How to Love Her: McCullough Mountain (McCullough Mountain Prequel)

by Lydia Michaels

  “I’m so proud of you!” She planted a smacking kiss on his cheek and smacked the mark of red lipstick.

  “Katie girl!”

  Kate turned as her mom and dad approached, McCullough clan in tow. As Ant’s sisters and father approached she was bumped toward her family and praised accordingly. There were lots of hugs and kisses from her parents and mostly questions about when they were eating from her siblings.

  “Why don’t you introduce us to Anthony’s family, dearie?”

  Kate turned and noted how much noise they made for only being a family of six. The McCulloughs had them beat by three, but the Marcellis had the market cornered on volume. She took her mother’s arm and led her to them. Anthony’s mother spoke rapidly, her hands swinging wildly in the air as she gestured with every word.

  Waiting for a break in the conversation, Kate said, “Mrs. Marcelli, I wanted to introduce you to my mother.”

  “Oh, my gawd! Let me just hug you.” Anthony’s mom pulled Kate’s mother into a firm embrace. “What a sweet daughter you have. We just adore Katie. And what a woman you must be to have seven kids! Marone! You must be a saint or a sadist, either way I already like you.”

  Her mother beamed with pride. “Well, I don’t know if I’m anything close to a saint, but I do keep close ties with Tully and Jameson for the pain. And I’m never out of reach of a wooden spoon, if you catch my drift.”

  “Do I ever.” Anthony’s mother rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “I got three teenage girls.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you, boys are no picnic either. My twins, I’d like to beat them something fierce. They’re nothing like your Anthony. What a darling he is.”

  Mrs. Marcelli preened and yanked her son closer, mushing his cheek with another smacking kiss. “Isn’t he! Oh, I could cry I’m so proud of him.”

  Anthony stumbled to Kate’s side the moment his mother released him. “This might be a match made in heaven,” he mumbled out the side of his mouth.

  She laughed nervously, unable to think of anything other than what he’d whispered in her ear just before they were interrupted. Maybe he was just excited and not thinking.

  “Frank! Let’s all go to O’Malley’s for dinner. The Marcellis are joining us,” her mother announced.

  Kate smiled up at Ant. His family might be the loudest here, but once the aunts were involved the Marcellis didn’t stand a chance of getting a word in edgewise. “Can I ride with you?”

  “Of course.” He took her hand, already leading her out of the crowd. Looking back he yelled, “Ma! We’ll meet you there. Katie and I are driving over together.”

  “Okay, you two be good. We’ll see you in a few!” She turned back to Kate’s mother, hardly yelling but loud enough to be heard. “Aren’t they adorable. Oh, to be that in love.”

  There was that word again. It wouldn’t stop echoing in her ears. When they got to the car she was uncharacteristically nervous.

  “You’re quiet,” he said, as they reached the road.

  “I’m just thinking.”

  “It’s pretty crazy. We’re finally done. It’s a little surreal.”

  Realizing he was speaking about graduating, she again wondered if he was even aware of what he’d said. She wanted to ask, but something held her back.

  When they reached O’Malley’s a dreadful thought occurred. Anthony’s parents had no idea she was pregnant and her aunts circulated more news than the Dailey Bugle. Anxious to get them alone and beg them not to mention the baby, she rushed out of the car.

  “Hey, slow down,” Anthony called.

  “I have to use the bathroom.” It wasn’t a lie, but she also had to find her aunts.

  As soon as she reached the inside of the bar the crowd took her breath away. She should have realized they wouldn’t be the only families going there after graduation. Spotting her Aunt Colleen behind the bar, she headed that way.

  “Hey, Katie! How’s it feel to be free?” her aunt cheerfully greeted.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute—in the back?”

  Colleen glanced at her and finished mixing a drink before passing it to one of the waitresses. “We gotta make it quick. I have a full house.”

  “Where’s Aunt Rose?”

  Colleen scanned the bar and grinned. “There she is, finding a seat for your mother.”

  Her heart raced. There wasn’t enough time for privacy. Grabbing her aunt’s arm she squeezed and whispered, “She can’t say anything about the baby, Aunt Colleen. Anthony’s parents don’t know I’m pregnant.”

  Colleen’s eyes widened and she understood how fast they’d have to move to intercept her sister’s big mouth. “Oh dear. Okay, you go sit with the others. I’ll handle it.”

  Kate nodded and quickly took a detour to the restroom, trusting her Aunt Colleen to do whatever it took to lock up Aunt Rosemarie’s gob. As she worked her way back through the bar toward the tables her nerves finally calmed. But then she saw her aunt’s face. It was too late.

  Kate’s steps faltered as she registered every set of Marcelli eyes staring at her. Colleen walked over to her and took her hands. “I’m sorry, love. I tried.”

  Rosemarie glanced over the crowd, her eyes heavy with regret, but Kate was more focused on the look of shock twisting Anthony’s mother’s face. His dad wore a different expression, one full of disappointment.

  Her feet weighed heavily on the floor as she faced their judgment. She desperately searched for the sense of adoration she’d known from these people just moments ago, but it was gone. Her gaze found Anthony’s and she stilled, not sure if she’d ever seen him look at her in such a way.

