“Good luck.” She says as she rushes passed me.
What the hell?
I watch her rush off into the night before I shake my head and turn back to the bakery. I open the door, walk inside and stop dead in my tracks. My heart begins pounding in my chest. There in front of me, in the middle of the bakery surrounded by candles, is Tyler kneeling down on both of his knees. He is holding a white poster board that says:
“From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted, needed, had to have you in my life.”
He let the poster board drop to the ground, revealing another poster board underneath it.
“You’ve loved me for me and accepted me for who I am.”
He drops that poster.
“You gave up your family, friends and life to move here with me.”
That poster drops.
“And I repay you by kissing another woman, keeping it from you and letting you down.”
That poster drops.
“Those things are the biggest mistakes of my life and no matter how much I want to take them back I can’t.”
He drops that poster.
“BUT”
He drops that poster.
“I can promise to never do them again!”
That poster drops.
“I can promise to love you, cherish you, be honest with you, respect you and support you.”
That poster drops.
“My life without you is empty and lonely.”
He drops that poster.
“Please say you’ll come home. Please say you’ll give me another chance so that we can be a little family, just you, me and our baby.”
That poster drops.
“Because it was always you that held my heart. Never her. Never anyone. Always you.”
The last poster drops and Tyler sits there with a scared look on his face.
“Yes.” I whisper.
“What?” He chokes out.
“Yes, I’ll come home and gives us the chance to be a family.”
Tyler scrambles to his feet and with three long strides he is in front of me. His lips crash hard against mine and his fingers thread into my hair. We kiss fervently, like we need each other to survive.
“I love you Abby. I love you so much.” He presses his forehead to mine.
“I love you too Ty.”
“You’re coming home?”
“I’m coming home.”
“Don’t ever leave me again.”
“I won’t...Tyler?”
“Yes love?”
I lean back, glance around at the candles and scrunch my nose. “I don’t want to ruin the moment but...Are those pine scented candles?”
Tyler laughs and shrugs. “I needed something manly on the off chance that you said no and I was stuck with a bunch of candles.”
I laugh. “So out of all the scents you picked pine? Our apartment is going to smell like the woods for the next five years!”
“There were all of these women in there trying to get me to smell all these girly scents like powder puff and satin sheets cause they thought I was buying a gift or something. I have no idea. I saw pine and just stocked up.”
I smile and shake my head as I move behind the counter. I pull out a small white box and open it up. With the white box in hand, I walk back into the kitchen and open up the refrigerator door. I pull out two blueberry graham cracker cupcakes, Tyler’s favorite, and put them in the box.
“When are you coming home?” Tyler asks as I walk back into the main room.
“Well, if you follow me to my sister’s we can pack up my things quickly and I can come home tonight.”
Tyler flashes a toothy grin. “Let’s go.”
~*~
“I have another surprise for you.” Tyler says as we walk into the apartment.
“Okay.” I say cautiously.
Tyler sets my bags down, takes the cupcake box out of my hands and places it on the counter in the kitchen. He grabs ahold of my hand and walks me back to the spare room. He opens up the door and I step inside, turning around in amazement.
The once white walls have been painted a very light shade of green and there was a white crib set up against one of the walls.
“I read that green promotes calmness and concentration but we can always change it if you want to.”
I shake my head. “No, I like it. When did you do this?”
“I painted the day after you told me you were expecting. The crib I just put together yesterday. My mum and dad ordered it when I told them. I’m sure they had it ordered before we even got off of the phone.”
“You told your parents?”
“Yes...did you tell yours?”
“Noooo...my brother knows though.”
Tyler put his hands on my shoulders and turned me towards him. “We have to tell them at some point you know.”
“I was thinking maybe we could just call them and tell them after I have the baby. Maybe send them a picture in a text and write surprise!”
“Yes, because they would find that more acceptable. They are going to react however they will no matter when you tell them so just do it and get it over with.”
“What should I say to them?”
“Mum, dad...Tyler and I played a game called “See how much I love you” and I won.”
I roll my eyes and smack him playfully in the arm.
“Just tell them Abby.”
“Maybe I should wait and tell them in person.”
“And you plan on seeing them when?”
He has me there. It’s not like they live down the street.
I sigh. “Fine let’s call them.”
We walk into the living room and I grab my cellphone before joining Tyler on the couch. I dial my parent’s home number and do a silent prayer that maybe they won’t answer their phone. Luck is not on my side though because my dad answers on the third ring.
“Hey daddy,” I say. “Can you ask mom to get on another phone? There’s something I need to tell you guys.”
I hear him tell her to grab the extension in the kitchen.
“Where’s Tyler?” my mom asks as she joins the conversation.
“He’s right here. You’re on speaker.” I say.
“Hello John and Vicki.” Tyler calls out.
“So, what’s going on Abigail?” my dad asks.
“I’m pregnant.” I blurt out.
