Covering the Carolinas

by Casey Peeler

  Marleigh doesn’t say anything, instead she unbuckles her seat belt and moves from her seat to mine. She begins to kiss my lips as tears fall. I kiss her harder and she matches me with each move. I run my fingers in her hair and continue to kiss her. As things slow, she places her forehead against mine. “Gunnison, I love you. I don’t know how I’m going to tell Gunner, but you’re right. I don’t want to wait to tell him. I don’t want him to wonder another day about his daddy. As for your parents, I’ll be there or do whatever you’d like.”

  I look into her eyes and know that if I don’t get out of this truck, we may never leave. “Mar, I love you too, but if you keep kissing me like you just did we are going to bypass eating and a real date.”

  She kisses me briefly then nips my lip and I about lose it right there in the truck. Giving her a warning with my eyes, she giggles and I can’t help but kiss her once more. She climbs off my lap, looks in the passenger mirror and reapplies her lip gloss. When she’s ready, I step out of the truck and she slides out my door. We lock our fingers together and so far, this has been the best date of my life and it’s just getting started.

  MARLEIGH

  We are greeted by the hostess and she asks us if we would like to eat inside or out. Gunnison looks at me for an answer. “As long as there’s some heat, I think outside would be nice,” I say to him. The hostess takes us outside to the wooden deck where there is a roaring fire in a pit as well as several outdoor heaters. The band is setting up, and Gunnison and I order our food and talk as if we’ve never been apart. It’s absolutely perfect.

  As our food is brought to us, I ask if he wants to try mine and of course he does. We share each other’s plates. Being with him is like home and right now it’s as if every light in the house is on. I soak in his tan skin, smoldering dark eyes, and perfect smile as he sits across from me.

  After we eat, we sit and laugh about past memories and that week. When I mention the old house, he gets quiet.

  “What’s wrong?” I question.

  “It’s just we were so crazy about each other we didn’t think about the consequences. I’m sorry that I didn’t use protection. Marleigh, you getting pregnant was my fault, too.”

  I take his hands in mine, “Gunnison, please don’t be sorry. That was the best mistake of my life, and yours as well. No, it wasn’t the best timing, but I wouldn’t trade that night for any other in this world, except maybe the last time I met you at that chair.”

  He looks into my eyes and nods and as the band begins to play, I take him by the hand and pull him to the dance floor. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I place my head on his chest as we sway to the beat of the music. As the music ends, I look up at him. “Let’s get out of here,” I say.

  Arriving at the house, I notice no lights are on. Gunnison looks at me and laughs quickly. When I look confused, he informs me that Tinleigh made sure to tell him that no one would be home tonight. I smile thinking about how my sisters want us to have time together without any distractions.

  “Come on, let’s go for a walk first,” I say as we get out of his truck. He takes me by the hand and leads me to the beach. As we walk toward the pier, we steal glances at each other, but don’t say a word.

  The worn out house approaches in the distance. “Mar, can you believe that place is still there?” he asks.

  “No, actually, I’m surprised they haven’t done anything with it.”

  “I wish we could buy it.”

  “With what?” I laugh.

  “I know, it’s just a thought. I mean, that place tells so much about us and our history.”

  “I know, but we’re just college kids. They probably want a pretty penny for it,” I say as I grab his hand and try to pull him away from the house. “It’s getting cold, how about we go inside where it’s warm.” He scoops me up in his arms and I wrap my arms around his neck as he begins to kiss me with a passion I’ve never experienced.

  As his lips ease off mine, my legs slide to the ground and I pull him toward the beach access. Forget about going slow, I’ve waited three years to have him back in my life and it’s time to show him how much I love him.

