Back to the Top (Ross Records) (3)

by J. L. Paul

  I hugged Annie hard.

  “I’m so happy for you, Bella,” Annie said, kissing my cheek before crushing Jake in a hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Thank you for coming,” I said as Cammy joined us. “It’s been far too long since the three of us have been together.”

  The party moved to the deck where Greta had decorated with white and purple streamers, vases of flowers, and flickering candles floating in the pond. The kitchen was loaded with trays and trays of food and the refrigerator filled with drinks.

  From somewhere on the deck, music began, filling the festive air with lively sound. People began to dance, celebrating our union in a way I could have only dreamed of. I waded through the crowd until I located Greta retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “I can’t thank you enough for this,” I said as I hugged her again.

  “You don’t need to thank me,” she said, holding my hand. “I’m just so happy that you two are finally married. And, I think my dad would have been just as happy, too.”

  I hugged her again, my heart full of love and emotion.

  “I never gave up on the idea of you and Jake,” she whispered in my ear. “And look what happened.”

  “I know.”

  “And now you’re my sister.”

  We laughed as I grabbed a bottle of water and we toasted.

  “Come on. Let’s go party,” Greta said.

  The party dragged on until the early morning hours before it finally broke up. Nick pulled us aside to say that he was crashing with Matt and Greta for a few days.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said.

  “No, trust me, I want to,” he said, giving me a wink. “Besides, I have a couple appointments to look at some houses. It’s time I found a place of my own.”

  I didn’t object – his primary reason for moving in with Jake had been to give him support after rehab.

  “You don’t have to hurry,” I said. “I don’t mind having you around.”

  “I know,” he said, chucking me under the chin. “But it’s time that I had my own place again. I’m all grown up now, you know.”

  Laughing, he gave me another quick hug before leaving with the rest of the guests.

  “Thanks for that, Jake,” I said as he shut and locked the door. “I’m so glad we were able to celebrate with everyone.”

  “Me, too,” he said. “Now, let’s get upstairs and finish the celebration.”

  “I’ll race you,” I said as I charged up the stairs.

  ***

  A few days later, I sat at the kitchen table, going over a list of things that I’d made to do for the fundraiser. I’d met with the girls before Jake and I had married and we’d divvied up lists for each of us to accomplish. My list consisted of calling businesses near the Center, asking for help. So far, I’d gotten quite a few donations as well as volunteers to help at the fun fair.

  Jake and Ronnie were working with the security company to make sure that Brad didn’t slip through to somehow sabotage everything while Jenny was contacting local contractors, asking for donations of time, work, and materials to get the new building up to par. Things were falling into place.

  Jake and I had talked several times about a honeymoon but decided to put it off until after the fundraiser. He didn’t want to wait too long, though, as he feared I’d become more uncomfortable as my pregnancy progressed. I wasn’t too worried about it as things seemed to be running smoothly in that department. I’d visited Greta’s OB and was given a clean bill of health. Unlike Greta, I hadn’t suffered too much morning sickness, nor had I had any more bouts of dizziness.

  I sat at the kitchen table, thinking about the donations I’d received so far and what I could use them for when Nick ambled into the room, his face screwed up in thought.

  “Hey, Nick,” I said. “Welcome home.”

  “Huh?” he said as he opened the fridge and glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, hey Iz. What are you doing?”

  “Just going over stuff for the fundraiser,” I said. “Something wrong?”

  He grabbed a bottle of juice and a glass before sitting at the table. “Jake around?”

  “He’s on the deck talking to Rob on his cell,” I said. “He’ll be back inside in a second.”

  Nick nodded as he poured a glass of juice and nearly drained it in one drink. I watched him, brow furrowed, straining to figure out a way to get out of him what was on his mind. Just as I opened my mouth to ask, Jake strolled into the room.

  “Nick, dude, what’s up?” Jake asked, dropping into the chair beside me. “You look like ass.”

