie up. There were important conversations that needed to be had with a few family members.
They would be gone on their honeymoon by tomorrow and would be gone to Paris for a month. It was important that they left everyone situated.
Ramsey had just left Jackson when she heard Maximus call her name. She turned towards him.
"You look beautiful, my girl. I'm proud of the way you reeled him in. Good job. Good job," he said with a wink as he patted her arm.
Ramsey threw her arms around him and hugged him.
"Thank you, Granddad, for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for being firm with me," she whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the old man who had taken her husband in when he was a boy and had believed in him, when nobody else had. She hugged Maximus again before she moved on to find Cassandra.
She was just walking up to Cassandra when she noticed that Cassandra and a man were having a conversation. He was signing to Cassandra. He was clumsy and hesitant in his signing and he, suddenly inadvertently, signed something really offensive. Ramsey was opening her mouth to correct him when she saw Cassandra's open hand land hard against his face. The sound seemed to vibrate through the room.
Ramsey hurriedly signed to Cassandra that it was a mistake and that the man was not trying to offend her. He had gotten mixed up.
"My God! Why is it that all beautiful women are half crazy!!???" he yelled, before snatching Cassandra by the arm and slamming his lips down over hers.
Ramsey stopped in her tracks and watched as Cassandra got lost in the kiss and had to be held up by the strange man.
"Who is this man?" she asked the room in general.
"That's my cousin," Jackson said. He was grinning from ear to ear and then he burst out laughing when he saw Cassandra's face. "That's Wallace Steele, my Aunt Brooxie's son."
Wallace was guiding Cassandra into a chair and fanning her with one of the little silver napkins. Cassandra looked like a woman who had been thoroughly kissed and she looked confused. All of her anger was gone. Ramsey couldn't believe it when Wallace started signing again, still clumsily and still with the wrong signals and the wrong messages. But instead of getting angry, Cassandra was laughing now and taking his hands to show him the correct signs.
"Well, well, well...."
"Don't even say it, Jackson. Just mind your own business," Ramsey said.
Talmus hugged her off her feet and threatened Jackson's life if he didn't treat her right. She expected no less from her brother. Then he told Jackson that he had to speak with Ramsey alone. He practically dragged her outside.
"What in the world is wrong with you," she asked when he stopped dragging her.
"I found out something, Ramsey. It's big. I know this is your wedding, but I have to tell you before you leave."
"Well, what is it," she asked impatiently.
"Momma's father is not dead," he said.
"Talmus, please stop lying. Why would she lie about killing him the way she did, cutting him up and all that? Why would she lie about something like that," she whispered loudly.
"No, no. I mean that man was not her real father. She only thought he was. Her real father is in a nursing home in Jackson, Mississippi."
"How in God's name did you find that out? Are you sure, boy," she said loudly.
"I'm sure. Her mother left a diary and pictures and everything. I put a detective on momma's family. She was not there when her mother died and she didn't go to the funeral. She changed her name and everything. It’s so much Ramsey. I can't tell you everything right now, but it’s big. There is an inheritance. Big money is involved."
Ramsey's head was spinning. She didn't know what to think.
"I...I can't deal with this right now. I don't even want to. I'm glad though. I'm so thankful to God that that man was not her real father. I can't imagine how much relief this will bring to momma. You take care of it Talmus. I have a husband to get back to. Write me and let me know everything. I love you," she said and kissed him before she practically ran away from him.
Ramsey went straight to Jackson and wrapped her arms around him. "Let's go honey. Everything is done."
"Did you say goodbye to your mom and dad," he asked.
"No, but I will call them on the way to the airport. Let's go Mr. Steele."
"Whatever you say, Mrs. Steele."
THE END
Thanks for reading. I have other books:
A Rare Find
Benevolence
Who shook the Family Tree
Journals of the Secret Keeper.
The Shocking Truth About Ramsey Page 10