Champagne & Forever

by Andrea Johnston

  He knows.

  How? Nobody does. I didn’t tell Piper or Minnie. I almost called my mom, but she’s not who I should tell first. I was scared. I am scared. This isn’t the plan. We haven’t been together even a year. Not that it should matter, he’s it for me. He always has been. My life changed for the better the day I fell in love with Jameson Strauss. I could have done without the years of not having that love in my life, but I have it now. I never doubt his feelings for me, never. His love is honest and true. It is obvious, and it is pure. My eyes fill with tears as he looks again from my face to where my hand rests and then back up. I smile as the first tear escapes and nod.

  I watch as his expression morphs from bewilderment to pure joy. He lets out a shout that matches his expression and startles most everyone as he runs to me. Thankfully, the song is almost over and I’m able to hand the microphone to the DJ and allow the instrumental ending to close out the dance. Jameson scoops me up in his arms and spins me around.

  “Oh shit, I shouldn’t do that.” I laugh as I grab his head with my hands and pull him to me for a kiss. I love this man, every day and all day. He is it for me and now for our baby. That’s right, I’m pregnant. Unplanned, unwed, and not a care in the world.

  After a few minutes of him holding me in the air and kissing me, he breaks free and sets me down. Taking my hand in his, he pulls me outside and away from the crowd. No words are spoken as he takes me down to the ceremony site. He motions for me to sit down in the one of the chairs and I do. And I wait while he stands there staring off toward the creek.

  Jameson’s initial reaction made me believe he’s as excited for this baby as I am. Standing before me, his brow is furrowed, his lips are pinched into a hard line, and his hands are running through his hair. Maybe he’s not as excited as I thought he was.

  That damn test has been on my mind all day. I looked at each of the girls as they walked down the aisle for the ceremony and didn’t see any signs of pregnancy. Then, I was caught up in the celebration and happiness of Ben and Piper that I forgot for a minute. While Ashton was giving her speech, the pieces started falling into place but I thought for sure she would have told me if the test was hers.

  When she stood and walked toward the DJ to begin her song, each moment of the last few weeks flashed before me like a silent movie—all the crying, her moodiness, and her exhaustion. We’d chalked it all up to the stress of the wedding but it isn’t. It’s a baby.

  Our baby.

  As she began singing, she twisted toward the DJ to motion something and I saw it. A slight pooch—I’ll never ever admit that to her. The lyrics of the song, the emotion in her voice, and the way she subconsciously moved her free hand to her stomach, it all felt like it was her telling me about the baby. Suddenly, not taking the shots of whiskey or drinking her champagne made sense. The exhaustion, her bigger than normal breasts. All of it. As soon as she caught my gaze resting on her stomach, her eyes grew in shock.

  The funny thing is, I wasn’t freaked out. Sure, when Landon found the test this morning my instinct was to be negative about it. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. Well, traditionally anyway. But, Ash and I aren’t traditional. We’ve been in love with each other for years and ignored it. We spent more time trying to hate each other than accepting the truth and being together. That’s why when it all sunk in the thought of her pregnant with our child, I instantly felt relaxed and at peace. Seeing her stand before me, doing what she loves and was born to do while protectively holding her hand where our baby is nestled, overwhelmed me. The feelings were more than I could have ever imagined.

  “Are you angry?” she asks. Angry? How could she think that? Oh, because I haven’t said a word. Dickhead move.

  “Angry?” I ask, kneeling before her, taking her hands in my own. “Baby, I’m not angry. I’m ecstatic. Over the moon. Fucking stoked!” I say, causing her to smile.

  “Are you sure? I mean, I didn’t plan this, but it’s our baby, J.” Tears start flowing like a faucet from her eyes, and I place a hand on either side of her face, forcing her to look at me.

  “I have never been surer of something in my life. That’s not true. There’s something else, but that’ll have to wait until next week. One big thing at a time. We don’t want to overshadow Ben and Piper.”

  “I don’t know what that means. Oh, my goodness, are you embarrassed to have a baby momma?”

