Coming Together: Welcome to Carson, Book Two

by Renee Harless

  Austin chimes in a moment later, “So who do you suggest can be a stand-in? Is there anyone in your department that resembles Nikki?”

  “No, and I’ve been gone for over six months, so if there were someone, I wouldn’t know. I was actually hoping you all would know someone her height and stature,” Dylan explains.

  Everyone takes a minute to glance around the room, each seemingly bewildered by the instructions.

  “I’ll do it,” Everleigh proposes, rising from her chair beside their mother.

  Alarmed gasps ring throughout the large room, but none as loud and shocked as that of Brooks over in the corner. Austin notices how he stands straight, his body now drawn at full attention, and his eyes lock furiously onto Everleigh.

  “Like hell you will,” Nikki’s friend and Austin’s soon-to-be client roars as he approaches the group.

  “Excuse me? Do you think you have a say in this? I don’t even know who you are,” the normally calm and rational Everleigh thunders back, whipping her head in his direction.

  “Everleigh, maybe you should sit down and think this over,” Amy warns, gently stroking her daughter’s arm.

  “No. I have thought this over. Nikki and I have the same hair color and are of similar height. I’m the only blonde here that doesn’t have anything holding me back. I want to help and I’ll be damned if some stranger isn’t going to waltz in here and tell me otherwise,” she asserts, slamming her hands onto the table.

  “You know what? Fine, forget that the people here are those that care about you,” Brooks concludes. “Austin, I’ll be here until Sunday. You know how to reach me for everything else.”

  Brooks stomps from the house in full force.

  “Everleigh,” Amy scolds in a hushed, maternal tone.

  “What? Why should I care what he thinks? I don’t even know who that is,” she replies, returning to her seat.

  “That’s the new pediatric physician. He signed the contract this morning,” Logan explains. “He’ll also be here for our party.”

  “And this is important to me why?” she retorts.

  “What has gotten into you?” Austin asks.

  Slumping her shoulders, Everleigh takes on a look of defeat.

  “I don’t know. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. I’m sorry, everyone. Dylan, I would still like to help. I really am the only one who comes close to resembling Nikki.”

  Against his better judgment, even Austin has to agree.

  “If you can keep everyone safe, Dylan, then I think we have a plan,” Austin claims.

  “You have my word.”

  Suddenly the alarm on Austin’s phone buzzes, startling the entire room. Grabbing the device from his pocket, he’s shocked to find that two hours have passed and it’s already five in the morning.

  Nikki looks over his shoulder at the phone to see the time, and then offers to make breakfast for everyone in the room.

  “Actually, I’m sure Angie has already opened up with a table waiting. The town probably knows more about what happened than we do at this point.”

  Chuckling, Nikki agrees with Joseph’s assessment of the situation.

  Wrapping his arm back around Nikki’s waist, Austin leans down towards Nikki and whispers in her ear that they should lighten the mood. He waits for her confirmation, knowing that she’ll understand what he is referencing and then asks for everyone’s attention.

  “Since you’re all here, we have an announcement to make. Near the end of April, we will be welcoming a little baby girl.”

  The room erupts into much-needed congratulations and warmth. Austin leans down and places a gentle kiss on the top of Nikki’s head, pulling her closer.

  “Have you all chosen a name yet?” Cassidy chimes in from the corner of the kitchen.

  “Not yet, but I have a few in mind. I’m sure we’ll decide on something soon,” Nikki replies as her stomach begins to growl. “Sorry, little one is hungry.”

  The crowd begins to disperse once everyone has agreed to meet at Angie’s. Logan and Avery, however, hang back with Nikki and Austin.

  “How are you all doing, really?” Logan asks.

  “Honestly man, I’m completely freaked the fuck out. I mean don’t get me wrong, I slept with quite a few women, but I thought I did a good job of making sure none of them were total whack jobs.”

  Austin glances over at Nikki and finds Avery wrapping her in a tight embrace, whispering to her friend.

