by RJ Moore
“Whoa, what? No, no, no…we really are just friends. I just moved out here. I’m still figuring out my own life. Trust me when I say I have some serious baggage that comes with me. He would be smart to stay far away.” My voice drops at the end as my eyes fill a little. I’m a disgrace to my family and friends, I can’t even take care of myself, and I have baby on the way. I don’t even know who the father is. How am I going to explain that to my baby?
I hear Lacey get up, approaching the door. “Hey,” she says softly. “Everyone has a past, but it’s what you do with your future that matters. You can either take what has happened in the past and learn from it, or you can let it swallow you whole. I may not know you well but based on the little bit I’ve seen, you’re a great person. Plus, my brother seems real taken with you!”
Ignoring the bit about Ian, I think for a moment on what she said. She’s right; I need to think of my life as lessons. I’m going to become a better person for not only me, but my baby, too. “Thanks Lacey, I needed that.” I finish trying on all the pants and surprisingly, every single one of them fits.
Next, we try on some t-shirts then some much-needed rain boots. I spot a pair of hot pink boots and fall in love. They may not be high heels, but they are bright pink; with all these jeans and t-shirts I’m buying, I need a little something girly.
After buying our clothes, we head to the bookstore. I feel myself warming up to Lacey and I end up telling her my story. I think for sure after hearing me out she will hightail it out of here, but she just nods and listens.
Helen has gone to lunch when we arrive but left a few recipes at the front desk for me, along with all my books. We decide to grab a coffee, relaxing for a few while as I continue telling her about myself. I tell her how I want a different lifestyle, more than ever now that I have a little one on the way. I tell her about wanting farm animals, especially goats, possibly even chickens.
To my surprise, Lacey actually offers up good advice. She tells me how much work goats and chickens can be, especially with me being pregnant and alone right now. She says there are always organic stores that sell everything, and when I’m more settled, I can always get some farm animals.
“So have you been to a doctor yet? You know, to make sure the baby is doing fine?”
Wow, with everything happening so fast, I completely forgot about seeing a doctor. “Um, no I haven’t. Truth be told, I haven’t even thought about seeing a doctor. I’ve never even had a physical exam at a gynecologist before.” My face turns bright red as I look down at the ground. “I’m sort of private about that stuff.”
“I feel ya. I hate getting my girly bits touched and prodded.” At that statement, I snap my head back up to her in shock.
“Prodded?!” Oh geez, I don’t know if I can do this. My mom was never one to talk about this kind of stuff, so I have no idea what goes on once they close those doors. Lacey laughs at the look on my face.
“Not really prodded, don’t listen to me. It’s really not that bad.” She shakes her head, giggling for what seems like several minutes. “But really, you should be seen by a doctor. My older sister, Scarlett, she’s a midwife. She’s an amazing CNM.” At my puzzled look she explains, “Certified Nurse Midwife.”
I can hear the praise in her voice when she talks about her sister. It’s so humbling to me how loving each one of these siblings is to one another. I can never remember even once when my parents told me they were proud of me. What I would give to have someone talk about me like that. “Thank you, I’ll keep her in mind.”
We talk about little things here and there. When I mention to her about remodeling my house, she suggests hiring Ian. “Don’t feel bad about hiring someone to help you out. Even I wouldn’t know how to do half the stuff to fix up a house by myself. Especially with you being pregnant, you don’t want to fall or lift anything too heavy.”
She seems a little too enthusiastic about me hiring Ian. I eye her as she gives me the most innocent look. I’m not buying it, but she does have a good point; I don’t want to do anything to harm the baby.
“That’s a good idea. I think I might do that.”
“Great!” she all but shouts as she stands up. “Ready to get going? I should get you back to Ian before he blows up my phone with all his texts.” She leaves it at that, walking to the door wearing a mischievous smirk. Oh boy, she thinks she’s playing matchmaker between me and Ian. Great. Then I think back to the coy looks she kept throwing Quinn’s way at the diner. Two can play this game! I smile to myself as I follow her out the door, heading back to Ian.
