"I don’t mind leaving it. So, Mary Jane? You're a friend of Derrick's too…right? We spoke on the phone?" She glanced down at my belly then back up. "When are you due?"
Wow, so many questions from this woman already. "Yes, I'm a friend of Derrick's. I'm due in a few weeks."
"You must be so excited to be a mom soon."
"I'm not keeping the baby; I'm only a surrogate for a friend."
"Oh, ok, well that's strange." She said, rolling her eyes and looking away.
"How is that strange?" I asked, getting defensive now with this woman who seems to be making assumptions about me after we meet for the first time ever.
"You're so young. You're ruining your body for a friend and risking stretch marks, and weight gain."
I held my hand out again for the casserole, "I'll take that and let Ashton, Derrick, and Gracie know you brought it by. Have a nice day." My arms stuck straight out in front of me, waiting for the casserole to be placed on them. If she thinks I'm going to stand here while she insults me, she has another think coming. Derrick chose a real winner in this one.
She smiles a fake, I'm the popular girl and I'm going to ruin your life, kind of smile as she said, "Tell Derrick I had a great time on our date and that I hope to see him again very soon." She placed the casserole on my arms finally.
"That's a real appropriate message to leave for a man who just lost his father."
Lanie realized her faux pas and began to retract her message when I slammed the door in her face. Sure it wasn't mature, but I'm pregnant and my hormones control me at the moment. When I slammed the casserole down on the kitchen table, I realized I wasn’t alone in the house. There was a noise coming from the downstairs rec room. Nervously, I crept to the door to listen to what was happening downstairs. The loud crash below scared me causing me to stumble backwards a step. I squeaked out a scream of fright at the noise and it was answered by a male voice, "Hello? Who's up there?"
Footsteps grew louder as someone bounded up the stairs. I turned to run to the front door when I heard a familiar voice, "Mary Jane?"
Turning around I grab at my chest and breathe a sigh of relief. "Gavin, you scared me half to death. I thought Tristan and I were the only ones here and he's outside."
"I'm so sorry MJ; I thought I was alone here too." Gavin stepped forward to embrace me. He bends down to kiss my belly and say, "I hope I didn’t rattle my sweet girl too much."
"She's fine. I think she's as relieved to hear her daddy's voice as I am." His face was streaked with tears and I lifted his hand noticing several new scratches across his knuckles. "What happened?"
Gavin's face screwed up as the emotional turmoil brewed inside him. "I've been trying to be strong, for Ashton and Derrick, but it's so hard. I know he wasn’t my biological dad, but he was better to me than my parents ever were."
"Sweetie." It occurred to me what was happening. Gavin came out to his family in high school and they kicked him out. The Collins' family took him into their home and accepted them as part of the family. He lost his father as much as Derrick and Ashton and I had let that fact slip my mind. "Would you like to talk about it?"
We sat on the couch; he lifted my feet up into his lap and dropped my shoes to the floor. "You look exhausted Mary Jane so let me do this for you as I talk."
"No arguments from me. Talk to me, Gav."
"When I told my parents that I was gay, they spouted every bible verse they could think of in my face. They told me I was an abomination, damned to hell, an embarrassment to them, you name the insult they used it. They told me I might as well screw animals, that living my life this way was no better than being a pedophile or a rapist."
My heart ached for him, for Cameron, for anyone who'd suffered through the pain of simply being themselves. He continued, "He even started to hit me, tried to kill me by saying he needed to rid the world of 'my kind.' Ashton pushed him off of me and got in his face defending me. It was amazing of him. I'd known he was good for Addison, my sister, but I didn’t know what a truly amazing person he was until that day." Addison was Gavin's sister; she was also Ashton's first love who was killed in a convenience store robbery several years ago.
"Ashton told me I could stay with him but I told him that I had to tell them the truth so they knew the kind of person I am. Ashton tried to argue of course telling me there was nothing wrong with me, but I was set on what I wanted. I was ready for his family to berate me as well. Instead, he explains to his parents that I came out to mine and that they kicked me out. You know what his father said?"