  Leading him up the steps to the house, he pauses. “Mar, we don’t have to.” I turn and place my finger over his lips, then I pull him inside. As I cut on the light, I notice my sisters have thought of everything. There is a bottle of champagne and two glasses with a note. I smile as I read it, “To your happily ever after.” I look at Gunnison and he wraps his arms around me. “Shall we?” I question toward the bottle. He takes it from the counter, opens it, and pours us each a glass. His eyes look deep into mine. “Mar, to our happily ever after.” Clinking our glasses together, we stare at each other as we take a sip of the sweet substance. As I pull the glass from my lips, Gunnison takes the glass from me and places it on the counter. His hand caresses the back of my neck as our lips meet, then I pull away and look into his eyes. “Gunnison Cyrus, make love to me.” His lips waste no time finding mine. My lips never move from his as we stumble to my bedroom.

  As he closes the door behind us, I pause to take in the most perfect man I’ve ever seen and as he takes another step toward me, I hold my breath waiting for his touch. His hands caress my arms and as I look into his eyes, I raise my arms as he removes the fabric from my body. As his eyes take in every inch of my body, I move toward him and place my hands on his chest. While holding his gaze, I slowly caress his abs as I make my way to his jeans. I unbutton them, and slide them down his legs. He steps out of them before leading me to my bed.

  Gunnison kisses me from head to toe and as my hands roam his body, he asks me if I’m sure once more. “Yes,” I say as he steps from the bed and grabs a condom from his wallet. “You don’t need that, I’m on the pill,” I say. “No, Mar. I don’t want to chance it,” he says and there’s no arguing with him. I know he’s right.

  He hovers over me with one hand on each side of me and slowly kisses down my neck. “Gunnison, I need you,” I say to him and his breath hitches.

  Looking into each other’s eyes as he enters me, I can’t hold back the moan that escapes my lips. As he moves in and out of my body, we fall into a perfect rhythm. As he begins to move faster, I match his pace. When we climax together, we both look into each other’s eyes and it’s as if my world is perfect for the first time in my life. Gunnison kisses my lips as he slides out of my body. After he disposes of the condom, he slides on his boxer briefs and I excuse myself to the restroom, taking his shirt with me.

  GUNNISON

  Waiting on Marleigh to come out of that bathroom is nerve wracking. I can’t get enough of her now that she’s back in my life. She’s like my on personal form of crack.

  As I wait, I think about everything I want her to know about what’s gone on in my life. I want to know every detail of Gunner’s life and hers. My thoughts stop abruptly when she enters her room in my shirt. Every thought I had has vanished, and I’m at a complete loss of words. She smiles my way and then comes to get in the bed with me. Kissing the back of her shoulder, she turns toward me and greets me with her lips. “I love you, Gunnison. Always and forever,” she says. “I love you too, Marleigh.” As she places her head in the crook of my shoulder, I know that the love between the two of us will last a lifetime.

  Chapter 27

  MARLEIGH

  Waking up to Gunnison beside me for the second day in the row is like a dream. Glancing at his sleeping perfection, I decide to wake him up my way. I slide my hands up his chest and he begins to move. I straddle his body as I touch my lips to his chest, moving my way to his neck then to his lips. As my lips meet his, he grins and rolls me underneath him. “Good morning, beautiful,” he says as he caresses my lips again, then pauses suddenly. “Oh shit. I’ve got practice.” He jumps up and grabs his clothes and I can’t help but giggle at how scattered he is in this moment.

  When I realize I’m still in his shirt, I start to remove it but he stops me, informing me that if I do that he’s never going to m
ake it to practice. He kisses me and tells me he’ll call after practice and class.

  As soon as I hear the sound of his engine, there’s a knock at my door. “Come in,” I say with a smile on my face.

  As my sisters bound into my room, Tinleigh says, “Get dressed. We’re skipping class until we get the details.” I shake my head and make my way to shower, and as I look at myself in Gunnison’s shirt in the mirror, I realize that this isn’t a dream. It’s real. I squeal like a little girl and do my own little happy dance.

  GUNNISON

  Hurrying to campus, I’m thankful I keep my gym bag in my truck. As I hurry to change and make it to the gym, Coach questions my tardiness and then makes me run suicides along with the other teammates.

  As we go to grab water, Wade looks at me. “What?”

  “Don’t what me! I haven’t seen you since you left the party and you’re late for practice. I’m happy for you, man,” he says as he pats my shoulder.