  “What?” What the hell is she talking about? “No. Never. I’m so fucking happy to have a baby momma, but it’s just this is all so unexpected,” I say, pulling my hands from her head and standing. Taking a step back, I look up toward the tent. I see our friends standing just outside, waiting. They know what happened. Of course, they do. Ben, Landon, and Owen know about the test. By the way I reacted they had to have figured out it’s Ashton’s test.

  “Do it, J!” Ben shouts from where he’s standing, and I watch as my sister, his parents, and my folks step outside. Shit, do I? I look down to where Ashton was sitting, and she’s gone. I look up to see her walking away from me, her shoulders shaking because she’s crying. Everyone important to us are here, it seems dumb to miss this opportunity.

  “Babe,” I say, reaching for her hand and stopping her. She doesn’t turn around to face me but stops walking. I put my hand to my right pocket. The box is there. I don’t know why I grabbed it earlier and put it in my pocket, but I did. Maybe I knew earlier this would happen. I really didn’t plan it. I don’t want to take away from Ben and Piper, but he did just give me permission, right?

  Throwing caution to the wind, I drop to one knee and tug Ashton to look at me. “Baby, please turn around.” When she does, she gasps, her free hand going to her mouth and her head turning toward the group gathered near the tent, Ben and Piper in the forefront. Piper is standing in front of Ben with her hands over her mouth. She and Ashton are so similar in their reactions, it’d be amusing if I wasn’t freaking the fuck out right now.

  “Ashton, I am far from embarrassed by anything about you. This just caught me off guard, I had this grand plan for next week. I told your dad . . .” She cuts me off before I can continue.

  “You talked to my dad?”

  “Of course, I did. I asked the most important man in your life for permission to marry you.”

  “You didn’t. Oh my God. You don’t need my dad’s permission, you dope. You need mine.” I laugh; that’s my girl.

  “Yes, well, I also need your dad’s because I respect him and wanted him to know how much I love you. He of course warned me of this exact conversation, and he’ll be happy to know he was right, and I was wrong. I didn’t think you’d get sassy with me on one knee.”

  “Clearly, you’ve forgotten who you knocked up,” she teases.

  “May I?” I ask, gesturing to my knee in the dirt. She nods.

  “Ashton Marie Sullivan. I could go into a big speech about how we’re meant to be together, how much I love you, and how I’m a better man since you’ve agreed to be with me. But I won’t. You know all of that and tell me on a regular basis.” She snorts and I smile. “What I will say is, I love you. With all that I am and all that I’ll ever be, you complete me in more ways than one. Your drive, your passion, your kind heart, and your unfaltering commitment to our friends and family amaze me on a daily basis. It would be my greatest honor if you would let me call you wife and marry me.”

  “You did not just say “call you wife”! Dear Lord, Jameson,” she chastises with a smile and eye roll. “Get off the ground.” I do as instructed.

  “I’m going to get fat. I’m going to be moody and cry a lot. There will be cravings. Do you get what I’m saying here?” I mimic a bobble head as she pauses. “I’m a lot to handle, but you seem to handle me well. And of course there’s the fact that there is no other person in this world I could love. You’re it for me, Jameson Strauss. End game. You and me. Well, and this nugget. Who, I believe, was conceived thanks to that game of naked Truth or Dare you challenged me to.”

  Ah, ye
s,” I pause tapping my chin in thought. Naked Truth or Dare, I remember that night. It was an excellent night. Messy but excellent. “Well, it’s lucky for you,” I say, pulling the ring from the box and holding it up to the moonlight, “you’re it for me, too. What do you say? Wanna make an honest man of me?”

  “Nothing would make me happier.”

  I place the ring on Ashton’s finger and scoop her up into my arms as I kiss her. This wasn’t how I envisioned proposing. It surely wasn’t the order in which I expected our future to play out, but that’s par for the course with us. Nothing is ever as we plan it and that’s perfect for us.

  We welcome our families and friends to congratulate us. Ashton’s mom pulls her into a tight hug and then looks at her knowingly. When Ashton nods her head in acknowledgement, Patty begins to cry. Confirmation that we’re expecting leads to more congratulations from everyone. It’s only after about ten minutes that I realize we’ve all abandoned the reception. I tell everyone to head back in and hold Ashton back with me. She’s beaming and holding her hand to her abdomen again. I look at her quizzically to which she mimics.

