“Yes!” she answered emphatically.
“Well, it was going to start with pancakes for breakfast.” I was interrupted by her ‘Yum’ at the thought. “Then, I was going to take you to the Baylor campus for a tour. They have them for potential students during the summer. After that, we were going to the botanical garden to stroll and eat the picnic I had packed. Last, I figured we’d take a paddleboat on the lake. Of course, I would be doing all of the paddling.” I laughed slightly. “The evening, I’d planned to spend exactly like we did. The only thing I hadn’t planned was our kiss. But the unexpected is sometimes the best.”
“That sounds like a perfect day. You were really going to take me on a tour of campus?” she whispered softly, a hint of tears in her voice.
I hoped they were happy tears, as I told her, “Yes, I know you want to go there. I figured we could do the tour and see everything. I’d show you what they don’t show on the tour.”
“Definitely the best birthday ever. Even if we didn’t get to do it, I’m glad you told me,” she said. A tear gleamed in the moonlight, as it slid down her cheek.
“We always have next weekend,” I said, surprising myself. I didn’t want her to cry, and I didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t move the plan.
“Really?”
“Yep. In fact, it’s a date. Next weekend will be your birthday too,” I declared, grinning. She moved so fast, I didn’t realize she had moved, until she was lying on top of me.
“Dangerous,” I told her, my eyes narrowing, the weight of her body pressing into me making my control slip.
“I like dangerous,” she said, arching an eyebrow. She gave me a quick kiss on the mouth, and then she was gone, quick as she came. I couldn’t help but laugh as I lay there, the taste of her lingering on my lips.
Hannah
Chapter Ten
School started back, and I faced my senior year of high school as a pregnant teenager. It wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. People whispered, of course, but everyone I used to hang out with had graduated, because they were all Colt’s friends.
I went to the office the first day to rearrange my class schedule. I wanted to schedule my hardest classes this semester. I’d have to homeschool in the weeks after I had the baby, and I didn’t want to deal with physics then. The counselor was receptive to my request, and we got it resolved quickly.
I made sure I had all of the classes I needed to graduate and meet the requirements for college. The counselor seemed surprised, but assured me I was good to go.
The weeks went by quickly. The baby moved all the time. As soon as I thought Ford could feel a kick, I’d placed his hand on my belly. The look on his face when he’d felt that first kick was seared into my memory. He looked how I felt the first time. “She’s in there,” he whispered, smiling like a lunatic.
“You are very insistent that it’s a girl,” I replied, smiling. He always referred to the baby as a ‘her’. “It feels like a girl to me,” he told me with a shrug.
I’d cut back my hours at work with the start of school, which was a good thing, because I was getting tired faster, as the pregnancy advanced. Ford stopped working at his dad’s law firm when he started law school, but he kept working for Joe.
We spent our Saturday’s at their house having dinner. Ford would work on his pieces, and I’d hang out with Martha. She was showing me how to quilt. I couldn’t say I was any good at it, but it was nice sitting with her in her sewing room.
Ford’s parents were going to Colt’s games every weekend then. They wanted Ford to go with them, but he resisted their efforts. “Why don’t you go?” I asked him, “You went to every one of his high school games.”
“I don’t want to leave you. Anything could happen,” he told me, trying to dismiss it.
“I think you’re afraid to face him.” He looked at me angrily. I held my hand up. “I’m not saying I want to face him either. But you’re keeping a huge secret from your brother. I know that’s not you. I asked you to keep this secret, but I don’t want it to destroy your relationship with Colt either. He would want you to be at his game, and if it wasn’t for me you’d be there.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to face him, but it’s not because of the baby. It’s because of how I feel about his girl,” he admitted, watching my face. My heart leapt at his admission, and I smiled, looking down.
“I haven’t been his girl for a while now,” I reminded him. “You need to go. He needs to see you there. He doesn’t know why there’s distance between you.”
“I talk to him. We text,” he protested weakly. I gave him a look.
“It’s different. You used to talk like girls. Now it’s barely two words, and you haven’t seen each other, since he left.”
“How do you know it’s not him? Dumping me for hot college girls?” he told me, smirking.
“Maybe it is. But if there were hot girls involved he’d have you on the phone for hours talking about them.” I smiled triumphantly back.
“It’s hard. Everything I want to talk to him about revolves around you, and I can’t talk about that,” he said quietly, his voice serious. I rubbed my hands through his chestnut curls, his skin still golden from the summer sun and gave him a quick peck on his full lips. “You really are too pretty,” I admitted to him, smiling.
“Handsome. You’re crushing my masculinity,” he replied, with a half grin that showcased his dimple.
“Impossible,” I told him, shrugging. “You’re going. Olivia will come over, and we’ll have a sleepover. I’ll be fine.”
“But what about me?” Ford said dramatically, hand over his heart.
