by Tara Brown
“Agreed.”
“You nervous about tomorrow?”
He looked down on me. “No. You?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s bizarre, but I’m not. I should be. I didn’t want any of this, and now it feels like I always wanted it.”
He kissed my temple. “Maybe you just didn’t know you did.”
I nodded. “Maybe.” I sighed. “Maybe it just needed you in the equation, to make me want it.”
He lifted me off the floor and kissed me sweetly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him like I meant it. He growled. “Not here.”
“Fine.” I kissed him goodnight, getting lost in his eyes. He pushed me inside. “You need sleep for you and the baby bunny.”
I closed the door and sighed against it. My heart was full from him and some ice cream, and a hallway. I never knew I was such a simple person.
The next day, swathed in a princess-cut, strapless wedding dress and a huge grin, my dad gripped my arm. He kissed my cheek, “You ready, kid?”
I nodded.
He beamed. “You look beautiful.”
I laughed and rubbed my still fairly flat stomach. “Can you tell it’s a shotgun wedding?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s not anyway—he asked me for my permission last November. He’s had it since.”
I frowned. “He did?”
He nodded. “You two belong together. Just like me and your mother do.”
I made face. “You’re back together?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Something about visiting Nashville affected us both. We saw how selfish we were being. We compromised. Winters in the city, summers in the country, and spring and fall is whatever.”
I laughed. “Wow. Is that my wedding gift?”
He laughed. “No.”
The music started and my dad frowned. “You’re walking to Bob Dylan?”
I nodded. “His ‘Shelter From The Storm’ has special meaning for us.”
“Weird, I guess, though musicians are different.”
I kissed his cheek. “Let’s do this.”
We walked down the aisle slowly, I never really noticed though. I was stuck on the dark-blue eyes in front of me. His expression was getting darker with every step I took. His face was all I saw. He shook my dad’s hand as my dad kissed my cheek. I took Loch’s hand and let him pull me to the minister.
I barely recalled the words I spoke. The eyes had me mesmerized. The next thing I knew, he kissed me. I melted into him. He dropped to his knee and kissed my stomach, whispering things to it. I smiled at him.
As we walked down the aisle, he whispered. “Mrs. Barlow, how are you feeling?”
I smiled. “Good. I’m married to this super-cheesy guy, but it’s okay.”
He kissed my cheek.
Epilogue
I finished setting up the kitchen, and everything was where I wanted it. I wondered how long it would stay that way.
“Come see.”
I looked up. He was standing in the hall in cargo shorts and a baby-blue tee shirt. I sighed looking at his tattoos and muscles. I looked down at my belly and rubbed it.
“Erin, I swear to God, you have to see this.”
I followed him, waddling out into the muggy, fall evening. Kids were playing on the cul-de-sac and people were mowing their lawns. It was the furthest thing from a condo in downtown New York that I could imagine. It was a house in the burbs in Tennessee, down the road from Alex, Lissie, Gerry, Danny, and Mike. We had become those barbecue people who were exhausted by ten at night.
I got out into the yard and snarled, maybe even hissed like a vampire, when I saw what he wanted to show me. It was hideous. I covered my mouth, about to cry, but he wrapped his arms around me. “Just give it a chance. I swear I’ll buy you the sports car, one day, but for safety features, this is the shit. I mean who knew BMW made a minivan?”
I shook my head. “I’m twenty-four, not forty. I hate it. Take it back.”
He pulled me back. “Princess, you have to check it out before you hate it. There’s a damned movie theatre in there.”
I tilted my head. “You are a liar.”
His voice rose. “I swear to God, it’s a fucking movie theatre.”
My hand shot out, pointing at him. “What did I say about swearing?”
He put his hands out. “Deep breaths. Just take deep breaths.” He dragged me to the van and opened the large, sliding door. He shoved me inside gently, since I was liable to burst. I climbed into the seat. He started the van and turned on the air conditioning. It blew down on me from the roof. He pressed buttons and instantly Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas started to play.
I gave him a look. He shrugged. “We don’t have kids’ movies yet.”
I watched the movie and nestled into the chair. I sighed and gave him a look. “This is pretty cool.”
He leaned in for a kiss. “So when I leave tomorrow for London, you’ll take it for a drive? Get used to being in a mommy mobile?”
I sneered. “Don’t call it that.”
He laughed. “Baby steps.”
I pointed at the screen. “That I like.”
He nodded. “I told you. I’m having a rockin’ week. Double platinum for our first non-indie album and now this sweet ride.” I rolled my eyes but he leaned in, brushing his lips against mine. “Did I also tell you how pretty you are and how lucky I am?”
I shook my head. “Not today.”
His eyes narrowed, but I could see myself in them still. I had a feeling, I always would. He got that sexy grin and I shook my head again. “Not in the minivan. The kids are going to sit back here. Ewww.”
He laughed. “Kids? You already planning the next one?”
I nodded. “Yeah. We can’t have one—they’re always, well look at Leon. He’s so—weird. No, I need at least two, but then I was thinking, since you, Alex, and Lissie are so sweet together, we should have three.”
He kissed my nose. “One day at a time. You and your plans. Now come in the house, so I can show you how pretty I think you are before we take this minivan for a spin.”
“No. I’m eight-months pregnant and my underwear are the size of an American sedan. No. You can tell me while I eat my cherry yogurt.” I followed him inside. I would have followed him anywhere.
He opened the door for me and grinned. “Deal, but I get all the kisses I can handle.”
I smiled back. He kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes and sighed. “I love you, Loch.”
He muttered into my cheek, “Not as much as I love you.”
When I opened my eyes and let him lead me to the cold cherry yogurt, I saw it all. I hadn’t compromised my dreams. I had wanted this all along, I just didn't know it. Maybe one day I would be a lawyer. Maybe one day I would put the bad guys behind bars.
But I didn't want to plan that far ahead. I just wanted to be like him and see where it all ended up. I didn't want to worry about the future, I wanted to live in the moment. I wanted everything I had. Because it was like he said, “You have one chance in life to make it something special. Why would you waste it on mediocrity? Safe and easy is for pussies. Be amazing and different. Be grateful for the uniqueness in you.”
I savored the taste of the cherry yogurt and the smile of the guy who had my heart—all of it—and was grateful for the second chance we had been given.
That’s my side
The end