  “What?” she inquires with a raised brow.

  “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

  “Oh stop, I’ve got the ring on, you don’t have to butter me up.”

  I laugh because that’s such an Ashton comment to make. I pull my phone from my pocket pull her hand up to take a picture before tugging her in for a selfie.

  “What are those for?”

  “So, we don’t forget this night,” I say sheepishly as she steps into me, her arms going around my waist as she looks up at me.

  “I could never forget this day. October twenty-first will go down in my life history books as one of the single most important days of my life. Never doubt that, J. Ever. Now, your child is starving, and we must be fed.”

  I know not to argue with a woman but especially a pregnant woman and take Ashton back to the tent for dinner. We’re greeted with our own round of applause and the DJ playing “Going to the Chapel.” Ben and Piper are ridiculous. And fantastic. This is their day, and they’ve just made a huge part of it our day.

  I wasn’t surprised by how beautiful Minnie looked today. She sent me a selfie earlier after she was dressed. I knew then how amazing she looked. I knew the dress fit her perfectly, and the minute I saw her I was going to think of ten different ways to get her out of the dress. But, what I wasn’t prepared for was the way I felt when I saw Minnie walking down the aisle. She took my breath away. Her beauty is only part of it. The fact that she’s here, with my friends, accepted as one of our own within months, and she chooses me. Well, it was a little overwhelming. I mean, I wasn’t a pussy like Jameson and crying.

  Okay, that’s bullshit. There was maybe one tear. Or two. What can I say? We’re sensitive dickheads. During the ceremony, I caught Minnie looking my way a few times, and I sent her one of my panty-melting smiles. This smile is not my opinion, it’s a fact. It’s a smile I can send toward my girl and she’s dropping her panties, ready for more than just smiles.

  “Hey, handsome. Ready to spin me around that dance floor?” I turn to the voice of my angel. The woman who has completely transformed my life and yet encourages me to stay true to who I am and never tries to change me.

  “Sure am. How’s Ash?” I ask.

  “She’s great. A little overwhelmed I think. The baby makes the last few weeks with her make so much more sense. And the number of times she’s needed a restroom today.” The DJ announces for the wedding party to take their place on the dance floor. We’re improvising since we were supposed to join Ben and Piper during the end of the first dance, but then Jameson figured out Ashton was pregnant. As soon as he scooped her up in his arms, I’ll admit my stress level dropped about fifty percent. I know Minnie and I are careful, but there was that lingering thought all day after Landon found the test that we hadn’t been as careful as I thought.

  I pull Minnie into my arms, and she settles in with her head resting on my shoulder, her face toward my own. We dance for a minute in silence, allowing the moment to wrap itself around us in complete peace.

  “Ashton told me you guys found the test earlier,” Minnie whispers as she pulls her head from my shoulder and peers up at me through her long lashes.

  “Landon did,” I confirm.

  “Were you scared? I’m surprised you didn’t call me.”

  “I didn’t want to ruin the day, and I know we’re careful.” I don’t really like where this conversation may be headed. Minnie and I have only been together a few months and we are living in a house that currently has a bed, a television, and two bean bag chairs. We aren’t exactly ready for kids.

  “I know we’re careful but things happen. I feel like this is something we should talk about. Do you want children?” Her eyes are wide as she stares at me, waiting for me to respond. I’ve never given kids much thought before Minnie. I never thought I’d meet someone who would have me looking at a future. A future that may include a couple kids, a dog, and an SUV. No minivan for this guy.

  “Minnesota,” I say with a quirked brow as I wrap both hands around her waist and tug her closer to me. The moment our bodies connect, my buddy in my pants hardens. Inappropriate fucker.

  “Don’t ‘Minnesota’ me, Owen. You can’t charm me with that deep voice and your cock. Answer the question.” Feistiness. It’s one of my favorite things about my girl.

  “I’ll be honest, I never gave it much thought. I had a shit childhood, and I always assumed I’d be a shitty father.”