  “I just want this nightmare over. Do you think we’re doing the right thing in setting this all up tomorrow? I don’t want this person to come that close to us again. None of us can anticipate what this person may do.”

  “It’s scary for sure. But Avery and I have something we need to share with you all.”

  Austin watches as Nikki’s ears perk up.

  “Is everything ok with the babies?” she asks, concerned.

  “Oh, yes,” Avery assures. “Nothing to do with that. Though we find out the gender in a month, and I feel like I could explode in excitement.”

  Four months pregnant with twins, Avery is just barely showing. Nikki claims that it’s the yoga the soon-to-be mom does every morning.

  Logan adds, “We just really need you all to be at the party tomorrow night…”

  “…because we’re having a surprise wedding right before midnight! And we want you both to be our attendants – you’re our best friends,” Avery chimes in with glee.

  “Oh my gosh, congratulations. We would love to!” Nikki exclaims, hugging her friend tightly.

  “We haven’t told anyone, man. It’s been killing me. All I want to do is shout from the rooftops that Avery is going to be my wife.”

  “I hear you,” Austin agrees. “I’m truly honored you asked me, though I sort of guessed that was why Avery kept pressuring me about looking nice.”

  “You better not do anything stupid tomorrow night, Austin. I need you there,” Avery commands, removing herself from Nikki’s embrace and wrapping her arms around her half-brother’s waist.

  “I’ll be there, sis,” Austin says. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  The couples follow Dylan as they exit the house to meet up with everyone in town as planned. Dylan had stayed behind, wanting to keep an extra eye on Austin and Nikki. When they arrive at Angie’s, they find the place swarming with locals, both new and old, all of whom are very determined to get down to the bottom of the attack.

  “Angie, have you seen anyone new come into the diner recently? Someone no one here would recognize?” Dylan asks politely.

  “No, sir. Not since the winery tour season has died down. As far as I know, no one has seen anyone they didn’t recognize, not since Avery’s arrival,” she replied, the blossoming crowd all murmuring in collaboration with her assessment.

  “Do any of Austin’s prior ‘female friends’ seem a bit off recently? Doing anything that would send up red flags?”

  “Most of those women couldn’t screw in a light bulb, let alone orchestrate an attack of this magnitude, Mr. Bennett,” Shirley Fitzgerald rings in from her booth along the wall. Her sister Temple nods, the two women huddled around hot cups of coffee with their brother, who happens to be the Sheriff.

  Austin feels his eyes widen at their description of his “dates”, then is forced to admit within his own mind that they were not always the brightest of the bunch. Beside him, Nikki chuckles softly, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Leaning down, he whispers in her ear, “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” she murmurs beneath a giggle.

  “Nothing? How about I spank your ass tonight for laughing at me?”

  He watches as her eyes grow wide and brighten before him, then she licks her lips and replies, “Promise?”

  Before he has a chance to respond, Angie places a plate of pancakes before him and Nikki, who immediately digs in, forgetting entirely about their whispered conversation.

  “Sorry,” she apologizes behind a mouthful of foo
d, then quickly shoves another heaping fork-full into her mouth.

  Austin takes a bite of the fluffy, golden goodness before him and listens as Dylan lays out the plans for the festival. Each of the gossip mongers present take mental notes of any juicy details that might need might to be spread prior to the event.

  Austin yawns loudly enough to capture the attention of Nikki and his mother in the booth behind him.

  “Should you be out and about like this, Austin? I know the doctor cleared you, but he asked you to take it easy.”

  “I know, mom.” He sighs, “My office is closed today, so after I eat, Nikki and I will go home and rest.”

  “Don’t you use that sassy tone with me, young man,” his mother reminds him, speaking as though he were still a young and outspoken teenager.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Look, your beautiful woman is done eating. You two head back to your house and get some rest. We’ll keep an eye on everything in town.”

  Austin nods his head and helps Nikki put on her jacket.

  “I’ll come with you, if it’s no trouble. I want to make sure nothing happens while you’re taking it easy,” Dylan adds, and Austin accepts his handshake.

