Be My Baby

by Airicka Phoenix

  “I know where my keys are.”

  Her frown only deepened. “What?”

  He realized that hadn’t been her earlier request, nor was it the answer she’d been expecting.

  He cleared his throat. “Not important.”

  Calla shook her head. “Tell them we’re not married.”

  “I honestly can’t think how it would be possible,” he said at last. “Willow Creek isn’t exactly known for its many quickie-wedding chapels.”

  Relief flickered across Calla’s face. Her shoulders relaxed and she turned to her mother.

  “See? Not married.”

  Beth pursed her lips and gave a slow shake of her head. “I would still like to know why everyone thinks you are. It seems like a very strange rumor for someone to start for no reason.”

  No sooner had she spoken when the doorbell chimed through the house. Everyone seemed to freeze and dart curious glances around as though counting to make sure everyone was present. Cole left to answer and all eyes watched as the door opened.

  “Janet. Marvin.” He stepped back to allow Jared’s parents into the foyer. “I think I know why you’re here.”

  Jared’s mom was in a frenzy. Her brown eyes went right past Cole to fix on her son.

  “Is it true?” She barreled forward. “Everyone in town is talking about it.”

  “We’re not married,” Jared assured her. “I don’t know where everyone got their information, but—”

  “Reverend Peters said so!” his mother exclaimed. “Right there in front of the whole congregation. He said a prayer for your happy and healthy future together as husband and wife. I was mortified, Jared. Mortified! Can you imagine sitting there and being the last one to find out your only son is married and never told you?”

  “But, Mom—”

  “Rev … Reverend Peters?” Calla hurried around the coffee table to stand at Jared’s side so they were both looking at his mother. “He said that? Why would he say that?”

  His mother blinked. “Because he married you, which I am just … if he wasn’t a holy man, I would tell him off for doing. Then of course Mabel Darnell comes over, all smug and you know how she likes to rub it in my face that—”

  “Mom, focus.” Jared took her gently by the arms. “What did Reverend Peters say exactly?”

  “What I just said!” she retorted sharply. “We were saying prayers for the soldiers overseas and those who were sick and your names came up. I just about fell out of my seat.”

  “We’re not married!” Calla retorted, her voice just a tinge above hysterical. “It’s not possible. There are steps and procedures and … we’re not in Vegas! We’re in Willow Creek for god sakes.”

  “How do you not remember getting married?” Cheeks stuffed with potato chips, Toby looked from Jared to Calla. “I mean, were you wasted?”

  “Toby!” Beth hissed.

  “I’m just saying,” the boy said evenly. “How drunk were you that you don’t remember tying the knot?”

  “Stop helping!” Calla snapped at him.

  “But he makes a good point,” Cole said. “If you tell me you remember all of last night, then this is clearly a mistake and we can rectify it.”

  Calla’s gaze dropped to her feet, blowing their credibility without words. Jared tried not to avert his eyes, but even he couldn’t hold the other man’s gaze without flinching.

  “All right…” Lily rose to her feet. “Well, how much of last night do you remember?”

  “Not a whole lot,” Jared confessed. “We woke up this morning—”

  “Whoa! Wait.” Cole folded his arms and stared hard at Jared. “What exactly do you mean we woke up this morning? Like, you woke up together this morning? Dressed and in separate beds, right?”

  “Dad!”

  Cole ignored Calla’s mortified squeak. His gaze was already moving over their still damp hair and the wrinkles in Calla’s clothes. Jared was debating his chances of making it to the front door when those scrutinizing blue eyes fixed on him. His nostrils flared.

  Shit.

  “Did you—?”

  “Cole.” Sloan took his brother’s arm when Cole took a step towards Jared. “One problem at a time.”

  From the armchair, Toby snickered and continued nibbling on chips. No one paid him any attention. But Damon ambled over to perch on the armrest and share the snack.

  “We’re going to have words, Dumont,” Cole vowed in the scariest voice Jared had ever heard.

  “Jesus, Dad!” Calla dropped her bright, red face into her hands.

  Jared started to reach for her, but opted not to risk losing a limb when Cole’s face warned him not to even think about it.

  “It’s not that we wouldn’t be happy to have you marry our Calla,” Lily intervened gently. “It’s just the shock of being the last ones to hear about it that upset us most.”

  “That’s not the only thing,” Cole grumbled.

  “We’re not married,” Calla stated firmly, her voice still taut with her embarrassment. “There are steps to getting married, paperwork and … I don’t know what else, but we didn’t do any of that. Reverend Peters has clearly gotten into the communion wine.”

  “Calla!” Lily hissed disapprovingly.

  “Well, there is one way to find out for sure,” Beth cut in with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to phone the Reverend. If he did in fact marry you, then he will know what happened.”

  It was the best option they had, possibly their only one. No one stopped her when she hurried to the end table and snatched up the receiver. The dial tone filled the room, followed by the loud beep of numbers being struck. Then they stood in silence as it rang. Several tense seconds chimed by before there was a click and Reverend Peter’s croaky voice erupted from the plastic.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Reverend Peters? It’s Beth McClain.”