  “Thanks.” I can’t quit smiling.

  After practice, Coach asks to see me in his office. I take a deep breath as I enter and he tells me to take a seat. “Del Valle, in the years I’ve known you, you’ve never been late to practice or a game, do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

  Taking a minute, I wipe my clammy hands on my shorts. “Coach, I’m sorry I’m late, but I overslept. I know it’s not like me, but my life has changed a lot over the past week.”

  He looks at me very confused. “Del Valle, I stay out of your personal lives and there is a reason for it, but when it effects the team, I have to ask what’s going on.”

  “When I was a junior in high school, I met the girl at the beach while I was there for an AAU tournament during Spring Break. We made a pact to come to school here and never be apart. You can guess that didn’t go as planned.”

  “Being a teenager and distance is tough.”

  “She out of the blue called it quits. No reason except she didn’t want to influence my choices in life. I’ve tried for three years to get over her. Her sisters go to school here, and I finally saw her again at last week’s game.” Pausing, he waits for more. “The thing is when she finally agreed to talk to me, I got a shock that I didn’t know how to handle. Coach, I have a son.”

  Coach takes the pencil he’s been twiddling and places it on his desk. “She didn’t tell you about him and just showed up with him out of the blue?”

  “No, her parents surprised her because it was his birthday. They didn’t know she was meeting me. Needless to say, I didn’t take it too well but over this past week, I knew I had to be a part of his life. I was late today because I took my son’s mother on a real date and forgot to set my alarm. I’m sorry Coach, it won’t happen again.”

  “You know for sure he’s yours?” Coach asks and I take my phone from my pocket. Pulling up the picture from breakfast Saturday, I show him. He grins. “You can’t deny that boy, that’s for sure.”

  “Coach, all I’ve ever known is basketball. How am I going to balance it all?”

  “Just like any of us do. I know your dream is to make it to the NBA, and just because your world is changing doesn’t mean your dreams have to. I’d personally wait and get your degree first. I might be a little biased here because I want to keep you here playing for me.”

  “I don’t plan on going anywhere, Coach. I have a question though. When we play GWU would it be okay if I don’t ride back with the team?”

  “You know that’s the rule,” he says.

  “I know, but my son’s coming to the game and I really want to spend time with him that weekend.”

  He doesn’t say anything for a minute. “Have you told your parents?”

  “No, sir, but I don’t know if I should tell them over the phone.”

  “You need to do that sooner rather than later. I’ll make this exception for you due to the circumstances, but I expect you to be on time from now on.”

  “Yes, sir,” I say as I stand and make my way to class.

  After class, my phone rings, expecting it to be Marleigh, I answer quickly.

  “Well, I didn’t think you’d take my call.” Fuck. Summer.

  “I thought I told you to leave me alone,” I say, aggravated.

  “Look, I’m just calling to apologize. I was out of line, not to mention drunk, and hurt that I knew you’d never choose me. I’m not that girl who shows up when I drink.”

  “Summer, thanks for the apology, but I really think you need to lay off the booze. The past few times you’ve drank, you’ve gotten out of control. That’s not healthy. You really can be a great girl when you aren’t drinking. Thank you for the apology but it doesn’t change anything, we’re still over. Please don’t call me again.”

  Quietly she agrees, and I disconnect the call. As I pull into the parking lot of my apartment, my phone rings again, and when I glance down I feel sick. Mom.

  “Hey, Mom!” I say cheerfully.

  “Hey, GC. I haven’t heard from you in a week. That’s not like you. Everything okay?” she questions. What do I say?

  “Um, Mom, Marleigh’s at school.”

  “Excuse, what did you say? Marleigh?”

  “Yes, ma’am, and before you go protective mama bear defending her cub, I want you to hear me out.”

  “But, Gunnison!”

  “No, Mom. There are things I didn’t know, but do now. I love her and I always have, that’s never going to change. I need to talk to you and Dad in person about a few things.”

  “I don’t like where this is going,” she says. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Don’t make me drive down there right now, Gunnison Cyrus.”