  The two follow him out of the diner. The delicate chime on the door jingles as they leave the restaurant, the group nearly running into Sydney as she walks towards the entrance. She is clearly distracted: head down, typing away on her phone.

  Austin and Nikki are continuing toward his truck when they hear Dylan address Sydney as she walks by. Completely out of character, her only response is to rudely question why he was still here.

  “What do you think is going on there?” Austin asks Nikki as he climbs into the cab of the truck.

  “Well, Sydney had mentioned something about a chef’s resume that she had loved for the new grill, but she said he wasn’t going to work out. I wonder if Dylan is that chef and she was afraid of being attracted to him?” Nikki divulges, staring at the scene before her.

  “Dylan… a chef? And Sydney likes him?” Austin sounds totally baffled, as though Nikki had just expressed a totally foreign concept.

  “I don’t know, just a guess. But I don’t see any other way she would know him.”

  “Huh,” Austin responds, contemplating this latest turn of events.

  They can only stare in awe as Dylan suddenly takes a hold of Sydney’s shoulders, pulls her close, and plants his lips onto hers. At first, it seemed as if the attraction was mutual, but then Austin lets out a hearty chuckle when Sydney’s hand flies across Dylan’s face in a slap that could surely be heard throughout the entire town.

  “Ouch,” Nikki murmurs, watching Dylan cup his cheek and shake his head as Sydney storms off into the restaurant.

  They wait for Dylan to get in his vehicle before heading back to the farmhouse.

  Once inside, Nikki and Austin settle into bed after offering a guest room to Dylan. He politely declined, stating he wanted to be awake until his evening replacement arrived: a friend from the force that lived in Asheville.

  “Everything is going to be alright, isn’t it?” Nikki asks, cuddling closer to Austin’s body for reassurance.

  Tightening his arms around her waist, he places a gentle kiss on her neck before replying confidently, “Everything is going to be fine.”

  But Austin couldn’t shake the doubt that continued to creep into his mind.

  NIKKI FEELS HERSELF TOSSING and turning throughout her restless sleep as a dream flitters through her mind, but it seems there was nothing she could do to wake herself.

  She knew she wasn’t having a nightmare, nor was she having a good dream. She just felt… stuck in a strange limbo.

  A gentle shake of her body by the warm hand on her bare shoulder brings her back to reality.

  “Hey, sweetheart, are you ok?” the sexy man at her side asks.

  “Yea, I think it was just a pregnancy thing.”

  “The baby ok?” Austin asks, while inside she feels a soft flutter against her abdomen.

  “She’s great. I bet you can feel her now. She’s been kicking for a little while, but it’s a bit stronger than before.”

  Taking his hand in hers, she presses it softly to the spot the baby had last kicked and watches as his face lights up with wonder.

  “Holy cow. That’s her?”

  “Yep, she kicks the most when she hears you talk. I hadn’t felt her at all until I came here.”

  In amazement, Austin leans forward and presses his mouth to the swollen bump that seems to grow larger on a daily basis.

  “Hey, baby girl. It’s your daddy here. I want you to know that I love you very much and your mommy and I can’t wait to meet you,” Austin whispers, mesmerized.

  Nikki makes no move to wipe away the lone tear that falls down her cheek as Austin continues.

  “You’re going to be the prettiest little girl, with curly blonde hair like your momma and brown eyes like your daddy. I’m going to have to start beating away the boys before you even begin to walk.”

  Nikki chuckles softly, watching Austin slide his hand back and forth across her stomach.

  “Now you stay in there as long as you like. We’ll be patient.”

  Nikki yawns loudly and asks Austin sarcastically if he is done yet.

  “Go back to sleep, baby. I’m just going to lay here for a bit talking to sweet baby Grace.”

  “Grace?”

  Ducking his head bashfully against her leg, Austin nods his head before replying, “Yea, I kind of like it. I feel like she was our saving grace, you know?”

  “I like it, too.” Nikki replies with a smile, “Alright little Grace, time to let your mommy get some sleep. It’s been a long morning.”