I shook my head no and he continued, "He said, Welcome to the family, son. Let's take you upstairs and show you your room. Never once did he say anything negative to me. Every holiday, every birthday I had from that moment on, I received the exact same treatment as Derrick and Ashton. We were brothers, blood be damned. You know I went to him to ask his opinion on proposing to Cameron. His eyes filled with tears as he told me how proud he was that I wanted to take such a huge step in my life. He said he thought Cameron and I made an amazing couple and that we'd be lifers. Then, when we told him we were pregnant, he was astounded. He said, 'two grandbabies in one year, what a blessing.' He was my dad. I miss him…" his voice trailed off.
Pulling him close, he rested his head on my shoulder sniffing back the tears every few moments. "What happened to your hand, Gavin?" I asked after a few moments of silence.
"One of the walls downstairs is brick, I thought I'd have a fist fight with it to relieve some of my anger without damaging the house."
"That's not like you," I said. Gavin has always been the calm one of the group. He isn’t flamboyant like Cameron or temperamental like Gracie, even Ashton had his moments of anger in the past, but never Gavin.
"This is the first time I've lost someone close to me since Addison. I'm tired of losing the important people in my life."
He started to sit up and I grabbed his hand, "Feel." I placed his hand against my belly as the baby began to kick. "Did you feel that?"
The light in his eyes returns, his smile illuminated his face as he bends to my tummy, "Hey baby girl, daddy's here." There was a lot of discomfort, pain, inconveniences, and bodily functions that came with this pregnancy which caused me days of regret and worry that I made a mistake. Then moments with Cameron or Gavin, seeing how excited they are to meet their daughter, made it all worth it. This small little person who he'd never laid eyes on was able to help ease a pain for him that I couldn’t.
Gavin moved to kneel in front of me. With a hand on each side of my stomach he began to sing to the baby. He didn’t notice the door open behind him; Cameron, Gracie, Ashton, and Derrick stepped inside and quietly listened to the expectant father serenading his child. Cameron's eyes grew misty with tears of joy. He knelt next to Gavin who smiled when he noticed him. They kissed briefly then each placed a hand on my stomach to feel the flutters of their daughter.
###
Everyone but Derrick and I went downstairs to the rec room. We told them we'd join them in a few minutes. "Are you hungry?" Derrick asked.
"Starving actually." Rubbing my stomach, I add, "This one is hungry pretty much all the time. Luckily I haven't any horribly strange cravings."
Derrick spotted the casserole on the counter as soon as we stepped into the kitchen. He inspected it and said, "This looks interesting. It's always weird to me that people bring food to funerals. Wonder who brought this by?"
I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh yeah, Lanie stopped by and left that for you."
Derrick stiffened and without looking at me said, "We only went out once, Mary Jane. It meant nothing to me. We didn’t even kiss. In fact the date isn't even much to speak of."
"You have nothing to explain to me, Derrick. I called you that night when you were out with her. She answered your phone and I assumed it was a date by what she said. I wasn’t sure until now though."
"You called me?" Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket he went through his phone log. "Why didn't sh
e tell me you called? Did you tell her not to?"
"No. In fact I told her to tell you I called. It doesn't matter right now. Let's eat something," I said as my stomach rumbled.
"Would you like some of this?" he asked, holding up the pan.
"No, not that for sure." I said, sounding more disgusted than I meant to.
"What's wrong? Is it because of Lanie? What did she say to you, MJ?"
"Forget it, it's nothing." I said, waving it off.
Derrick moved in front of me, trapping me between the counter and himself, "Tell me," he said as his hand moved up to stroke my cheek.
I couldn’t breathe, or move, or think with him so close to me. Instead of answering, I leaned forward and captured his lips with mine. It had been a year since I kissed this man and I missed it more than I realized. He responded to my kiss by pressing me against the counter, gripping my hair with his hand, intensifying the kiss. Fireworks exploded, beautiful music played, the camera moved around us in slow motion. Ok, so there was no camera but it felt like a movie moment kiss for sure. Opening my mouth to catch a breath, Derrick took the opportunity to explore my mouth with his tongue. I moaned against his mouth, making him press into me harder. We were broken apart by the baby kicking.