  There was a moment of pause where the Reverend seemed to be trying to put the name to a face.

  “Yes, hello. How are you?”

  Jared hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until the Reverend spoke.

  “We’re all great,” Beth replied. “The whole family’s here.”

  “Excellent! That is excellent. Although, I am disappointed that no one came to service this morning.”

  Some of Beth’s smile dimmed to a pained grimace. “We will try our best to be there next Sunday.”

  “I look forward to seeing you.” There was a pause before he started speaking again. “What can I do for you, Beth?”

  “Well, Calla and Jared are here and—”

  “Ah!” the Reverend said as though it all finally made sense. “Yes, they seem to be a very popular subject today. Not very often I have couples eloping in the dead of night.”

  Beth looked to Jared and Calla, her expression almost apologetic. “So, it’s true then?”

  Reverend Peters made a contemplative sound. “Yes, very. Mayor Wilks was present as well to preside. It was all very official, if not uncommon. I asked if this was what they wanted and they were both quite adamant. Mayor Wilks produced the license and both parties signed it. Mrs. Fowler stood as witness.”

  “We were drunk!” Calla seemed to burst with the strain of holding her tongue. “How could you not notice we weren’t in the right frame of mind?”

  The Reverend seemed to pause.

  “Calla?”

  “We were drunk!” she said again, louder. “Three people and not one of you noticed?”

  “Calla!” Lily scolded without heat.

  The Reverend considered this before speaking again. “I assure you, you were both very lucid when you found me. Mayor Wilks and Mrs. Fowler will vouch to it. Had I believed you incapable of making the proper decision, I can promise we would not be having this conversation. Mayor Wilks even questioned you both thoroughly beforehand.”

  “That doesn’t … we don’t remember any of that!” Calla cried.

  “Well, I’m sorry, my dear. But it was all quite legal.”

/>   “Has the license been mailed yet?” Cole interrupted. “If you, or Mayor Wilks still have—”

  “Marriage is not only a commitment between a man and a woman, Mr. McClain.” There was a frigid under current in the statement. “It is a commitment to God. It is not a game, or something anyone should walk into lightly.”

  “We understand, Reverend,” Lily said quickly. “It’s just the news has taken us all by surprise.”

  When Reverend Peters spoke again, his tone was much gentler. “Understandable. One of the questions Mayor Wilks asked was if they were sure they wanted to do this without their family and friends present. They agreed they did. As for the license, I can’t be sure, but Mayor Wilks might have already sent it out in the mail. You would have to ask him. But even then, a marriage cannot be voided simply by the shredding of paper. Aside from the legal aspect that I would think you would know something about, Mr. McClain, I would need to absolve the union through the church. But be sure this is the path you wish to take, Calla. I will not have the church’s name, or the sacrament of marriage made a mockery of. There is a reason you chose Jared as your husband, and it wasn’t alcohol. Think on it and I am here should you require my council.”

  “Reverend?” Jared cut in before Beth could disconnect the line. “You wouldn’t happen to know how we got home, would you? My truck was still at town hall this morning.”

  “I don’t. I’m sorry.”

  Beth thanked the Reverend and quietly disconnected the line.

  “Oh my God.”

  Calla sunk down on the coffee table. Her hands covered her mouth. The look of numb horror propelled Jared’s hands to her shoulders. He was relieved when she didn’t pull away.

  She turned her head slightly to peer around Jared to where her father stood. “Is any of this even legal?”

  Cole sighed. “Sounds like it. It’s like getting married in Vegas. They’re allowed to deny you the right to get married, but all you really need is the marriage license from the courthouse, which in this case, you can get from our town mayor.”

  “But … we were drunk,” Calla repeated with a hitch in her voice. Her watery blue eyes rose up and met Jared’s. “Do you remember any of it?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No.”

  “Only in Willow Creek is something like this acceptable.” She made a sound between a laugh and a groan. “I can’t believe I just had the shittiest wedding in history and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “Calla, sweetie.” Lily scooted down the length of the sofa to take Calla’s hands in hers. “It’s going to be all right.”

  “No, it’s not!” She pulled out of her mother’s grip and shot to her feet. “The whole town must think I’m some brain dead idiot who got herself stupid wasted and married some random guy at someone else’s wedding.” She scrubbed her face with her hands. “No one is ever going to take me seriously after this. My reputation … the shop…”

  “The shop will survive and so will your reputation,” Lily soothed.

  “And I’m not some random guy,” Jared muttered, a little more than hurt by the label. “You didn’t pick me up from some bar, or street corner.”

  The dark shadows in her eyes when she turned to him stilled whatever anger was welling up inside him.

  “This isn’t how normal relationships go. There is a process for a reason. Reverend Peters is right. Marriage is a sacred thing done between two people who love each other and have thought long and hard about making such a drastic commitment.”

  “I do love you,” he murmured. “And I have thought about it a long damn time.”

  The room dropped to a loud hush at Jared’s quiet declaration. He could feel the eyes boring into him, but all he cared about was the woman watching him like his every word was tearing her up inside.