  Nikki drifts off to sleep, lulled by the soothing sound of Austin talking to Grace. His lips brush against her skin so gently it feels like an angel’s caress.

  Nikki awakens in what feels like minutes, but is surely hours later, judging by position of the sun on the opposite side of the large windows of the master bedroom and the emptiness of the space beside her where Austin had laid.

  She sits up in bed, notices she’s alone, and stretches her arms over her head before turning and sliding out from between the sheets. A glance at the alarm clock on the night stand shows that time, indeed, had sped by while she slept: 2:00 pm.

  Desperately needing something to wake her up, Nikki steps into the large shower and turns the water to a comfortable temperature before washing her hair and body. She makes quick work of removing the suds before turning off the water and wrapping herself in a towel, then returning to the bedroom.

  After donning a clean pair of panties, Nikki finds the clothes she had worn this morning and puts them on. Just as she fastens the button of her jeans, the baby makes her hunger known as the insides of Nikki’s stomach rumble loudly.

  “Alright, alright, you’re hungry. Give me a minute,” Nikki says to the empty room.

  “Are you talking to yourself again? People are liable to think you’re crazy.”

  Screeching loudly, Nikki almost falls back onto the bed as she trips over her own feet in her haste to see who had just entered the room.

  Heaving deep breaths, Nikki sits on the bed and clutches a hand to her chest as she works to recover from the shock.

  “Sorry,” he mutters apologetically.

  “It’s ok. Brooks, what are you doing here?”

  “Well, after your fiancé assured himself that you were dressed, I came in here to apologize for my outburst this morning.”

  “He’s not my fiancé and you don’t need to apologize.”

  “Not yet he isn’t, but I’m sure it will happen soon. And we’re not going to argue. I’m telling you I am sorry, which is something I don’t do often. So you reply with an ‘It’s ok, Brooks. I still love you and I’m going to leave my fiancé for you.’”

  “Hey,” Austin bellows from the stairs.

  “I heard you coming up, man. For some reason, she still wants to be with you,
no need to be worried.”

  “I’m not,” Austin retorts, stepping into the room and coming to stand beside Nikki.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I have a sandwich for you waiting downstairs. This asshole over here picked them up on his way over.”

  “He’s not an asshole, Austin.”

  “He is when he hits on my woman.”

  The duo laughs raucously at Austin’s claim.

  “You’re ridiculous and yes, I am starved. Baby girl wants something too.”

  They chat with Dylan as he sits at the dining table, eating their late lunch. There is a knock at the door shortly after, and Dylan excuses himself to answer it.

  He returns to the table a few minutes later with a man almost twice his size (which Nikki didn’t think could be possible), and a tiny speck of a woman following close behind.

  “Guys, this is Heath and Alexis. They are going to take over watch tonight and will help us out tomorrow.”

  The guys shake Heath’s hand, but seem hesitant to welcome Alexis.

  Her dark eyes assess the men before she extends her hand in a polite greeting. Austin shakes her hand first, and Nikki watches as Alexis barely squeezes the extremity, but Austin’s face distorts in pain.

  “Jesus Christ, what are you, a ninja?” he asks, shaking his hand to gain relief.

  “In a past life,” the pixie-like woman chimes. “This is a cute town you have here. Reminds me of where I grew up.”

  Laughing, Austin adds, “Left as fast as you could, huh?”

  “You know it,” she concludes, joining in his snicker.

  “I don’t get it,” Brooks exclaims, causing the two jokesters to chuckle heavier.

  “You’ll understand one day,” Austin declares as he slaps Brooks’ shoulder.

  “Whatever,” the tall pediatrician replies, taking his seat once more.

  “Actually, Brooks I am glad you’re still here,” Dylan begins, grabbing his jacket and draping it over his shoulders. “I need you to escort Alexis to the festival and to Logan and Avery’s party tomorrow. You’re new to the town and so is Alexis, so it won’t seem as suspicious to one of Austin’s ex-girlfriends. This way Alexis can hang closer to the couple.”

  Brooks winks at the pixie, and she rolls her eyes in response.