Fighting For Our Forever: The Beaumont Series: Next Generation

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Outside, I hang with the guys. Harrison hands me a beer from the cooler, but I pass, opting for water. I don’t know if Whiskey drinks in front of her daughter and I don’t really want to put us in an awkward situation.

  “She’s a stunner,” JD says.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Quinn really likes her,” Harrison adds. “Nola was a bit sad that you moved out.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I needed to show Whiskey that I’m serious about her and Evelyn — and somehow, spending the night in one room of a place that isn’t mine doesn’t exactly scream responsibility.”

  “No, it really doesn’t. What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Harrison asks.

  “Disney!” JD yells. “Eden is really excited. Jenna has the tickets.”

  “Speaking of, where is Jenna?” I ask.

  “Eden, surfing, beach,” JD says, shrugging. “She’s always surfing but she’s good and I love that kid more than life so whatever makes her happy.”

  I lean against the railing of my deck and look back into my house. Whiskey’s laughing and she looks like she’s in her element. In that moment, I realize how important her happiness really is to me… hers and Evelyn’s.

  I hear Evelyn yell for Chandler and a smile spreads across my face. Even if Whiskey decides this life isn’t for her, Evelyn will have some great memories of her trip to California.

  30

  Jamie

  When Ajay and I got married, he promised to take me to Disney World. It has always been my dream, so the fact that I’m walking into Disneyland with my daughter between me and my husband has my emotions soaring.

  The clan is with us, including Dhara and Fletcher. It’s the only way I can describe this enormous family properly. There are so many of them and the only time I can tell Peyton and Elle apart is when they’re with their respective partners. Still, this is the family I’ve always wanted for Ajay and there is no way in hell I would ever take it away from him. I already know Evelyn’s comfortable with him, and he with her.

  This morning, I snuck downstairs and found them eating breakfast together; she was sitting on the counter and he was standing next to her. She was feeding him a banana while he read the paper. I watched them for a bit, just being together. She would ask him a question, he would answer and ask her one right back. I don’t know how long they had been awake together getting to know each other this morning, but it warmed my heart to see and showed me that she and I can do this. My parents will miss us and that makes me sad, but it’s my choice to make and this is where I want to be.

  I stop at the entrance and take it all in, fighting back a wave of emotions. I have been dreaming of this my whole life and it’s finally coming true. The people in our party are taking pictures, making the poor photographer work hard for his money. We each take turns posing and I already know my favorite is going to be the one of Ajay, Evelyn, and me. I don’t care if my eyes are closed or if she’s making a funny face… it’s our first family photo.

  I’m squeezing the life out of Ajay’s hand as we walk out onto Main Street. My daughter is beside herself with excitement while I’m in awe.

  “Have you been here before?”

  “With Keane and Chandler. If I had known… I would’ve waited for you,” he says.

  “It’s okay, we’re here together now.”

  After two more rounds of photos, we finally make it to the castle where a cast member is holding a sign that reads “Ballard.” Ajay goes up to her and they speak for a moment. When he comes back, he’s grinning from ear-to-ear as he crouches down in front of Evelyn.

  “Mickey and Minnie want to know if you’re ready to have breakfast with them?”

  Her eyes widen as her hand covers her mouth. “But I already ate.”

  “It’s okay, they won’t mind. Come on.” He reaches for her hand and we follow the cast member through the park and into a restaurant not far from the castle.

  “Mommy!” Evelyn screeches my name. “Mommy, look!” She’s pointing to the Disney Princesses who are lined up along with almost every single character possible.

  Ajay glances around, looking slightly confused. He says something to the cast member and then turns toward Harrison. “You did this?”

  “We did,” Katelyn says. “We wanted her to have a special day.”

  The tears I had been fighting back earlier waste no time flowing from my eyes. I have never been so grateful for someone’s generosity before in my life.

  Chandler tells Evelyn to follow her, leading her over to the characters. Each one signs her autograph book and poses for a picture while I stand there, speechless.

