Takes You

by Nicola C. Priest

  Chapter 16

  Crissie

  Present Day

  Our first Christmas holds many happy memories.

  We spent Christmas Day with my family. I knew my mum already loved Cal. She had practically from our first date, but my dad had always been unsure. Then again, even before Cal came into my life, I’d known for a while that no guy would ever be good enough for me. I’m his baby girl, his only daughter, but on Christmas Day, my dad actually went up to Cal, shook his hand and actually thanked him for making his little girl so happy.

  For the second time in two days, I’d been in floods of tears as I hugged my dad tight and he told me how proud he was of me and that I had a good man in Cal. Of course, I already knew this, but the fact my dad now saw it too, meant so much to me.

  We’d exchanged presents, eaten another enormous Christmas dinner followed by sweet apple crumble and piping hot custard. When everything had been tidied away, we’d spent the afternoon playing board games. Cal had laughed as I lost at every game, calling me cute as I’d pouted like a child.

  It was the early hours when we’d fallen into bed and, unlike the night before, we just slept soundly in each other’s arms.

  I have so many happy memories of all the Christmases we have shared, and I smile into the mirror as my eyes shift to the delicate gold necklace that bears my name.

  There really was no other choice when it came to what jewellery I would wear today. When my mum asked me what I would wear around my neck, I’d just looked at her and rolled my eyes. The answer to that question was the definition of a no-brainer.

  Caleb has given me many pieces of jewellery throughout our years together, and each piece has a special meaning attached to it. But none mean as much to me as what I’m wearing right now.

  The necklace you already know about, but you don’t know about my bracelet, earrings, and the most beautiful engagement ring Cal could have chosen for me. There’s a story behind each item of jewellery I’m wearing today, including the little diamond bar I wear in my belly button, but you only want to know about my engagement ring, right?

  Well, it was on my eighteenth birthday…

  Chapter 17

  Crissie

  August 2007

  Woohoo!

  I’m officially an adult, so the law says anyway. I can’t believe I’ve finally reached the so-called “age of consent,” when it comes to drinking anyway. It’s not like I’ve never had a drink before, but it’s only ever been when I’ve been at home or with family. Tonight, I can go out with Cal and my friends and have a drink in a bar, and they can’t stop me!

  God, I never thought I’d be this excited to actually be able to have a drink outside of home. Tonight, I’m going out for a nice meal with Cal to celebrate my birthday. He refuses to tell me where we’re going, despite my incessant pleas, then we’re meeting my friends in town for a few drinks and maybe some dancing.

  I’ve already been out most of the day with my parents. They treated me to lunch at my favourite pizza place, then Dad left Mum and me to go shopping for my outfit for tonight, which was no easy feat. I wanted to look classy for the meal with Cal, but not too over the top for drinks with my friends afterwards.

  After much window shopping and several outfit changes, we finally decided on a baby pink, chiffon dress that is fun and flirty and will easily fit both venues. The hem stops a few inches above my knee and is shorter than I’m used to, but Cal has often said I have killer legs, so I threw caution to the wind and decided to show them off.

  Two tiny buttons behind my neck fasten the dress, and the high neckline hides any hint of cleavage from view. After much consideration, I also splurged on a pair of silver high-heeled sandals and a matching clutch bag, something Mum says completes the outfit. I hope Cal likes it.

  Caleb

  I can’t believe my girl is finally eighteen. Even more so, I can’t believe that we’ve been together for over a year.

  I’ll admit, when I first asked her out, I had hoped we would go the distance, but as my history with women isn’t great, I daren’t actually believe Crissie and I would go anywhere. How wrong was I?

  I learnt pretty early on that Cris was unlike the other girls I’d dated. She challenges me. She isn’t afraid to call me out when I’m in the wrong or I say or do something stupid. I know I can be difficult and moody at times, but instead of just throwing a fit or just huffing at me, Cris recognises when I need to be left alone and she does just that. It’s just one of the many reasons why I love that girl more than life itself.

  Tonight, I’m taking her out for a meal, just the two of us, to a new French place that opened up in town. I’ve no idea if she likes French food—hell, I’ve no idea if I like French food—but this place is classy and sophisticated, just like her, and she deserves only the best.

  I actually made this reservation not long after my birthday back in April, before the place had even opened. I’ve known for a while that I wanted to do something special for her eighteenth birthday; make it a day she would never forget. I’ve even gone and bought a suit for the occasion. The deep charcoal grey jacket and trousers look the part and paired with a plain white shirt and my favourite black loafers, I think I scrub up pretty well.

  As I grab my wallet and keys from the side table, I glance at the clock above the fireplace, seeing I have twenty minutes to get from my flat to Crissie’s parents’ house. I know she’s spent the day with her parents, something I was happy for her to do as I knew I would be with her all evening and into the night.

  I can’t wait to see what she’s wearing. Wondering about what a woman is wearing for a date has never bothered me before, mainly because I knew she wouldn’t be wearing it for long. Crissie has changed me in so many ways, and all of them for the better. I no longer look at women as objects, which I have to admit, I was guilty of doing before now.

