by Thorn, Ava
As Austin held Farrah's hand, a sound he would never forget for the rest of his life filled the room. The only word he could use to describe the sound of his child's heartbeat was extraordinary.
"The baby has a great heartbeat at twelve weeks," Delores said. "Our next appointment will be more fun. Do you have any questions?"
"No," Farrah answered.
"I do." Austin went to his book bag and took out what appeared to be an iPad. Farrah was surprised as he shot question after question at Delores.
"How much weight should Farrah gain? What do you recommend? I was thinking I should hire a dietitian."
"Do I need to lose weight, Austin?" Farrah said as she looked over at him.
"Um, no, I just want you and the baby to get the right nutrition," he said and looked at Delores for help.
"Eating a healthy, balanced meal is very important so the baby can get the proper nutrients. When people say to 'eat for two,' it doesn't mean to go overboard. You only need to gain about twenty-five pounds during your whole pregnancy. Healthy mom equals a healthy baby."
"So, one pound a week?" Austin asked as he continued to type on his iPad.
"That's about right." Delores tried not to smile at Austin.
"For a few days, I witnessed Farrah having morning sickness all day long. Is there something that can help her?"
"Try to eat smaller portions. Try ginger ale or ginger tea. Saltine crackers help. Also, just taking it easy will help."
Farrah couldn't help but smile as Austin fired off question after question and took notes. Their appointment lasted longer than expected and ended with Delores telling Austin he could forward any questions to her email, or she could come by the ranch. He requested Delores to come to their house for lunch sometime next week.
"Honey, enjoy Austin. He's a first time dad," Delores said to Farrah when Austin stepped out of the room.
"So, he is only going to get worse?" Farrah laughed.
Delores laughed. "Check with Faith at the front desk for your next appointment."
"Thanks." Farrah smiled.
"Come on, let's get you dressed," Austin said as he handed Farrah her dress. "What do you want to do? It's past your lunchtime. Do you want to grab some food?" Austin could see a slight hesitation in Farrah's eyes.
"Don't worry; I've got a place in mind that doesn't require us to eat out in the open."
"Okay," she said softly.
***
"Sonic?" Farrah laughed as they pulled up to the restaurant, where the servers delivered food to you on roller skates.
"I told you that we didn't have to get out." He leaned over and kissed Farrah as soon as he'd parked.
"Thanks."
Farrah looked over the menu. She was craving a chili cheese dog with onion rings and a large blue coconut slush. After all the questions Austin had asked the midwife about her weight, Farrah wondered what he would think of her order, but he placed it without hesitation.
"Tomorrow, you guys will have a balanced meal," he said.
"Austin, I hope you're not going to be this overbearing for the next seven months."
"Actually, I will." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "I'm going to cut back on my traveling so I can be with you. I had a recording studio built at the ranch, so I can always be nearby."
"You don't have to change your lifestyle because of the baby."
"Farrah, you and the baby are my number one priority." Farrah nodded her head and looked out the window.
Austin patted his pocket where he kept the ring. He watched as Farrah continued to stare out the window. He knew exactly what he wanted, and that was for her to be his wife.
"Remember when we talked about where we wanted to be five years from now?" Austin asked.
Farrah turned in her seat to look at him. "We both said we wanted to be happily married with children."
"I don't want you to hate me or feel like you can't trust me." He took her hand in his. "I knew that you were the one for me when I looked into your eyes on the first day I met you. When I was a young man, my daddy used to always tell me about finding a best friend, one who would love me through thick and thin, a friend who'd be my comfort during the storm. You're that best friend, Farrah. You are my soul mate."
Austin took the ring from his pocket and tried to control his trembling.
"Austin." Farrah's eyes widened as she looked at him.
"No, listen to me." Austin took a deep breath. "You love my flaws, and I love yours. I don't think I knew exactly what love was until three months ago. You're the one who moves me like no one else. I know if I fell down, you would be the one there to catch me. Today, Farrah Rue, I'm asking you. Will you be my wife? Will you be the song that plays forever in my heart? If you listen closely, Farrah, I swear to God you can hear that love song right now."
Farrah exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding. "I have been without you too long. I've always run from love, Austin, because I have been too scared to get hurt. Then, you came in my life, and you broke every wall I put up. If I said no right now, I would still be running, and I'm tired, Austin. I'm tired of running. I want to love you forever until my last breath."
"No more running," Austin said as he slipped the shiny platinum diamond ring onto her finger.
Farrah looked down at the ring—three shining diamonds surrounded by sapphires—and she adored it.
"My grandfather gave this ring to my grandmother, who gave it to my father, Sean McBride. Sean McBride presented this ring to my mother thirty-seven years ago, after their second date. He said he knew my mother was the one for him after just a week. He said love has no timeline." Austin became choked up. "When my momma gave me this ring on her deathbed, she made me promise to only give it to the woman I love."
"You didn't give it to Rebecca?"
"No, deep down I knew Rebecca wasn't the woman for me. This ring has only graced the fingers of three women. My grandmother, my mother, and now you."
Farrah felt honored and blessed to be part of Austin's family tradition. She could see herself thirty years from now giving her son or daughter the ring.