  “I really don’t know what to say.”

  “Me neither,” Ajay says. “I only arranged for Mickey and Minnie, but the James’s…” He trails off as he looks over his shoulder at them. They’re following the girls and making sure Evelyn is taking full advantage of this opportunity.

  “They love you.”

  “They’re amazing and they’re one of the reasons why I can’t leave, Whiskey. The love they show me, I’ve never had that before. I never knew what it was like to have someone care so much.”

  “I care that much, Ajay.”

  He looks at me, smiles and leans down to kiss me. “You should go be with Evelyn. Share this moment with her.”

  I do as he suggests and catch up with my daughter who is giddy beyond belief. She’s telling each princess about her loose tooth and how Miss Katelyn has promised to tell the tooth fairy where she is in case she loses it while on vacation. Tomorrow, after the excitement has died down, I’m going to ask her what she thinks about living with Ajay. Honestly, it’ll be a moot point because she’s having such a good time, she’ll want to stay. But I still want her to know her opinion matters to me and I want to make sure she understands that it means she won’t see her grandparents every day. Broaching the subject with my parents will be difficult even though my mom is super supportive. It’s really my dad that I have to worry about.

  After this massive meet and greet is done, Liam suggests that if people want to split up, they should and that we can meet up for lunch. Keane says that he’s going to hang with us because Chandler wants to stay with Evelyn, while everyone else seems to split off into groups.

  “Daddy, can Evelyn and I go on the rides?” Chandler asks her dad.

  “I think so,” he looks at me for approval.

  “She’s only been on a few carnival rides. Can we start small?” I ask. Keane pulls out the map and shows us where we can find the smaller rides.

  We go on everything from Alice in Wonderland to Autopia where Evelyn drives Ajay around the track. My favorite is the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster where Chandler and I successfully beat Ajay and Evelyn.

  After lunch, Katelyn and Harrison ask if they can take Evelyn for a bit, giving Ajay and me a little privacy… well, as much as you can have while in one of the busiest parks in America.

  Still we hold hands and walk slowly to rides, stopping along the way for more photos and ducking into gift shops to buy things for Evelyn.

  “I still owe you a honeymoon,” he says as he gives me a spoonful of his frozen lemonade.

  “I think this about covers it.”

  “Not even close.” He shakes his head. “I want to take you on a real trip, just the two of us. Someplace romantic.” Ajay moves his chair so he’s closer to me. “I’m serious about us, Whiskey.”

  “Are you serious about Evelyn?”

  “Without a doubt. I am falling hard for that little girl and want to be her dad, Whiskey. I can be there for her and give her a damn good life, one that includes a Mom and a Dad. Especially a Dad who isn’t ashamed of her.”

  “Parenting is a big step, Ajay.”

  He smiles. “I was ready at eighteen. I know I’m ready now and can provide so much more than I could back then.”

  I lean forward and press my lips to his. “I love you, Ajay.”

  “I love you more, Whiskey. Stay here with me, let’s be a famil
y.”

  Later that night, Ajay and I are listening to Evelyn recount her day at Disney while dressed in her new Disney pajamas that Ajay picked out for her. Honestly, I think he bought her an entire gift shop with the amount of bags that were delivered.

  Her story includes hand gestures, crazy facial expressions, and the most animated voices I have ever heard come out of her mouth. When she finally sits down, she lets out a very dramatic sigh.

  “Mommy and Ajay, this was the best day of my whole life.”

  “Wow, that’s pretty huge,” I say to her while trying to stifle my laughter.

  “I’m tired. Can I go to bed?” she asks. Her question has Ajay and I moving rather quickly to appease her. It’s a cold day in hell when your five-year-old asks to go to bed early.

  Upstairs, Ajay stands in the doorway while I tuck her in. “I want Ajay to tuck me in too.”

  I look at him from over my shoulder and grin as he comes forward. He follows everything that I do and even leans down to give her a kiss.