  Blame it on teenage hormones if you will, but now I have Crissie in my life, I see women in a whole different way. Yes, I still look at them, and I can appreciate an attractive woman when I see one, but none of them have the affect on me that she does.

  No one else makes my pulse race just by walking into a room. No one else makes my heart skip a beat when they smile at me. She’s everything I could ever want in a partner, and I can’t imagine being with anyone else.

  Locking my front door, I make my way down to my car and jump in. As soon as the engine kicks into gear, I pull out of my parking space and head towards the woman who holds my heart.

  Crissie

  This place is just…wow!

  I know I must look like a goldfish as I sit at our beautifully dressed table and wait for our desserts to be brought out.

  We’ve been here for almost two hours, and I still can’t believe how great this place is. It’s a lot bigger than what I expected with at least three dozen tables able to sit two, four and in some cases, eight people, and they’re all spread out over a massive dark, hardwood floor that’s so shiny you can see your face in it. It took all my concentration not to look like Bambi on ice as I walked across it in my four-inch heels.

  The walls are decorated in artwork and, while I know next to nothing about art, every piece looks like it could cost a small fortune. There are four huge crystal chandeliers hanging from a high ceiling that is accentuated by the thick black beams that you see in so many buildings in Chester.

  The tablecloths are brilliant white with a large cream-coloured church candle sat dead centre. All the glassware and silverware is polished to within an inch of its life. Our table is in a secluded alcove that gives us a small amount of privacy, but still gives the illusion of being part of the main eating crowd.

  The overall effect is breath-taking, and the fact Cal has brought me here confirms to me how much he cares. This place hasn’t come cheap, that much I know. The thing that gives it away is there are no prices on the menus, something I noticed straightaway and something Cal quickly told me not to worry about.

  “Are you happy, Cris?”<
br />
  I switch my gaze from the beauty of the building we’re sat in and look at the beauty that is the man who holds my heart, wondering where that question came from.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “No reason. I like to see you happy. You deserve to be happy. Have I ever told you how much my life has changed since you agreed to go out with me? How happy you make me?” I shake my head and smile shyly at him. “Before I knew you, I was just going though the motions. Getting up, going to work, coming home. Occasionally, I’d go out with some friends, but it was pretty much work, sleep, and work again. I didn’t really have much in my life other than that, and then I met you. You brought a light into my life, Cris. You gave me a purpose; a reason to get up in the morning other than motor grease and car engines.” He smiles as he says the words, and I try and calm my erratic pulse. “I’ve never met a girl like you before, Cris, and I don’t think anyone I may meet in the future will ever come close to meaning as much to me as you do. So…”

  Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.

  I watch as Caleb smoothly slides from his seat and lowers himself to the floor, down onto one knee.

  “Crissie Elizabeth Walker, there will never be another woman for me. You’re my sun, my moon, and all the stars in the heavens. I love you with everything I am. I know we’re young, and there are probably hundreds of reasons why I shouldn’t ask you this, but they all pale in comparison to the fact that I want you to be mine, always, as my wife. Cris, will you marry me?”

  I look into Caleb’s face as everything around us fades away. Right now, there is only the two of us. In this moment, as I feel tears spring to my eyes, I know there is only one answer I can give this man.

  “Yes, Caleb. A thousand times yes!”

  Within seconds, I am in his arms and my lips are pressed to his. I can hear the cheers and applause from the other diners sat around us, but none of that matters as we break apart and Cal slips the diamond and emerald ring on my finger. The tears come thick and fast now as I look at my ring finger and realise Cal remembered my perfect ring. A princess cut emerald set in a platinum band encrusted with diamonds.

  It couldn’t be more perfect from the man I love and will love for the rest of my life.

  Chapter 18

  Crissie

  Present Day

  I dab at my eyes with a tissue, knowing my friends will kill me if my mascara runs. It took them hours to get my eyes right. They won’t be impressed if they have to do it all again because I got weepy over the memory of our engagement.

  Then again, I find it impossible not to think of that moment and get sentimental. I don’t know a girl who doesn’t get a bit teary-eyed when they think of the moment their man proposed to them.

  I remember thinking how handsome Cal looked in his suit when he picked me up. It was the first time I’d seen him all dressed up like that, and I had made him promise to do it more often. When he had realised just how much I liked it, something I had shown him that night when we got back to his flat—three times—whenever we went out for a meal, out came the suit.

  Ah, the memories that suit helped to create.

  I throw the tissue in a nearby bin and glance down at my ring again. I bet you’re all wondering why it’s taken so long for us to get here? After all, I was eighteen when Cal proposed and I’m twenty-eight now. I could tell you we were too young to marry, so we decided on a long engagement, but that would be a lie.

  The truth is, we’ve been through a lot over the last ten years. Our relationship and dedication to each other has been tested more than once, in some of the worst ways possible. The first three years after our engagement were some of our happiest times.

