It Started in Texas
Page 24
"Daddy." The birthday girl herself went streaking through the house on unsteady feet in her party dress looking for Gage, who was setting up the barbecue in the back garden. He'd decided that we were going to have a proper Texan party with lots of meat and beer, and who was I to disagree with the man of the house?
"What's up, my mini-darlin'?" He scooped her up into his arms and planted a kiss on the end of her nose.
"Party yet?" she asked in the confident manner she’d inherited from him. "Wan' dance."
"Soon, baby girl, soon. We have to wait for everyone to get here so they can see you in the pretty dress Gramma got you." He looked over at me and smiled. "Anyway, I thought you were helping your Momma with the cake."
Cassidy wriggled out of his arms and ran over to me, her blonde curly hair trailing behind her. Her jade green eyes, something she'd also inherited from Gage, flashed with excitement.
"Come on, honey. Let's get this cake iced before your brother and sister decide to eat it."
We went into the kitchen, where my eldest two were hovering like vultures around the freshly baked cake.
"Hey! I thought you were making party games," I said, slapping their hands away from the food.
"All finished, we've made—"
"Okay, okay. Let's get this cake finished before everyone turns up." Just as I spoke, the doorbell rang.
Cassidy ran to open the door.
"Uncy Matty!" she yelled when Matt and Karina walked in, bearing a huge, brightly wrapped present. “Aun’ ‘Rina!”
"Hey, short stuff. How's my favourite munchkin?" Matt blew a raspberry on the side of her face, and she collapsed into a fit of giggles in his arms. He put her down onto the floor and went outside to join Gage, muttering something about 'man's work'.
"Hey, you." Karina joined me and the kids in the kitchen, her eyes bugging at the sight of the chocolate cake.
"Hey, Cass. That all yours?" she asked my little girl, who now sat up on the work surface nodding her head. "Can I have some?"
"Lata." My youngest waggled her finger in Karina’s face as if to prove a point.
"Okay. Promise to save me a big bit?"
Cassidy nodded, her smile wide with excitement.
The party was in full swing in the glorious LA heat, and my youngest was in the front room, fast asleep on the sofa. Dermot had outdone himself by getting her a beautiful doll, which was snuggled up under the blanket with her. His fiancée was lovely, and the kids absolutely adored her, which in my mind made her a keeper. I knew that one part of my life had ended and we were all moving on, and I was glad we weren’t letting anything get in the way of the happiness of our extended family.
"Hey, darlin'. You okay?" Gage handed me a whiskey.
"Yeah, I just checked on Cass. She snores like her daddy." I quickly dodged the elbow he aimed at my ribs.
"Hey, I don't snore."
I looked at him in horror. "Are you serious? ‘Cause I am kept awake all night by it."
"I'm not that bad."
"Er . . . Unless I’m mistaken, and the neighbours are having extensive remodelling done on their house, yes, you are." I gave him a kiss anyway.
"Actually, Bob did say they were thinking about doing just that." Only Gage, being who he was, could be on a first-name basis with the whole street. All the wives kept making him frozen dinners to take on the road. If I didn't trust him with my entire being, I'd think he was paying them in kind, but I knew it was just his easy way and natural charm that turned our road into Wisteria Lane.
I stood in the doorway and looked out over my hugely extended family. Eli and Jade were stroking her baby bump, Drew and his wife, Kris, were playing with my eldest two and Ali. Wade and Jenny were sitting with Matt and Karina, talking about the apartment block where they all lived. Karina had done so well with her work down in Baton Rouge that the company hadn’t wanted to lose her, so they gave her a brand new office to head up in downtown L.A.
They all lived closer to the city than we did because of their jobs. I had suggested that we also move nearer so Gage could get to meetings, appearances, and whatever else he needed to attend easily, but it was him that preferred the suburbs. He chose Inglewood, which was less an hour away, and considering he drove like a maniac, he managed the commute easily.
It began to get dark, and what seemed like millions of fairy lights lit up the back garden, making the stars in the sky seem like they were at ground level. All of the kids were now in bed, and the proper drinking had started. There was soft music playing in the background, and the atmosphere was easy.
"Trust Weston to be all cheesy and shit," Matt called out when he grabbed more food from the cooling barbecue.
"Hey, dude. Fuck off. It's my baby girl's first birthday, and I have a new house with my friends and family around me. Wait ‘til y’all have kids. You'll be just as cheesy."
Karina stared at Gage in horror. "Yeah, not gonna happen for a few good years, so we'll just have to spoil yours."
