“Marry me,” I said, grabbing her hand. “On Wednesday. Let’s get married Wednesday.”
At first, her brow wrinkled in confusion, and she looked around as if she were expecting something to pop out at her. When nothing did, she turned her attention back to me, her face pulled into what was almost a scowl.
“Wednesday… you know what day that is, right? Why…?”
I cupped her face in my hands, planting a soft kiss on her lips. “Let’s make a new memory for that day. A happy memory.”
She said nothing for a moment, as tears glossed her eyes, but then she gave me a little smile. “I like that idea a lot, Nix. But… are you sure? I’m not going anywhere… not this time.”
I shook my head. “Charlie,” I said, reaching into the pocket of my jacket and pulling out the little blue box. In front of her, I dropped to one knee and opened it. “Marry me, this Wednesday… please?”
Charlie clapped her hand to her mouth, eyes wide at the sight of the ring. She ran a hand through her hair, then dropped both of them, wringing them in front of her as her fingers trembled. She ran her tongue over her lips, then let out a labored breath. “Yes,” she finally said, her voice shaking as she frantically nodded her head.
The feeling that coursed through my chest… a rush of excitement, and happiness, and love for this girl.
Just… love.
I pushed the ring onto her finger, then stood just in time for her to throw her arms around my neck in an awkward hug. There were a few people out on the street, and they clapped, speaking congratulations as they passed. I heard it all, but the only thing I registered was the “I love you so much.” Charlie mumbled into my ear, her voice cracking with tears just before she seized my face in her hands and kissed me.
Eventually, we stopped making out in the middle of the sidewalk and started for home again, as the night air grew cold.
“You know…” Charlie said, as I opened the door for her to enter the building, “This is… not at all how I expected things to be when I moved back here. I never, ever imagined I’d be getting married, to you. Hell, I would have bet money against the chances that I would fall in love again… with… you.”
I sucked my teeth, smacking her on the butt as I headed up the stairs behind her. “Again? Stop playing, Charlie. We both know damn well… neither of us ever stopped.”
— & —
“I haven’t felt the babies all morning.”
My heart plummeted with those words, heaviness gripping my chest. That wasn’t the type of shit you expected to hear mentioned randomly at breakfast. Charlie stopped mid-bite, dropping her sausage back onto her plate. She looked up at me with wide eyes, hands shaking, chin trembling as she tried to stand up.
I shot out my own seat and rushed to her side, easing her back down into her chair. “Relax,” I insisted, even though I was struggling not to panic myself.
With one hand stroking her hair, I used the other to reach under her gown and press a hand to her stomach. For a moment, I felt nothing, but I pressed a little harder, and then at least one of the babies began to move. A few moments later, they both seemed to be active, and Charlie screwed up her face, shifting positions as I watched.
When she noticed my confused expression, she smiled. “They’re on my bladder and it hurts. Guess they want to make sure I know they’re fine.”
I relaxed my shoulders as I returned her smile, then pressed my head to her stomach. It was the morning of our “big” appointment, with all of the screenings, and tests, and ultrasounds, and to say that we were a little on edge was an understatement.
Charlie had barely slept the night before. I knew because I was up with her, tossing and turning, trying to push my own lingering fears away. Obviously, I wanted to be realistic. We’d lost a baby before. It wasn’t impossible for it to happen again, but… damn, it would be nice to not have to live with those kinds of fears. I’d always found comfort in the thought that maybe losing Noah was a part of God’s larger plan — I just hoped that keeping these babies was a part of the same agenda.
But… they were fine right now. They were alive, and well, and kicking me in the head through their mother’s stomach. So… things were good.
Perfect, actually.
Today, we would find out the gender of the twins. Tomorrow, Charlie would become my wife.
