From Dare to Due Date

by Christy Jeffries

  Garrett remembered when Cooper was recovering from a major career-ending surgery. He’d had nowhere to go, then found a home in Sugar Falls. It was a good reminder that some people came from more broken homes than he had. Gerald McCormick wasn’t abusive or absent. He was just a pain.

  “I think I’ve known that for a while now, but it’s still nice to see we’ve got someone in our corner.”

  “You’ve got a lot of someones in your corner.” Garrett looked at Kylie, who was speaking around a mouthful of cheesy hash browns. “Drew assumed the same thing and that you’d show up here. He had a group therapy session this morning, but he asked me to come and take notes.”

  “I’m just here for the fried chicken and waffles,” Maxine said, then shoved something drenched in syrup into her mouth. “And for the fireworks.”

  “Thanks, guys,” Mia said and squeezed Garrett’s hand. Not that he needed the reassurance, but it felt good to have her by his side. To know what he was fighting for.

  He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as they approached his father’s table. Lights, camera, action. It was showtime.

  “Dad,” he said. “We need to talk.”

  “GP.” His father wiped his mouth on a paper napkin, then indicated the bench seat across from him. “I hoped you’d come find me once the cameras left. At least this time you didn’t have to fly halfway across the globe to make your point.”

  Garrett allowed Mia to go first and slide in. He hoped she wouldn’t think less of him if he lost his cool.

  “That’s the length I was willing to take if it meant keeping as far away from your show as possible.”

  “You and your new friends made that pretty clear yesterday, son.”

  “But I should have explained why. My whole life, it was easier to just avoid you and avoid the argument. But now I need to make you see that it’s a lot more than just me trying to steer clear of the cameras.” He looked at Mia. “Do you mind if I tell him?”

  Garrett waited for her to nod her assent before telling his father about Nick Galveston and the potential danger Mia could face. Gerald McCormick listened and even asked about her knee and the possibility of having another surgery to fix the lingering damage. The man might be a showman and a fast-talking, famous television producer, but he was still a doctor first.

  “You know, I’m just thinking out loud here, and I’d have to run this by the network, but maybe we can do a segment on this jackass Nick. Domestic violence can ruin a lot of people’s lives and if we do a documentary on these kinds of lowlifes and expose them, we can help other women out there who may be victims.”

  “I think that would be a wonderful idea,” Mia said. “But not for me. It’s taken me a long time to move on with my life, and I wouldn’t want to have to relive it all over again. Especially on television.”

  His father tilted his head to the side as if he understood what they were saying, but couldn’t figure out why they would feel that way.

  “Look, Dad, I know you love being on TV. It’s your life and I get that. But what you’ve never been able to understand is that it’s not for me.”

  “Oh, son, I knew you thought it wasn’t for you, but I figured you’d eventually shake off this whole nomadic lifestyle and see the opportunities that I’d worked so hard to provide for you. Growing up, you and I, well, we never really had anything in common. You were so studious, so damn formal. You saw the world in black-and-white and looked down your nose at me every time I couldn’t make a marriage work.”

  “I wasn’t trying to look down my nose at you.” Garrett felt somewhat chastised. He’d never stopped to think that his father had also felt the strain of his failed relationships.

  “I know you didn’t try to, but you were such a serious little boy. A lot like your Grandpa McCormick, you know. He always thought I was too flighty. He used to tell me there was more to life than being a hippie surfer. I could’ve gone pro on the long boarding circuit but instead I became a surgeon and it still wasn’t enough for him. So, I decided, why not show him that I could have a successful career and that I could have fun doing it? When you went to med school, I thought, ‘Maybe GP and I have more in common than either of us realized. Maybe he’s going to follow in his old man’s footsteps.’ I mean, after all, if you hated me so much, why would you have become a surgeon, too? I guess I just thought if I gave you enough time, you’d come around.”

  “I’m thirty-six years old, Dad, and I can assure you that I’m not going to come around. At least not as far as reality television goes. Please understand that I never hated you. I hated the constant shows and the paparazzi. And I really couldn’t stand that one producer you had a few years back—the pushy dude who tried to sneak into the base hospital.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I never authorized that one. I hope you know that I would never risk getting you in trouble or putting you—either of you—in danger.”

  Garrett released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I hoped as much. I love you and I know that deep down you wanted what you thought was best for me. But just like you’re not Grandpa McCormick, I’m not you and I can’t live my life in front of the cameras. It makes me feel like a spectacle in a three-ring circus.”

  “I’m not going to apologize for my career.” His dad took a sip of coffee. “I enjoy what I do and I enjoy how I live. But I am sorry if I ever made you feel like you couldn’t be what you wanted because of me. When your grandpa tried to pigeonhole me into joining the family practice, I promised myself I would never do to my children what he was doing to me. When I gave you those cuff links, it was like a peace offering telling you that if you came back into my life, you could wear whatever the hell old-fashioned clothes you wanted to.”

