Coming Together: Welcome to Carson, Book Two

by Renee Harless

  Since the day Jack and Nikki had left the courthouse, neither of them had heard from her mother, Diana.

  A blessing in disguise if anyone cared to ask Austin.

  But he understood the hurt Nikki felt when her mother came up. A woman that made no effort to love her own daughter, or to keep her family intact.

  “Sweetheart, you need to eat your lunch, please.” Austin reminds Nikki once more.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just droning on and on,” Jack says. “How are things with you? What’s been going on in the past decade or so?”

  Nikki turns her head questioningly at Austin and he nods, telling her that it’s ok and then takes her hand in his.

  “Well, Austin and I are getting married soon,” she says, presenting her hand to show off the diamond. It sparkled brightly beneath the fluorescent lights of the restaurant. “And you’ll be meeting your granddaughter in roughly four or five months,” she adds.

  “Granddaughter?” the older man asks, his gaze suddenly focusing on Nikki’s stomach in surprise.

  “Wow! Congratulations! On both the nuptials and the baby.” With an astonished look on his face, he sits back into the booth and whispers to himself, “Wow. A grandfather.”

  Finally, Nikki and her father seem to notice the food in front of them, and the two dive into their meals. It’s at this point that Austin notices the little quirks in Nikki are mimicry of her father. Both eat their sandwiches with their pinkies raised after each bite; both take a sip of their drink after every three bites of food.

  He chuckles to himself (or so he thinks), until he sees Nikki’s glare out of the corner of her eye.

  “What?” he asks innocently.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “No, babe.”

  “Then what’s so funny?” she probes, not fully turned in his direction, leaving her sandwich idle on her plate, her lips pursed tightly.

  Austin looks towards his soon-to-be father-in-law to save him from the hole he dug, but finds the older man smiling behind his sandwich.

  “Nothing is funny, sweetheart. I just find it interesting that you and your father share the same mannerisms. There is no denying that you two are related.”

  Nikki narrows her eyes and contemplates his answer, then shakes her head and turns back to enjoy her meal.

  “She gets her mannerisms from me, but that personality is all her mother – stubborn to a tee.”

  Nikki glances up from her sandwich just long enough to glare at her father before delving back into her lunch.

  “Ethel,” Austin shouts across the restaurant. “Can we get some more chips please?”

  “Oooo, chips. Yummy,” Nikki nods in agreement.

  “So, Austin. Tell me about yourself.” Jack says politely, “What do you do?”

  Austin had anticipated this line of questioning, and spews forth both his background and his family to the man who would become part of their lives.

  “So, you’ve had your own company since you were twenty-two?” Jack inquires.

  “Technically, yes, but I’ve been doing construction since I was sixteen. I always knew that this is what I wanted to do: take something from scratch and build greatness. When my parents insisted on college, I decided to study architecture and my business has taken off since then. I’ve developed sites across the globe, from hotels and museums, to habitats for third world countries. It’s something I truly take pride in. We’re one of the top companies using green resources for their builds as well, leading the way in the field, might I add.”

  “And... you and your business…you can take care of my daughter?”

  “Sir, with all due respect, I could stop working at this very second and I would still be able to provide for my family, with funds to spare for any other children and beyond. My business has done very, very well. But even if I were the bus boy at this very diner, without the means to provide what Nikki deserves, you can bet your ass I would do whatever I could to make sure that she and Grace had what they needed.”

  After his monologue, Austin sits back in his booth and takes a sip of his water, ready for Nikki’s father to reprimand him.

  Surprisingly, Jack snickers to himself and says, “I like you, Austin. I think you’re exactly what Nikki needs in her life.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Finally coming up from her bushel-full of chips, Nikki’s eyes dart between Austin and her father while asking, “What did I miss?”

  The men laugh at Nikki’s lack of mental attendance to their conversation, but everyone continues eating until Ethel collects the empty plates and places their check on the table.

  “Nikki,” her father questions. “Do you remember all of those notebooks that you use to write down in?”

  “Yes,” she starts with a giggle, “I used to jot down all of those fairytales I made up in my head. And before the divorce was final, I had gotten into mom’s romance novels and started writing my own. Mom said she had thrown them all in the garbage. It killed me when she said that. I had worked so hard on them.”

  “I know you did, sweetie,” Jack says, reaching across the table for her hand. “I kept them: all of them. Your mother thought she had thrown them out, when in fact; I had swapped your notebooks with some of my old office files. I have them if you want them.”

  “Oh I do, very much so! All I have now are the ones I wrote when we reached Aunt Andrea’s.” Nikki exclaims beneath the hand she has clasped over her mouth.

  As he leans back in his chair, Austin watches the utter joy spread along Nikki’s face as she realizes her dearest treasures were being kept hidden safely by her father all this time.

  “Now don’t be mad at me,” her father starts. Austin sits straighter in his seat, ready to defend Nikki if needed, “But when I moved to Atlanta, I met someone who works in publishing and I gave him all of your notebooks to look at. He is interested in them - very interested.”