  Unsure of what to do, I tell her because if I don’t, she will be at my door by morning. “Mom, she pushed me away because she was pregnant.”

  Silence fills the other side of the phone. “Gunnison, did I hear you correctly? She has a baby?”

  “No, Mom, we have a baby. I have a three year old son named Gunner and he’s absolutely perfect.” I hear my mom begin to cry. “Don’t cry, Mom. It’s been a lot for me to take in, and I didn’t exactly find out the way Marleigh had wanted me to.”

  “Are you sure he’s yours?” she questions.

  “There’s no doubt. I wanted to tell you and Dad in person, but I couldn’t wait that long.”

  “How do you know he’s yours, Gunnison?” she questions again.

  “His birthday is nine months after the tournament, and he looks just like me, Mom. Hold on and I’ll text you a picture of us.”

  After sending it to her, she checks it and cries harder. “Gunnison, he looks just like you when you were that age. I’m a grandma?” she asks as her voice has a new hope.

  “Yes, Mom. You are. Now, how am I going to tell Dad?” She doesn’t say anything. “Um, there’s no need to worry about that, he’s in the room with me and saw the picture.” Oh god, he’s going to kill me. “No worries, I’ll handle him and I can’t wait to meet this precious little one. I do want to hear every detail of this story when we come to the championship.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I say. “Hey, Mom. Thank you for not freaking out too much. I love you guys.”

  “We love you too, but Gunnison we need to discuss your new responsibilities so they don’t become a distraction from school or the team.”

  “I know, Mom. Marleigh’s parents watch him while she’s here at school but we still have to figure out how we’re going to tell him I’m his daddy and how we’re going to take care of him going forward.

  “Sweetie, you have a good head on your shoulders and I’m proud of all you have accomplished. We will be here for you as you two figure things out.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I say as we hang up the phone.

  Chapter 28

  MARLEIGH

  Without class today, I spend my day with my head in the clouds reliving the perfect night with Gunnison. I fill Tinleigh and Carleigh in on all the details. I also tell them about him visiting Gunner in Gaffney and wanting Gunner t
o go to the championship games here.

  By eleven o’clock, they are satisfied with my details and go to class. As soon as they are out of the house, I call Gunner to check on him and tell my parents about the plans for the Gardner-Webb game. I have decided to tell him about his daddy this weekend. The question is how? Do I tell him before we go or after? Should Gunnison tell him? All of these questions fill my head, and being alone I realize that even though my life is falling into place, there are now a lot of what-ifs filling my head. Each of them revolves around one little boy. Confused, I pick up my phone and call my daddy.

  “Hey, Mar, didn’t we just talk to you? Everything okay?” he questions.

  “Kinda. Daddy, I just need to talk to someone and Tin and Car are at class and Mama’s got Gunner.”

  “Come on now, you just want someone who will shoot ya straight. What’s going through that pretty little head of yours?”

  “Well, you know the plan for the weekend.”

  “Yes. I thought we had that figured out?”

  “We do, I’m just worried about how we’re going to tell him. I don’t want to say too little or too much, ya know?”

  Daddy takes a deep breath, and I know he’s going to tell me what I need to hear even if I don’t want to hear it.

  “Mar, I’ve already thought about this. In fact, Gunner and I had a little talk about GC today. He wants to wear that jersey 24/7.” I burst out laughing. “What’s so funny? Didn’t know this country bumpkin’ was down with y’all’s lingo, did ya? Back to what I was sayin’, he admires GC and when I asked why, he told me it’s because they were the same.”

  I gasp. “Daddy… that’s what he told Gunnison at breakfast.”

  “He told me about that in toddler talk, I’d guess you’d call it. I thought this week I’d just take the moments we have together to have a little man to man talk. Sometimes I think because I’m around all the time he doesn’t think about not having a dad. Just let me work a little Pap magic with him, and Mar, it’s all going to work out just fine. That big man upstairs is smiling on y’all, and I have a feeling he’s going to give you the perfect opportunity to explain this to Gunner.”