  “Mommy, is Ajay your boyfriend?”

  I look at her for a long moment while I try to answer her question. Telling her that we are actually married will only confuse her.

  “Hey, Evelyn, can I ask you a question?”

  She shrugs. “Okay, Ajay.”

  He sits on the end of her bed, sliding all the way until his back touches the wall. “I’ve known your mommy a very long time and I really love her. So, I’m wondering what you think about me asking your mom to marry me?”

  I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react, so I just stay still. It’s a pretty silly question since we’re already married.

  “Do you love, Ajay, Mommy?”

  “I do, angel. A whole lot.”

  “Do you love Logan?”

  I stiffen at her question and am afraid to look at Ajay. But it’s his voice that I hear answer her question.

  “There are different types of love, Evelyn. We can love many people and have special places in our hearts for them. I love Miss Katelyn because she’s like a Mom to me. I love Miss Elle because she’s my boss. I love Miss Nola because she gave me a place to live when I needed it. Your mommy loves Logan because he was her friend for a really long time and now he’s protecting all of us, which means I love him too.”

  “That’s silly,” she says, giggling.

  “I know, but the love your mom and I feel for each other is different.”

  “We want to be a family,” I tell her. “Ajay would like us to live here with him.”

  “Hmm,” she shrugs. “I’ll think about it after I wake-up. I’m really tired right now.”

  Shut down by the soon-to-be first grader, I give her another kiss and pull Ajay from her bed. He leaves the door slightly ajar and makes sure the hallway nightlight is on for her.

  He follows me down the hall with his hands on my hips and his lips on my neck. I moan and he shushes me, telling me I have to be quiet until we get into the bedroom even though he’s making it near impossible for me to function. He, somehow, manages to turn the knob of the door and ushers us inside.

  His hands are everywhere, removing my clothes followed by his, and then finally picking me up and carrying me to bed.

  “I love you, Mrs. Ballard,” he tells me as his lips hover over mine. “Tell me you’ll marry me again.”

  My hands cup his cheeks and I look deep into his eyes. “A thousand times over… I’ll marry you every day for the rest of my life.”

  And I will, as long as Judge Harvey isn’t the one doing the honors.

  31

  Ajay

  Asking Whiskey to marry me again was always part of the plan, but doing it today was not. However, I couldn’t think of any other way to show or tell Evelyn that I’m madly in love with her mother. I have no doubt there’s some confusion going on in her mind with the fact that Logan is suddenly not around while I am, and that’s the last thing I want.

  What I do want, though, is to be a family with these two beautiful girls and to do that I have to be a man, which means I need to talk to Whiskey’s father — not an easy feat since we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things when it comes to his daughter. But he’s important to Whiskey and Evelyn and without his support, Whiskey and I can’t have a happy marriage. I know that’s what she wants… what her parents have… and I want to give it her.

  That’s how I find myself back in Bailey. Not that I wouldn’t come back just to see Whiskey and Evelyn, but while I’m here, I’m going to do what I should’ve done years ago.

  My rental car idles in the driveway of the Foster’s home while I build up the courage I need to confront the Sheriff. I’m afraid that if I sit here to long, he’ll come out with his shotgun and actually use it this time. He already tried to kill me once when he came home from work early and caught Whiskey and me in bed together. There was no way either of us could play it off as just talking, although she was saying my name. Her daddy, fully aware of what was going on, was beyond pissed and chased my bare ass down the road while trying to load his shotgun. I deserved it. I could stay in their home a few days a week if I kept my hands to myself, but there was no way I could do that. Not with the way Whiskey was turning into a woman. She had my hormones going crazy and all it took was one little shake of her ass, along with the come hither look she had developed, for me to drop my jeans and break every rule her parents set for us. Instead of apologizing for disrespecting them, I married their daughter, thinking I had beat her dad at the game. Boy was I wrong.