“You need to work on your acting skills before facing a jury,” I joked, giving him a shove.
Ford left with his parents on Friday, so they could spend some time with Colt before the game. He wasn’t gone twenty minutes before Olivia was knocking on my door. I opened it to see her swamped under bags of stuff. I made a grab for the bags before they tumbled to the floor. “What is all this?” I cried, peeking in the bags.
“Supplies!” Olivia said, exasperated. “This is a slumber party. We need junk food. And mani/pedis.”
“Oh, ok,” I said, following in her wake. “Anything else?”
“Facials, body scrubs, and movies with hot guys. Oh, and gossip,” Olivia said airily.
Olivia wasn’t kidding about any of it. We scrubbed, buffed and polished our way through chips, dip, and ice cream, while watching Dirty Dancing and Magic Mike.
“How did you decide on these two movies?” I asked, not arguing, since both contained hot guys, but still.
“Patrick Swayze. And Dirty Dancing is the original Magic Mike. Sort of. Mostly Patrick Swayze. And Magic Mike is like going to a strip club, but you get to keep your ones. And I’m a broke college girl,” she told me, nodding sagely and attempting to look like a broke college girl, while wearing eight hundred dollar shoes.
“Olivia, your dad pays for everything. The only reason you work is for your shoe collection,” I reminded her.
“So? I’m not giving my money to a sweaty guy in a thong who in no way resembles Channing Tatum and his moves.” I nodded in agreement at her argument. “Plus, I think Ford would kill me if I took you to a strip club,” Olivia continued.
“I don’t think I’m old enough to get into a strip club,” I told her.
“That too,” she said, pointing a finger at me
.
I groaned, settling on the couch and rubbing my baby bump. I could feel her kicking up a storm, probably from the ice cream I ate earlier. I smiled to myself at referring to it as a her. Ford was rubbing off on me.
“What is that smile about? Dreaming about Ford?” Olivia said archly.
“Actually, kind of,” I said with a giggle, as her eyebrows raised. “Ford refers to the baby as a girl and now I am too. He seems pretty confident.”
“Can I ask you something personal?” Olivia said seriously. I shoved myself up at her tone.
“We haven’t had sex if that’s what you’re going to ask,” I told her with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“Well, that’s good to know, but it’s actually about the baby,” she told me.
“Go ahead.”
“Have you thought about keeping the baby?” she asked me bluntly.
“Every day, every hour, every minute,” I told her, with a grimace. “The thought never leaves my mind.”
She was shaking her head looking at me, “And the answer? Does it ever change?”
“It can’t. I can’t support the baby. I don’t know what would happen if Colt found out.” I rested my head in my hands. “I want to, but I don’t know how to make it work.”
“What about Ford? What does he think?”
“He respects my decision. He said whatever I want to do, he’ll support me. But, Olivia, I can’t ask him to support me and a baby. It’s not his responsibility,” I said, looking up at her. I could feel my eyes burning with unshed tears. “I have to do what’s best for her,” I whispered, resting my hand on my belly as she kicked.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said, coming over and hugging me. “I know it isn’t easy, and I wish there was a better solution. But I’m here for you no matter what. Remember that.”
I leaned into her, grateful for her friendship. Olivia made me feel normal. She accepted the strangeness of my life with a shrug and kept me smiling. People at school tended to avoid me or were ugly, even teachers, but Olivia understood me.
“Ok, so you haven’t had sex, but please tell me there’s been a kiss?” Olivia said suddenly.
“Melt your panties off,” I said with a sly smile.
“I would expect nothing less from that hunk of man,” she said, fanning herself. We dissolved into laughter and turned on Magic Mike XXL.
The next day, Ford sent me a picture of him and Colt in front of the stadium. Looking at the picture, I saw the differences in them. Colt had a wide happy grin, his dark hair wavy and a little long. He’s broader than Ford. Ford’s smile was happy, but not as carefree. He was leaner and taller than Colt, his hair a lighter brown.
The picture triggered memories of Colt and I. They’re bittersweet, because the girl I was seemed like another person. I cherished the memories, but both of us have moved forward, our lives going in separate directions.
I texted Ford back, “Having fun?”
“Yeah, you were right.” His response popped up in seconds.
“I will refrain from gloating,” I typed back, grinning.
“It is your right,” he answered. “Colt’s happy. Football is his life, and he’s throwing himself into it. He’s playing tonight. Almost unheard of for a freshman.”
“Woohoo! Colt would break the mold,” I replied. “I’m happy for him.”
“I have to go, but I’ll call you tonight.”
“Can’t wait,” I answered him.
I spent the afternoon working on an English paper and reviewing my Physics notes. I stopped when I couldn’t ignore my rumbling stomach any longer. I made a sandwich and took it to the couch, flipping the TV onto HGTV. A few minutes later, my phone rang, and I scrambled to answer it.