"Yeah, well. No more for me now. Three is my absolute limit." I lit a cigarette and grabbed a beer.
"But what about that football team Gage wanted?" Matt called out, just to piss me off.
"I don't know who he's getting to have the rest, but I'm done."
Gage walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. "I'm happy with the three we have."
I glanced over at Dermot at that comment, but he was smiling at us. As far as he was concerned, Gage had earned the right to refer to our kids as his. As long as we discussed any major decisions involving them with him, Dermot was happy for Gage and me to take the lead. Looking at him and Alice, I didn’t think it would be long before our brood got bigger anyway.
"Well, that's good, ‘cause that's all you're getting.” I handed him a fresh beer.
"Yes, ma'am." He saluted me and went to chat with Drew and Eli about some upcoming gigs the band had booked.
I left him to it and made my way over to sit with Jenny and Wade, who were snuggling under the stars.
"Hey, baby. Have you had a good day?" Jenny asked me.
"I have, even though I’ve barely stopped. Thanks for coming over. Cass loved having you guys here."
"We wouldn’t have missed it for the world."
She’d put off a flight to New York to come over and was leaving first thing the next day for an audition.
" I gave her a tight hug. "And thanks for making me consider moving over here. It's the best thing I ever did."
"Of course it is. You did it for the right reasons. All you need to do now is marry that man of yours and become an actual American." She played with the ring she had been wearing for the last six months.
"We're happy just as we are."
Wade looked at me with a weird expression on his face. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, lady. Gage is definitely the marrying kind." His words were serious, despite his soft smile.
"Well, nothing's been said, and we're happy." I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t that I wouldn't accept if Gage did decide to propose. I just didn't want him to feel as if he had to because of Cassidy.
"Here ya go, darlin'."
A plate of steak and salad appeared in front of me with a flourish, cooked exactly how I liked it. He’d relit the barbecue, just to cook for me, and I was blown away once again by how much I loved him.
"Thank you."
Just as he was about to sit down, we all heard Cassidy crying in the front room.
"I'll go. You eat." He went inside to check on her.
"Proud daddy, huh?" Jenny said with a smile.
"That's for sure. She's a real daddy's girl."
Gage came back out and lit a cigarette.
"Is she okay?" I asked him.
"Yeah. Wanted a hug from her daddy is all." He grinned.
"Well, we best collect Ali and get going. I have an early flight tomorrow," Jenny said, and she and Wade stood up.
"Leave her here and have some time alone. Wade can come get her tomorrow afte
r he drops you off at the airport," Gage told her while I pulled them both into a hug.
"Are you sure?"
"It's not like she hasn't slept here before." Ali even had her own bed in Grace's room.
"Thanks, baby."
They left, and I closed the front door behind them.
The guests began to leave until only Gage's family and Dermot were left. He and Alice said their goodbyes and headed out to their hotel, promising to be back in the morning to take all three kids to Disney for the day. Then only Gage's parents remained. Mine hadn't been able to make it for Cassidy's actual birthday, but they were coming out in the next few weeks. Margaret and Wayne made their way up to the guest bedroom, leaving Gage and me lying on the grass in the peaceful garden, looking up at the stars.
"Are you happy?" he asked.
"Blissfully. How could I not be, being here with you, having the family we have?"
"Do you ever want more?"
I looked at him, feeling confused. "What do you mean? I have three beautiful and healthy kids, I have a man I love who miraculously loves me back. We have a beautiful house, and soon, I’ll have fantastic job. Is there more?"
"I don't know. I know it's hard when I'm away working, not just for you, but for the kids, too." He was beginning to babble.
"Hey, will you just spit out whatever it is you’re trying to say? I'm not used to seeing you nervous, so now you're making me nervous."
Gage sat up, pulling me with him.
"This is me you're talking to. You know you can tell me anything."
He took a deep breath.
"Marry me."
The End.
M. B. Feeney is an army brat who finally settled down in Birmingham, UK with her other half, two kids and a dog. She procrastinates on her assignments by listening to music of all genres and trying to get ‘just one more paragraph’ written on whichever WIP is open. She is also a serious doodler and a chocoholic. Writing has been her one true love ever since she could spell, and publishing is the final culmination of her hard work and ambition.
Always having something on the go can often lead to ‘writer’s block’ which eventually gets dissolved by good music and an even better book.
Her Other Works:
Right Click, Love
Just Like in the Movies
Honour
The One That Got Away
Dear Diary
Reluctance
Keep up with her at:
mbfeeney.wordpress.com