I’ve never been one of those women who makes someone wait. That was one thing that Branson said he liked about me; I tend to be ready early. I settle with a glass of lemonade and quickly get lost in my latest book once again. When the doorbell rings, I nearly jump out of my skin, I’m so immersed in the story. Giggling a little at my reaction, I put the e-reader aside and go to answer the door.
“Hey, Hale,” I say to the delicious looking man standing on my porch. He always looks good, but tonight, he’s got faded jeans with a dark button-down shirt and he’s got his sleeves rolled up, showing his impressive arms. Tanned from all of the work he does outside, I notice that he’s gotten a haircut and trimmed his beard. I catch a whiff of his aftershave, something that’s clean and crisp and feel my stomach start doing flips.
“Hey, Addy. You look great,” he replies. I decided that since we were going to a barbeque place, I wouldn’t wear anything white because I typically end up spilling something on myself. Instead, I found a pair of dark capris and added a wine-colored tank top along with my favorite sandals.
“Thank you. I’m ready if you are,” I tell him, grabbing my purse and keys from the side table in the foyer. He takes the keys from me and holds the door, locking it behind us when I step onto the porch. Taking my hand in his, he laces our fingers as we walk to his truck.
Our conversation is easy on the way to dinner, and I find myself laughing when he tells me about JD’s game. “The hardest part, though, was pulling the opposing coach’s wife off of him. She was absolutely livid at how he was acting in front of the kids and went after him with a practice bat.”
“Oh dear, why do some people act that way? It’s a game and those kids look to the adults that are around them.”
“Yeah. We’ve been fortunate because JD’s coaches never seek out the ‘best’ players. Instead, they look for kids with the desire to learn. The first year they played together, I think they won one game all year and that was a forfeit. He’s learned a lot from them about being a team player. Now, their team is one to beat every year. They make sure each kid has plenty of play time and work with the ones who struggle so that every one of them feels like they’re contributing somehow.”
“Sounds like they’re good men,” I reply.
“They really are which is why when we see someone acting like that, I’ve gotta play twenty questions with my son. He doesn’t understand that not everyone behaves properly.”
Once we arrive at the restaurant and walk inside, I’m surprised that they’ve got a live band playing covers of current country songs. “What a neat place,” I say as the hostess takes us to our table.
“It’s one of our favorite places,” he admits. “Although I’m not usually here on a Saturday night, so I had no clue they have a live band.”
“I like it, though. Adds a bit to the overall experience.”
He laughs and grabs the menus that the waitress has laid on our table. “What do you want to drink, Addy?”
“Lemonade, please,” she tells the waitress.
“I’ll take a sweet tea,” I say when the waitress motions to me. I see Addy shudder and ask, “What?”
“Tea’s not my favorite thing. I’ll drink it if there’s nothing else, but it’s well down on my list of acceptable things.”
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes at her words. She’s so forthright and refreshing, something I find I like a great deal. I’ve grown used to the games and stupid shit that the other women I’ve dated play. Addy, though, is unique. Looking at the menu, I see that they’ve got one of my favorites. “They’ve got a pulled pork platter for two, would you be interested in that?”
“That sounds good to me.” At her words, I nod to the waitress and then say, “We’ll probably want dessert as well.”
Brianna, our waitress, says, “We’ve got homemade banana pudding tonight. We used to have cakes but the bakery the owner got them from closed down.”
“Addy makes cakes for Marvie’s Diner downtown,” I state. “Maybe you should give them your information,” I suggest to her.
“I think I’ve got a card in my purse. Marvie had some made for me, the silly woman.”
Brianna nods and says, “I’ll let her know, she’s here tonight.”
* * *
On the way home, I glance over at him and say, “I can’t believe I picked up another customer!”
Because I had. The owner, Catalina Porter, and her husband, George, came by our table while we were eating to ‘talk business’ so to speak. Seems that both of them eat at Marvie’s on a regular basis and knew what my cakes were like. In fact, they comped our meal, much to Hale’s frustration.
“Why not? Your cakes are good, Addy. I still can’t believe they comped our meal, though. So, you up for a drive? Maybe we can go grab some ice cream or something?”
I laugh at his words because he kept mumbling that if he didn’t get to pay, it wasn’t a real date or some shit. “I’m up for a drive, yes.” The grin he shoots me as his hand squeezes mine has me smiling back. There’s not one thing I don’t like about him and I send up a silent prayer that things keep going as they’ve been.
Hale
“I’ve got a question for you,” I state as we continue driving. My plan is to grab one of the huge sundaes that a local place has then go out to the Falls.
“What’s that?” she inquires.
“You’re so good with JD and Johnny, why didn’t you have children?” It’s something that’s bugged me a bit because she’s got a natural instinct when it comes to kids, at least two very curious nine-year-olds, that is.
A soft sigh passes her lips before I catch her squaring her shoulders. “I was a late… starter.”
“Starter? I don’t understand,” I say.
