by Candy Crum
“Oh my god,” Bri said. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you guys so much for doing this.”
“Actually,” Derek said. “You should thank your parents. This room was their project.”
“What do you mean?” Bri asked.
Shaelyn stepped forward, still holding baby Charlee, though her clothes had been changed. She was now wearing a white gown and a knit headband with a white daisy on it. Bri loved it. She looked beautiful. “Your mom and dad agreed to share some of the cost with us. They wanted to buy it all, but we wanted to pitch in. They agreed, but only if we agreed to let them do the nursery. So, the four of us sat and picked out everything and they ordered it. Your bedroom Derek and I put together and the nursery was all your parents. They had someone come in and do the flooring and baby proofing, but the rest of it was all them. They put the bed and all the other furniture together by themselves.”
“I – I have no idea what to say,” Bri said. She was completely stunned.
“Don’t say anything. You deserve this, all of it,” Shaelyn said. “You fought hard and had a rough way. You showed everyone you were meant to be a mom. It was time the world fought for you. Now, you might want to take this little thing. I think she’s got her own surprise for you.”
Bri laughed and went to take Charlee. As she was placed in her mother’s arms, she got a real look at the headband. The white daisy, though still visible while Shaelyn held her, had actually been turned away from her direct view. Bri now stared directly into the manmade daisy, looking directly into a white gold diamond ring attached to the very center of it. Her eyes darted to Matt who wore a knowing smile.
Matt closed the distance between them and leaned down to kiss Charlee on the head, removing the ring at the same time. He knelt down on one knee and looked up into Bri’s eyes. A sniff could be heard and Bri looked over to Shaelyn who was crying.
“Well don’t look at me!” Shaelyn snapped, wiping her eyes and pointing to Matt. “Look at him!”
Bri looked back down, another tear sliding down her cheek and landing on Charlee’s white dress.
“We haven’t technically been a couple for long, I know. We haven’t even known the true depth of the feelings we had for one another for more than a few months. The amount of time doesn’t matter, because I have much more time than that on my side. You’ve been my best friend since we were little. You’ve been by my side no matter what, and I’ve done my best to be by yours, even if you wouldn’t let me. We’ve loved each other our entire lives so far, and I see no reason why we wouldn’t for the rest of them. Briana, I would be honored if you’d let me be your jerk for as long as you can tolerate me without stabbing me in my sleep.”
Bri laughed. She’d somehow managed to expect this to be warm and romantic. It truly had been up until that moment. But she realized that she should have known better. This was one of the many reasons why she loved him.
Bri nodded. “Yes. I would love to spend my life annoying you to death.”
Matt gently helped her maneuver her hand so she could still hold Charlee, but extend her finger. He slid the ring on and stood, grabbing each side of her face and kissing her on the lips. “I love you, Bri.”
“I love you, too.”
“Yay!” Shaelyn shouted. “That was as romantic as I ever could have imagined it being between the two of you!”
“I think that’s as romantic as was possible for us,” Matt said. “I about broke a sweat.”
Bri closed her eyes and shook her head. “What did I just agree to?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Shaelyn said. “I’d be scared if I were you. I have a feeling sex will be interesting for the two of you. It will probably involve a lot of name calling. If I hear swearing I’m leaving the house.”
“Nice, Mom,” Matt said, laughing.
“What? You have a baby. You’re getting married. I assume that’s going to come around sooner or later. Don’t be such a prude.”
Bri was happy. Happier than she had been in… Well, ever. She couldn’t believe how her life had turned around. She nearly lost everything, including her own life. Now, she stood in a room with the people that she loved and she had everything. A nice home, a wonderful family, a fiancé, a baby girl that she loved more than anything, and even her parents were in her life more. They weren’t there for the homecoming and engagement, but she imagined that was because they were trying to give her space. They were being very understanding of her feelings. It was the first time she could ever remember that happening.
Matt truly was the one for her and she truly was the one for him. Life now had hope where it once only had day to day monotony. She now had a lot of things to live for. She would be done with high school in just a couple of months and she planned to go to college. She hadn’t been sure what she wanted to go for, but after her ordeal with Charlee and what Maree Metcalf did for her, Bri was pretty sure now the direction that she wanted for her life. She wanted to be an OB/GYN. She wanted to be like Doctor Metcalf and be someone that would always be able to make her daughter proud and inspire her every day.
Bri sighed to herself and looked down at her daughter. Her bright blue eyes were open as she looked up into her mother’s. She lowered her face to Charlee’s and kissed her chubby cheek. “Welcome home, baby girl.”
Lean on Me
Candy Crum
About the Author
Candy Crum lives in Indiana and is the Author of “The Eternal Series” and other short stories. She published her first novel, The Eternal Gift, in May of 2011 and has been publishing ever since. Candy is an avid lover of the paranormal genre, stemming from years of reading the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice when she was a teenager. Later, she developed a deep love of the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead and the House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, furthering her love of the genre and pushing her to really push to finish and publish her novel.
Since then, Candy has released three other books in The Eternal Series and will release another later in 2014. Now, Candy is trying her hand at more contemporary pieces of work, like that of Lean on Me and other books she will release in 2014.
Some of Candy’s interests include the usual reading and writing, music (of most types), movies (action and comedy or any combination of the two), cartoons (she loves to say that her children watch cartoons because she does), and drawing. She loves talking with her fans and loves reading the reviews that her fans are kind enough to leave for her. Always feel free to find Candy on Facebook and send her a message!
www.facebook.com/CandyCrumBooks
