Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One

by Peel, Jennifer

  “Anything you want.”

  “We could go to the parade, and then you and Maddie could help me at the community center.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Really?”

  He smiled and walked back toward me. He kissed my forehead. “Yes, really. You don’t need to keep asking that.”

  “Well, I do because I can’t believe it.”

  “Then I guess I have some more work to do.”

  “I love you, Blake.”

  “I know, and I want to be deserving of that.”

  That statement alone made me fall in love with him even more. “I’ll get ready and be out soon.”

  “Take your time. Madeline and I will handle breakfast.”

  “No green smoothies.”

  He smirked at me and walked off.

  I found I didn’t want to take my time. I rushed to get ready and join my family. My family - I liked the way that sounded.

  Maddie and Blake were making waffles when I joined them. I looked at the pair for just a moment before I walked into the kitchen. Maddie was talking to him about the art class I had signed her up for that started later in the month. She was obviously excited about it and I was happy to see Blake make sure he was listening to her and responding when appropriate. Though sometimes when talking to her it was hard to get a word in edge-wise.

  I kissed Maddie’s head as she sliced strawberries. “Good morning, honey.”

  “We made waffles.”

  “I see that. Did your dad add any spinach to them?”

  She laughed. “No, but he put in some weird seeds.”

  I looked toward Blake who was manning the waffle iron and looking quite handsome.

  “They were flax seeds.”

  “No harm then.” I winked at him.

  “Did you, by chance, grab the paper?” I asked him.

  He pointed to our kitchen table.

  I kissed his cheek before retrieving it. “Thanks.”

  I loved the way he grinned back at me. I made my way to the table to see what all the fuss was about. We only got the paper on the weekend or if I was running an ad in it. I slid it out of its plastic covering that wished us a “Happy Fourth of July.” It didn’t take me long to see what Cheyenne was talking about. Oh, this town.

  “So we made the front page of the newspaper this morning.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Blake responded.

  I looked his and Maddie’s way. “I’m afraid not.”

  They both quickly joined me in the dining area.

  Maddie scooted in close to me. “Let me see.”

  I held out the picture of Blake and me kissing quite nicely on the dance floor. The headline read “Belle of the Ball.” Someone at the paper thought they were clever.

  “You guys are so embarrassing,” Maddie informed us.

  We both laughed at her.

  “You should get used to it,” her dad replied.

  I hugged her to me. “Sorry we embarrass you.”

  “Maybe you could just kiss in private,” she practically begged.

  “We’ll do our best.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Blake teased as he kissed me on the way back to the kitchen.

  “Ewww,” Maddie responded.

  I remembered feeling that way about my parents. I guess it was the circle of life.

  “Well, you know who is going to be on the rampage when they see this picture?” I asked.

  “Who?” Blake inquired.

  “Veronica. There’s not one picture of her in here. The only mention of her is that she and Landon are married.”

  Blake’s face reddened at the mention of the Rileys. Like me, he wasn’t a big fan. “The paper got it right if you ask me.”

  “I would kiss you for that remark if it didn’t induce gagging reflexes in someone.” I smiled at a playfully scowling Maddie.

  We did end up having plenty of kissing in the kitchen, but only after Maddie left to get ready after we ate together. We had a lot of kissing and making up to do.

  In our thirteen years of marriage we had never been to the Fourth of July parade together. And it wasn’t like the parade was this huge event or even very meaningful to me, other than I loved our country. But being there with Blake and Maddie suddenly made it this big deal. For everyone else in town, too.

  As we walked down Main Street’s sidewalk in search of my friends, several friendly faces greeted us with grins and snickers. I’m sure they had all seen the paper or heard that I skipped out on my award. Several guys slapped Blake on the shoulder as we walked by hand in hand. I felt like we were in a locker room. And it wasn’t any better when we reached Abby, her family, and Cheyenne and Kent. Kent seriously tried to high-five Blake. Blake looked at him like he had lost his mind. At least Shane showed some decorum. He gave a sly little grin and then lifted Isabelle up on his shoulders.