Coming to a stop outside Ian’s place, I take a minute to admire his house. Lacey told me on the way over about how Ian built his home from the ground up. It is a beautiful, big single-story log cabin with a three-car garage. The landscaping is breathtaking; I think it must have been done professionally.
I hear Lacey open her car door, yelling out, “Ian!” It’s so loud and unexpected that I jump, quickly turning toward her, openmouthed. What on Earth?
“I didn’t think you wanted to walk in the mud with those heels on.” Just then, Ian walks out of his house, trotting our way.
“I could have just put my new boots on,” I mumble. As all my bags are just sitting in the back seat, not in the trunk with Lacey’s, they are easily within reach. I watch as Lacey gets out of the car, looking way too proud of herself. Without even stopping, she tells Ian I still have heels on and goes inside.
How embarrassing, to have to be carried around like a baby. I swiftly reach back, trying to dig out my boots. Before I can turn around, my door opens and I am being scooped out of my seat. I squeal in surprise as he lifts me up.
Ian chuckles. “I got you Evie, don’t worry.”
I know arguing is a moot point so I hang on for the ride. Inside is just as beautiful as the outside. It definitely doesn’t have any feminine touches to it, but it isn’t overly manly either. It is homey and inviting with all the rich, deep brown colors. I take a deep breath of the pine and lemon aroma.
Lacey comes around the corner. “Ian, since you love me so much, could you pretty, pretty, pretty please bring in all the bags that are in the trunk?” She gives him what I assume is the sweetest smile she can muster up, batting her eyelashes at him. Ian doesn’t even answer, simply sighs and walks back outside. As he is shutting the door, Lacey yells, “Thank you, I love you!” The door closes behind Ian but I hear grumbling before hearing him stomp down the porch steps.
“So, my parents are cooking dinner tonight if you want to come over. I would love it if you came.”
I am a little apprehensive about meeting their parents. I’ve never had to meet someone else’s parents before. All of my friends’ parents knew each other so we basically grew up together. I knew all of them from when I was little. Then again, if Ian and his sister are so nice, how bad can their parents be? I guess if they turn out to be the judgmental type, it will be something I am used to. Plus, the idea of not having to try my hand at cooking again is something I can’t pass up. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
“Not at all, I would be disappointed if you didn’t come.” Her smile is so enthusiastic and genuine that I let all my nervous thoughts go and smile back.
“Okay I’ll be there. I’d still like to go home first to unload all my new clothes and freshen up a bit.”
“That’s fine. Dinner is in three hours. Here, let me see your phone so I have your number.”
I hand her my phone right as Ian walks in with an armload of shopping bags. He shuts the door with his foot, setting everything down. “Think you bought enough clothes, Lacey?”
“Never!” Lacey puts her hands on her hips, giving him a sassy look. “Eve needs a ride home to get ready for dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“Yup, Mom and Dad are making dinner tonight and I invited Eve.”
I give Ian a look, silently asking him if he is okay with that. He seems to know what I’m asking and answers with a shrug, saying, “Aweso
me, sounds like a plan.” I go to follow him out the door when he scoops me up in his arms again, going down the stairs so fast it tickles my stomach, making me giggle.
After getting home, Ian unloads me, then my bags. We talked on the drive over about all the things I want to fix in my house. After discussing everything from the inside to the outside, Ian is officially hired. He conveniently has a small booklet of paint samples in his truck so he gets an idea of what colors I want. We walk around each room, ending up in the kitchen, and come to a decision on the color of the walls.
“I want the kitchen painted first. This yellow should be illegal to paint on walls.” I glance over to the hole at the bottom of the wall where his foot hit. “Also, that hole in the wall needs to be patched up.”
Ian laughs. “On this one, I’ll have to agree with you. Of course, I’ll fix the wall right up, but you’re right—I do feel like I need sunglasses to come in here.”
He looks around for a minute, almost nervously. “So, um, Lacey behaved herself today? She can be a handful sometimes.”