Derrick chuckled and patted my belly, "Sorry about that, kid."
“I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.” I said, backing away out of reach.
He grasped my wrist gently pulling me back to him and said, “Yeah, because I hated that so much.”
Before he could kiss me again, I said, “Tell me about Lanie. How did you meet her? What was the relationship like?”
“No relationship, MJ. Like I said, we went out once. She’s Katelyn’s teacher and she flirted with me during a vulnerable time and I asked her out. We had a nice dinner and I dropped her off, that’s it.” He spouted it off quickly then moved toward my mouth again.
“Well she seemed as though she really wanted to prove you were more when she dropped off that casserole.”
Derrick relented, backing away and sighing in defeat. “What did she say? Please, tell me.”
“How she treats me shouldn’t affect how you feel about her. Don’t worry about it.”
Derrick sighed once more, closing his eyes. “How she treats my friends is definitely important to me.”
“Is that what we are? Friends?” I ask hoping to elicit a discussion about us. It was selfish, I know. The time isn’t right to get into a full discussion about us, though I couldn’t help but be curious after that amazing kiss.
“You tell me where we stand, because I don't know anymore. I want you in my life, MJ. I’ve wanted nothing but you for the last two years, then you pushed me away and you show up on my doorstep pregnant with my brother’s child. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Don’t say it that way. You know I’m a surrogate only.”
“It’s still a lot for a guy to process.” Derrick stated matter-of-factly.
“Is it because of the toll it will take on my body? You’re worried you won’t find me attractive?”
His look of confusion turned to one of disgust, “Is that what she said? Did Lanie suggest I wouldn’t find you attractive now?”
“No, not exactly. I don’t think she meant it that way. I think it’s my hormones.”
“What did she say exactly?” Derrick pleaded once more for an answer.
A pet peeve of mine is when someone tells me something that someone said that has the potential to mar my image of them. My thoughts on the subject are that everyone should make up their mind about someone else based on their experiences with that person. It isn’t my place to help Derrick decide if he likes this girl.
Changing the subject was the easiest way out of this. “Gavin needs you right now. He’s taking your father’s death pretty rough. He’s been forcing himself to be strong for you and Ash but he’s breaking. He needs his brothers around him.”
“I’m not sure I can help him, I haven’t come to terms with it myself.” Derrick said, his gaze dropping to the floor in shame.
With my index finger I lift his chin to make eye contact with me and say, “Then help each other. Spend the next few weeks doing brother stuff, reminiscing about your dad, family dinners, whatever it takes. When this little one comes into the world, Gavin will be busy with daddy duties himself. Take this time for you. I have a week left of my internship, three weeks left of pregnancy and then I’ll be coming home. We can figure out us at that time.”
“So, that’s it? You’re going to leave again?” His stance became rigid, his tone harsh.
“You knew I wasn’t home for good, Derrick. This is a time you need to be with family.”
“I thought we were family. You always say that about your friends, does that not include me anymore?” Derrick asked, sounding dejected.
Gracie appeared in the kitchen doorway. She glanced from Derrick’s sad face to mine and asked, “Are you two alright?”
“Ask her, I haven't got a clue,” Derrick said as he turned and left.
Gracie stepped forward, “What happened?”
“He lost his dad.”
“I mean between the two of you,” she replied.
“I know. Right now there is too much grief in his heart for there to be a discussion about the two of us. He needs to cope with this loss first.”
“Maybe you can help him…”
I cut her off, “Drop it, Gracie. Please. I’m only here a few more days, how about a girl's day tomorrow like old times?”
Tristan walked in at that moment and said, “Mind if I crash girls day?”
Gracie wrapped her arm through his, “We don’t mind at all. Cameron lets us give him makeovers when he crashes. Are you up for some nail polish and hair dye?”
He eases out of Gracie’s grasp, “On second thought, maybe I’ll hang out here and watch a movie.”
