by Liz Isaacson
She swiped at her eyes before Micah could see, because she’d been crying at the drop of a hat since they’d returned from the Hill Country.
“Are these the pictures?” she asked Belinda, who came out of the house carrying a handful of yellow bows.
“Yes,” she said. “I got about ten. You use as many or as few as you want.”
Simone nodded and started looking through the box that had been set on the patio table. The top of the altar would remain bare, except for a few flowers—which were not here. In the cupboards, Simone had carefully removed all the glass to make cubbies, and she wanted to put in trinkets and photos.
She didn’t need ten, but three would work. Or another odd number, perhaps five. She selected them based on size and orientation, because they were all of Belinda and Daddy. Also in the box sat a few other items, and she pulled them out one by one.
“Belinda,” she said, and the woman came over from where she was tying bows on the backs of the chairs. “Tell me about these things.”
She took the ticket stub from Simone, a sigh coming from her mouth. “This is where your father and I met.”
“Those are to my play,” she said.
Belinda looked at her. “Yes, last spring. I had gone because a neighbor of mine was in it. Your dad was there for you, of course. We met in the lobby.”
“And you still have the ticket stub?”
Belinda trilled out a happy laugh. “I didn’t. This is your father’s. He’s a bit of a hoarder, isn’t he?” She handed the stub back to Simone. “But now we can display it here.”
Simone looked at it too, something warm coming over her. The Lord had been aware of her father all these years, and He’d provided someone to keep him company in the later years of his life.
“These are the things we made on our first date,” Belinda said. “I wanted to do one of those ceramic painting classes.” She gazed fondly at the teal teapot covered in silver stars and literally the ugliest dog Simone had ever seen. “Guess which one’s mine?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s clear which one’s yours,” Simone said with a smile. “My dad never was very artistic.”
“I’m here, I’m here,” Evelyn said, rushing toward them with a huge box in her arms. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Not at all,” Belinda said, reaching to help Evelyn put the box on the table. “Thank you for coming to help.” She looked from Evelyn to Simone. “I mean it. Your father is very lucky to have daughters like you.” She smiled, her eyes misty, and Simone was glad she wasn’t the only one prone to crying.
She hugged Belinda and said, “We’re glad he found you.” They gripped each other tightly for a moment, and then Simone added, “What’s this last thing?”
Belinda took the small, heavy anchor. “It’s a paperweight. I bought it for your father for Christmas, saying that if we anchored ourselves to the Lord and to each other, we’d be okay.” She smiled at the shiny metal that had obviously been sitting on a shelf somewhere, untouched. “That no matter what storms life brought, we’d be okay.”
“That’s beautiful,” Simone said, and she suddenly wanted an anchor on her shelf to remind herself of that. She took a deep breath. “Okay, with the pictures, I think we can only put in one piece of ceramic. I’m voting for the teapot.” She looked at Belinda. “Objections?”
“Heavens, no.”
They laughed together, and Simone took the pictures, the ticket stub, the teapot, and the anchor up to the altar. She arranged everything so it could be seen, and then she returned to the box on the table to pluck out a few blooms to put inside the altar and on top. She and Micah stayed to help Evelyn get the flowers where they should be, and then they all left.
Simone only ate half of her pecan bun on the way home, and once there, she barely made it to the bathroom before she brought it all back up again. Something was definitely wrong.
“Too much sugar,” she said as she rinsed out her mouth. But she normally liked sugar, and it had never made her sick before.
“I think you’re stressed,” Micah said when she came out of the bathroom. “Could that make you sick?”
It never had before, but Simone didn’t tell him that. She crawled into bed, trying to catch her breath. “I just need a minute,” she murmured.
Micah’s lips pressed against her forehead, and Simone’s eyes shot open. “I’ll come check on you in a few minutes,” he said, not noticing the way she’d tensed. He left, and Simone lay in bed, her mind racing.
There wasn’t anything wrong. She wasn’t terribly ill.
“You might be pregnant,” she whispered to herself, a slow smile crawling across her face as she placed both hands on her stomach.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Micah was melting, plain and simple. At least Simone seemed to have made a recovery from that morning. She glowed with a radiant smile, saying hello to friends and neighbors Micah had never met before. He could keep a smile on his face too, and he did, shaking hands and accepting kisses in the few minutes before the wedding began.
Simone cried through the whole thing, and Micah was seriously starting to worry about her. She’d cried when he’d shown her the design plans for her workshop too. She’d cried when she finished the altar. She’d cried during last week’s sermon at church.
There was definitely something wrong with her, as she’d always been a strong, confident woman. He was fine with a little crying, he honestly was. But she seemed to break down if he mentioned he’d brought her a piece of pie from the bakery.
She’s been through a lot this year already, he told himself. This marriage, for one. That was a huge change for both of them. A good change, but very big. She’d moved out of her cabin. She’d lost her grandmother. She’d watched Evelyn bring home triplets and need a lot of help. She’d found out her father was dating, and now he was getting married.
