“I will. I love you too Jay. Give Sammi a kiss for me.”
“I will. Bye Gar.”
“Bye Jay.”
Garett hung up his phone. His house felt empty without Acasia. He tried to distract himself by working on refinishing the kitchen cabinets, but it didn’t work. He returned his tools back to the toolbox, and grabbed his truck keys from the hook, thinking that a drive might clear his head.
He drove around town aimlessly for a while, managing to avoid the Brown house. But thirty minutes after he’d left home, he found himself driving down her street. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, and neither was her mother’s. He remembered distantly that Heather Brown was out with his mother, shopping for baby items for Demi. They were planning a baby shower. He wondered how Demi was doing, wondered whether she knew where his beautiful girlfriend was hiding. He hadn’t talked to Demi himself in a while, and since he still considered her a friend, he decided to give her a call, knowing all the while that he was going to end up grilling her about Acasia.
He pulled over and dialed Demi’s number. She answered with a “Hello” that sounded full of caution, and Garett’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
“Hey Dem. How are ya?”
“I’m fine Garett. Listen, if you’re calling about Acasia . . .” She paused for a moment, then said “She just needs a little time by herself to think things through.”
“She’s going to break up with me isn’t she? Demi, please talk to me.”
“It’s not my place Gar. And I’m the last person that should be giving you relationship advice anyway.”
Garett wondered how Demi felt about his brother and was tempted to ask her, but he had promised Gavin that he would keep his feelings quiet. He had already stuck his foot in his mouth with Jay, and he didn’t want to do it again with Demi, especially since she was the object of his brother’s affection.
“I’m sorry Dem. I haven’t had the chance to tell you congratulations yet. Congrats on your baby.”
“Thank you. Don’t worry about Acasia. She’s just got a lot on her mind. She’s crazy about you Gar.”
“I thought so, but she’s been avoiding my calls all day. And she’s not at the house. I guess your Mom is still out with mine, planning your baby shower. Damn, I guess maybe it was supposed to be a surprise. I’m sorry.”
Demi laughed. “It’s okay. It was supposed to be a surprise, but Mom accidentally told me already anyway. I’ll be back in town next week.”
Garett knew that he had to call Gavin, as he had promised, but he wasn’t looking forward to stepping in the middle of his brother’s would be relationship when he had somehow made such a mess of his own.
“That’s great. You moving back home?”
“Hardly. I’m renting the Gaines house. How’s your remodeling going?”
“I’ve been more than a little distracted since Acasia moved back. I feel like I’ve hardly made any progress.”
Demi was silent for a moment, and Garett knew there was something she wanted to say to him.
“Demi, you know something don’t you?”
“Even if I do, Gar, it’s not my place to tell you. You have to talk to Acasia.”
“But how am I supposed to talk to her when she won’t answer her phone? Did she run away from me? What did I do wrong? She must have mentioned something to you.”
Demi sighed. “She’s going to kill me for telling you this, but she booked a room in Trent for a few days. Some shithole called “Off the Beaten Track” or something. I don’t know what room she’s in though. I’ll try to get it out of her and if I can, I’ll text it to you. Good luck Garett. You’ve made my sister really happy. Happier than I’ve seen her in a long time. But she’s scared. Be careful Gar, and please don’t hurt my sister. I don’t think she could take it again.”
“The last thing I’ve ever wanted to do is hurt her Dem. I love her.”
“Then tell her. I think she needs to hear it. Have you talked to Jay lately?”
“I just talked to him. Something is up with him and Nikki isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I think so too. But of course Nikki isn’t going to tell anyone anything until she’s ready. It’s hard to believe that Nikki and Jay. . . I can’t say it. It’s practically unimaginable to think of them not being together. They’re so damned perfect together.”
“Yeah, I know. Thank you Demi. I really appreciate this.”
“No problem. Um, Garett can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Gavin. . . Is he planning on coming back home?”
“I don’t know Dem. He asks about you sometimes.”
“Does he?”
“Yeah.”
Garett knew that if he said too much more, he would be tempted to let his brother’s secret out, so he decided to change the subject.
“I’m sure Nikki and Jay are fine. Maybe they’re worried about money or something. I don’t know. I’m sure things will work themselves out. If anyone can make it through a rough patch, it’s Jay and Nikki. I’m gonna let you go now Dem. I guess we’ll see you soon huh?”
“Next weekend.”
“Are you excited about coming back home?”
“Mostly. I’ll talk to Acasia and then text you. Bye Gar.”
“Bye Dem. And thank you again.”
“Yep.”
Demi disconnected the call. Garett wanted to get on the road right away, but he had promised Gavin that he would call as soon as there was any news about Demi, so he put his impatience to get to his woman aside, and called his brother.