We wanted to stick with something small — as in nonexistent — for the wedding. Truth be told, we just weren’t interested in that, but as soon as Charlie’s mom saw the ring on her finger, she threatened my life about not having any event — Charlie’s was only spared because she was carrying the grandbabies — and we agreed to a small reception to appease the wishes of our parents. We decided not to mention that they were a little responsible for some of the crazy ideas we had about marriage, part of the reason we wanted to just do it, with no fuss. The past was exactly that, the past. We were moving on.
After a few moments to catch our breaths, Charlie and I got ready for our appointment. Two hours later, we were sitting in the waiting room.
Beside me, Charlie absently turned an empty plastic bottle in her hands. A while ago, it held what she’d described to me as “nasty orange soda” she had to drink, then have her blood taken, then wait, and have it taken again, and now… we were waiting. It felt like we’d been waiting all day.
Charlie was… tense. She’d look down at her engagement ring with a sigh, and relax for a few minutes, but then it was right back to that deeply contemplative expression, letting me know where her mind was: a place of fear. But, I was reasonably sure she wouldn’t freak out again, unless something big happened. We’d already had our angst episode for that morning.
“Hey babe,” I said, clapping her on the knee.
She looked up, pulling her face into a smile. “Yeah?”
“What are you thinking about?”
Her smile faltered, then she looked back down at the bottle in her hands. “Noah.”
I wanted to pull her into my arms, do something to ease the apprehension etched into her face, but before I could say anything, the nurse was at the door to the waiting room, calling Charlie’s name.
A few minutes later, we were back in a room that felt a little too familiar for comfort. We’d purposely chosen a different doctor, at a different office, so we wouldn’t be reminded, but… I guess all ultrasound rooms look pretty much the same.
Dr. Morris breezed in with a big smile on her face and a folder in her hand. “Good news, guys. Charlie, your blood results look absolutely perfect, so no worries there. You ready to take a look at these babies?”
Charlie nodded, reaching out to grab my hand as Dr. Morris lifted her shirt, covering her belly with the ultrasound gel. She picked up the wand and flipped on the sound for the monitor, and moments later, the room filled the galloping sound of the babies’ heartbeats. We were transfixed, absorbing it all as she showed us properly developed fingers, toes, lungs, spines, and all kinds of other things that little by little lessened our worries about their health.
“And now… for the good part,” Dr. Morris said, tossing a grin over her shoulders. “If we look over here… see where I just put the mouse pointer? That lack of a penis between the legs indicates that you have at least one little girl.”— Charlie gripped my hand tighter — “And over here… the presence of a penis indicates a little boy. Brother and sister both look to be developing just fine.”
With happy tears shining in her eyes, Charlie looked up, bringing a hand to stroke my face. “You hear that? Another chance to give you a son.”
“And a daughter too,” I said, chuckling. “How you gonna play our baby girl out like that?”
She shook her head. “No… no, I don’t mean it like that. I’m thrilled that we’ll have a little girl too, but I’m grateful to be able to give you back what you— what we — lost. I know Noah can’t be replaced, but it just feels like… I don’t know how to describe it.”
I didn’t know how to describe it either, but I think I k
new what she meant. These babies were a blessing, absolutely, but they weren’t a substitute for Noah. His presence was a piece of our lives that would always be missing, but somehow, that made the gift of his brother and sister seem even more precious.
charlie.
“At least this one has good taste,” my Aunt Morgan said, gazing lovingly at my ring with a contemplative sigh. “Gorgeous platinum band, beautiful pavé-set halo… good enough size on the center stone. Beautifully cut diamonds. A nice elegant ring.”
With a smug little smile, my mother glanced over at my aunt. “Come on, now Morgan. Carter did good with Vivi’s ring, it’s just… quirky.”
“It’s gaudy.”
“Y’all are bougie,” I interjected, pulling my hand away from my mom. “Viv’s ring is absolutely gorgeous, and it fits her personality perfectly. It’s damn near the same as mine, just with a little color.” With a chastising glare, I stood up from the table and looked around, trying to spot my husband.