"I love you," she said in between kisses.
"Does that mean yes?"
Rebecca laughed. "Yes."
"Good, because we're getting married in two weeks," Austin said quickly.
"In two weeks?" she shouted. "What's the rush?"
"I don't want us to waste any more time." He handed Farrah a chili dog. "We could have a small wedding on the ranch, with just our families and friends. Don't overthink it all, Farrah. Actually, you don't have to worry your pretty little head about anything. I'm taking care of everything."
"Fine, but since we're making plans, I have one of my own. No sex until after we say 'I do.'"
Farrah laughed when she saw the look of horror on Austin's face.
"Okay, darling," he said, chuckling. "That's okay."
***
Farrah had to admit that since moving to Nashville, she had been so bored. At least when she had Southern Rose to run, she was always busy with making new dishes and working there. Now that her business was burnt down to the ground, she was at home with nothing to do. She didn't have a restaurant in Nashville, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She decided that she would cook for the employees on the ranch.
"What is my baby cooking today?" Austin said as he came up the stairs from the recording studio downstairs.
"Well, Mr. McBride, I cooked dinner for everyone. I thought we could eat outside on the patio," Farrah said excitedly as she moved around the kitchen.
"Farrah, you know the workers have been complaining about you. They said, 'Mr. McBride, your fiancée is making us fat.'"
"Oh, really!" Farrah laughed.
"Yeah." He laughed and plucked a strawberry from the fruit salad she'd made.
"Hey!" She popped his hand with a wooden spoon.
"We should open a restaurant here." Austin watched Farrah's smile fall.
"I don't know," she quickly
said as she checked on the homemade mashed potatoes.
"No pressure, baby." He pulled Farrah into his arms. "Just think about it, okay?"
"Yes, sir!" She leaned back and kissed him. "Now, help me set the table."
"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted Farrah as he walked through the French door that led to the stone patio. "We haven't told anyone that we're getting married. We could tell them today."
Farrah stood in the doorway holding a peach cobbler. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell people yet.
"I don't know," she said. "Are you sure it's the right time?"
"Don't tell me you're embarrassed of me?" he teased.
"Okay, we can tell them." Farrah put the cobbler on the table.
"Great," Austin said as he went back into the house to grab the remaining dishes.
Lunch consisted of buttermilk fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, and mini corn on the cobs with butter biscuits.
"Damn, girl," Hank said as he sat down at the table. "If my Natalie could cook like you, I think I would be in heaven every night."
Farrah laughed when Natalie slapped Hank's shoulder. When Austin had introduced the pretty, heavyset brunette with friendly blue eyes as Hank's wife, Farrah instantly thought they were destined to become good friends.
"I think if I could cook for you like Farrah, I wouldn't be able to get you to do squat."
Everyone at the table laughed at the banter between the husband and wife. Farrah noticed the couple wasn't being openly affectionate towards one another. They seemed rather more like friends than lovers. Farrah sensed there was something going on between them that she couldn't put her finger on.
"Have you heard Austin's new tracks for his upcoming album?" Julius asked.
"Don't even ask her that," one of Austin's producers chuckled. "Austin serenades her every night."
"Does he?" Natalie asked.
"What? He likes my opinion," Farrah said innocently.
"Actually, Farrah is my muse. This new album is dedicated to her and the love we have for one another."
Austin looked at Farrah as he continued to talk. "The start of our relationship wasn't perfect, but then again, nothing in life is perfect."
"I'd like to make a toast." Farrah stood up with her mason jar filled with iced tea. "I'd like to thank everyone at this table. I didn't have a family, but I've gained both a family and friends since Austin came into my life."
Austin stood up and held her hand, and she continued.
"So, today, I stand here telling family and friends that in two weeks, I will be marrying my soul mate and the father of my child. See, there was this time in my life that I was lonely and sad, but God brought this amazing guy into my life to love. If you don't have that person in your life to love, I hope you find them."
Farrah caught Austin's gaze and saw that his eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"Cheers!" everyone said as they clinked their glasses together.
***
Austin walked towards the wooden fence that Hank was repairing. "What's on your mind?"
"What makes you think I have something on my mind?" Hank said as he pounded the nail into the wood.
Austin snickered.
"One, you're hitting the shit out of that nail, which is already in there as good as it's going to get."
Hank shouted as he threw the hammer on the ground. "Nothing is wrong!"
"Okay, you don't have to bite my fucking head off." Austin shook his head. "You know what Farrah told me?"
"What did she say?"
"My sugar dumpling thinks something is wrong with your marriage. I told her that you and Natalie have been together for ages and that every couple goes through a dry spell."
"You sound like your momma." Hank said as he took a swig of water.
"Well, what's going on with you and Natalie?"
"You ever felt like you weren't appreciated, like what you did for someone wasn't good enough?"
"So, you feel like you're not good enough for her?"
"Man, I don't even know. I'm tired of being sick and tired." Hank picked up the hammer, threw it back onto the ground, and walked towards his pickup truck. He turned to face Austin. "The more I sit here and watch you with Farrah… and now I'm hearing about Shane, too."
