Coming Together: Welcome to Carson, Book Two

by Renee Harless

  The crib had been put together, its bedding set folded and hanging on a ladder in the corner made to hold blankets, only a light pink sheet covering the mattress.

  Having removed his shoes and socks when he first arrived home, he smiled as he progressed farther into the room, enjoying the softness of the rug beneath his feet. His smile grows wider when he thinks about how he’ll play with baby Grace on that rug in just a few months.

  “Nikki,” he whispers as he approaches, brushing her hair away from her beautiful face.

  She licks her lips as she comes awake, smiling warmly when she realizes he has returned home.

  “Austin,” she whispers in a sleepy tone.

  “Hey, darlin’. Seems like you’ve been busy.”

  “Oh!” she exclaims, waking suddenly and rising abruptly from the chair, clapping her hands elatedly. “Isn’t it beautiful? Everyone came to help while you were working, they wouldn’t let me lift a finger.”

  “Really? Who’s everyone?”

  “All your brothers and sisters and your mom and dad. They had everything done in like four hours.”

  “Wow.” He nods, peering around. “Do you like it? Is it what you had wanted?”

  “Oh, Austin. It’s so much better than I could ever imagine. The room is perfect. Grace is so loved,” she expresses as her eyes turn misty with tears.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “I just… I’m jealous of our child, Austin. It’s silly, I know, but I never had this growing up. I never had someone that cared about me enough to drop everything and decorate a baby room. And don’t get me wrong, I love that Grace has this, I just feel…like I was left out as a kid.”

  He wraps his arms around his distraught fiancée, understanding completely why she would feel this way. Still, Austin can’t wait for this pregnancy to be over: Nikki wasn’t nearly so emotional beforehand.

  “I understand what you’re saying, baby. You missed all this love as a child, but I assure you, my family loves you just as much as they do their own children.”

  “Yeah?” she asks, wiping away her tears.

  “Absolutely. Now, did you want to go look at those SUVs today?”

  “Don’t you want to sleep?”

  “I’m fine; I slept at the station last night. We didn’t have anything major happen.”

  “Ok, let me just get a shower and we can go.”

  “Oh…well, now that you mention it,” he says as he takes his hands and grips the bottom of his shirt, tugging it over his head and removing it from his body. “A shower sounds delightful.”

  Giggling, Nikki steps back and pushes lightly at his chest.

  “Austin, if you come in there with me, we’ll never leave.”

  “Oh, we’ll both definitely be coming,” he claims.

  Nikki makes a swift move towards the door and Austin follows her retreating back. He chases her from the nursery into the master bathroom, and doesn’t waste a moment in making sure both of them come.

  After their shower escapade, Austin and Nikki pile into his truck and make their way towards Asheville. He loves seeing her in her tight blue jeans, tucked pristinely into tall boots, and the bright red sweater that did little to conceal her ever-growing bump. The color was perfect on her, enhancing Nikki’s light blonde hair and pale skin.

  Since moving in with him last week, he can already tell that Nikki looks healthier. He didn’t know if the reason was that he was making sure she ate regularly, or that she was less stressed in keeping the baby a secret, but she just looks – happier.

  “Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?”

  Surprised, she looks down at her sweater and pants underneath the wool pea coat she had left unbuttoned.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I mean you always look beautiful, but I really like that color on you.”

  “Oh, thanks. I’ll remember that,” she replies with a bright smile. “I love it when you wear that black shirt, there’s just something about it. You look a bit dangerous I guess.”

  “So you want a bad boy? Is that what I’m understanding?”

  Of course, he had already known she liked it when he wore this plain black cotton shirt. She had commented more than once that it hugged his muscles just right. Today he had tossed it on, along with some distressed denim and his black boots.

  “No, I don’t want a bad boy. I just like how it makes you look like a bad boy. It’s just you,” she adds, a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

  “I like that,” Austin states, reaching for her hand as they pull onto the highway. “I’ll be your bad boy anytime, sweetheart.”

  The trip to the dealership is uneventful, but Nikki did seem excited about the thought of adding an attached garage onto the house. She even mentioned adding a bonus room above that they could use as a playroom -- something he hadn’t even considered.

  As they approach the line of cars, Nikki immediately heads towards an SUV identical to Avery’s, and Austin finds himself laughing.

  “Is this the one you want? Don’t you want to look at any of the others?”

  The Audi Q5 was white while Avery’s was black, but both had a tan interior.

  “I don’t know. I like Avery’s.”

  “Well there is one I’d like to look at, if that’s ok? It’s quite a bit larger, but I thought it would be a good vehicle to grow into, in case… you know…… we have any more kids,” he proposes and tucks his hands in his jacket pockets.

  “You want more kids?” Nikki utters in shock.

  Really, he had shocked himself. Austin hadn’t even been focused on starting a family, but as the idea grew in his mind, he wants a large family with Nikki: one just like the family he had grown up in.

  “Yeah, I mean… if you do. I don’t want Grace to grow up alone. I’m really close with my brothers and sisters; I’d like her to have that, too.”