Gavin was quiet. Too damned quiet. Garett was worried about him after their short conversation, but he had enough on his mind as it was already without worrying about Jay and Nikki and Gavin and Demi on top of it. So he put it all out of his mind and packed a bag. He only made one stop on the way out of town, to purchase the engagement ring for Acasia. He didn’t want to scare her away, was terrified that he was doing the wrong thing, but he knew that he couldn’t face the thought of losing her.
Acasia
When Demi texted and asked for her room number, she knew something was up. She was afraid that her sister had talked to Garett, and was asking for the information for him. She tried to put her sister off, but Demi wasn’t having it, claiming that she was just one pregnant sister looking out for another pregnant sister, probably overreacting with her roller coaster pregnancy hormones, but worried about her sister all the same.
So Acasia gave her sister her room number. She was tempted to give her the wrong number, even tempted to move to another hotel, but she was too damned close to broke to do that, and she knew that if Demi was passing the information on to Garett, that he would probably knock on every door in the place until he found her anyway.
She’d tried to eat the sandwich that she’d purchased from the diner that was attached to the rundown hotel, but she’d put it aside after only a few bites. Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots and it only got worse as the minutes ticked by. She knew that Garett was on his way to her, and with as much as she wanted to see him, with as much as she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, she was still terrified.
She wasn’t sure how he would react to the news of her pregnancy, wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about the news herself. A part of her was thrilled, wanted to tell the whole world that she was having a baby with the man that she loved. But the rest of her was scared to death, so scared of every damned thing that she wanted to cry. Tear stung her eyes and she tried not to let the overwhelming feeling of helplessness overtake her.
His knock came at the door a little before nine p.m. She knew that it was him before she answered the door. Not that anyone else would be knocking on her door anyway, but she had recognized the sound of his truck. She took a deep breath and let it out before she opened the door, but her heart still felt as if it were threatening to pound its way right out of her chest.
He was holding a huge bouquet of flowers in one hand and a plastic bag with two take
out containers in the other hand. He looked almost shy, and Acasia caught a glimpse of the boy he had been as he stood in the doorway. Tears threatened to overfill her eyes and she turned away from him, crossing the room to sit on the bed.
He still stood in the doorway, as if he was a vampire that required her permission to enter. She couldn’t bring herself to look into his eyes, feeling like a coward. Finally, after what seemed like endless minutes of silence, he cleared his throat.
“Acasia, will you look at me please?”
She looked at her shoes instead. “You can come in.”
He moved into the room and shut the door behind him. “Baby will you please tell me what’s wrong?”
“Demi told you I was here didn’t she? Or did you manage to get it out of my mother?”
“It doesn’t matter Cas. What did I do wrong? Why did you run away from me? Please don’t run away from me Acasia. I can’t stand the thought of being without you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong Garett. I just. . . Oh Garett, I’m so scared.”
She offered no protest when he crossed the room and gathered her into his arms. The tears started then. He held her as she cried, saying nothing. Once her sobs had subsided, he handed her the box of tissues from the nightstand. She wiped her face and blew her nose, wondering if she was ready to tell him. She didn’t think she was, but she looked in his eyes then. He loved her, she could see it in his eyes, and she knew that she had to tell him.
“Garett.”
“Yes Acasia?”
“I’m. . . I mean we’re. . .” She cleared her throat and went on. “We’re having a baby.”
“We’re. . . Having a baby?” There was wonder in his voice.
“Yes.”
A smile broke out over Garett’s face. “We’re having a baby Acasia. You’re having my baby.” The smile faded. “Aren’t you happy babe? I know it’s soon but I. . . I love you Acasia. More than anything.”
“I love you too Garett. And I am happy. But I’m scared too. I don’t know how to be a mother. I’m afraid that it’s not going to come natural for me like it did for Nikki.”
He squeezed her hand. “You’ll be a wonderful mother Acasia. This is all a little scary, but it feels right. I need you Acasia Brown. I need you in my life, especially now. I need you to stay with me. Need to know that you’ll be mine forever. You have my heart beautiful. You always have.”
Tears stung her eyes again. She said nothing as he crossed the room and pulled a ring box out of his coat pocket. He knelt before her, tears standing in his eyes as he took her hand. He popped the ring box open with his other hand, his eyes on hers, unashamed of the glistening tears.
“Acasia Brown, will you marry me?”
She couldn’t speak, so she nodded and he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, and she had to wonder how he had known what size to buy. The ring was beautiful and she was suddenly so happy she could hardly see straight.
Garett’s kiss awakened her passion as it always did, and they ended up making love. Lying in his arms afterwards, Acasia realized that she’d never been happier. She loved Garett more than she’d ever imagined that she could love someone, and he loved her too. He laughingly told her that he’d picked out the engagement ring weeks before, and she laughed too.
Even though some of her nervousness remained, she saw a bright future for herself and Garett, and she found herself looking forward to becoming his wife.
Garett
Garett’s mind was on overdrive as he drove to Trent. He wasn’t sure that buying the engagement ring was the right thing to do, but the thought of letting the beautiful woman that he loved slip through this fingers was unbearable. And he knew that even if he lost the nerve to propose to her that night, that he wanted her to be his wife. Even if it took three years for her to wear his last name. He didn’t care. He loved Acasia and he was going to tell her.