  Garrett thought about the gift, what the gesture must’ve meant to his father, and how he’d almost left that black case on some hotel bar in Boise. But Mia had saved the cuff links—twice. And she’d saved him from himself.

  “I appreciate that, Dad.” Garrett put his arm around Mia. “We made the same promise for our child not too long ago.”

  She met his eyes and they shared a silent reminder of the fresh bond they’d recently forged.

  “I hope you two will be able to keep that promise. I wish I would have, back when you were younger,” his dad said before rubbing his eyes. “I also hope that you’ll give a vain old man a chance to know his grandchild.”

  “Of course we would.” Mia smiled. “And when this baby grows up, if he or she wants to be on one of your shows, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  His dad let out a small chuckle. “That’s more than fair. Listen, son, I’ve always wanted the world for you. When you joined the navy, I was as proud as a father could be. I know that my world isn’t what you wanted back then. And now I understand that it most likely never will be. I don’t get it, but I guess my own father never really got my decisions, either. Maybe, though, if you change your mind, just consider the possibility of doing a guest appearance?”

  “Nope.”

  “How about we broadcast the wedding? Maybe if this stalker dude knows Mia’s married, it will help keep him off her back. If not, I’ll call Neville Galveston my damn self and threaten to expose his crazy son to the world. I didn’t spend years cultivating my media connections for nothing.”

  Garrett looked at Mia. “Actually, that’s not necessarily a bad idea. But not filming. Just pictures. You can choose which wedding photos we release to the press.”

  “Slow down.” Mia lifted her hand. “I hate to point out the obvious here, but you haven’t even asked me to marry you yet. Who says I’d even be willing?”

  He hadn’t thought about the possibility that she might say no. Or might not want to get married. Of course she would be reluctant to enter into a serious relationship with someone after what she went through.

/>   But he would give her the choice.

  He looked at the crowd of diners and how everyone—especially their friends—had somehow moved their tables and chairs so they were all closer to the rear corner of the restaurant where he and Mia had confronted his father.

  Hell, he’d spent the last half of his life trying to avoid being a spectacle and now he was on center stage. Well, if he was going to make a scene, then he’d make it a huge one. After all, he was Gerald McCormick’s son. Showmanship was in his blood.

  He scooted off the edge of the bench and dropped to his right knee. He picked up Mia’s hand and spoke loud enough for the whole café to hear. “I love you, Mia Palinski. Not only can I not live without you, I wouldn’t want to. I know that I’m not perfect and that a life with me might not be what you’ve dreamed about. But I promise that if you marry me, I will try my hardest to be perfectly right for you and to make some new dreams come true.”

  “That’s not a proper proposal,” his dad said, shaking his head. Seriously? Here Garrett was, exposing his heart for the first time—in a public forum, no less—and he was getting criticized? “Nope. There was hardly any flair, and to be honest, it was a little lacking in production value. A woman like Mia is an artist. She needs a grand gesture. Something significant that she’ll remember for the rest of her life.”

  “Well, this is my first proposal.” Garrett looked at his father in disbelief. “You’ve done what, six of them so far?”

  “At least give her a ring.”

  “I don’t have a ring,” Garrett said, patting his pockets and looking around at the crowd behind him.

  Freckles tried to pull a behemoth monstrosity of pink and purple stones clustered into the shape of a peace symbol from her finger. “Y’all can have this one. My third husband gave it to me, but we were just common-law married and he left me for some hippie gal living on a commune outside of Billings.”

  Mia was shaking her head at him, and he didn’t know if she was turning him down altogether or just objecting to the peace ring. She was sucking in her cheeks, as if she was trying to suppress a giggle, and her eye wasn’t doing that nervous blinking thing so he hoped she wasn’t saying no to him.

  “Here, kiddo,” his dad said, sliding a platinum band off his pinky. Except during filmed surgeries, he’d never seen his father without it. “This was the ring your mom gave me when we got married. She was a good woman, and I never was able to find another one to take her place.”

  The metal was warm in Garrett’s hand, and even though he couldn’t recall any memories of his mother or her love toward his father, it somehow felt perfect. He held it up between his thumb and forefinger. “Will you marry me, Mia?”

  She smiled and the sparkle in her blue eyes lit up the restaurant. “I love you more than I could have ever thought possible. I didn’t think I had any more dreams left inside me. But being with you has been exciting beyond my wildest imagination. I will marry you, GP, Garrett, Dr. McCormick or whatever your name is.” He grinned as he placed the ring on her finger. “And just for the record, that was the best proposal I could’ve hoped for and, hopefully, the last one you’ll ever make.”

  She moved across the seat, and when she threw her arms around his neck as he knelt in front of her, he kissed her for all the world to see.

  Then he lowered his head and kissed her abdomen, thinking of his child growing there. Several cheers pierced the air, and Maxine and Kylie were the first to rush over to Mia and offer their congratulations.

  Garrett rose to his feet and was the recipient of numerous handshakes and backslaps. But behind him, he heard Freckles talking to his father.