  I stayed at college in Birmingham and got the grades I needed on my A-Levels to get into the University of Chester to complete my degree in Criminology and Forensic Biology, completing the three-year course with a 2:1 outcome.

  While I got the degree I had dreamed about, finding work in that area proved harder than I had thought, so I started working as an admin assistant for a local recruitment firm. The people were nice, the hours were flexible, and, for what I did each day, the pay wasn’t too bad either.

  As for Cal, when the owner of the garage he worked at suffered a near fatal heart attack, he decided to retire. Even though he had two sons, one who worked with him at the garage, he had no interest in taking over the company from his father, so he handed over the reins to Cal, trusting him to run the business in his absence.

  Shortly after I came back to Chester, I moved in with Cal, deciding I couldn’t be in the same city as him and not live with him. I passed my driving test on the first attempt, which was a shock to all of us, and as a surprise for my twenty-first birthday, Cal got me a cherry red Mini, and it quickly became my pride and joy.

  I had never understood Cal’s obsession with his car, until I had one of my own. I wouldn’t let anyone drive her but me, and I affectionately called her Ethel, after my grandmother.

  Things were going well for us, but six months after my twenty-first birthday, not long after we’d received some of the best news ever, everything came crashing down.

  Chapter 19

  Crissie

  October 2010

  Nope, definitely nothing showing yet.

  I look at my reflection in the mirror and smooth my top down over my belly. It’s been four weeks since Cal and I found out we are expecting our first child, and, according to the doctor, I can start showing at any time after twelve weeks. Well, if his calculations were correct, I’m sixteen weeks now, and there’s still no sign of Little Bean.

  Yeah, I know it’s a silly nickname, but as we’ve opted not to know whether it’s going to be a boy or a girl, and it looks like a kidney bean on the twelve-week scan, the name just stuck. We decided to wait a while before telling our families; wanting to have some time with it being just our secret. However, that’s all about to change this Sunday.

  We’ve been invited round to Cal’s parent’s house for Sunday dinner. Lizzie will be there with her new boyfriend, and Elaine even said my parents could come too, an invitation they accepted without hesitation. We’re lucky our families get along really well, and we decided that, seeing as we would have them all together, Sunday would be when we make the big baby announcement.

  I know exactly how my parents will react. Mum will be in floods of tears as soon as she realises she’s going to be a grandma. My dad will be a little more restrained, but I know he will be just as emotional as Mum will be. It’s going to be a huge tear-fest, of that I have no doubt.

  Even though I have no bump yet, I am seeing other signs that my body is changing. I’ve had to spend a small fortune on new underwear. I swear, my boobs have doubled in size over the last few weeks, and Cal definitely isn’t complaining about that. Turning my back to the mirror, I frown as I see my arse is also getting bigger, if the tightness of my jeans is anything to go by. I am most certainly not happy about that.

  I’ve upped my exercise, something the doctor has encouraged, as it will only help me stay healthy during the pregnancy. Hopefully, if I stay relatively fit, the size of my arse won’t get out of hand. The last thing I want is to have to replace all my jeans.

  “I hope you make an appearance soon, Little Bean,” I say as I rest my hands over my still flat belly. “We’re eager to see you start growing.”

  As I take one last look at my appearance, I hear the front door open and turn to see Cal walking through into the living room. He’s wearing his usual work clothes of a tatty white t-shirt that’s been washed dozens of times but still has grease and grime marks all over it, and an old pair of light blue jeans. He looks a mess, but at the same time, hot as hell.

  In my pregnant state, my hormones are all over the place, and I seem to want sex all the time. Every time I see Cal, no matter what the time of day, what he’s wearing or where we are, my libido kicks into overdrive.

  He’s always had a strong effect on me, but right now, I’ve only got to
sense his presence and I can’t wait to get my hands on him, and, judging by the look on his face right now, he knows exactly what I’m thinking as he grins at me.

  “I’m going to go grab a shower before I get this grease all over the place.” He takes a few steps closer until he is standing directly in front of me. “Care to join me?”

  Hell yes! I think as I take his hand and drag him towards the bathroom, the sound of his laughter bouncing off the walls.

  Caleb

  If I’d known Cris getting pregnant would have had this effect on my sex life, I’d have mentioned having kids a lot sooner. Her sex drive has gone through the roof. The woman is insatiable; she can’t get enough of me. Every time we’re alone, she gets this look in her eye, the same one she got when I walked through the door last night; and when I was in the shower this morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the sex, but a guy needs a rest too.

  I toss the grease-covered rag I've used to wipe my hands on the growing pile of rags by the engine I’ve been working on all afternoon. I still can’t figure out why the damn thing won’t start and it’s frustrating me no end. I’ve come close to kicking the hunk of metal several times in the last hour. Doing so might make me feel better but wouldn’t do the engine much good.

  After checking my watch, I realise I’ve only thirty minutes before I have to go and meet Cris. We’re checking out three potential venues this afternoon for our wedding reception, and she’ll kill me if I’m late.