I chuckle at how anxious he looks. I remember him telling me how his sisters would pull pranks on him, so I guess I can see how that would make him nervous. “She was great. I’ve never been around someone so lively and carefree before. It was pretty refreshing actually.” There is a moment of silence and it seems like he wants to say something else.
“That’s great. Hopefully she didn’t tell you too many embarrassing stories of me. Well, I’ll see you”—he looks at the clock on the stove—“wow, in an hour then.” It could have just been my imagination but it sounds like his voice drops into a sultrier deep tone when he says, “Bye Evie.”
Shivers go down my spine as I watch his delectable backside leave. That saying I hate to see him leave but I love to watch him go is the first thing that comes to mind as he closes the door behind him.
I don’t know where the time went but as I shake my head to clear my thoughts of Ian, I scramble into the shower. The wetter climate here in Washington makes it practically impossible to keep a curl. Luckily for me, my hair is straight as a board, so all I have to do is blow-dry it and voila, I’m ready to go. I hop in the hot shower, attempting to calm my nerves. I know I told myself I could handle anyone, but actually doing it is harder than it seems.
I dry myself before rubbing lotion all over. I’m terrified to get stretch marks so I’m hoping that lathering myself with lotion every day will save my skin. I look in the mirror and see the same girl that came here a week and a half ago staring back at me—straight, long, shapeless blonde hair with blue eyes, a dusting of freckles across my nose. I sure don’t feel the same though. Leaving home and starting a life on my own was a huge risk, but I’m not sorry I did it. I’ve never felt so free in my whole life. I quickly put on a little mascara then get to work blow-drying my hair. I feel so rebellious not putting on the rest of my makeup. My mom always had me cake the makeup on; it had to be perfect at all times. Appearances were everything.
I put on some of my new clothes, jeans with one of the cuter light blue tops. As soon as I go out on the porch, I see that Ian found some big flat rocks, making a sort of stepping stone path to my truck. Even with the sun being out all day today, it still wasn’t enough to dry up all the mud. I can’t believe he was so thoughtful. It has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I hop rock to rock until I reach my pickup and head toward Ian’s parents’ house. I’m so nervous that I feel my hands wanting to shake, but I keep a firm hold of the steering wheel. As I drive up their driveway, I make myself take deep breaths.
Why am I so nervous?
As soon as I come to a stop, I open my door. Lacey comes bouncing down the porch steps. “Hey there little momma! You finally made it!” She links her arms through mine, pulling me to the front door.
“Ugh, please don’t tell me you’re going to use that name.” I groan when all she does is laugh out loud. As soon as we are through the door, Ian is there scolding Lacey for hanging all over me. Just then a shorter, older woman with blonde hair that looks a lot like Lacey comes walking up, holding hands with what I presume is her husband. The guy is tall, well built with dark reddish-brown hair, and his face looks like an older version of Ian.
“Eve, these are my parents, Lloyd and Jane Masters.”
“So, you’re the one who ran into my gate?”
I stand there horrorstruck, gaping like a fish out of water.
Oh no, he hates me!
Jane smacks him on the chest and Lloyd lets out a booming laugh. “I’m only kidding darling. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” I let out an audible sigh of relief. He points his thumb over his shoulder to both Ian and Lacey. “Those two have talked about you so much that I feel like I already know you.” They both give me welcoming hugs as I hear Ian groan and Lacey giggles. Jane leads me to the dining room and every one else follows. In the center of the room is a huge oak table filled with bowls of fruit and trays of vegetables and finger foods. My stomach starts growling at the sight before me.
“The turkey isn’t quite done yet so I guess we can take a seat and chat a while.” Ian walks ahead of me and pulls out a chair for me to sit in. I look up to mesmerizing green eyes. “Thank you.”
He leans down slightly, whispering so low in my ear that nobody else can hear. “You’re very welcome.” His deep, sultry voice sends shivers down through my entire body. I clear my throat, trying to focus on dinner. As soon as everyone sits down, a very loud voice calls out.