“Uh, my period. It hadn’t started by the time I was fifteen, so my mom took me to the doctor, who did a cursory exam and then said everything would start when it wanted to. Well, three months later, it hit and it was the worst thing ever. Month after month, things got worse, but the stupid doctor kept telling my mom that it was natural, blah blah blah. When a year later, it was so debilitating that I was missing school, she found another doctor who immediately did exploratory surgery to find out what was going on.”
I’m floored. Not so much at her words but the way she’s telling me in a monotone-like voice, almost as if she expects me to run away. “If it’s too much, you don’t have to continue,” I tell her.
“No, you need to know, Hale, before this, whatever it is, goes further,” she states. “Anyhow, the surgery revealed that I had, in the doctor’s words, ‘one of the worst cases of endometriosis’ he’d ever seen. So much damage had been done over the past year, damage that might not have occurred had the first doctor done his job, that it pretty much rendered me infertile. The doctor did what he could, but my tubes are so scarred that I don’t ovulate and unfortunately, that’s a huge component to getting pregnant.”
“I’m sorry, Addy. That had to be hard.”
“It was but I thought I was lucky. My ex knew all about it and was okay with the fact that I could never have kids. Until he divorced me, that is. Of course, Marvie and I ran into him recently at the wholesale food place and he’s got a child, which explains a lot.”
“What an asshole,” I mutter. “Doesn’t he realize that there are kids who need homes? You could have adopted or fostered, anything like that. Family isn’t always about blood.”
She squeezes my hand and I can see tears glittering on her eyelashes. “That’s what I said as well, but apparently, he was cheating on me for quite some time. When he asked for the divorce, I didn’t know about her, but he told me he couldn’t handle me being broken anymore because he wanted kids.”
“You’re not broken, for fuck’s sake!” I all but growl out. I want to find this asshole and beat him to death and I’m typically not a violent person.
“I can’t have kids, Hale. That’s kind of broken.”
“Do you know how many couples are
infertile? They’re not broken, and neither are you, sweetheart, and I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself again, y’hear?”
The smile she gives me has me wanting to pull over and show her just how precious she is, but I’ll bide my time. “I hear you,” she whispers, squeezing my hand.
I pull into the local ice cream place and head for the drive-through. “Let’s get one of those sundaes and head out to the Falls.”
“I’d like that.”
When it’s my turn, I place our order then patiently wait until the teens working get it put together. Bag now on the floorboard, I drive us out to the Falls, then help her out so we can walk closer and sit at one of the tables. “Mmm, this is so good,” she exclaims, scooping up a little bit of ice cream and a whole lot of chocolate sauce.
“How would you know? You got more sauce than ice cream,” I tease, grabbing my own spoonful.
Once we’re done, I toss our trash then ask, “You wanna walk up the trail?” The waterfall isn’t the biggest in the area, but our community worked with state environmentalists, to put in solar lights to mark the pathway, and then they did something at the falls so that at night, lights shine through the water. I’ve never been up here at night, but with her by my side, I want to see it.
“Yes, Marvie said that the town did some improvements from when we were kids.”
“They did. We may need to see about bringing JD out here to swim one day, if you’re up to it?”
“I’d like that a lot. He’s so much fun and it blows me away when he talks sometimes because of the words he uses.”
“That’s my fault,” I tell her as we walk the pathway, “I got him an e-reader and he reads well above his age.”
“I told you before and I’ll say it again, you’re a good dad, Hale.”
“I want him to have what Caroline and I didn’t have growing up is all,” I admit. My back bears the scars of a father who thought his belt and fists were the way to raise children. It’s one of the reasons I always wear at least a t-shirt.
We’re not the only couple out here this Saturday night, but despite the others, it feels as though it’s just us, a feeling I totally enjoy. I pull her close, my arm over her shoulders and grin when I feel hers go around my waist. “I guess I should meet your sister at some point, huh? I mean, since Johnny is around JD so much and you have them out to my house.”
“You’re right, I’ll get that sorted, okay?” I ask. She looks up at me and grins and I can’t help but lean down and kiss her nose. “I see good things for us, Addy.”
“Me too, Hale, even though I’m nervous.”
“What’s to be nervous about?” I question.
She gives me a look that lets me know exactly what she’s nervous about and I fight hard to hide my grin. “Sweetheart, when we get to that point, whether it’s next week or a year from now, you won’t be nervous at all.”
“A year?” she whispers to herself. “Well, I’ve lasted this long, what’s another year.” It’s as though she forgot I’m walking right next to her.
“What do you mean, you’ve lasted this long?” I ask, turning so she’s in my arms.
“We’re going there?” she retorts.
“Yeah, we’re going there. I don’t understand, you only recently got divorced.”
Her head drops and her voice is even lower when she admits, “He stopped touching me over two years ago. I think that’s when he found that other woman.”
I shake my head at his foolishness. While I love my son beyond anything, if I had had her and we couldn’t have kids, I wouldn’t have cared. She would’ve been enough. “Baby, look at me,” I command, my voice gentle. When she still refuses to look at me, I tilt her chin up and say, “You probably should get tested, honey, to make sure he didn’t gift you with anything.”
