“Hi Mom we’re home!” Shaun yelled as they crossed the threshold.
The inside of the house was no less intimidating. Skye’s eyes were like saucers.
“Hi hi!” Brenda called as she ran down the stairs. She had pruning shears in her hand and was wearing gardening gloves. She pulled them off immediately and dropped them onto the hall table before pulling the younger girl into a hug. “You must be Skye. Call me Brenda.” She was pleased to see that the girl wasn’t THAT much taller than herself.
“Hi Brenda,” Skye said sweetly. “Pleased to meet you.”
“And me you. Shaun has told me all about you AND the new baby!” She was so excited about the baby she was almost bouncing. “Come on upstairs and I’ll show you Shaun’s room. I didn’t know whether to put you in there or in your own room.”
“She’ll stay in my room Mom,” Shaun said. “Not really my room, I have my own house but the shrine is still here.”
“I like you to know you have somewhere to come back to,” Brenda said with a smile.
“Shaun’s room will be fine,” Skye said.
“You know, while you’re here, we should pick out a room. I’d like to get a room ready for the baby for when he or she stays here.”
“Oh that’s so sweet,” Skye said. “Do you mind if I freshen up?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Come on. I’ll show you to your room.” The two ladies walked up the stairs together and Shaun followed behind.
* * *
They were about to walk into Shaun’s room when his brother suddenly came leaping up the stairs.
“Hey Bro!” Tom yelled happily as he took the stairs two at a time.
“Why aren’t you at the office?”
“Cos I’m done for the day and I wanted to see Mom unveil your room.”
“Why?”
“Gonna introduce me to your girl?” he asked, ignoring the question.
“Of course I am. Tom this is Skye. Skye, Tom, my nosey brother.”
“Hi Tom,” she said with a smile.
“Hi there Skye,” he said with a smile. “Welcome to the family. Go ahead Mom,” he said.
Shaun looked on suspiciously. He could tell Tom was just chomping at the bit for him to see something. His Mom frowned at him, she didn’t want him to ruin Skye’s surprise.
* * *
Brenda flung open the door and stood back.
“Wow,” Shaun said. No wonder Tom found this so amusing.
What he usually would have been staring at would be a time warp from high school. Athletic and football awards and trophies. His desk and his glow in the dark solar system on the ceiling, it was all gone. His room was now tastefully decorated and very girly. “Nice Mom.”
* * *
Skye grinned at Tom’s face. If he’d been wanting a horrified reaction from his older brother, it isn’t what he got. Shaun was smiling from ear to ear.
“Do you like it?” Shaun asked Skye.
“It’s lovely,” Skye said. What she was looking at was indeed a lovely room and one that was bigger than her parents’ living room. In one corner was a crib, a beautiful white cane crib with a hood and skirts all around. Skye walked over and ran her hand over the delicately crocheted baby blankets. Tears filled her eyes as she imagined her baby sleeping in there.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Brenda said. “It isn’t very modern but it’s the crib my boys had and these little rugs were made by Shaun’s grandmother.”
“They’re beautiful. I love it,” Skye said.
Shaun put his arm around her and peered into the crib. “Hard to believe either of us used to fit in there…” he said with a grin.
“Specially with that big head,” Tom teased with a grin. “What’s for dinner Mom?”
“I thought we’d barbecue,” Brenda said. “Are you alright with that honey?”
“Yes, fine,” Skye answered with a huge smile. She liked it here.
* * *
After being there for three days, Skye felt as though she was actually a part of this family. Not that she didn’t want her own family, but she felt like she was also a part of this one. Which was odd because she and Shaun hadn’t even made any kind of affirmation that they were a couple. Well she hadn’t. He just assumed, was emphatic, that they were together and staying that way. It was true that they had really good sex and that there WAS a baby on the way and they both wanted to be in the baby’s life full time, and there was the great sex.
She suspected though that Shaun was only saying that he wanted to be with her because of the baby, that wouldn’t fly. If they were going to be a couple, and she had come to realize that that’s what SHE did want, she wanted it to be because he would have wanted her even if the baby hadn’t have happened. She didn’t want Shaun to wake up one day and feel like he’d been trapped.
* * *
“Morning son,” Brenda said when her oldest came down to the kitchen by himself. “No Skye yet?”
“I thought I’d let her sleep.” What he didn’t say was that although they’d turned in fairly early, they’d been making love until the early hours. He wasn’t surprised this morning when Skye hadn’t even stirred.
“Good idea,” Brenda said with a knowing smile. “Shaun, when are you going to make an honest woman of Skye?”
Shaun smiled. “Mom I’d marry her tomorrow. I love her.”
“Then what on earth is stopping you from asking?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m still not that confident that she’ll say yes. I’m scared.”
“There are no guarantees in life but anything worth having is worth taking a chance on.”
He nodded. It did get him thinking.
“What’s for breakfast Ma?” He didn’t really need her to make it for him, he was happy to help but the question signalled the end of the conversation. And it was for him.