I am met by silence on the other end. Then my father starts laughing...hysterically.
“Whew, you had me for a minute there. Seriously, what did you want to tell us?”
“No, dad, I wasn’t joking. That is my news. I’m pregnant. Tyler and I are going to have a baby.”
My dad sighs. “I knew this was going to happen. When you two decided to move in together I knew this was going to happen. What happened to that box I sent you?”
“I buried it in the back of my closet.”
“Why?”
“Because it was creepy and ridiculous. Tyler and I are more than capable of making our own decisions regarding contraception.”
My dad laughs. “Yes and that has clearly worked out well for you both.”
“John, that’s enough,” My mom says. “When are you due?”
“December 28th.”
“So you won’t be coming home from Christmas but maybe we could come to you this year.”
“I have a question,” My dad says. “When is the wedding?”
“I’m sorry?”
“When are you two getting married?”
“Dad, we’re not...I mean I’m not saying it will never happen but we aren’t getting married right now.”
“Why not?”
“Well for starters, he hasn’t asked me and if you keep it up he probably never will.”
“So my daughter is good enough to sleep with and get pregnant but not good enough for you to marry?”
“John!” My mother exclaims at the same time I yell out “Dad!”
“I never said I didn’t want to marry your
daughter sir.”
“So what are you waiting for?”
“John Wesley Carver that is enough! You can’t pressure him into proposing to her.”
My parents start arguing back and forth over whether or not Tyler and I should get married and how soon a ceremony should happen. I close my eyes and shake my head.
This is ridiculous.
Tyler reaches over and takes my phone out of my hand. He presses the button to end the phone call and sends my mom a text simply telling her I had to go and would call her back later. Taking my hands in his, Tyler leans in and kisses me softly on the lips.
“You know I want to marry you right?”
I nod.
“But I’m not going to ask simply because we are having a baby and I’m not going to ask you in our flat after we’ve just gotten back together. It will happen though, when you least expect it and it will be done in a completely epic way.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less from you.”
Epilogue
13 Weeks Later
Abby
“So what are we going to do?” Tyler asks as we walk into our apartment. “Are we going to tell people the gender or keep it a secret?”
“We have twenty weeks to go. Do you really think we can keep it a secret that long?” I give him a wicked smile. “Well I mean we know good you are at keeping secrets.”
“Ha-di-ha. If you want to keep it a secret we will, if you want to tell people then we’ll tell them. It’s up to you.”
“Well, we can tell them but I think we should come up with a really clever way to do it.” I say.
Tyler grabs my hands and pulls me towards the living room. I sit down on the couch longs ways. Tyler lifts my feet up, sits down and puts them in his lap. He pulls my shoes off and starts rubbing my feet. I grab the baby name book off of the end table and start flipping through it.
“Do you want to talk names?” I ask.
“I thought you said if it was a boy I could name it and if it was a girl you were naming it.” He says.
“So it’s settled then?” I ask.
He nods. “It’s settled.”
I close my eyes and lean my head back on the arm rest. I try to focus on how good Tyler’s foot massaging skills are, and they are phenomenal, but all I can think about is how quickly my pregnancy is going. I can’t believe it is already halfway over!
Suddenly, Tyler’s hands leave my feet. My eyes pop open, and I am about to protest when I see the serious look on Tyler’s face. I scramble to sit up and reach out to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey,” I say. “Are you okay?”
“I want to marry you.” Tyler says, staring deep into my eyes.
“I know you do Ty and...”
“No,” Tyler says cutting me off. “I mean right now. I want to marry you right now.”
“You mean right now as in today?” I ask, studying his face.
“Yes. I want to marry you today, right now.”
“We can’t get married today!” I exclaim.
“Why not?” He asks.
“Well, maybe I am wrong, but most places you have to wait a certain amount of days after applying for a marriage license.”
“Okay then, lets go apply for a marriage license and, as soon as we can, we get married.”
I open my mouth up to reply when Tyler leaps up from the couch and dashes down the hallway.
“Don’t move one bit!” He yells out. “There is something I need to get.”
I can hear a bit of fumbling around and then Tyler comes running back into the living room. He has a small black velvet box in his hands. He drops down to one knee in front of me and takes a deep breath.
“I have to do this the right way.” He says with a smile.
He opens the box to reveal a cushion cut diamond ring. There are 3 small round stones set in the band on either side of the center stone and there is a delicate scroll pattern set into the band.
“Abigail Jayne Carver. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you. You have made me a better man than I could have ever imagined I could be and I cannot picture spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. You are my everything – my best friend, my lover, the mother of my child and the one person I always want by my side. Will you marry me?
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
Tyler slips the ring out from the box and onto my finger. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
“It was my grandmothers,” Tyler says. “I uh I actually asked her for it the day after you told me you were pregnant.
“I love it Ty. It’s the most beautiful ring I have ever seen!” I exclaim.