  Standing on her tip-toes, she kisses his lips gently before rocking back and vowing, “I’d be thrilled to have more kids with you. Now, show me the SUV you’d like.”

  He takes her over to a white Toyota Sequoia, Platinum edition with a camel-colored interior. The salesman shows her all the bells and whistles: the DVD player, the hidden storage, and the pre-installed sun shades for the back windows – Nikki’s favorite feature.

  As they step back from the vehicle, Austin pulls Nikki aside and asks her what she thinks.

  “I like Avery’s car, but I really, really like this one. Do you think it’s too big for me?”

  “If you’re uncomfortable driving it, we can look at something else, but I think you’d get used to it.”

  Nodding her head, she looks at the car once more before turning a heated expression back to Austin.

  “It’s a big car…lots of room,” she adds, creeping two of her fingers up from his stomach to his chest.

  “Don’t worry, darlin’. Any vehicle you get will most definitely be christened.”

  “Promise?” she wonders, taking a fistful of his shirt and pulling him forward to seal her lips with his. Leaning back, she says, “Thank you, baby.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for making love to you. I’ll do it anytime you ask,” he offers with a chuckle.

  “No, silly, for the car. I really like this one. You did well.”

  “You’re welcome, Nikki. Next, I just need to get you down the aisle.”

  “Soon. I promise,” she laughs. “Now let’s got inside and buy this sucker.”

  “Yes, ma’am.

  NIKKI HAD HOPED THAT she would get to drive the vehicle home, but Austin wants it completely detailed and delivered to the house the next day. The only way she would acquiesce is if he promises her that they would drive it to the office during the week.

  During the drive home, her phone buzzes in her lap and she glances at the message, hoping Avery had received her text about the new vehicle. Instead, she finds herself staring at a message from her father, and she remembers Cassidy & Avery’s advice from a few nights before.


  “Hey, Austin,” she broaches, a bit uneasy with the pending conversation.

  “Yea, babe?” he replies, turning down the radio in the car.

  “My, um…father, has been reaching out to me and I’m not sure what I should do.”

  Austin nods his head as he asks her, “How has he been contacting you?”

  “Just text message. I never changed my cell number when I moved here and I guess Andrea, my aunt, may have given it to him.”

  “Ok. What does he want?” he inquires mildly.

  “I think he is just hoping to reconnect. He says he went to rehab and has been working to get his life together.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “Huh?”

  “How does it make you feel that he’s trying to reconnect with you now?”

  “I don’t know. I feel like so much time has passed. And why didn’t he make the effort to save himself when their marriage fell apart? I should have meant more than a bottle.”

  “Maybe you need to tell him that. After that, you can decide if you want a relationship with him.”

  “Do you think I should go and meet him?”

  “I think you should do what your heart wants. I’ll be behind you one-hundred percent either way.”

  “My heart wants to know, why now?”

  “Alright, well there you go.”

  Nikki takes a minute to glance out the window at the passing mountains and vineyards before looking back at the phone and typing out a message to her father.

  She fights to keep tears from spilling down her cheeks when she notes her father’s excitement at seeing her after a decade. In his message, he mentions that he will be coming up from Atlanta. Evidently, he had been staying there with Andrea’s assistance.

  “I’ll be meeting him at Angie’s tomorrow for lunch.”

  “Good. I’m glad you’re taking this step, Nikki. It will be good for you and for Grace.”

  “I know, but what if he is the same father I remember? I don’t think I can go through that again.”

  “You want someone loving and affectionate.”

  “I want what you have.”

  “I know, sweetheart. And if this turns out to be a disappointment, then just remember you always have me.”

  “I know,” she says quietly, “and I feel blessed to have that.”

  “You and me both, love.”

  NIKKI IS UNABLE TO sleep that night as she anticipates her visit with her father. She keeps trying to imagine what he looks like, sounds like, even feels like, and it is driving her mad.

  She left Austin sleeping soundly in bed and retreats into the kitchen to find her notebook, hoping she could use her writing to get her mind off today’s lunch. Instead, in the notebook’s place is a sleek, shiny laptop bedecked with a bow.

  Under the bow is a scribbled note from Austin.

  Nikki,

  We never exchanged Christmas presents and I wanted you to have something that you could use for your writing. This is for you, and you alone, to type to your heart’s desire.

  Merry Christmas,

  Austin

  “I see you finally found it,” Austin yawns from the end of the stairwell.

  “Austin, this is too much. With the car and the baby things, I can’t accept this.”

  “You don’t have a choice. First, because those other items weren’t specifically for you. Second, I want you to look at pursuing your writing more. I can provide for us, babe. If you want to write, then I want you to write.”

  “Oh, Austin,” she declares as she clutches the note in her hand and tosses herself into his arms. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

  Austin doesn’t respond but holds her tightly against his body.

  “Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he murmurs.

  “I don’t have anything to give you.”

  “You’ve given me enough,” he gestures, placing hand to her burgeoning stomach.

  Looking at him with a keen eye, she bites her lip as she considers something she can do for him immediately in thanks. Nikki drops to her knees, quickly removes his boxers, and takes him into her mouth.