  Pulling his chair back from the table, he stood. His smile was a slow comfort that anchored her. Taking his time, he rounded the table and came to her side, sliding his fingers into hers before facing the others. “Let’s put other issues aside for the day and focus on celebrating one milestone at a time.”

  It was as if his maturity was doubled the moment they graduated, because he addressed them with absolute authority and the unflinching confidence of a grown man. His mother’s lips parted as her brow creased. His father shook his head and his sisters gawked. “Anthony, when did this happen?” his father demanded.

  Kate’s chest tightened. They couldn’t take this out on him. It was her responsibility. Anthony was just her friend. Then she considered the protective way he stood beside her and it clicked. His father was making the same assumption her father had. “It’s not—”

  “We’ll discuss it later,” Anthony spoke over her, squeezing her hand.

  Kate looked to her family, finding her father frowning and her mother pursing her lips and hiding a smug smile. She couldn’t let him worry his parents over someone else’s troubles. It wasn’t right and it would spoil what was an otherwise perfect day for them.

  Anthony stepped toward the table and she tugged him back, her eyes pleading. “Anthony, tell them the truth. It’s fine,” she whispered.

  He turned his back to the others and looked into her eyes. “It’s none of their business, Kate. Let them think what they will. I’ll not have anyone judging you—even my family.”

  Her vision blurred as she stared at him, wondering why he would take the heat for someone else’s mistake. She shook her head as her mother’s words came back to her. Everything was suddenly heavier inside of her, messy, but the same. She finally understood the subtle ache of love.

  Overwhelmed, she glanced at the others and dashed a tear from her eye. She couldn’t do this in front of them. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

  She tugged him through the bar and out the back door. When her feet reached the pavement, she turned on him. “Why did you do that?”

  He shrugged. “Why should anyone feel like they can judge you?”

  “But it’s not yours. You made them think the baby’s yours.”

  He glanced away, his expression hiding something.

  “Anthony.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “Maybe I’
m not ready for them to know it’s not.”

  “What? Why?”

  Again he shrugged. “Because they wouldn’t understand.” He gazed into her eyes, brow tight with stress. “I love you, Kate. I don’t care if other people don’t get it or think it’s too complicated. It’s how I feel and the only person’s opinion I want on the matter is yours.”

  Swallowing tightly, she felt the words fighting to come out, but she couldn’t let him take this sort of fall for her. It would cause more problems, because he’d eventually have to tell them the truth. “Don’t love me, Anthony.”

  He took her hands, holding her fingers tight as he whispered, “Too late.”

  Her tears slipped past her lashes as she shut her eyes. “You can’t lead them to believe this is your situation. It’s mine. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but you need to look out for yourself. It’s graduation day. Your parents are so proud of you and happy for your future. Don’t take that away from them, even if just for a minute.” She met his stare, putting so much of her heart on the line, and said, “You have to go tell them the baby’s not yours. Tell them nothing’s changed.”

  His lips pressed tight. “What’s so wrong with letting people think it’s mine, Kate?”

  “Everything.” She staggered back. “My God, Anthony, do you hear how crazy you sound?”

  “Why is it crazy? We’re dating. Shit happens. How is having a fatherless child better than what I’m suggesting?”

  “Because you’re not the father! This doesn’t fix anything. It just hurts your parents.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Well, I do. I like your family and I don’t want to hurt them. I’m going to tell them the truth.” Turning toward the door, she took a step and he caught her arm, pulling her toward him and cupping her shoulders. His eyes held such intensity she shook under his gaze.

  “Do you love me? I love you, Kate. It isn’t going to go away in two months just because I have to go to college. This isn’t something temporary for me.”

  “But it has to be! That’s what we said it would be.”

  “I don’t care what we said. Every day I love you more than the last. It’s insane to think at the end of summer we’ll just be able to shut off our feelings and move on. I don’t want to move on without you. I want us to stay together.”

  “But you’re leaving.”

  “So what? People have long distance relationships all the time.”

  Her lips trembled as she tried so hard not to fall into the trap of hoping this could be more. She was so afraid to trust his words, unsure if they’d be true once he actually moved to campus and met so many others like himself. “Even if we don’t break up, you can’t lead them to believe—”

  “What if we get married?”

  “What?” Now she was really worried he’d lost his mind. “Anthony, we’re kids.”

  “We’re adults, Katherine. I’m not saying now, but what if it eventually happens? Do you honestly think I’d treat this child any different than our other children? Nick isn’t here. I’m here. Don’t burn bridges before we’ve crossed them.”

  Blinking, she looked up at the sky. “You don’t have to lie to your family.”

  “I’m not lying. I’m…avoiding the truth—at least for a little while until we see where things go.”

  Shutting her eyes, she winced, recalling the palpable judgment inside. “I hate the way they looked at me. It’s like everything’s suddenly different. They’ll resent me for that, because they think this will affect you.”

  His hands moved to her face as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Not if I take my fair share. Let me share the load, Kate. It’s what good men do. Let them look. Nothing is changing how I feel about you. You’re mine and, no matter how different things feel, that’s something that isn’t changing. I love you.”