“Grandma! Papa! We’re here!” About two seconds later, a little boy comes running into the dining room. Lloyd gets out of his chair right before the little boy flies into his arms. Lloyd hugs him back, twirling him around three times before pretending like he’s so dizzy that he’s going to fall over. “Again Papa, again!” The little boy is over-the-top adorable with a thick head of black hair and light grey eyes.
“Sorry we’re late.” In walks a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair that looks a little windblown, probably from chasing the little boy. Jane gets up to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“You’re fine sweetie. We’re still waiting on some of the food anyway.” Jane turns to her husband and the little boy. “And where is my hug?”
The little boy leaps from Lloyd’s arms then runs over to Jane. “Grandma!” He hugs her so tight around the neck I’m wondering if she can still breathe, but seeing the enormous grin she’s wearing, I’m guessing she is loving every single second of it.
Ian stands up when the woman turns. “Eve, this is my older sister, Scarlett. Scarlett, this is Eve.” We shake hands and as soon as he is done introducing us, the little boy comes running up.
“Uncle Ian!” Ian catches him mid-leap and tosses him in the air while the little boy squeals with delight.
“And this little dude here is Conner, my best nephew in the whole wide world.”
Conner giggles. “Yup, yup!”
As soon as everyone is done getting their hugs, we settle back down and I start snacking on every single food that is in front of me. I lean back in my chair for a moment to silently observe everyone at the table. Is this how every normal family acts? The love that everyone seems to have for one another is astounding. I never knew a family could be so happy. They not only love each other, but the way they demonstrate that love…it’s astronomical. Why can’t my family be like this? Do they love me the way the Masters love each other? Maybe they do, only they can’t show it as openly? But, we didn’t have guests over every night, so maybe they don’t? I suddenly can’t contain my frustration and my eyes fill with tears.
I stand up, excusing myself from the table. Avoiding the concerned and confused looks they are giving me, I walk out. I go down the hall before I realize I have no idea where the bathroom is. Each door is open so I keep walking, looking in each room until I finally find the bathroom at the end of the hall. I rush in, locking the door behind me.
I’m not quite sure why I am so upset, which in turn only mak
es me cry harder. Why can’t I be loved like that? I don’t even know my baby yet and I already feel what I’m guessing is love. Is there something wrong with me that my parents seem so unattached?
There’s a soft knock on the door. “Are you all right?” Ian’s gentle voice flows through the door. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm myself down.
“I’m, I’m fine” is all I can sniffle out. I hear a scratching noise that sounds like it’s coming from the door handle. Is he picking the lock? No sooner has the thought popped into my head than the door swings open. Ian walks through the door carrying his belt with the prong part in his hand. I can’t believe he picked the lock with his belt buckle.
“Evie, sweetie, what’s the matter?” He pulls me into his warm embrace and once again I feel myself relax. He must have some superpower hugs because they’re amazing at melting away every stress and doubt.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Watching your family together, it’s so beautiful…to see how much everyone adores each other. I’m sorry I can’t stop crying. They must think I’m a complete nut job.”
Before Ian can say anything, Jane comes in, wrapping her arms around us, followed by Lacey, then Conner.
“We’re all nut jobs, so if you want to fit into this family, you gotta be a nut job too,” Lloyd says as he walks in, joining the massive hug. I can only imagine how ridiculous we all look, a gigantic ball of people hugging in the bathroom. I start giggling and then everyone else joins in until we are all laughing uncontrollably.
I wake up, stretching before getting out of bed. It’s the first time since I moved here that I haven’t slept on the couch. Jane and Lloyd kindly lent me their new guest mattress until I’m able to buy my own. It’s been a few days since I had dinner over at the Masters’ house. I completely embarrassed myself but they graciously accepted me with open arms, literally. I ended up running to the bathroom again, but thankfully not in a crying fit. Once Jane brought out the turkey, deviled eggs were next. As soon as I got a whiff of them, they sent me rushing to the bathroom.