  “I know it wasn’t conventional, or done the way you deserve, but no, I’m not sorry and no, I don’t want to change it and yes, I’ve always known it would be you.”

  For several long heartbeats, Calla said nothing. Her eyes held his as though searching for that single flicker of doubt that he knew she would never find. Her uncertainty was a thick blanket smothering the room. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for her to say something, or do something.

  “You’re serious.” It wasn’t a question. Merely a shaky, stunned fact.

  “Dead serious.”

  “You don’t know me,” she whispered. “We haven’t even been on one date. This is all happening too fast.”

  Jared rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Then we’ll date. No one says we have to buy a house tomorrow and have kids. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

  She was visibly trembling and he hated that he was the reason for it. It took all his resolve not to reach for her, to not draw her into him and protect her from everything.

  “And if it doesn’t work?”

  “We’re both very stubborn people,” he pointed out evenly. “We make it work.” She started to shake her head. “You say I don’t know you, then give me a chance to.”

  “You’re crazy,” she whispered with no heat.

  Jared chuckled. “I’ve been called worse … by you, actually.”

  Despite the worry bright in her eyes, Calla chuckled. It sounded wet, but thankfully she wasn’t crying. He didn’t think he could stand it if he wound up making her cry twice in one day.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Lily asked her daughter. “Are we going to town hall tomorrow?”

  Calla continued to study Jared, her teeth anxiously nibbling on the inside of her lips. Jared held her gaze, trying to appear confident while his insides mashed together like warring bulls.

  “No,” she murmured, and before his insides could drop out from under him, she turned to her mother. “No town hall.”

  There was no helping it, despite all his bravado, Jared sagged slightly in relief. His head dropped forward with his deep exhalation. There was excited chatter, the sound of his mother’s excited exclamation, but he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around anything, except that she’d agreed to stay with him.

  Someone rapped him on the back.

  “About time, man.” Damon dropped down next to him on the sofa; Jared hadn’t even realized he’d sat down. “Oh, and Willa says congratulations. She’s really happy for you guys. She also wants me to tell you that it took you long enough.”

  Jared raised his head and peered at his best friend. “How long have you guys known?”

  Damon rolled his blue eyes. “Oh, who knows? Willa noticed it first. She always said watching you every time Calla walked into the room was like watching a porno.”

  Jared elbowed him. “That’s pretty gross.”

  “Right?”

  “I meant the part about Willa knowing what a porno is.”

  It was Damon’s turn to jab an elbow into Jared’s ribs.

  “Does this mean you’re going to finally man up and make an honest woman of Willa?” Jared went on.

  The other man lowered his blue eyes to the worn carpet beneath their feet. “It’s complicated.”

  Jared ran it through his head, now oddly filled with clarity. “How?”

  “It just is,” Damon muttered, shifting his weight forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Willa’s not like other girls. I can’t just ask her.”

  Their shoulders bumped when Jared followed his friend’s posture. “Just how long are you going to wait for her to be ready? She’s nineteen and in university.”

  Damon turned his head. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well, there are other men there, closer and available when she gets lonely.” Jared shrugged. “It only takes one.”

  The silence that worked between them seemed to stretch on for hours. Damon never answered and never got to when a shadow fell over them. They both glanced up to find Cole looming over Jared, eyes narrowed.

  Jared got quickly to his feet. “Sir, this wasn’t how I wanted it to happen, but I love your daughter and
I’ll do my best to make her happy.”

  Cole continued to eye him a moment before speaking. “Take a walk with me.”

  Having a feeling this was where he’d be told he wasn’t good enough for his little girl, Jared braced himself and followed from the room. They wound up going through the kitchen and out into the backyard. Jared stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and ducked his face into the collar as they made their way down the familiar path across the yard.

  “I remember you and Damon raising all kinds of hell out there,” Cole murmured, expelling a cloud of breath into the early afternoon. “You, Damon, Willa, and Calla. The four of you were a nightmare.”

  Jared grinned into the back of his zipper, but said nothing.

  Cole stopped when they reached the fence. It was as far away from the house as one could get without jumping the chain links.

  “I’m going to be straight up with you, Jar.” Cole fixed him with those cool, blue eyes. “I don’t think you’re good enough for my girl.”

  Jared said nothing, nor did he break his eye contact with the man.

  “She’s my little girl,” Cole went on. “I was there for every one of her moments, her first steps, her first word, her first tooth. I was there through every fever, every broken bone, every temper tantrum and joy. I watched her grow from a bratty child, to a sullen teenager, to a beautiful, successful, and brilliant woman. I helped make that happen.”

  Again, Jared nodded. “Yes sir.”

  Cole continued to glare at him. “Do you know that at this stage in a man’s life, when his children are all grown and he’s sent them off into the world to make something of themselves, there are only two remaining big moments he can look forward to? His child finding love, getting married, and having a family of their own.”

  Jared bit back the urge to say that was three things.

  “You took that away from me,” Cole said. “I will never know how it feels to walk my little girl down the aisle. I will never be able to give her away. And I blame you.”

  Jared didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.

  “Because of that, you are not the man for her, not until that wrong has been righted, do you understand me?”