  Sniffling, she met his stare. “I love you too, Anthony. I just wish I’d met you before—”

  His lips silenced her confession. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight. “You don’t have to wish anything. We’re here now and this is exactly where I want to be. Understand?”

  Not really, but she nodded anyway. Taking a deep breath, she released a shaky sigh. “It’s going to be hard going back in there.”

  “Then let’s go somewhere else.”

  “We can’t do that.” But it was exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to escape and run away with him, hide someplace the rest of the world couldn’t reach them. At least for a little while.

  The back door opened and they turned as Colleen stilled. “I didn’t realize anyone was out here.” She lifted a bag of trash. “I was just running this to the dumpster.”

  It was clear she felt guilty for not intercepting Rosemarie soon enough, but it wasn’t her fault. “We were just talking,” Kate told her.

  Colleen hoisted the trash into the bin and brushed off her hands. “That was a ballsy thing you did in there, Anthony, taking the heat off Katie like you did.”

  He shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

  Colleen smiled, her gaze drifting between the two of them. “Aye.” She hesitated a moment, then glanced at the door. “I’m guessing they’ll ask me if I saw you on my travels out here.” She raised her brows. “I could easily tell them I didn’t, being that my vision isn’t what it used to be.”

  Anthony glanced at Kate and a sense of urgency stole over her, causing her heart to race. This was why, for all their trouble, she loved her family regardless.

  Colleen winked and reached into her apron, pulling out a wad of tips. “Go have fun and celebrate. Today’s an important day for you two.”

  Kate hesitated, but her aunt forced the money into her hand.

  “Go on, now, before someone else comes searching for you.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Col.”

  “Don’t mention it. Now, get.”

  When her aunt disappeared into the bar, Anthony looked at her and laughed. “She’s the coolest aunt ever.”

  She nodded. “She has her moments. But she’s right. We better go before someone else comes looking for us.”

  He grinned and took her hand. “Let’s go.”

  They raced back to the car and fled the bar. They had no idea where they were going or how long they’d be gone. They just knew they were on their way to something great and they were moving forward together.

  Chapter Eleven

  They’d driven for hours, stopped for a bite to eat and filled the car with gas only to drive some more. Anthony had no idea where they were, and the further they drove the more rural the roads became, but he wondered what would happen if they stopped. Not worried. He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling.

  “It’s getting dark,” Kate whispered beside him.

  “Do you want to go back?” He’d have a lot to answer for, but no part of him planned on backpedaling.

  “No.”

  He glanced at her and back to the road. “I think we’re almost to New York.”

  “What if we never went back?”

  “Kate.” They had to go back. As much as he loved leaving everything behind for a bit, their parents were likely freaking out. He couldn’t imagine what his mom and dad had said after they disappeared, but he didn’t think it was great.

  Strangely, he had no regrets about misleading them where the baby was concerned. He had extreme anxiety, sure, but no regrets. He loved her. He was certain of it. Sometime over the past few weeks he’d stopped planning for tomorrow and reached further into his future, imagining what their home would someday look like, how many children they’d have together.

  He didn’t intend to acquire that future by skulking around and denying what it was he was after. “We can’t run away forever.”

  She shifted in her seat, counting the money her aunt had given them. “There’s over a hundred bucks here. We could get a motel room.”

  A chill raced through his body, his grip tightening on the wheel. “We could do that.” His heart be
at quickly. Would they be sleeping in different beds? “Did you want to do that?”

  “Do you?”

  He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, but he thought he appeared remarkably calm on the outside, which was good. “Sure.”

  They drove a while longer and found a little motel just as the sun set. Seventy-four dollars later and they were handed a key. They walked in silence to room Eight and his hands slightly trembled as he unlocked the door. It wasn’t paradise. It was a shabby little room with olive carpet and brown curtains. And a bed. There was definitely a bed. They stepped inside and stared at the comforter.

  “I’m going to go get some ice and see if I can find a vending machine,” Kate announced.

  “Okay.” He was relieved to have a minute to himself.

  As soon as she left he went into the bathroom and stared at his reflection, waiting for some sort of epiphany to come. The sound of the motel door opened and he realized he’d been standing there for five minutes.

  “Ant?”

  “I’m in the bathroom. I’ll be out in a minute.” Reaching in his pocket he removed his wallet and dug out the condom he carried. Then stuffed it back in his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he opened the bathroom the door and—Sweet Jesus.

  Kate sat on the bed, under the covers. Her bare shoulders showed and the lights were dim. “I couldn’t find an ice machine, but I got two sodas.”

  He swallowed. Maybe they were just going to sleep. Nodding, he shuffled toward the other side of the bed then back to the dresser. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Turning his back, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, resting it on the arm of the chair. His fingers went to the button of his pants and he hesitated. Better to keep his pants on. His gaze drifted to the folded pile of Kate’s clothes on the dresser and his heart pounded faster.

  He wanted to be with her, never wanted anything more, but he also wanted everything to be just right. Clearing his throat, he turned and faced the bed. God, she was beautiful. He took a small step forward. “Are you tired?”