  “Thanks, man,” Nick said with a half-hearted smile. He ran his hands through his hair while sighing, leaning back in his chair. He stared at the ceiling, releasing long breaths.

  “Nick,” Jake said, suddenly serious. “What the hell is going on?”

  He dropped his chin to his chest, eyes closed. “I went to see Andrea.”

  Jake cursed loudly, causing me to shoot him a warning look as I reached across the table to grab Nick’s hand.

  “What did she want, man?” Jake asked. “More money?”

  Nick shook his head as he turned his hand over, twining his fingers with mine. “No, not really. I mean, I finally figured out why she was hiding from me.”

  “Why?” I asked, my voice a whisper.

  “Because,” he said, lifting his head, a queer grin on his face. “Because she has a kid.”

  “What?” Jake roared, making both Nick and I jump. “What is going on?”

  Nick released my hand to stand up and pace, fingers raking his hair. “She got pregnant right at the end of the marriage. She didn’t know when we split. We did a quickie divorce and if she knew then, she didn’t tell me. She’s been trying to tell me for months but couldn’t do it. Finally, her friend convinced her to just have me come over and meet Jase.”

  “Jase?” I asked.

  Nick paused to give me a lopsided grin. “Yeah. Nicholas Jason Collins. She calls him Jase.”

  “It’s a boy, huh?” I smiled.

  Nick nodded but Jake was not convinced.

  “Are you sure it’s yours?” Jake asked, getting to his feet to stand in front of Nick. “Maybe she’s using this kid to get more money out of you.”

  “I thought of that,” Nick admitted. “We went to the doctor yesterday and did a DNA test. They put a rush on it and we should find out soon.”

  “Shit,” Jake said as he placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “You cool with this?”

  Nick stared at Jake for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, I am. I mean, if he’s mine, then yeah. I want him. I want to be part of his life.”

  “What did she say about that?” I asked.

  “She said that I could see him if I wanted to,” he answered. “She said we’d work out a custody thing.”

  “And what about support?” Jake asked.

  “I met with my attorney this morning,” Nick said. “If the test says he’s mine, then we’ll work out a child support amount. If he’s mine, then I want to make sure he’s taken care of.”

  “Absolutely,” Jake said, pulling Nick into a hug. “Dude, you need anything, you let me know. Okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks man,” he said. “I’m going to go crash in my room for a bit. I’m tired. But later, maybe the three of us can cook some grub on the grill.”

  “Sure,” Jake said. “No problem.”

  Jake watched as Nick left the room, presumably to take a nap. He turned to me, worry etched on his face. “I hope that it’s really his and that bitch isn’t toying with him.”

  I nodded, hoping the same exact thing.

  ***

  Nick found a house a week later and began the process of purchasing it. With all the inspections and paperwork, it seemed to keep his mind off of the pending DNA results.

  A date was finally set for the fun fair and concert to benefit the Children’s Center. I had three weeks to get everything done. It was an ambitious plan, one
that worried Jake, but I was determined to make the deadline. It helped that I had a small army working with me and no sign of Brad anywhere.

  A week before the fundraiser, Nick stormed into the house, wide grin on his face. Jake and I were in the living room, plans and receipts strewn all about, as Nick waved a piece of paper in his hands.

  “He’s mine. I’m a dad,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “Jase is mine.”

  “Congratulations,” I said as I leapt to my feet to hug him. “Wow.”

  “Cool, dude,” Jake said, wrapping Nick into a man hug. “Do you know what this means?”

  “No, what?” Nick said, still smiling as he stood between us.

  “That all four of us have to grow up now,” he said. “Ronnie has a kid, you have a kid, Matt has one on the way and so do I.”

  “Oh, Lord,” I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples.

  “Yep,” Jake said, laughing. “A new band for a new generation.”

  “Think about it,” Nick said, eyes wide. “They’ll all be about the same age. Man, if we start teaching them young…”

  “Hey, can they at least start eating solid food first?” I asked.