Tom came into the kitchen and poured some coffee. “Nice apron,” he said to his brother who had donned one of his Mom’s cooking aprons to save his shirt while he turned the bacon in the pan.
Shaun didn’t even react.
“Pancakes?” Brenda asked.
“Yes please and bacon.” She smiled and made her youngest a plate and then winked.
“Shaun,” Tom said on cue. “You don’t think you could come into the office today…just for a little while?”
Shaun frowned. “Something wrong?”
“No. No, I just want you to look stuff over and make sure it’s all, you know going ok.”
“Hmmm. I don’t really want to just leave Skye here, on her own.”
“Thank you very much,” Brenda said with mock hurt.
Shaun smiled and kissed her cheek “Sorry Mom, you know what I meant.”
“Skye will be perfectly fine here with me. I need some time to get to know my future daughter in law anyway.”
“Mom.”
“I said future didn’t I?”
“Hmm. I guess it’s pretty safe to say it’ll be in the future.”
“I hope so,” Tom said. “She’s the nicest girlfriend you’ve ever brought here. Oh hang on, that would be the ONLY girlfriend you’ve ever brought here. Lucky you knocked her up.”
“Tom shut it,” Shaun said suddenly very serious.
“Sorry I was only joking.”
“Yeah well don’t. “
“Ok, ok,” Tom muttered.
Brenda smiled at the exchange.
* * *
By the time Skye pottered down to the kitchen, Shaun had left with his brother.
“Hi Skye. Did you sleep well?” Brenda asked cheerily.
“Yeah, thanks,” she answered with a sleepy smile. “Where’s Shaun?”
“I hope you don’t mind but he’s gone to the office with Tom just to check up on things.”
“Oh.” Skye couldn’t help feeling a little hurt that he hadn’t even said goodbye.
“I told him not to wake you honey. I told him I’d explain. He wanted to.”
Skye brightened a li
ttle at that.
“Now let’s get you some breakfast before we get started,” Brenda said.
“Get started on what?” Skye asked with a grin. She had a feeling that Brenda might have orchestrated this. She obviously had something in mind.
“First things first. You need to eat. Now what would you like?”
* * *
“Wow.” Skye walked into the enormous attic behind Brenda and was amazed by both the expanse and the contents. It was wall to wall stuff. It wasn’t dusty though. This place had obviously been kept clean and the contents were well looked after. There was only one way to describe it and that was memory central. There were bookcases full of books. Children’s books, photograph albums, old records, the large vinyl kind and a some smaller records that were bigger than a CD and smaller than the big ones. There were even some cassette tapes. Not to mention VHS tapes and a VHS player and television. There was even an old movie projector and screen. There were toys and old pieces of furniture and chests of drawers that she could imagine were still full of old clothes. Probably children’s clothes. Another whole shelf contained board games. Skye could see now where the baby’s crib had come from. “This is amazing,” she said.
“I love it up here,” Brenda said simply. “This is where I keep everything that has ever mattered to me. And some stuff that didn’t but I kept it because it meant something to someone that I love.
Skye wasn’t entirely sure what she was there for. She was glad that she got to see it though.
“There’s a reason I wanted you to see up here,” Brenda said. “I want you to have a look at the things that Shaun loved when he was younger, and I want you to take anything from here that you think you would like.”
“I couldn’t take away things that you hold so dear.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem right. Shaun and I, we’re not really a couple. We just kind of drifted together.”
“Hmmm. You’re having a baby, and you still sleep in the same bed, and you seem to be spending all your time together.”
Skye’s eyes filled with tears. “I know and it’s been great. Shaun’s great. I know he wants to do the right thing.”
“Oh,” Brenda said with a small grin.
“What Oh?” Skye asked trying to return her grin.
Brenda sat in front of Skye and took both her hands in her own.
“You think he’s only with you because of the baby.”
Skye nodded. “He is.”
“No. I don’t think so. If fact I KNOW he isn’t. He’s in love with you Skye.”
“How do you know?” Skye asked trying not to sound too hopeful.
“I’m his mother. I know.”
Skye thought about that. “He didn’t choose me.” She didn’t feel like she could really say what she meant. Yes, he’d chosen her, but he’d chosen her for her body in a bar. Not just any bar either, a pick up bar. She’d been acting. She hadn’t been herself. So he hadn’t even chosen her for that. He’d chosen Scarlett.
* * *
Brenda watched the girl for a long minute before she spoke. “Have you ever received a gift that someone has chosen for you that turns out to be perfect? It isn’t what you would or should have chosen for yourself, you didn’t even know that you needed or wanted it, but you love it and you don’t know why it never occurred to you before then?”
“I guess so.”
“That’s what you are to Shaun.”
“You mean the baby?”
“Not just the baby. The baby isn’t here yet. It’s you that makes him smile.”
“Do you really think that?”
“I know that. I’ve never seen Shaun so happy, so protective.”
“So bossy,” Skye added with a huge smile.
“No he’s always been bossy, oldest son and all that. His father was the same way.”