My husband.
Unlike with Adrian, when I used that title for Nixon, my heart swelled with a mixture of happiness, and pride, and love, and… desire.
Damn he looks good.
We didn’t have many occasions to dress up, and really go all out, but what better day than the one where you’d just married the person you loved? We dressed normally, in jeans in sweaters for the non-event at the courthouse that left us officially married, but neither of us wanted to risk the family’s wrath by showing up at the reception that way. Nixon looked delicious in his dark charcoal suit, and although I’d agonized over my own attire, I felt beautiful in my flowy royal blue maternity gown, thanks to the wonder twins.
They’d pulled together a beautiful reception for us in just three days. Roman had agreed to close early to the public, and with a generous gift of flowers from Simone’s shop, they’d turned the trendy, urban coffee shop into something out of a bridal magazine. Way more than Nixon and I needed, but… this wasn’t really for us anyway. It was for them. All of our family — including Lorenzo— and all of our friends had taken the time to celebrate us, on a Wednesday night. I definitely felt the love.
Nixon looked up from his conversation with Carter and Grant as I approached, and his mouth spread into a grin.
“Excuse me, fellas,” I said, putting a hand on both men’s shoulder. “Can I borrow my husband for a moment?”
I accepted congratulations and kisses on the cheek from each before they departed, then slid into Nixon’s open arms, smiling when he pulled me close.
“I really like how that sounds,” he said, lowering his mouth to mine.
I opened my mouth for him to slip in his tongue and kissed him deep, not caring about the crowd. I was married. I was married, and to a man that I madly, deeply, truly loved. Like… real ass love. They would just have to accept this public display of affection.
“You like how what sounds?” I giggled as he lowered his mouth to my neck, discreetly peppering kisses along my throat. “When I call you my husband?”
“Hell yeah. Say it again.”
“My husband,” I repeated in a low, seductive voice, biting my lip after.
“Ooh,” Nixon said, sucking in a breath as he lowered his eyes. “Charlie… don’t start any shit. You know I’ll take you in the bathroom and—“
“If we can get the newlyweds to stop acting like horny teenagers…”
Laughing, Nixon and I turned toward the sound of Leah’s voice coming over the mic. She was up on the stage, grinning at us as she directed the spotlight to where we were.
“We’d like you guys to come up on stage,” she continued in her “radio” voice, waving her hands encouragingly at the small crowd, to get them to clap and cheer. “Lead us in your newlywed toast, say a few words, all of that.”
I looked up at Nixon and he nodded, grabbing my hand to lead me to the front of the room. He accepted the mic from Leah, keeping my palm tucked in his as he turned to address the crowd.
“Uh… first of all… thank you everybody for coming to celebrate with us. I don’t really have much to say, because the longer I’m holding this mic, the more likely it is I’m gonna say something to get my ass in trouble with my lovely new wife.”
“Stop cursing, there are kids here,” I whispered.
“See? I’m already in trouble now. Y’all are messing up my chances of losing my virginity tonight.”
Our friends erupted in laughter, and I smacked Nix on the butt, holding up a scolding finger as I tried — and failed — not to burst into laughter myself.
“Okay, okay. In all seriousness… I really do appreciate each and every one of you. Everybody here… y’all have been more like a family to us than friends, and we are so grateful. Um… six months ago, I did not think that I would be standing next to the woman I thought I’d lost forever, with the privilege and the honor, to call her not only my wife, but the mother of my children — again. In the course of our relationship, she and I have lost a lot. But, by the grace of God, we’ve gained even more.” He paused, his eyes shining as he raised my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “I married the love of my life today… and this is a day that I am proud to share.”
He nodded at the crowd, then looked back at me with a smile as he cleared his throat. I accepted the mic, then swallowed hard, tearing my eyes away from him long enough to look out at the crowd as they finished their applause.