  Jake just grinned. “It’s just really cool, Iz. I mean, Me, Nick, Ronnie, and Matt practically grew up together. I mean, Nick and I have known each other since Kindergarten. We met Ronnie in middle school and Matt in high school. Now our kids are going to grow up together.”

  “You boys sound like girls,” I said, laughing. “But I have to admit that it will be nice for them all to have each other.”

  “What’s your next move?” Jake asked.

  “I’ve already talked to the lawyer and we settled on a support amount. He’s sending it to Andrea’s lawyer and we’ll go from there. We’re going to try to work out a visitation agreement between ourselves, first, but if that doesn’t work, then we’ll have to go through the court.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “I can’t wait to meet the little dude.”

  “I’ll bring him over soon,” Nick said. “I’m closing on the house next week. I have a contractor going in after that to do a little work.”

  “Are you going to have a room for Jase at your house?” I asked.

  Nick put an arm around my shoulders. “As a matter of fact I am. And, to give you and Greta a little practice, I was going to ask you ladies to get it all fixed up for him.”

  “No problem,” I said.

  “Now that I’ve got this all out of the way,” Nick said, bending over to pick up the list on the coffee table, “what can I do to help with this fundraiser?”

  We moved all the papers to the kitchen and spent the rest of the evening finalizing plans. Nick was more relaxed than I’d seen him in months and it lifted my spirits.

  We cooked brats on the grill and ate on the deck, watching BK chase squirrels in the yard. Jake called Matt and Ronnie and pretty soon, it turned into a small party. The guys went over a set list for the concert while Greta, Carly and I went over last minute details. By the time everyone left around midnight, I was confident that everything would work out perfectly.

  Twenty-Three

  The morning of the fundraiser, Jake and I left early to help set up and make sure things were moving smoothly. We met the rest of the group for breakfast in a diner two miles from the new Children’s Center building.

  Everyone was in high spirits, anticipating a great day full of family and fun. Tickets for the concert that evening sold out within an hour of going on sale. The band had brought plenty of merchandise to sell at the show, hoping to raise even more money for the children.

  The fun fair was to be held at the high school football stadium. Jenny and Kevin met us there, along with George and Mildred Tharpe. Jenny had enlisted plenty of volunteers to help sort through all the donated materials – classifying them as building materials, Center supplies, and prizes to be given out at the fair. Several local restaurants were setting up booths, promising to donate all proceeds to the Center.

  It was truly a small community coming together to help. And it made my heart soar. The sense of pride from the people working hard to get things ready hovered in the air. It was almost like the entire town had taken the closing of the Children’s Center personally and were fighting back to restore things back to normal.

  “All the games are set up,” Jenny said when she caught up to Greta and I at the trailer where we had placed all the merchandise. “I have a schedule of volunteers who are going to man the booths but now I need to figure out what prizes go where.”

  “Don’t you have a list?” Greta asked as she consulted her electronic tablet. “I’m sure you emailed it to me.”

  “I do,” Jenny said, pushing hair out of her face. “I just have to get them there and you two pregnant women don’t need to be lifting.”

  “There’s a bunch of high school boys over by the band,” I said, grinning as I pointed out the group loitering around Jake and the others. “I’m sure they’ll help get things where they need to go.”

  “Excellent,” Jenny said. “George and Mildred are setting up the silent auction. They donated several things to the auction, too. Mildred was volunteering with me for awhile and fell in love with the children.”

  “Fantastic,” I said. “I’ll make sure to get over there to thank them sometime today.”

  “Hey, Iz,” Carly said as she joined our group. “The dunk tank is set up and I have Jake, Ronnie, Matt, and Nick all scheduled to be in it.”

  “Oh, that’s going to be funny,” I said. “I have a feeling that line is going to be long all day so we’ll have to figure out a way to keep it moving.”