  “I see Katie and her dad. Can I watch the parade with them?” Maddie asked.

  “Sure,” Blake replied. “Just don’t wander off anywhere.”

  “Okay, Dad.” She rolled her eyes.

  Oddly, and to everyone’s surprise, Connor walked with her. Abby and I both looked at each other wide-eyed. I had to hold Blake back.

  “Behave,” I whispered in his ear. “We can see them and they aren’t even touching.”

  He turned and our eyes met. Did I ever mention he had brooding down to a science? He kissed me once quickly.

  “You better watch out, the press could have caught that.” Cheyenne said for our entertainment.

  “I’m more worried about the mayor’s wife.”

  “I would have loved to be a fly on the wall this morning in their house,” Abby said.

  “All I know is I might need to take out a protection detail.”

  “Believe me,” Blake whispered in my ear, “no one will ever touch you. Except for me, of course.”

  I tried not to smile, shiver, or blush, but I couldn’t help any of it. My friends happened to notice.

  “Wow, you two are really getting into this whole couple thing. First you leave the ball early to … well, you know.” Cheyenne looked over at the listening ears of Avery. She grinned back at us. “Now you can’t keep your hands off each other.”

  Blake wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled me closer to him as if to say, what of it?

  “Well, it’s about time,” Cheyenne responded.

  “Nice, Cheyenne,” I replied.

  All the other adults laughed, well, except Blake. I could only imagine the dirty look he gave Cheyenne. She smirked at him. Maybe someday they would get along. Maybe?

  All I knew was Blake and I were getting along better than ever and I felt lighter. I was still longing for a little hand to hold, but I found that in Blake’s arms I could deal better with the pain of losing our son.

  The parade was fun. I enjoyed watching Isabelle get excited over little things like salt water taffy being thrown her way or when one of our own veterans came out and shook her little hand and handed her a small American flag. But probably my favorite part, aside from Blake being there with me, was a little evil. The convertible Landon and Veronica were riding in the back of, waving like they were Jackie O and JFK, came to a sudden stop, sending Veronica falling forward into the backseat. I tried my hardest not to laugh as she got up and righted herself and the tiara she wore. Yes, she wore a tiara.

  Cheyenne was snapping pictures of the scene with her phone. “This is so going on Facebook,” she said. “Right along with that tacky dress of hers. I’m going to dedicate a post to her—Bimbos on Parade.”

  Several around us laughed at Cheyenne’s commentary. Veronica Riley was not the most well-liked person in this town. Landon still had credibility because of his parents and all the glory he had brought to our high school while we were students there. Our town loved high school sports about as much as they did gossip.

  After the parade we made our way to the closed Jessie Belle’s and grabbed the supplies I needed for my cooki
e decorating station. Maddie brought Katie with us to help. I was so glad she and Katie had become friends. One of the hardest things for Maddie was missing her old friends in Utah. There had been some tears shed over it. She had also had some homesickness. She missed her mom and we encouraged her to call her, but Sabrina was not responding to her in the way any of us hoped. She kept making excuses not to talk to Maddie. I hated every time Maddie would hang up the phone with a downtrodden look. The excuses were anything from Sabrina saying she was tired, busy, or that she had company. It was probably that louse Randy, but regardless, she should be making time to talk to her daughter. I wondered if she was doing it as a way to cope, but either way, Blake and I didn’t agree with it.

  And we knew Sabrina wasn’t being truthful with us about where her health stood. We weren’t even sure if she was still going to the doctor or not. But it wasn’t a day to think about Sabrina. It was our family day.

  I could tell Blake felt out of place as the festivities began at the community center. Sure, he was happy to help carry in all of the supplies and help move tables and chairs for Abby, but when the actual event began he looked like a fish out of water. I wanted to help him feel more comfortable, but I had little people clamoring for my attention and help with their cookies. I was trying to keep them from licking the plastic knives and putting them back in the frosting, or spilling all of the sprinkles. I loved it, but there wasn’t any turning my back on it.