Pastor Daniels did a very nice job with the ceremony, and Micah shifted in his seat. He did feel cheated that he and Simone hadn’t had the backyard wedding with the lights and flowers and friends and family. He leaned over to her and whispered, “I’m glad we’re doing a wedding at Christmas. What do you need me to help you with?”
“We can talk about it after,” she whispered back, tightening her hand against his arm.
Of course, now was not a great time. The preacher pronounced Jerome and Belinda husband and wife, and they kissed over the beautiful altar Simone had conceptualized and brought to life.
She’d bleached the wood, bringing out the grain and making the altar somewhat white. With the red and yellow roses and the pictures inside, it was a stunning centerpiece that complimented the simple wedding.
Jerome and Belinda walked down the aisle while everyone cheered, Micah included, and when they got to the patio, Jerome turned and said, “Lunch will be served in just a few minutes. Boys?”
Belinda’s sons flew into action, setting up tables and moving the chairs around them. Simone fanned herself with the white, lacy fans they’d been handing out at the beginning of the festivities, and Micah moved her over to a chair at a table in the shade. “Sit down, baby. You feeling okay?”
She sat, a sigh coming from her mouth. “I’m okay. It’s so hot, though. Isn’t it?”
“It’s mighty hot, yes,” he said. The backyard had some shade, but not enough to cover everyone, and honestly, shade didn’t do a whole lot to curb the heat of a Texas summer.
They stayed through lunch, through the cake cutting, and through the beginning of the dance, where Jerome danced with each of his daughters, and then Belinda.
After that, Simone looked like she could drop into a deep sleep from a standing position, and Micah got up to tell her they were going home. He didn’t want to take her from her family party, but she looked gray and worn right to the bone.
Thankfully, she said, “I’m ready to go, Micah. Do you think we can go?”
“Yes,” he said quickly. “I’ll tell Callie and Liam, okay? Wait here.” He ducked over to his brother a
nd said, “We’re headed out.”
Liam looked at him in surprise. “Already?”
“Yeah,” Micah said, glancing over to Simone, who was sipping something from a cup. Hopefully that would cool her down a little. “Simone isn’t feeling well, and she needs to get home.”
“She’s not well?” Callie asked, concern in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Micah said, his own concern spiking. “She’s fine. She’s been stressed about the altar, and she hasn’t been eating much.”
“Take her home,” Liam said. “We’re going to head out soon too.”
Micah nodded and straightened, but Callie tapped his arm. “We’re going to the cemetery tonight to visit Momma and Gran and tell them about the wedding. If she’s well enough, you guys should come.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell her.” Micah hurried back to Simone, and they said a quick goodbye and congratulations to Jerome and Belinda and left.
On the way home, Micah clenched the wheel, trying to figure out what to say. “Tell me what hurts,” he finally said. He’d done that a couple of times when Oliver complained of being sick, and the boy could identify what hurt. Then Micah could do something.
“I’m tired,” she said. “I’m an emotional wreck. My stomach hurts. I’m throwing up.”
He looked at her. “You’re sweaty.”
“It’s hot out there.”
“Do you have a fever?”
“No,” she said.
“Why are you so hot then?” He was hot, but not pouring buckets of sweat hot. “Something’s wrong, Simone. This is not normal for you.” He turned onto the highway and pressed on the accelerator. “When we get home, you’re taking painkillers and going straight to bed. Callie said they’re going to visit your mom and grandmother tonight, and I’m assuming you’ll want to go. So you have to rest until then.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Simone said quietly.
Micah looked at her again. “What do you mean?” Something was definitely wrong with her.
“When we get home, I’ll go lie down,” she said. “But I’m not taking any pills.” She looked at him, and Micah was glad there wasn’t any traffic on this lonely highway leading out of town. “Can you run back to town to the drugstore and get me something?”
“Of course,” he said. “Anything.”
She smiled at him and reached across the seat for his hand. “Thanks, baby.”
She’d never called him baby before, and Micah did like it. “What am I getting?” he asked. “And you’ll be okay alone?”
“I’m going to be fine,” she said, her eyes drifting closed. “I just need you to get me a pregnancy test.”
Micah’s whole body jerked. “A pregnancy test?”
She giggled and squeezed his hand. “That’s right, cowboy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me. I think I’m pregnant.”
Stunned, Micah didn’t know what to say. “Oh, wow,” came out of his mouth anyway.
“That’s okay, right?” she asked
“Of course it’s okay,” he said, realizing he needed to react appropriately. “I’m—yes. It’s great.” He laughed, a new kind of joy and happiness moving through him that he’d never felt before. “I’m gonna be a dad.”
“We should take the test first,” Simone said.
“Right.” He swallowed, trying to get his thoughts in line. Everything seemed to be buzzing so quickly around him. “This is so exciting.”
At the house, he helped Simone into bed, kissed her forehead, and maybe drove ten over the speed limit in his haste to get to the drugstore and back with the required test. Back in the bedroom, Simone slept, and Micah had half a mind to wake her up.
Pregnant with his baby. He couldn’t believe it. He dropped to his knees right there at the side of the bed, his wife sleeping only a few inches from him. “Thank you, Dear Lord,” he whispered. “Please help me be as supportive and helpful as possible.” He had so much more inside him, but he couldn’t articulate anything more.