“Hello?” I panted, slightly out of breath from having to reach over to grab my phone.
“You ok?” Ford asked.
“Yeah, I had to grab my phone from the coffee table, and my belly was in the way. It’s getting harder and harder to do anything,” I complained to him, setting my plate back on top of my belly. “But my belly does make for a good table.”
“Well, glad it’s good for something.” he said, the laughter evident in his voice, but he was smart enough not to actually laugh at me. “What were you doing?”
“Looking at my ankles. I can’t believe how swollen they are,” I replied, taking a bite of my sandwich.
“You haven’t been overdoing it, have you? You’re supposed to be resting,” he said, chidingly.
“I’ve been doing homework all afternoon! I took a little walk this morning, but that was it. I’m probably bloated from all the salt Olivia fed me last night,” I muttered back. “What time will you be back tomorrow?” I continued, eager for him to be home.
“I’m trying to get them to leave early. Probably have breakfast with Colt and then head back. I’m hoping to be home by six.”
“Ok, then I’ll go have dinner with Martha and Joe. I want to work on the quilt with Martha,” I told him, my hand rubbing my belly. “Are you having fun?”
“I am. It’s good to see Colt. He’s doing great. But I’m ready to be home,” he told me. “I don’t like leaving you. I’ve been worried about you, since I left.”
“But I’m fine!” I exclaimed.
“That does not make me worry any less. I want to be there with you. What if you tripped and fell?”
“I’d get up?”
“You know what I mean, smarty pants,” he said, his voice lowering, as he continued. “Look, I’ve been thinking since I left, and I want to run some stuff by you when I get home.”
“Good or bad? You know you can’t say something like that and leave me hanging,” I replied, nervous now.
“It’s good. At least I think it’s good. It’s about us. I want there to be an us,” he told me, his voice steady and sure. My heart flipped a little at his words.
“I want that too,” I whispered into the phone, but he still heard me.
“We’ll talk about it when I get home. Now, put your feet up and relax. I’ll be home soon,” he told me, his happiness coming through the phone.
“I will. You don’t have to be a dictator,” I told him, a smile on my face. His soft laughter came through the phone, “Night.” We hung up, and I felt a warm glow in my chest. There was an us.
I spent my Sunday with Martha, until Ford texted me that he was about an hour away. I couldn’t help my smile when I read his text. Martha gave me a knowing look and said, “Your young man home?”
“Almost,” I replied, grinning. I started putting my squares for the quilt away. “Thank you for teaching me how to quilt. I think I’m starting to like it.”
Martha burst into laughter at that. “You sound like me when I first started. In fact, there are still days I wonder if I like it.”
“I’m going to head home now. I want to start dinner for Ford. He wants to talk about us,” I told her, nervous, but happy. The thought of our talk made me jittery, which was odd. We’d discussed so much over the past few months, and I’d never been nervous with the exception of telling him I was pregnant.
Martha gave me a soft smile. “You’re wonderful together. Those butterflies are a good sign.”
My eyes dart to hers. “How did you know I had butterflies?”
“Because I did when Joe wanted to have the same talk with me fifty-four years ago,” she answered knowingly. I blushed and looked down at my hands.
“Are we crazy?” I asked her, biting my lip, my eyes damp with tears. “Are we too young?” My doubts and fears were slipping through. I couldn’t help but wonder. I knew what the world would think of us.
“You and Ford have been through more than many couples and you’ve faced everything with grace,” Martha told me, lifting my chin. “You determine your future. Love is not easy, but it’s beautiful. It’s worth every tear, every doubt, and every fear, because it gives you life and laughter. I have faith in the two of you.”
I smiled through my tears. “I think it’s worth it too.”
When I got home I slid a Stouffer’s frozen lasagna in the oven to cook. It would be ready for when Ford got home. I couldn’t sit still thinking about the coming talk, so I started cleaning the apartment to dispel my nervous energy. I was finishing the bathroom when I heard the door open.
Happiness coursed through me when I saw him. Within seconds, I was wrapped in his arms, inhaling the scent that belongs exclusively to Ford. His arms were tight around me, and I knew he’d missed me as well. Suddenly, I heard the timer on the oven, and he loosened his arms.
“What are we having?” he asked, as we moved to the kitchen.
“Lasagna,” I told him, grabbing an oven mitt and pulling it out.
“One of my favorites,” he said, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his head on mine. I leaned back into him, our bodies conforming to one another. We stayed this way for a few minutes before Ford turned me around. “I was going to wait till after dinner, but I can’t,” he told me intently.
“You want to talk about us?” I asked, searching his eyes.
“I want there to be an us,” he said, his voice determined. “And us, includes our baby.” My heart tried to jump out of my chest at these words, but I needed to know what he meant.
The Anderson Brothers Complete Series Page 11