"If you are so miserable, why stay with Natalie?" Austin asked.
"That's all I know. Natalie and I have been through so much together. She had two miscarriages. I blame myself at the end of the day."
"So, you are going to stay with someone you don't love?" Austin shook his head in pity. "I'll be damned. Aren't you the same man who told me to go after the woman I loved?"
"I did." Hank chuckled. "Things with Natalie and me are complicated."
"Well, I can't tell you how to live your life."
Austin sat on the tailgate of the pickup truck with Hank. They did their talking about the weather as they shared the meal that Farrah prepared for them.
"Man," Austin said, "whatever you guys are facing, I hope you can work it out."
"Man, all I can do is try and make my marriage work until I can't." Hank took a swig from the bottle of water. "Did you talk to Shane?"
"He got to Jasmine's house as her water broke. Just in time."
Austin ate a spoon full of potato salad. "You know what's so funny about the situation?"
"Yeah. He has to deal with Jasmine's brother, who is very protective." Hank laughed.
"That's a good one, but that's not the funniest thing about it," Austin said, looking at Hank. "Shane doesn't even realize that God has blessed him with another soul mate. When he does, I want to be a fly on the wall."
"Well, I'm happy everyone is happy and moving on with their lives," Hank said sadly.
"Talk to your wife." Austin patted Hank's shoulder. "I'm having a small dinner party so Farrah can meet Liam and his wife Melanie. Plus, cooking seems to make my baby happy. And when she's happy, I'm happy."
"You were meant to fall in love with her." Hank said softly.
Austin nodded his head as he left his best friend sitting on the tailgate of his truck eating his sorrows away.
He didn't know what problems were going on in his cousin's marriage, but he prayed to God that Hank didn't allow whatever was going on to ruin the type of man he was.
Chapter Sixteen
Austin spread the blanket on the grassy pasture for their afternoon picnic by the pond. "Milady," he said as he helped Farrah onto the blanket.
The weather was perfect for a romantic picnic on the ranch. The sun was just setting. Farrah loved the privacy the vastness of the ranch offered. She watched as Austin lit tea lights around them, creating a romantic ambience.
"So, Austin, this was your idea, and you didn't allow me to cook." Farrah pouted.
"Did I tell you how much I love it when you pout?" Austin leaned forward and kissed Farrah. "I want you to take it easy and just enjoy me spoiling you for a second."
"Okay." Farrah smiled. "So, tell me Austin, where did you order our delicious dinner from?"
Austin put his hands to his heart like he was wounded. "I'm hurt that you think that I can't cook."
"Did you prepare this meal?"
"I sho' nuff did."
Farrah laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. "I love you."
"Don't tell me that until you eat my food." Austin took the lid off a bowl. "Pasta salad with fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. We have fresh baguettes. I made you a fruit salad with honeydew, peaches, and strawberries that I plan to feed to you. Oh, and I brought cranberry juice."
"Austin, you thought of everything." Farrah sighed and bit into the juicy strawberry he dipped into her mouth.
"I wanted to show you that I have this unbelievably romantic side."
"Okay, but we're still not having sex until after the wedding."
"Farrah, sex is not why I'm with you. Sex is an extracurricular activity, an added bonus. You have my heart in your hands."
"I wouldn't see love if I didn't have you
in my life."
Austin stared into Farrah's eyes. His life was coming full circle. He finally had this wonderful woman in his life who was going to be his wife and the mother of his child.
"Eat," he urged, feeding her a forkful of pasta.
"Mmm," she moaned as she savored the taste of rosemary. "This is so delicious. I guess there are two chefs in the family."
Austin chuckled. "I can only cook simple dishes such as boiled pasta and grilled chicken."
"Is that right?" She smiled.
"Yes."
"Austin, you're lucky that you happen to be handsome and that your country accent is sexy."
Austin saw the happiness in Farrah's eyes just for a moment before sadness overtook them. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"I want you to be happy, and sometimes when you don't think I'm looking, I can see the sadness and longing in your eyes." Austin paused and reached into the wicker picnic basket and handed Farrah an envelope. "Open it."
"Austin?" Farrah said after reading the letter.
"Just hear me out." Austin took her hands. "I know you are happy here with me, but I also know how happy Southern Rose made you. That restaurant was your baby, and you were proud of it."
"I'm scared of opening another restaurant only to have it be burnt to the ground. What about people protesting my establishment because of my relationship with you?"
"Farrah, where would this world be if people gave in to their fears? We wouldn't be anywhere." Austin could see her thinking about what he said.
"I will have to think about it. We're getting married in a week and a half and, in case you've forgotten, we're having a baby."
"Farrah, we can do anything that we put our minds to." Austin stroked the side of her face. "I don't want you to worry about money or the start-up costs."
Farrah looked startled. "I can't take your money. The insurance company hasn't finished the investigation, but when they do, I will receive the insurance policy. I will build a Southern Rose here in Nashville when the time is right."
"I purchased land in Dallas, where I plan to build a shopping plaza which will also have a restaurant that my wife will own. It will be on your own terms."