  “What?” Nikki whispers, looking at Austin, amazement shimmering in her widened eyes.

  “His name is Greg, and he would like to start a series of children’s novels with your fairytales and start publishing your romance novels. I…I know I wasn’t around much when you needed me to be, but I hope this in some way bridges that gap. I want you to do what you love, to live your dream, and you’ve always wanted to be a writer. Ever since you were a little girl. If I can have a chance at giving you your dream, then I’m going to do it,” he adds adamantly and inside, Austin has to applaud him for it.

  It takes a lot of guts to meet your child for the first time in years, and then tell her that he has sold all of her personal writings to a publisher in the hopes that she still has a desire to write. Luckily for Jack, Nikki would give anything to write. He’s witnessed her waking up from a dream and scratching down notes in her little spiraled notebook, only to fall back asleep moments later.

  He had read her work before and asked why it wasn’t something she pursued. She had been insistent on the fact that no one would take her seriously because she only had a GED. Now with her father’s help, he hopes that she can see her own potential, and how much more is in her heart.

  “Really? They’re interested in my books?”

  “Not just interested, they’re ready to send a contract. Editors and agents at the company are fighting over themselves to get a hold of your work.”

  “Nikki,” Austin chimes. “You don’t need to make a decision now, but it’s really good news. I’m very proud of you.”

  “I never expected this,” she says to both of them.

  Jack reaches across the table for his daughter’s hand and gently reminds her, “The best things in life are unexpected.”

  NIKKI IS ASTONISHED AT how well lunch is going. She had reminded herself as she entered the restaurant that no one could take her back to the scared twelve-year-old that watched her family fall apart. It shocked her how easily she had accepted her father back into her life. Perhaps it was the way his face looked when he realized she had followed thr
ough with her intention to meet him, or maybe it was the regret and despair she saw on his face the moment she walked up to his booth – a face that understood the anguish of the years that were missed.

  When he had said that he asked an agent and a publisher to look at her novels, she had been astonished. No one, other than Austin, had ever taken a leap of faith on her like that.

  “So, what are your plans?” she asks him, still digesting the revelation of her books.

  “Well, your mother’s sister has been beyond kind to me. She helped me find a place to stay and work once I left rehab last year. She helped keep me on track. It was a shame what happened to her husband really.”

  “That was nice of Andrea. And it’s been quite over a year since Uncle Joe passed, I’m sure she’s doing better now.”

  Her father hides a smirk behind his cup of coffee, but not quickly enough that Nikki didn’t notice.

  “What’s that smile for?”

  “Nothing, sweetie.”

  She figures that there is more to the story, but being so thrilled at the outcome of her afternoon, she doesn’t wish to squash it.

  “We need to head back to the office, baby.” Austin says, disappointed he has to end the lunch. “Your car is set to be delivered anytime now.”

  “Oh, yea!” She exclaims, bouncing in her seat. Turning shining eyes to her father, she asks, “Dad, what are you up to this afternoon? How long are you in town for?”

  “I’d like to see where you work, if that’s alright? And truthfully, I can be here for as long as you’ll have me here.”

  Nikki feels the tears welling behind her lids. Her heart rate begins sputtering to life inside its enclosure in her chest.

  “Really? You mean it?”

  “I’ve lost so much time already. I’d love to stay in this town. Maybe you both can show me around later? I’m sure I can find some place for work, I’m not afraid of using my hands.”

  Nikki hasn’t felt as much joy since her engagement to Austin. She is overwhelmed with the connection she feels with her father, and floored by their ability to overlook the years apart. Since his stint in rehab, he is everything Nikki had ever wanted growing up. Now, after hearing how horrid her mother had been to him, she understands why he felt he had so few options.

  The trio leaves the diner and begins walking back to the office, Austin tucking Nikki under his arm, providing her with as much warmth as possible in the brisk winter air. They make small talk about Carson on the way, discussing how in the past few years the town has seen a surge in new residents after the production plant, one county over, had been open close to the Interstate. Nikki lights up when she mentions Avery and her desire to expand the healthcare options in town by opening a pediatric clinic in April.

  “Austin’s crew is set to start construction on the building next week,” she says proudly.

  When they arrive at the office, Jack looks over the property admiringly.

  “This is a beautiful place.”

  “It is,” Austin agrees. “It’s one of the last Victorians we have here, so when it came available, I snatched it up and renovated it top to bottom. We did our best to use the original materials when it allowed; not always easy to do on a century-old home.”

  As they enter the main office area, Nikki walks to her desk and hangs her coat on a small hook, along with her father’s. Turning around to log onto the computer, she notices the budget plan sitting on the printer and carries it into Austin’s office. He has escorted her father inside his office to show him the plans for the pediatric clinic and a few home flips he had in mind, including Logan’s new build.

  “I bet you could talk to our friends, Logan and Dr. Fields, about renting Logan’s current home when Logan and Avery move into their new home in a few months. Until then, I’m sure we can look at finding you some place to stay temporarily. The apartments are few and far between here.”

  “Thank you for that, I’ll see what I can find in the meantime.”