“Well,” I started, squeezing his hand. “Your boy Nix here stole all of my thunder, and said everything already, but… I want to reiterate my thanks… our thanks, for all of the love and support you’ve shown us. We’ve known many of you our whole lives, and like Nix said, you’re all more like family than just friends. Even when I left, you kept up with me, and when I came back… you embraced me as if I was never gone, and it means the world. I um… I’ve learned a lot… grown a lot… and I’m just thankful for the way that my crazy, convoluted path led me not only back home, but back to this man. I love you, Nixon Graham. And I am delighted to stand in front of our family as your wife.”
Nixon just stared at me for a moment, with such intensity that it made me blush. A second later, I half screamed, half giggled as Nixon swept me into his arms, second-trimester belly and all, giving me a deep, absolutely inappropriate, absolutely perfect kiss as the crowd cheered. When we came down from the stage, there were a few moments where we were bombarded with congratulations, but then Viv, in her gorgeous purple maternity gown pulled me to the side, rescuing me from the crowd.
“I hate you,” she said, dragging me to an empty table to sit down. I was so grateful to be off my feet that I moaned a little, taking a moment to close my eyes before I responded.
“Why do you hate me, cousin?”
I opened my eyes, really looking at her as I waited for her answer, realizing then that her face was streaked with tears.
“That was so sweet,” she said, her voice cracking with tears as she pulled a handkerchief from her clutch, carefully dabbing her face and eyes. “And I have ruined my makeup now because of you and your husband being so damned… adorable.”
I placed a hand on Viv’s knee. “I’m so sorry for messing up your makeup at my reception.”
“Oh,” she said, giving me a sheepish grin. “I suppose you have a point there.”
We shared a laugh, and then I looked around, making sure neither Morgan nor Melissa was near. “So…your appointment was earlier today, right?”
“It was.” Viv took her own moment to look around, then lowered her head to mine. “A girl.”
I started to squeal, then clapped a hand over my mouth, trying not to draw attention. Not knowing the genders of our babies until birth — or as long as we could keep it a secret — was part of the older adults’ punishment for not telling me about Lorenzo. Turns out, all of their asses knew, even Nix’s parents. Everybody was excited to be grandparents, so not knowing the gender in advance was proving to be a sufficient bit of torture.
A few moments later, I s
aid my goodbyes to Viv as Nixon whisked me away to our waiting limo. We were spending our wedding night at a five-star hotel in the city, and in the morning, we were boarding a flight to get us to the Maldives for a short honeymoon.
In the limo, I rested my head against Nixon’s shoulder and closed my eyes. Neither of us said anything, and I really wasn’t sure we had to. Between us, we’d already shared so much, good and bad, that even in silence, many things were spoken.
Nixon draped his arm over my shoulder so that I could cuddle closer, then rested his hand against my belly. One of the twins kicked, and we laughed, then fell into silence again. Leaning forward, Nix kissed my forehead, then settled back against the seat for the hour long ride into the heart of the city. I opened my eyes just long enough to find his lips and share a kiss, then closed them again and settled in, feeling an almost overwhelming sense of serenity and love — a blissful level of contentment only Nixon could provide.
— & —
It was too soon.
There was nothing I could do about it. Nothing my doctor would do, as I’d found out when I went to the hospital hours ago, when the first signs of labor started, but still…it was too soon.
I closed my eyes, gripping the side of the bathroom counter as another wave of pain coursed through my pelvis. I focused on not biting my way through my lip and counted.
One. Two. Three.
On I went, up to forty-six seconds before the pain finally dissipated. With my heart still racing, I looked up at myself in the mirror and shook my head.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
I stayed there for several minutes, calming myself, breathing deep, doing anything I could not to spazz out. I took a deep breath, then made my way into the room, cringing as each step brought another gush of warm liquid down my legs.
But I was only thirty seven weeks.
My water was broken, and I was thirty-seven weeks.
Fall In Love Again (Serendipitous Love Book 3) Page 23