  “I know,” Carly grimaced. “Well, it’s going to be two bucks for three balls and I’ll just make sure that people don’t hang out, gawking at the guys. I’ve got two girls from the community college helping out.”

  “Cool,” I said as I consulted my own tablet. I scrolled through the pages of notes, mentally checking off things that had been completed. “We’re pretty much set except for getting the prizes to the booths.”

  “I’m on that,” Jenny said as she jogged toward the group of boys near Jake.

  “Where’s Cammy?” Greta asked.

  “She’s setting up her booth,” I said. “She’s doing the dart game. She blew up over a hundred balloons last night.”

  “Wow,” Greta said. “I’m surprised she’s not lightheaded.”

  “She has help today. One of the girls that volunteered at the Center will be in the booth with her. They should be able to handle it,” I said. “What time is it?”

  “Quarter to eleven,” Greta said. “Fifteen minutes until we open the doors.”

  “I better check in with Jake and make sure security is set,” I said. “Call or text me with any problems.”

  The other girls disappeared to man their booths or to see to other tasks as I approached Jake.

  “All set?” he asked as he draped an arm around my shoulders.

  “Yes,” I said. “How’s security?”

  “Perfect,” he said. “They’ve all been updated on Brad and know what he looks like. If he shows up here, he’ll be escorted out.”

  “Good.”

  “I have to get in the dunk tank at one. The other guys are taking turns, too,” he said. “But we need to leave here around four to make sure everything’s ready for the show.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I spoke with Bill Metter from the hotel and he said everything was fine this morning. He said that he spoke with your crew and that they can go in this afternoon to start setting up.”

  “Okay,” he said, kissing my cheek. “How you feeling?”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “Make sure you drink plenty of water and get something to eat this afternoon.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “I need to make rounds and check on everyone. I’ll see you at the dunk tank if I don’t see you before.”

  We parted ways and I began walking through all the booths, checking to make sure everyone w
as ready. When the gates opened at eleven, I was slightly shocked at the amount of people streaming into the fair. It did my heart good to see so many people eager to support such a good cause – I just hoped our security could handle it.

  As I walked through the crowd, checking each booth, I was greeted by lots of people, many offering support. I smiled a lot, having a wonderful time.

  At one o’clock, I meandered to the dunk tank, eager to watch Jake. The line was long, as we expected, but Carly and her helpers were doing a fabulous job of keeping it moving. I stood back and watched until someone – a high school baseball player – finally hit the target and dunked Jake. Everyone cheered, including me.

  Finally, at four, Jake and the others had to leave to get ready for the show. They were going onstage at six-thirty and playing until ten with one twenty minute intermission.

  I kissed Jake goodbye, promising to stay safe and in sight of security. The fun fair didn’t shut down until five and I had to stay after to make sure the cleanup was completed. I was hoping to get to the hotel before the show started.

  As the fun fair slowed down, I started cleaning up on my own, wanting a head start so I could get out of there by six. Each booth closed and the person manning it brought their money and leftover prizes to Greta and Cammy. A crew of twenty volunteers began tearing down and cleaning up, making things move much faster.

  “What time are you going to the hotel?” Carly asked as she carried two garbage bags to a trailer hooked to a pickup truck.

  “I’m hoping by six,” I said. “But I want to make sure everything is taken care of here.”

  “I know,” Carly said. “But we’re in good shape. There’s only one game booth left to take down. The restaurants are responsible for their own booths so we don’t have to worry about that. And most of the trash has been taken care of.”

  “Good,” I said, watching as a man loaded the dunk tank into the back of a truck.

  “Hey, Bella,” Jenny said, jogging to my side. “George and Mildred said they would handle the rest of the cleanup if we want to get over to the show.”

  “Really?” I said. I’d taken a few minutes earlier in the day to speak to the older couple. Both were apologetic about the entire situation with Brad and more than willing to pitch in to make this fair a success. “That’s excellent.”