  “Oh, Austin,” she points out suddenly, handing him the piece of paper in her hand. “Here is the budget for the pediatric clinic I re-did this morning. You can see the numbers are far more accurate than when you received the copy last week.”

  “Fucking Victor,” he murmurs under his breath, shaking his head.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Dad, I bet you would be able to help out with this. I can figure it out most of the time, but crunching numbers isn’t really the most fun thing,” she says cheekily, knowing that her father crunches numbers on a daily basis and has for many years.

  “Explain to me what happened.”

  Nikki listens absentmindedly as Austin discloses the same information he provided in his police report this morning. The fact that Victor had been fudging numbers and siphoning the money to an external account still irked Austin, and she could hear his tone rise as he told the story once more.

  Sitting on the couch in Austin’s office, she stares out the back window, watching the few snow flurries scatter through the crisp air. Nikki doesn’t hear Austin call her name.

  “Nikki,” Austin repeats. “You’re fired.”

  Swiveling her head quickly, her fiancé’s statement definitely gains her attention this time.

  “Wait, what?”

  “I said,” he repeats, “you’re fired.”

  She jumps from the couch, standing before her father and Austin, despair written on her face. This would make three jobs she has lost in the course of a year.

  “Why?” she inquires, her chin trembling in rejection.

  “Oh, sweetheart, it’s a good thing. Just listen.”

  His strong arms tug her into his embrace.

  “Getting fired is never a good thing.”

  “It is this time, hear me out. Your father literally took five minutes to glance over the reports we’ve sifted through from the past year, and he immediately found the discrepancies in all of them.”

  “So, I’m fired because I’m not efficient enough? I mean, I know it was taking a while, but I was getting the hang of it. I don’t understand”

  “Look at me, darlin’.”

  He waits patiently, refusing to continue until she is indeed gazing into his eyes and nowhere else.

  “You’ve done a remarkable job in one week, and truly you’re incredibly smart, much brighter than someone working as a receptionist. No disrespect, Mr. Deveraux,” he adds quickly with a glance towards her father.

  “I’m so confused,” she confesses.

  “I’d like to give your father the position of bookkeeper for Connelly Construction, but he agreed to also take over the receptionist position since he should be more than able to handle both.”

  “That’s great and all, but what does that mean for me?”

  “It means, sweetheart, that you can be the best writer that you can be. And of course, in a few months, the most incredible mother. What do you say?”

  “So you’re going to fire me so that I can focus on a career as an author?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “But, what if I don’t make it? What if no one buys my books? We’re not even married yet, Austin. I can’t ask you to support me.”

  “First, as long as you’re writing, you’re an author. Who cares if you sell books or not? But I’m sure you’ll be successful - you’re extremely talented. Second, I want to support you in everything. If not being married is an issue, then we can head down the street and have the mayor marry us tomorrow.”

  “You want to marry me that soon?”

  “Baby, I love you so much I’d marry you this very second,” he adds, stroking a gentle hand through her hair and bending forward to kiss her lips. The feel of his mouth on hers leaves her just as breathless today as it had the first time they kissed.

  A cough sounds from behind them and they both turn around, looking embarrassed as her father stares on in amusement.

  “So, a wedding tomorrow?” he asks.

  “Tomorrow?”

  �
�I’ll be there if you will, sweetheart.”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gleefully replies, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  THE WEDDING HADN’T HAPPENED the next day like Austin had hoped. He had been ready to make her his bride since he first laid eyes on her all those months ago, but everyone in town had somehow found out about their intention to elope. In their small community, that concept hadn’t gone over well.

  Instead, he sits here in their church a month later, standing at the end of the aisle in a tux that is custom designed by his sister, Cassidy, who is waiting for the ceremony to start.

  “Stop fidgeting,” Logan demands beside him.

  As his best man, Logan promised to make sure Austin is on his best behavior. He and Nikki hadn’t been able to spend much time alone since the town decided they were all going to help plan the wedding: this event to trump all events. He was afraid the minute he saw Nikki glide down the flower-covered aisle, he would run and grab her, then sweep her away to their honeymoon suite in Asheville.

  Logan chuckles as the music starts, then leans in and whispers, “She looks beautiful, by the way.”

  “I have no doubt, brother.”

  Austin watches impatiently as Sydney, Everleigh and Cassidy all sashay down the aisle towards him, each of his sisters wearing a dress designed especially for her: all were a deep purple color. Cassidy is the only one of the girls with visible tattoos. As a result, she had created a gown for herself that had long sleeves made of a delicate see-through material. Not that he or Nikki had cared about her tattoos – hell, he had more than she did - but she had stated very firmly that she didn’t want to stand out in their pictures.

  When at last the song changes to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, the gathered crowd stands in respect for the bride. Suddenly, the breath he had been exhaling becomes lodged in his throat as he witnesses the love of his life cascade towards him in a stunning white gown, similar to the one she had worn on New Years. He can’t take his eyes away from her stunning form. Even at six months pregnant, she is just as beautiful to him in that moment as she was when they had first gotten together.