  That was until I saw something that completely melted my heart. Down the long table sat six-year-old Ethan. He sat there quietly, not talking to any of the other children, and he didn’t seem that interested in decorating his flag cookie.

  Blake took the seat next to him. “You going to decorate that cookie?” Blake asked him kindly.

  Ethan shook his head. “I don’t really like frosting.”

  “Me, either.” Blake smiled at him. “You know, you could just eat the cookie.”

  “Really?” Ethan’s eyes lit up.

  “Yeah, and if you like it, I know where we can get more.”

  Ethan excitedly picked up his cookie and took a bite. His eyes and smile said he liked it. Phew. My reputation was on the line there.

  “Decorating cookies is for girls,” Ethan informed Blake.

  “It can be,” Blake said.

  “I didn’t want to decorate cookies, but my dad couldn’t come because he had to go to work. I wanted to do the three-legged race with him.”

  Blake thought for a moment. I knew he was torn, but he came through in the end. “I could do it with you.”

  My heart almost burst. My eyes welled up with tears.

  “That would be awesome!” Ethan shouted. “I’m going to tell my mom.”

  Blake walked my way to tell me, but before he could get a word out, I pulled on his shirt and embarrassed Maddie again.

  “You’re going to give me a reputation,” he teased when my lips departed from his.

  “You could be known for worse things than your wife being completely into you.”

  “Wish me luck,” he said as he walked off.

  I wished I could have left my station to watch him, but no matter. I was proud to call myself Mrs. Blake Summers.

  By the time we came home with a second place ribbon in hand, we were tired and decided we would save camping for another weekend. For Maddie’s sake we decided to do some camping-type things at home. Our hearth on our stone patio had rarely been used, so we figured we should change that.

  Blake got a nice fire going while Maddie and I made steak and veggie foil dinners. Heavy on the vegetables for Blake, not so much for Maddie. We sat on a large blanket in front of the fire as we watched our dinner cook in the coals. Maddie sat in between us and rested her head in my lap while I stroked her hair. Blake smiled frequently at the scene. I had to admit I liked it. I was happy she didn’t hate me, and I think she even kind of liked me.

  “You should read to us,” Maddie said to me as I ran my hands through her beautiful hair.

  “You think so? Do you think your dad would like to hear about Cassie and Eric?” I winked over at Blake.

  “Well, they kiss a lot, so probably.”

  Blake narrowed his eyes. “We’re supposed to be camping. You don’t tell love stories around a campfire.”

  I laughed. “What do we do then?”

  “When men camp, we don’t talk.”

  “Now I know that’s a lie.”

  “Come on, Dad.”

  “Fine. How about I tell you a story my dad told me once when we went camping.”

  I was surprised by the mention of his dad. He rarely, if ever, spoke about Owen Summers. I had only met the man once several years ago. I looked at Blake, whose features were only enhanced by the glow of the firelight. I was thinking our private weekend might end up being a camping trip or a cabin getaway.

  “This story is called The Black Ribbon.”

  Maddie sat up to pay attention. I knew I was intrigued. I didn’t even know Blake knew any stories.

  “Okay, it goes something like this,” he said mysteriously. “Long ago, a young man met and fell in love with a beautiful young woman.” Blake smiled over at me. “She was always dressed exquisitely and she always wore a black ribbon around her neck. Soon the man and the woman were married and moved into a little cottage by the sea. They started out very happily, but soon the young man became more and more curious as to why his wife wore a ribbon around her neck all the time. One day he decided to ask her. The only answer he received was that he would be sorry if she took it off, so she would not take it off. The young man was not happy with his wife's answer. Time passed and eventually all he could think about was that black ribbon. One day he awoke before his wife, went into her sewing box and got a pair of scissors, and cut off the ribbon that was around her neck. His wife woke up with a start. Her head fell off and rolled onto the floor while the woman screamed, “I told you you’d be sorry!”