“I already did when Marvie mentioned it,” she admits. “I was so damned embarrassed, too. I mean, what married woman goes into her doctor’s office and demands one of those tests?”
“A smart one when she realizes something’s not right, honey.”
She nods and I decide to change the subject, putting that little task on myself. I’ve never gone ungloved, but it won’t hurt to know. I’m about to say something when she gasps and exclaims, “Oh, Hale, look at how pretty!”
The lights they had installed change colors and it’s absolutely stunning. “Not as pretty as you,” I tell her.
“Thank you for bringing me up here. Marvie, Boz and I, along with our other friends used to come up here all the time.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ve enjoyed being out with you tonight, hard topics notwithstanding.”
“Well, you need to know this stuff because it’s important,” she replies.
“Very true. So, just to say, gonna kiss you underneath this waterfall. You gonna kiss me back?”
“Try me and see.”
9
Addy
One Month Later
“Girl, you keep picking up new customers and you’re gonna have to expand your kitchen or find someplace to rent.”
“I’ve already been talking to Hale about redoing the kitchen and adding another double oven. I’m glad that my gramps made this place so big, to be honest. I’ll lose a few cabinets but you’re right, I’m beyond busy these days.”
“And not just with cakes, either,” Marvie teases.
I blush because she’s right. Ever since our first date, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Hale, as well as JD. He hasn’t pushed for more than kisses, but I feel like it’ll happen at some point. I know that most nights when we separate, I’m so worked up that I have to take care of myself. I’m used to it, of course, because Branson never took care of me, but I suspect that Hale is definitely not that way at all.
“I really like him, Marvie.”
“I’m happy for you, honey. So damned happy. You’re almost living your best life.”
“Almost?”
“Yeah, once you get ‘the D’ you’ll be living your best life,” she states.
“You hussy!” I exclaim, laughing.
“Yeah, well, I just need you two to move things along so that I can finally say yes to Boz. I want a double wedding.”
“We’re not there, Marvie. And anyhow, it’s too soon.”
“You’re kidding, right? I’ve seen how he looks at you.” Her phone rings, cutting off my comment. “JD? Okay, honey, slow down and tell me again,” she says, giving me a look. “We’re on our way, okay?”
“What’s going on?” I ask, already putting my shoes on and grabbing my purse.
“Hale’s been in an accident and he’s hurt pretty bad.”
I feel my heart plummet as she leads me to her car, and we head to the hospital.
Hale
Two hours earlier
Fighting through yet another torrential downpour, I think back to my last conversation with Addy.
“We’re good, aren’t we, Addy?”
“Yeah, I think so. Why?”
“Then why aren’t you willing to spend the night at my house?”
“Because you’ve got a young, impressionable boy living there and I don’t want him thinking that’s appropriate is why.”
“Then we need to think about taking a weekend trip or something.”
“Fine.”
“Is that a good fine, or a woman’s fine?” I ask.
Her giggles soon have me smiling.
A loud crack interrupts my thoughts and I see the large tree limb right before it crashes through my windshield. I’m already losing consciousness before I hit the tree.
* * *
Waking up, I realize several things at once - I’m in the hospital based on the smell, I hurt like hell, and I can’t see anything. “H-h-hello?” My voice is raspy as hell, but I don’t know if I’m alone or not.
I sense her and can smell her light, floral scent when she moves closer. “Hale? Oh thank God, you’re awake. Here,” she says, taking my hand and placing it on a cup. I feel a
straw poke my lips and I greedily suck at the water. Before I can continue, she pulls it back, saying, “Not so fast, you’ll make yourself sick.”
“Throat hurts,” I admit.
“That’s from the tube they had down your throat.” Her hand lightly strokes my face and I find myself leaning into her touch.
“Where’s JD?” Now that my senses are coming back to me, I need to know where my son is.
“Caroline and John have him. They’ll be back up here tomorrow.”
“What happened?”
“What do you remember?” she asks cautiously.
“I was trying to get to JD when a tree came through the windshield.”
“You then ran off the road and into a tree.”
“So, tell me the damage, please?”
“Um, well, you suffered corneal abrasions which is why you can’t see right now. Your eyes will be patched for a few weeks while they heal. You’ve also got several gashes that have been stitched, a sprained arm and broken foot. The doctor thinks you can get by with one of those boots instead of a cast, though.”
“How the hell am I gonna take care of JD while I heal?” I whisper. This couldn’t have come at a worse time either; I’ve got several jobs going.
“Hale? Y’all can stay with me. It’ll be okay. Boz said not to worry about the jobs either, he’s got you covered.”
“Don’t wanna put you out, Addy,” I state.
“Hale, it’s not going to put me out. I work from home, remember? Other than the deliveries to Marvie and to The Oink Joint, I’m pretty much there. And if you walk me through it, I can help keep up with your bookkeeping.”
Hale’s Song: A single dad contemporary romance Page 6