He left her to sleep, going down the hall to his office, where he worked on the final plans for Bear Glover and Shiloh Ridge Ranch. They’d been back and forth a couple of times now, and with a few more tweaks, Bear would sign off on the design, and Micah would break ground.
He also needed to find a time to get back to the Hill Country to see Dwayne Carver. But with Simone possibly pregnant now, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to.
“Micah?” she asked, and he looked up from his desk to find her framed beautifully in the doorway.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He left his plans and went to her, taking her into his arms. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, actually.” She smiled up at him. “I found the test in the bathroom.” She held it up, but it was too close to Micah’s face to see. “Two lines is pregnant.” She handed him the test.
Micah looked at her, but she wore a perfectly placid mask. He looked at the test.
Two lines.
He whooped, scooped her into his arms, and they laughed and laughed together. He set her on her feet, hardly able to breathe. “I love you,” he said. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He kissed her, this beautiful, strong woman that he’d liked for so long. Now his wife. Almost the mother of his child.
Micah was reminded of God’s goodness in that moment, and he never wanted to be outside the sphere of the Lord’s watchful eye again.
Micah walked side-by-side with Simone, his hand in hers as they made their way down the lane toward the Shining Star. The sun had baked the ground until it could fry an egg, but he didn’t care.
“I don’t remember my mother at all,” Simone said quietly.
Micah looked at her, sensing her sadness. It penetrated his heart and made him want to wrap her in a bubble that the cruel things of the world couldn’t touch. “How old were you when she died?”
“Just two,” she said. “I didn’t know her. I never knew her.”
Micah released her hand and put it around Simone. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want our baby to not know me,” she said, her voice too high, which meant she was crying again. Now that Micah knew why, he didn’t worry. And fine, maybe the crying had annoyed him a little bit too. Guilt zipped through him, but he pushed it away.
Their footsteps crunched over the dirt road, his mind churning for an appropriate answer. Micah finally said, “You know your mother. Callie told you stories. Your daddy did too. You have all those photo albums in the office, and you know everything about her, from what her favorite color was to what she liked for breakfast.”
“Cold cereal with cream,” Simone said with a smile. “I love that too.”
“Even I know that,” Micah said quietly.
“Promise me if I die, you’ll make sure our baby knows me.”
“Simone,” he said, not wanting to chastise her, but he really didn’t like thinking about her dying. “You’re not going to die.”
“I might,” she said. “People do.”
“How did she die?” he asked.
“She got really sick,” Simone said. “Pneumonia, for weeks and weeks. She finally went to the hospital—Mama didn’t like doctors or hospitals—and she had so much infection, they put her on some strong drugs.” Simone reached up and wiped her eyes. “But it was too late. She had a staph infection, and it killed her.”
“So we’ll go to the hospital the moment you have a stuffy nose,” he said.
Simone tipped her head back and laughed, and Micah enjoyed the trill of it on the air. They approached the homestead on her childhood ranch at the same moment Callie and Liam came out the front door with their girls.
“See? They’re right there.” She waved to Micah and Simone, who waved back. They all piled into Liam’s minivan, and Micah tried not to hate riding in it. He knew Liam hated it too, and normally only Callie drove the van.
The conversation was easy between Simone and Callie, who asked
her sister how she was feeling.
“Good,” Simone said without even a glance in Micah’s direction. “I was just tired and stressed about the wedding.”
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Liam said.
“Yes.” Everyone agreed on that, and Micah wondered why Simone needed six months to plan a wedding when Belinda had done it in two weeks. He didn’t ask though, because he wasn’t the one doing the work.
They arrived at the cemetery to find Rhett and Evelyn already there. Rhett had Conrad up on his shoulders while Evelyn pushed a stroller that held all three babies. One of them was crying, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
Simone stepped over to her and peered down into the carriage. “Can I take her out?”
“Sure,” Evelyn said. “She didn’t sleep long enough this afternoon, that’s all.”
“Oh, come here,” Simone said, reaching into the stroller to unbuckle the baby. “You can sleep with me, baby Elaine.” She cuddled the precious girl against her chest, and the infant calmed immediately. “Yes, that’s right.”
She lifted her head and met Micah’s eye, and she wore such a look of triumph and happiness that Micah just smiled and shook his head. They walked down the narrow lane, all of them lost in their own thoughts.
Micah had not been here before, but his brothers obviously had. He stayed near the back, Simone a few paces in front of him. He let his thoughts wander wherever they wanted to go, and when he came to a stop in front of the grave markers for Simone’s mother and grandmother, he allowed his emotions to release into the sky.
Callie bent down and cleaned off a couple of weeds that had started to encroach on her mother’s headstone. “There she is,” she said, tucking Denise against her side. “My mama.” She reached out and touched two fingers to her mother’s name.
Evelyn did the same before moving over to the headstone next to Ginger Conrad Foster’s, and Micah wasn’t sure he knew Liam and Callie’s daughter had been named after her mother. “Hey, Gran,” she whispered. Rhett and Liam stayed out of the way, and Micah copied them.