  “I’m sure glad you two were able to work everything out. But just remember that if you ever decide to start filming them again, I’ll be on the horn with Mia’s momma so fast, you’ll have the clumsiest broad from Florida knocking into your set before you can even say ‘roll tape.’”

  “I’ll take that under advisement. Now, Miss Freckles, have you ever considered being on TV? You’ve got a personality that our viewers would eat up.”

  “Sure, darlin’, as long as it’s not one of your plastic surgery shows. After all, you can’t fix what ain’t broke.” Several shouts of laughter floated through the restaurant and Garrett couldn’t help but join in.

  “What about the other news vans that might find out you’re here?” Cooper asked.

  “Don’t worry about those guys,” Gerald McCormick said. “I’ll put out a press release saying you guys ran off to Bali or something. Send them all on a wild-goose chase.”

  “Hey.” Kylie wiped her mouth. “That was my idea!”

  Garrett pulled Mia in close to his side and planted soft kisses along her jawline until he reached her ear.

  “Actually, I was thinking about that babymoon we haven’t gotten to yet,” he whispered and felt her shiver in his arms. “I know we’ll probably need to figure out where we’re going to live together eventually, but I was thinking that since Cessy Walker’s house is still available for the next couple of days...”

  He raised his eyebrows and asked, “What do you think?”

  The woman who was about to become his wife and the mother to his child smiled brighter than any star over the Hollywood Hills, but it wasn’t for the cameras or for the crowds. It was only for him. “I think that you can’t fix what ain’t broke.”

  Epilogue

  It was Thursday night and Mia sat with Maxine and Kylie at their usual spot in Patrelli’s. Well, technically, Kylie had to sit in a chair outside their booth because the tall redhead was almost full term and her stomach wouldn’t fit between the high-back seat and the table unless she was angled sideways.

  Now that Mia was in her second trimester, her morning sickness was long gone and she was craving Italian food as if it was going out of style. In fact, as soon as the waitress showed up, she planned to order a double batch of garlic knots.

  Her phone buzzed and Mia looked down at the screen, trying not to blush at the text message Garrett had just sent her.

  “So, what should we throw first, Mia?” Maxine asked, thankfully interrupting the direction of her thoughts. “Your baby shower or your bachelorette party?”

  “I vote for the baby shower first,” Kylie said. “The bachelorette party needs to wait until after I have the twins. I barely remember Maxine’s and I’m not going to miss another one.”

  “I doubt there will be time for a bachelorette party. Now that Garrett’s practice is up and running, we wanted to get married before I became too big to waddle down the aisle,” Mia said, then looked at her very pregnant friend. “Not that you waddle, Kylie.”

  “You can say it. I own my waddle. Man, I can’t wait for these two little girls to finally get here. Even if it does mean I’ll have my hands too full for any more wild and crazy nights.”

  Mia smiled, looking forward to it, too. “Anyway, we were just thinking of doing a small, quiet wedding at the courthouse.”

  Both of the ladies gasped and then craned their heads around the restaurant as though they hoped Mia hadn’t been overheard.

  “What are you two worried about?” she asked. “My mom’s back in Florida and Garrett’s dad started filming a new season in California. I doubt they can hear me.”

  “That’s not who I’m worried about,” Maxine said. “If I were you, I’d be really careful not to let Cessy Walker hear you talking about quiet weddings at the courthouse.”

  Kylie nodded. “That woman doesn’t believe in small or quiet anything.”

  Mia let out a small chuckle. “I know. Garrett says she’s still showing up at his office once a week and trying to play receptionist. Maybe I should take some pity on him and give her some wedding-planning duties
to keep her out of his hair.”

  Both of her friends looked at her as if she’d just announced her plans to walk down the aisle naked. Although, after the text message Garrett sent her a few minutes ago, she knew her husband-to-be was anxious to get her naked as soon as she got home tonight.

  But before she could think about what she and Garrett would be doing later on that night, Mrs. Patrelli made her way to their table carrying two waters and a glass of cabernet for Maxine. But Maxine held up her hand. “Actually, Mrs. Patrelli, I’ll just have a ginger ale tonight.”

  “But you always have wine with...” The restaurant owner trailed off and glanced at Kylie’s protruding belly and Mia’s slight rounded bump then back at Maxine. Kylie let out a loud squeal and Mia clapped her hands when they realized the reason their best friend wasn’t drinking.

  “Well, I guess I’ll just save this for after all you ladies have your babies.” Mrs. Patrelli returned the stem glass to her tray, even though the woman looked as if she was about to drink it herself. “Let me assure you, when the three of you get to the toddler years, you’re gonna need it.”

  The women laughed and Mia thought about how far they’d come since first meeting in college. They’d gone from cheerleaders, to single career women, to a trio of devoted friends. They’d embarked on many journeys together, but none of them had warmed her heart as much as this one. They’d all found love and, judging by the next stage of life awaiting them, there was so much more to come.

  But those adventures were still a little ways off. For now, Mia was looking forward to tonight’s gossip session, and then going home to cozy up to her husband-to-be.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A BABY AND A BETROTHAL by Michelle Major.