  Minnie’s gaze drops and her shoulders collapse as if she’s giving up. I lift her chin up so she’s looking at me. The song changes but stays slow. Most of the guests have joined us on the dance floor and I glance around, taking in the people around us before continuing.

  “I never gave it much thought because I didn’t think I would ever meet someone I wanted to have that with. Then, baby, then I met you. Nothing in this world would make me happier than having kids with you.”

  “Really?” she asks, a tentative smile appearing.

  “Yes, really. I don’t think we’re there yet. I mean, I just bought the house, and we haven’t even bought a couch yet. Maybe we should furnish our home before we think about nurseries and shit.” A full smile takes over Minnie as she begins running her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck.

  “But, we can practice, right? I mean, that’s not out of the cards.”

  “Yes, my little sex kitten. We’ll practice so much you’ll be sick of me.”

  Minnie and I dance for a few more minutes before my dad and his girlfriend, Barb, approach us. I told Minnie I had a shitty childhood and assumed I’d be a shitty dad. That’s a little unfair to my dad, but it’s true. He was far from father of year. Hell, he was barely a father some days. But, we’ve turned a corner in the last few months, and while we have a long way to go, I understand him more and I look forward to building a friendship with him.

  “We’re going to head out soon, son, but I wanted to see if I can interest this lovely lady in a quick dance before we do.” My dad motions toward Minnie who smiles and steps out of my embrace.

  “Why Lee Butler, I’d be honored,” she says with a curtsy. These two are bosom buddies. The minute my dad, a lifelong Minnesota Twins fan, learned the woman I was dating was named Minnesota, he was head over heels for her. Barb and I sit on the sidelines while the two of them talk about random trivia, and my dad tries to explain the rules of baseball to Minnie.

  “Barb, shall we?” I ask, extending my hand. Barb accepts my offered hand, and we dance for the remainder of the song before an old Brooks & Dunn song starts playing and we turn our slow dance into a two-step.

  After a few dances with Barb and my dad, Minnie and I walk them out of the tent to say goodbye. It was nice of Piper and Ben to include our parents on their day. I know Minnie had hoped Dakota would have been here, but she’s still adjusting to the loss of her husband, being a single parent to tw
o small girls, and being home from rehab. Dakota and I haven’t always seen eye to eye but I like her a lot and have faith that soon she’ll grow to love me. I can understand why a wedding would be hard for her. I can’t imagine it’s easy to celebrate someone else’s forever when hers was cut short so recently.

  By the time the wedding portion of the night is over, many of the guests have departed, and all that’s left are friends, some of Ben and Ashton’s aunts and uncles, and a few cousins. I’d say we’re about to kick it up by the way everyone is heading to the bar.

  I spy Minnie talking to Piper and Ashton, her hand on Ashton’s stomach. Women. Ash is probably six seconds pregnant, and they’re likely planning her baby shower, and I guess, bridal shower. I shake my head at their predictability and walk toward where the guys are standing.

  I look in the direction they’re all staring and see two of Ben’s teenage cousins trying to sneak a few bottles from the large bins filled with ice and beer. We stand and watch in silence. Waiting. Then it happens, and we start laughing.

  Taylor swoops in behind the kids and grabs them each by their shirt collar and hauls them away. We all break out in laughter, bent over with tears running down our faces.

  “Those kids are probably shitting themselves right now,” Landon says.

  “Serves them right. Little bastards,” Ben snorts.

  “Ah come on guys. We were their age once,” I remind them.

  “Nah man, we would’ve brought our own beer and hid it behind the tent. They’re rookies,” Jameson adds.

  “Truth,” I say, offering a fist bump in agreement. “So, what’ya say boys? Looks like we have some celebrating to do.” The guys turn to me in agreement. High fives and congratulations are exchanged to both Ben and Jameson on their big days.

  There’s no bartender minding the beer and wine, but Taylor and his date have been lingering a bit near the bar, keeping an eye on it and making sure it stays stocked. Probably because whatever isn’t used is going back to Country Road with Taylor. I pop open beers for everyone, and Landon lines up some shot glasses as the girls approach us.