“Oh really,” Skye said.
* * *
They spent the rest of the morning going through old photographs and baby clothes. Brenda even offered her an antique Christening robe that every generation of Collins had worn for as long as they could remember. The things that Skye liked were tagged but she wouldn’t take any, yet. She would wait until they made it official before she took any memories out of this room. Then she and Shaun would be adding to the memories, not taking them away.
* * *
When the boys made it home Shaun was happy to find his Mom and Skye in the kitchen preparing dinner. “Oh wow…it smells great in here,” Shaun said as he walked through the door. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Uh huh,” Skye said beaming. “Chicken pot pie. We’re even making the pastry from scratch.”
“Really,” Shaun said. He was impressed.
“Your Mom says there’s no love in the supermarket packets.”
“That sounds like Mom,” Shaun said with a grin in his Mom’s direction. If she had been meddling she’d done a good job.
“Nice,” Tom said lifting the lid to the pot of chicken mixture that would go underneath the pastry. “Ouch,” he said when his Mom slapped his hand.
“Go wash up or something,” Brenda said.
“You made this for me?” Shaun asked. He kissed Skye’s cheek tenderly.
“That’s my intention,” she said with a giggle. “We’ll have to see if that translates into anything actually edible.”
“It’ll be lovely Skye,” Brenda said.
“Yes, I’m sure it will,” Shaun said with a grin. Skye flushed with pleasure. She really hadn’t ever bothered with cooking much, it wasn’t the same when it was only for yourself. Cooking for other people was actually fun.
* * *
When Skye went to take a shower the night before they were due to leave, Brenda finally got the opportunity to talk to her son. “So? Have you given any thought yet to when Skye might become my daughter-in-law for real?”
“Mom…we’ve been through this.”
“I know but we didn’t finish the conversation to my satisfaction.”
Shaun sighed.
“We had an interesting chat Skye and I.”
“Oh?”
“She thinks that you’re only with her because you’re doing the right thing. She doesn’t want you to feel trapped.”
“You’re joking!”
“Nope. Now there’s only one person that could have made her feel like that and it wasn’t me.”
“I haven’t made her feel like that!” he said “If I did, it certainly wasn’t done on purpose. I don’t feel trapped. I love Skye.”
“I can see that. Can she see that?”
“She must be able to see that. I never stop telling her how much I want us to stay together. In fact I’ve told her we WILL be staying together. She won’t be getting rid of me.”
“Oh how romantic Shaun.”
“What do you mean?”
“Very Neanderthal. Why don’t you just club her over the head and drag her into your cave. Then she’d know how you feel.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Maybe, but that’s how it seems. You need to woo her. A little romance wouldn’t hurt. You need to make her see that you were already interested in more than just sex even before the baby.”
“Ok. I get it but I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Why not? I just want to help you.”
“I know and you have.” He kissed his Mom’s cheek and headed up the stairs.
* * *
Shaun went into the bedroom and found Skye had fallen asleep. He sat beside her and gently ran his hand over her tangled hair, smoothing it across the pillow. He HAD fallen for her, but he could see that his Mom was partly right. That’s why he was having trouble getting Skye to commit to being with him permanently. He’d gone about things all wrong. He was trying to reach her by making her do what was right, which of course was what was best for the baby. What he completely left out was that they should do what was right for her, and for them, which was of c
ourse being together, being married. It wasn’t even just that he WANTED to be with her. He really didn’t think he could live without her. In the last two weeks they’d slotted into each other’s lives like they’d always been there. He had to find a way to make her see how much he needed her.
He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed easily in her sleep, as she turned over a curl fell across her face. It made her seem younger, innocent. He smiled when he looked at the gentle swell of her growing belly. She always tried to hide it from him when she was naked, like he would be repulsed by it. Nothing could be further from the truth. He loved it and her slightly curvier ass. Yes he loved that ass. Her breasts were fuller too and her whole body seemed to be softer, warmer and more responsive to his touch. Maybe it was physical, hormone changes, and maybe, hopefully, she was falling for him too. He hoped so.
She turned and smiled in her sleep as he cuddled up next to her and closed his eyes.
* * *
“Make sure you call me,” Brenda shouted and waved as they drove away.
“I had a fun time. I love your Mom AND your brother.”
“They have their moments,” he said with a smile. “Only joking. I’m glad.”
“Where are we going?”
“Home silly.”
She nodded sadly. Technically, her home was her apartment and his home was his house. If they each went to their own homes it would mean sleeping by herself for the first time in nearly three weeks. She found that the idea didn’t thrill her. Not at all.
“You could stay at my apartment tonight. Save you having to take me home and then drive all the way to your house.”
“I’d love that,” he said with a grin. “Actually I had no intention of dropping you off and going home. Home is wherever you are. I just assumed you’d want to go home to your own apartment after being away so long.”
“I would, especially if you’re coming with me.”
They drove along in a companionable silence until her phone rang.
An Unexpected Husband Page 6