Tyler quickly moves so that he is sitting next to me. He cups my chin in his hands and pressed his lips to mine.
“I have an idea.” He says. “What if we keep our wedding a secret and tell people to come over somewhere for some reason and surprise them by getting married?”
“That would be fun! Where could we have the wedding at?”
“My cousin is the manager at the Flowing Springs Ballroom. Let me call her and see the soonest she would have an opening.”
Tyler walks out of the room and I hold up my hand, moving it from side to side, watching the light catch the diamond and make specks of light dance along the wall. I glance at my cell phone and fight the urge to pick it up and call Chloe.
“Alright,” Tyler says walking back into the room with a huge smile on his face. “They just had a cancellation for four weeks from Saturday.”
“So in four weeks I’ll become Mrs. Tyler McDermott?”
“You will indeed...how are we going to trick people in to going there?”
“What if we tell them it’s a gender reveal party?”
“Hmmm...that’s a good idea. Do you think you can convince your parents to come?” He asks.
“Yes, I’ll get them and Nick here somehow.”
“We’re really doing this?” He asks.
I nod and wrap my arms around him. “We are really doing this.
~*~
It amazed me just how fast four weeks can slip by you. Even more amazing is that Tyler and I have kept our wedding a secret from our entire families. They all think they are coming to a gender reveal party. We even have a board up that is titled “Take a guess...Am I Julian Michael John or Sophia Victoria Grace?”
I am standing in a room inside the Flowing Springs Ballroom dressed in my satin and chiffon empire line Grecian gown. I fell in love with this dress the moment I saw it. My favorite part of it was the delicate beading along the chest and underneath the bust line. That and my tiny little baby bump looks really cute in this dress.
I hear laughter coming down the hall and I start to get excited. I have been dying to reveal to Chloe, Caroline, Skylar and Jocalyn – my bridesmaids – what is really going on today. The door opens and Chloe walks in first. They all gasp at the same time at the sight of me in my wedding gown.
“Oh my god!” Chloe yells out. “Are you getting married today?”
I nod and hold my arms out. “Surprise.” I say.
All four of them start squealing with delight and excitement. They rush over to me, nearly knocking me over with a group hug.
“I thought I was going to find out if I was having a niece or nephew!” She says.
“You are...but first I’m going to need you ladies to proceed me down the aisle.” I tell her.
“I was wondering why you told me to wear a nice black dress. I thought you were just being preg-zilla and were insisting all your guests wear the same color.” Skylar jokes.
“Wait...do mom and dad know?” Chloe asks.
I shake my head. “No, they think what everyone else thinks that this is just a gender reveal party. They weren’t going to come. Dad said I could just tell them over the phone. Thanks to my uncontrollable hormones, I started crying and that’s when they said they would come and Nick...well...he was easy to convince.”
We hear footsteps in the hall and I know it is my parents bei
ng led back. My heart starts beating so fast I feel like I might hyperventilate. I am most nervous about telling my dad because it will honestly break my heart if he doesn’t give us his blessing.
Chloe grabs my hand as the door opens and my parents walk in. My brother, Nick, isn’t with them but I know he is here. He’s going to be one of Tyler’s groomsman, so I am sure he is with Tyler right now.
My parents stand in the doorway with matching looks of shock on their faces as they realize what is going on.
My dad clears his throat. “May I have a moment alone with Abigail?”
Everyone quietly clears the room, leaving just me and my dad alone. He motions for me to have a seat on a plush, velvety crimson couch. I sit down and he sits next to me taking my hand.
“You know, I have never known quite what to expect from you. Even when you were little, you always marched to the beat of your own drum. You always did what you wanted to do, and I don’t mean that in a bad way but in an independent way. Your sister was always predictable you...you always kept me on my toes...do you love him? I mean honestly, truly love him?”
I nod. “More than anything and he loves me too.”
My dad lets out a small laugh. “Well he must. He took quite a gamble getting a girl’s father to travel so far for a secret wedding. I thought I’d at least have a year to get use to you becoming Mrs. Blue hair.”
My eyes widen with surprise. I hadn’t told my parents that I was engaged yet. I was going to tell them...well today actually.
My dad smiles at my expression. “He called and asked for my permission nearly three months ago. I’ve been waiting for you to call and tell me you were engaged.”
“Surprise!” I say. “I hope you were nice to him when he called.”
“Of course I was nice. When have I not been nice?”
I give him a look and he knows I am thinking about the first time he met Tyler.
“Hey, I let him stay didn’t I?” He puts his arm around me. “I just have one request.”
“What’s that dad?”
“It’s more of a threat really...if I see one strand of blue hair on my grandchild’s head...”
I burst into laughter. “I can only promise that up until those rebellious teenage years.”
He looks thoughtful for a moment. “I guess I can live with that. Alright then I guess the only thing left for me to do is give you away.”
Always in my Heart (The Subzero Series, #2) Page 16