  My legs shake as I climb the steps that lead to the wide covered porch. I can barely hear the ocean that Whiskey told me is behind the house, which they built a few years ago in preparation of Sheriff Foster retiring, over my rapidly beating heart. It’s hard to imagine he would be the type to sit around day after day, but maybe after so many years at the same job, he’s looking forward to it.

  The front door is open; I can hear sound coming from the television and dishes clanking in the kitchen. No one knows I’m coming here, not even Whiskey. In fact, she doesn’t even know I’m in town. She thinks I’m arriving tomorrow but I needed a day to make amends and put a plan in motion. I knock my knuckles against the wooden screen door and step back, waiting for someone to come to the door and silently praying for it to be Mrs. Foster.

  The sound of footsteps has me looking through the mesh screen. Mrs. Foster is coming toward me, drying her hands with a towel. She pushes the door open slightly and smiles. “Well hello, Ajay. It’s been a long time.”

  I tilt my head in shame and swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, ma’am.” My hands begin to fidget as I search for my words. I stuff them into my pockets to try and keep them still. “I’m wondering if I can have a few moments of Sheriff Foster’s time and maybe some of yours as well?”

  She smiles, nods, and pushes the door open so I can follow her in. “James, we have a guest.”

  I step in and let the screen door shut against my hand to keep it from slamming. The hall is filled with pictures of Whiskey and Evelyn — each one makes me stop and long for the life we could’ve had even though I know it would’ve been nothing like what I can give them now. Maybe if I had stayed, Evelyn would’ve been mine and not some piece of shit loser’s who wants nothing to do with her.

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “They both are,” I say in response. “I made a mistake the day I left her.”

  “She’ll forgive you, Ajay,” Mrs. Foster rests her hand on my arm. She motions toward the living room and gives me a wink. “His bark is worse than his bite, but be warned, he loves those girls more than his own life.” She walks back toward the kitchen, leaving those words hanging in the air.

  Stepping into the living room, I clear my throat. “Sheriff, may I speak with you?”

  James Foster doesn’t take his eyes off the television. He does, however, point the remote at it and change the channel to a hunting show. I continue to stand there, rocking back and forth on my heels. I clear my throat again, but he k
eeps his attention on his show.

  “Sheriff Foster, I am hoping to speak to you about Whis… Jamie. I know I’m the last person you want to see standing here and I accept that, but I’m here to ask for your forgiveness. I was nothing more than a naïve boy who just wanted to be loved and Jamie gave me that. There’s no excuse for what I’ve done… I disregarded your rules and hurt you and Mrs. Foster by whisking your only daughter off and marrying her without her family there. Then, after all of that, I left her. She was right to ask for a divorce, to move on with her life. I didn’t deserve her.”

  “And you think you do now?” he pushes his recliner into a sitting position, turns off the television and stands. “Follow me,” he says gruffly. I do as he says, nodding to Mrs. Foster as we walk through the kitchen. He walks to the edge of their property and stops. I do the same and look out over the small ledge. There’s a staircase leading to the beach, with chairs set up around a small table. The view from here is breathtaking and retirement worthy.

  “Evelyn loves the beach. She looks forward to building sand castles every spring. She can’t swim yet though so if she goes in the water, someone must be with her always. Jamie,” he pauses and continues to look out over the water, “she will sit down there for hours and read a book and when she’s done, she’ll walk the beach. Her mother tells me she’s looking for love, for her fairytale. Personally, I don’t believe in that crap. Do you want to know why?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He turns and looks at me. “Because she already found it. She found it at eight or ten, whenever it was that she met you. I always thought she would grow out of her infatuation with you, but she never did. You, on the other hand…”

  “I needed to grow up. I needed to be able to provide for her.”

  “And you can do that now?”

  “Yes, sir. I can.”

  “And Evelyn?”

  “I love her. I want to be her dad, raise her as my own. I want to build sand castles with her, teach her how to swim, ride a bike, and walk her to school. I want to be there when she loses this next tooth and have her run up to me to tell me about her day.”