  “Dad!”

  “That was terrible,” I said.

  “I didn’t say it was a good story.”

  It definitely wasn’t a good story, but it was the best night. We ate, talked, and laughed. I don’t remember a lot of what was said, but I would never forget the feeling of that night. I think Maria definitely would have been proud of me. Maybe someday soon I could become a full-fledged Maria instead of one in training.

  To top off the perfect night I got out my homemade s’mores. I mean, what was camping without s’mores? Maddie had never roasted a marshmallow in her life, so I was honored to show her how.

  I handed her a long metal roasting stick, and Blake got one, too.

  “I don’t like roasted marshmallows,” he said as he took the stick out of my hand.

  I gave him a stern look, which didn’t last long as he smiled warmly at me. “It’s still fun to roast them. And besides, you’ve never tasted my s’mores. You may like them.”

  “Yeah, Dad. You should eat more of Jessie’s food.”

  “Okay, okay,” he gave in. “Give me a marshmallow.”

  I loved the two-against-one dynamics we had going on.

  Maddie didn’t wait for instructions and made the rookie mistake of going straight for the flames. Within seconds we had a marshmallow on fire.

  She pulled it out. “Ugh. What do I do with it?”

  “Blow it out,” I told her.

  She quickly blew it out and was left with a very charred marshmallow. “Looks gross.”

  “As long as it’s cooled off, you can take it off and throw it in the fire. Next time just hover the marshmallow over the coals and keep turning it until it’s evenly brown.” I showed her how it was done.

  Both she and Blake joined me until we had three perfectly roasted marshmallows. I got out my cookies that I had finally perfected. They would be on the menu starting in September. We smashed the marshmallows between the dark-chocolate-covered graham cookies.

  “Mmm,” Maddie said as she took a bite of hers.

  I loved watching
people enjoying my creations.

  I turned to Blake, who had set his s’more down on the tray next to us. “Really, you aren’t even going to try it?”

  “Give me a bite of yours.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him.

  “Please.”

  “Well, since you said please.” I smiled. I held up my s’more for him and he took a bite out of it as I held it. It was kind of sexy. “So?”

  “It’s all right.”

  There was a little marshmallow left on his lips. I leaned in close to remove it for him, reminding myself we had a child present, but one little kiss wasn’t going to kill her. “We’ll make a dessert lover out of you yet,” I whispered against his lips.

  “I look forward to it.”

  And so did I.

  Epilogue

  As we stood together as a family at Carter’s grave, I couldn’t believe it had been a year. A year since I held his lifeless body in my arms and almost wished I could die too, and then I almost did die.

  As I snuggled in closer to Blake’s side and watched Maddie place the bouquet of white daises in the vase near Carter’s grave, I thought it was amazing the difference a year could make. I looked up to Blake, who had tears in his eyes. We had never been to Carter’s grave together except for the funeral, and I was taken aback by his emotion. It only added to the tears I was already shedding.

  I felt the lightest of kisses on my head and heard a whispered, “I love you.”

  Maddie stood up and joined us. I held her to me and felt some peace.

  “Does it hurt when you die?” she asked. She had been asking a lot of questions about death lately. Ever since she and I went in the attic in search of my old prom dresses she was interested in seeing after we read about Cassie and Eric attending Cassie’s prom. I had forgotten Blake had placed Carter’s crib and cradle up there. It was the first time I told her about her brother. We cried together and she hugged me fiercely, and for the first time she said, “I love you, Jessie.” And in that moment I realized how I had fallen in love with her.

  I hugged her closer. “Sometimes, but I think for most people it’s peaceful.” I knew she was really asking was if it was going to hurt when her mom died. We still hadn’t told her about her mom, but I think she knew. I wanted to tell her. No, what I wanted was for her mom to tell her, but Sabrina refused. Blake and I had both talked to Sabrina about it, but she was firm in her answer. She told us we could do whatever we wanted, and that Maddie was ours now. That thought made me smile.