  “Fucking shit,” Austin gasps, taking hold of the banister on the stairs.

  Nikki doesn’t get much time pleasing him with her mouth before she quickly finds herself spun around onto her hands and knees along the fourth and sixth stairs. Before she has a chance to settle into place, she feels his throbbing erection slide back and forth along her slick heat.

  She groans loudly into the cavernous space, the sound echoing around the room and filling her own ears with its pleasure.

  As Austin enters her, she takes sanctuary in the feel of his hands caressing her back. His movements are tender and thoughtful, seeming to seek her pleasure more than his.

  His grip on her hips tightens, and she can feel him grow inside her, bringing forth her own release. Before she can topple forward onto the steps, he pulls her up against his body, wraps a hand around her neck and quickens his pace.

  She feels the moment he meets his peak as the warm liquid spurts inside her center.

  Their ragged breaths are synchronized as they both try to recover from the exertion.

  Giggling to herself, she jokes, “Merry Christmas, Austin.”

  Joining in her laughter he says, “Best present ever.”

  NIKKI SPENDS THE MORNING at the office typing away on her new laptop (with the boss’s permission of course) and started copying her notes into a new document.

  She is excited about the story that is unfolding before her. Truth be told, it mimicked a lot of Avery and Logan’s story - one she never got tired of hearing.

  With the office empty after the holiday, Austin had run down the street to Wake and Bake to check on his sister, planning to return to escort her to lunch with her father.

  The door chimes across the way and she presses her lips together when Austin returns.

  “Nervous?” he asks knowingly, witnessing one of her tell-tale signs.

  “Yeah…… Do you think it’s too late to back out?”

  Coming closer, he strokes his hands up and down her sweater-clad arms.

  “If you want to reconsider, I don’t think it will be a problem. I’m more worried about the disappointment and regret…… for both you and your father.”

  “You’re right. You’re always right. How did you get so smart about these things?”

  “I had a good teacher. My family is amazing.”

  Nikki shakes her head as she steps back to retrieve her jacket from the back of the chair.

  “On a brighter note,” Austin begins. “I just received a call from the dealership and your car will be delivered here this afternoon.”

  “Really? That is good news. I can’t wait to see it.”

  He ushers her out of the office and the two make their way down the few blocks to Angie’s, enjoying the mild weather.

  When they arrive, the hostess directs them to the back booth: the same booth that she and Austin had sat in when he asked to meet her here a little more than a week ago.

  She can’t even begin to contemplate how much her life had changed in the course of a week. First, she was scared and alone, terrified of telling Austin that he was going to be a father. Now they were engaged to be married out of love, not obligation.

  As she sees the back of a man’s head above the booth, she wonders how her life might take a different turn if she accepts her father’s reconciliation and forgives him for the years of absence.

  “Hi, dad,” she whispers, maintaining a tight grip around Austin’s hand.

  “Nikki, I can’t believe you’re really here.”

  When the tall man rises from his seat in the booth, the years of loneliness and anger dissipate. To her surprise, Nikki finds herself rushing into the open arms of the man that had been there when she skinned her knee as a child; who read her bedtime stories; the same man who had always encouraged her to write, and the man that made sure her wicked mother didn�
��t gain custody during the torrential divorce hearings.

  “I’m so glad to be here,” she whispers.

  AUSTIN HAD NEVER BEEN as surprised in his life as he is when he sees Nikki take her father in her arms and forgive him instantly, letting go of the emotional pain she had gone through at his hands.

  He sees her eyes shimmer with tears of joy upon hearing the surprise in her father’s voice, as though he had expected her to stand him up. But Nikki had surprised them all by holding her head high, and waltzing into Angie’s like she was headed for a showdown.

  The conversations flew on around him and he maintains his silence, only briefly introducing himself to Jack, Nikki’s father, when they had sat down. The man himself had shocked Austin. He had been expecting someone entirely different: someone old and withered, having battled an alcohol addiction and a nasty divorce, but the man who shook his hand resembled a young Josh Brolin – handsome and debonair - a lady-killer if he went for that angle.

  Nikki had been transfixed with him since they sat down, barely eating the sandwich that he had ordered her, listening to her father describe in great detail the things he had been through and why he suffered so much through the divorce. Apparently, they had only made their way to the altar because she had gotten pregnant with Nikki, and he didn’t want her growing up without a father. The image caused Nikki to glance his way in concern, but he quickly tells her that he and her were different: they love each other. After appeasing his soon-to-be-bride, Jack describes how his wife had become both emotionally and physically abusive towards him, causing him to work late at the office. Luckily, she had never laid a hand on Nikki, knowing that if she did, Jack would take their daughter away and never return.

  When Nikki’s mother started her affair, Jack was broken at last. Gone was the family he had worked so tirelessly to keep together. Gone was the happy home he had wanted for his daughter. Instead of turning to his daughter or family for help, he turned to a bottle of bourbon and from there, the rest was history. The man was grateful every day that the judge had sided with him for custody of Nikki. Even as a drunk, he was a better caregiver than her emotionally distant mother.