He stopped and picked up flowers at a grocery store in Trent, and then bought dinner for them at the diner next to the shithole motel she had checked into, worried that she hadn’t eaten. Acasia brought out a protective streak in him that was undeniable.
His heart was pounding in his chest when he knocked on her door. Demi had texted him the room number only half an hour before he’d gotten into town. He’d been afraid that he’d have to knock on every door, that Acasia was so intent on hiding from him that she might give Demi the wrong room number, or even change motels at the last minute. But her car was sitting directly in front of room 104, and it made him feel a little better that Acasia had told her sister the truth, probably knowing all the while who she really wanted the information for.
When she opened the door, she avoided his eyes. He knew that something was going on, and his heart was still pounding as she moved back into the room. He asked her to look at him, and she refused, but at least she’d told him to come in, so he entered the room, trying not to think about how low budget it was as he sat in the desk chair that looked like it wanted to fall apart. Then Acasia started crying. He was almost afraid to hold her, but he couldn’t stand to see her cry and crossed the room and took her into his arms.
When she confessed her pregnancy, he was so happy he could hardly stand it. He wanted to scream and shout, tell the world that his baby was having his baby. But then it dawned on him that she had run away from him. So he confessed his love for her, and ended up proposing right then and there. The world stood still when she accepted his proposal. He’d never been happier in his life.
Making love to her afterwards had been a divine experience. He had never felt such love in his life. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone the good news, couldn’t wait to wake up beside her in bed every morning. But between the problems that neither Jay nor Nikki wanted to admit, Demi’s coming back home, and Gavin’s need to make a decision, it seemed as if he and Acasia were suddenly the only ones that things seemed to be going right for. He supposed that they should approach the breaking of their news to their families with caution, though Acasia admitted she had already told Demi, guilty that she hadn’t told him first.
He forgave her without a second thought, so damned glad that they were getting married and having a baby that nothing else could really touch him.
Acasia
After they got back to Clinton, the first stop Acasia and Garett made was at her childhood home. They had agreed that she was going to move in to his house as soon as possible, and while she wanted to break the news to her mother gently, she was certainly looking forward to not having to live under her mother’s roof anymore.
Heather Brown took the news well, though she seemed disappointed that Acasia had chosen to move out almost as soon as she had discovered she was pregnant. She looked at her mother and realized for the first time how lost her mother was going to be without someone to really mother and felt more than a little sad. She loved her mother dearly, but she was opening a new chapter in her life, starting a family of her own; and it was high time that she had a place of her own again.
She had few possessions, mostly clothes and personal items since she had left all the furniture and household appliances she had purchased over the years behind when she had left Colton behind, so it took hardly any time at all before everything was packed and ready to go. She felt tears sting her eyes when she hugged her mother goodbye after Garett had loaded everything into the back of his truck, and wondered again if she was already experiencing the roller coaster emotions that pregnancy had been known to bring. It wasn’t as if she was saying a final goodbye to her mother since she was only moving a few blocks away, but at the same time, she knew that she would never live under her mother’s roof again and so the goodbye did feel different this time.
When her mother pulled back, she saw that tears stood in her mother’s eyes as well and she reached for the gentle hand that had soothed her when she was sick, and brushed many a tear from her cheeks, offering it a reassuring squeeze.
“I love you Mom. I couldn’t have asked for a bett
er mother.”
A smile brightened her mother’s face, banishing the tears. “Thank you sweetheart. I love you too.”
She wondered how long her mother stood in the driveway after they had driven away, but tried to put it out of her head. There was much that needed to be done and a short time to do it in. There was still tons of work that needed to be done on the house, and they had a wedding to plan and a baby to prepare for.
Garett
It was a very busy week for Garett and Acasia. Breaking the news of their engagement and Acasia’s pregnancy to their respective family members had gone more smoothly than both of them had thought it would. Everyone seemed to be happy for them, even Jay who still seemed a little off in mood to Garett. He still wanted to talk to his brother, really talk to his brother; but he put it on the back burner because he had a lot on his mind as it was already.
He felt like he had little time to rest between work, working on the house, and getting Demi’s house ready for her to move into since his father had convinced Melda Gaines to give him a set of keys; but all in all he couldn’t have been happier. Waking up beside Acasia every day made him feel as if he could take on the world. If someone so beautiful, so smart, and so caring could love him, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, then he felt as if he could do anything, be anything. It was an incredible feeling, and he felt as if he loved her a little more every day.
Demi arrived in town over the weekend, and everyone helped her set up the house. He stole a moment away from his fiancé while she was involved in conversation with her mother and her sister, and stepped away to call Gavin.
His brother answered on the second ring, sounding a little breathless. “Hey Gar.”
Key To My Heart: Stay Page 6