Gracie laughed and bumped her hip against his, "No worries, Tristan. We won't torture you that way. Of course you should come with us." She gave a fleeting look to the door of the kitchen, and then whispered, "I want the guys to spend some time together so I'm going to convince Cameron to leave Gavin's side to join us as well. I think it would be good for the three brothers to have this time together."
"Great minds think alike," I said to her. "Go get Cameron and let's make plans."
Chapter Thirteen
**Derrick**
Mary Jane was right, even though I hated to admit it. I needed to get through this with my brothers before she and I start a relationship again, if we decide to do that. I know it's what I want, she's all I want. I'm not sure she feels the same about me anymore. Though that kiss we shared gave me a problem that couldn’t be handled around my brothers. A few deep breaths and thoughts of anything but MJ helped me relax.
Ashton, Gavin, and I were going to rent a boat to go fishing and drink a toast to dad. We drove up to Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown Tennessee, only two hours away, where we'd spent many vacations camping out with our dad. Gavin only made it on one of those vacations. Shortly after he came into our family dad wanted to make him feel at home. He planned out a boy's getaway in May before it would get too crowded at the lakeside resort we always stayed in.
It was early morning when we left so that we could enjoy the full day. We stop first to rent the boat. While Ashton paid for that, Gavin and I gathered up the fishing supplies from Ash's truck. "Let's drop these in the boat once Ashton gets the keys and then we'll head over to the convenience store and pick up some snacks and a six pack." Gavin nodded silently in agreement, he was quiet most of the ride up. Resting my hand on his shoulder, he stopped to look up at me, "He was really proud of you, Gav. I'm sorry your daughter won't get to meet him."
Gavin smiled, "Thanks, Derrick." He points toward the convenience store, "I think I'll go grab those snacks and drinks, man. I'll be back."
Ashton headed over waving the keys, "Time to get going," he looks around and says, "Where's Gav?"
Once out on th
e boat we all assume our lounging positions with a beer in one hand and a fishing pole in the other. “So, I’ve taken Gracie fishing before, either of you going to take your significant others fishing to keep up tradition?” Ashton asked.
I laughed softly, “Tradition? Dad took Mom once and she hated it. She thought it was cruel to lure them in with food just to kill them.”
Ashton replied, “Yeah but when it came to Dad’s fried catfish dinners she wasn’t complaining then!” We all laughed at the comical hypocrisy. Ashton turned to Gavin, “You going to bring Cameron to fish sometime?”
Gavin let out a big hearty laugh, “I love the man, but he’d never in a million years go fishing. In some ways I think he created the gay stereotype himself. The man’s idea of roughing it is to stay in a 3-star hotel.”
Ashton and I laughed at how true his statement sounded for Cameron's personality, and then I asked, “How did you two fall for each other? You're so different.”
Gavin smiled reminiscently, “He makes me laugh. He has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. It doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either.”
Ashton replies, “I can easily see that, if I was gay I could see me falling for Cameron. When I first met him I thought he was over the top, but the more you’re around him you can’t help but love the guy.” He turned to me, “What about you, D? Are you going to take MJ fishing?”
Saved by the pull of my fishing line I reeled in a nice large bass. It was as long as my arm so not a bad size at all. Ashton opened the cooler; I unhooked the fish and tossed it in the bucket of ice. “Nice one, D. Gavin we have to top that now.”
Gavin chuckled, “Right. You know me, I always catch the shoes, license plates…” all three of us chimed in to say, “the dead fish.” For the next few moments we all laughed at the memory.
During Gavin’s first trip out here, we spent all evening fishing with dad and the only one that caught anything decent was Ashton. After a while, I gave up and just sat back to watch them. Suddenly Gavin got a big tug on the line and we all jumped up to help him reel it in. It wasn’t fighting but it was heavy. Somehow, he was able to hook a large mouth bass by the rip in its jaw. He gave one last tug on the line to send it soaring out of the water straight at our faces. We ducked out of the way just in time to see the rotting fish land on the boat and splatter its few remains on the deck.
Curves in the Road (The Southern Devotion Series Book 2) Page 10
