A Paper Trail

by Magan Vernon

  He ripped his shirt off, exposing a well-oiled set of washboard abs. Something told me this wasn't a real cop.

  Hooting and hollering came from behind me as the song "Bad Boys" started blaring from behind the now shirtless cop. He put his hand on my chest and slowly pushed me backward until I found myself plopping on one of Beth's living room chairs.

  Beau slid up next to him, ripping off his shirt and pants and throwing them behind me. At least the guy had been working out since college and his body was decent to look at, but I couldn't think about anything but the fact that I was face-to-head with his very tiny man thong as him and the other guy bumped and grinded on my lap.

  I tried to squeeze my eyes shut, but it was like a damn train wreck and I couldn't look away. After what felt like the longest line of body rolls and pelvic thrusts, they were finally done. Their man thongs were full of dollar bills as they put their clothes back on.

  I stood up from the chair and found Beau standing directly beside me with a big smile on his face. "Hey, didn't know this was going to be your bachelorette party. Looks like things have gone pretty well with you and the redneck...really well." His eyes roamed down to my stomach.

  "Yes. They are. Is that why you're here? To rub this all in my face? Pun intended," I snapped. I was tired, my feet hurt, and I was pretty sure I had a bruise on my forehead from his police badge that was attached to the stupid man thong.

  Beth put her hand on my shoulder. "Libby, I had no idea he was going to be the stripper that showed up."

  Beau shook his head. "No, I didn't either. When the agency gave me the address and said it was for Beth Watterson, I completely forgot it was your sister's name."

  I blew out a deep breath. Figured. Beau could barely remember his own sister's new last name, let alone mine.

  "It still doesn't explain why a guy, who had a job downtown, is stripping. Guess things didn't turn out so perfect for you either?" I folded my arms across my chest.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and then his eyes met mine. "Not everything goes as we plan it, Lib. Sometimes you just have to roll with what life gives you."

  My mouth opened and closed. I didn't know what to say. It was the realest thing he'd ever said to me. We were together almost nine months, but never had a real conversation. I never knew his real life goals and dreams, but I did know his favorite drink. Maybe there was something behind the dumb exterior. Or not.

  "Hey, Beau. We have another house to hit in Elk Grove. Collect our money and let's go," the other guy yelled from the door, where he was chatting up one of my sorority sisters.

  Beth shoved an envelope at him. "You'd better go. Duty calls."

  He didn't even look at her as he took the package. "It was good seeing you, Lib. No matter what the circumstances. I always knew you were better than me. Guess this just proves it."

  And with that he turned around, leaving me standing there and wondering what the hell just happened.

  Chapter 19

  After Mom came back to pick me up, I almost passed out in the car.

  I thought I could sleep the entire next day if no one woke me up.

  But then my phone started ringing.

  I glanced at the clock beside my bed and saw that it read two AM.

  I groaned and hoped it wasn't Beau trying to get in touch with me for some weird, pregnant girl booty call.

  But when I saw Blaine's name on my phone, I blew out a sigh of relief, thinking it was just a drunk dial from his bachelor party.

  "You know, this is way too early in the morning for phone sex," I said, groggily.

  "Meemaw passed away last night," he whispered.

  "What?" I sat straight up in bed.

  "I didn't want to call you while you were having your party and I knew you'd be sleeping, but I couldn't sleep. I've been lying here just thinking about all of this."

  "What happened?"

  He sighed. "She was old. She had bad lungs and a bad heart. I don't think they're doing an autopsy. Her nurse went in to check on her after dinner and found her slumped over in her chair."

  "Do you want me to come home?"

  He sniffled. "I don't want to ask you to do that, but the selfish part of me wants you here. I know you're hormonal and I know we both have a lot of stuff going on, but I need you here. I want you here."

  "Okay, Blaine, then I'll be there."

  ***

  The next day, I took the first flight that I could to New Orleans.

  Blaine was waiting for me as soon as I got to baggage claim. He held me in his arms and took in a deep breath as if he was inhaling all of me. "Thanks for coming back."

  "Always," I said breathlessly.

  I don't know how long we stood there just holding each other. I wasn't going to let go of him and there wasn't any way that he was letting go either. It was until someone bumped into us, possibly not on purpose, that he took my hand and we walked over to the baggage carousel.

  My purple suitcase was the only one spinning around and Blaine picked it up, wheeling it with one hand and kept his other hand on mine.

  "This couldn't have happened at a worse time," Blaine said as he loaded my suitcase in the back of the car.

  "Is there ever a good time for something like this to happen?"

  He shrugged and opened my door. "No. But it just sucks that we have a few weeks before our wedding and now we'll be getting ready for a funeral. My Aunt Mary, my dad's sister, is on her way in. My meemaw's brothers and sisters are all gone, so now Dad and Aunt Mary get to stress out together about all of the family finances, plus get ready for our wedding."

  I winced. "Do you want to maybe push the wedding back?"

  He got in the car and shook his head. "Are you crazy? We've already sent out invitations. Your mom has the tent, table, and chairs rented. Besides, Meemaw would have wanted us to keep going."

  "My mom rented the tent and table and chairs?" I raised my eyebrows.

  "You didn't know? She wrote my mama a big check. Like a really big one. Mama didn't want to keep it, so your mom just said that she wanted to pay for more things then. I guess that was one of the things they agreed on."

  I slowly shook my head. I didn't know whether to be angry or upset or what I wanted to feel. I was so tired. I was tired all the freaking time. All my mom had was money, it was her way of solving every problem. "I didn't know any of that."

  "Yeah, Mama felt too proud to take your mama's money, but then she figured it was her baby's wedding too, so I guess they came to an agreement."

  Now it made sense why the two were women were so friendly when they were at Lenora's and at the Crabtrees' place. I didn't know what to think of that. Was I mad that my mom even offered? Or was I grateful that she did and just wanted the best wedding for me?

  I didn't know what to think, so I just didn't think and let Blaine hold my hand as we headed toward his house.

  A small gray car that I didn't recognize was parked in the driveway alongside Alicia and Meg's family cars. Everyone was sitting on the front porch and as soon as we pulled in, Abby raced off the front porch and into Blaine's arms.

  "Uncle Blaine, I thought you were never coming back!"

  "Aw, of course I came back, Abs."

  She stared at him wide-eyed. "You're not going to Heaven like Meemaw?"

  He patted her back and set her down. "No, Abby. Not for a long time."

  I smiled at her as she danced away. She obviously didn't know what was going on and it had to be hard to explain it to a three-year-old. I was about eight or nine when my grandma died and I really didn't remember much about her other than her being sick. Cancer takes some people in an instant and some people it hangs on to and gives them a slow painful death. All I ever saw was her weak, sitting in a hospital room, never enjoying life. At least Meemaw got to spend her final days at home.

  Vicki stepped down the porch steps with another woman beside her. She was a few years younger than Vicki with brown curly hair and dark circles under her eyes with a te
ar-streaked face. "Libby, this is Blaine's Aunt Mary, Arthur's younger sister," Vicki said.

  I put my hand out but Aunt Mary bypassed it and hugged me. "It's so nice to meet you, Libby. I've heard so much about you."

  I gently hugged her back. I wished I could have said that I'd heard so much about her, but all I really knew was that Blaine had an aunt that lived in Mississippi and he only really saw her at Christmas. "It's nice to meet you, too."

  "My husband and girls will be on their way in tomorrow, then you'll get to meet the whole family."

  I nodded. "That'll be great."

  I didn't actually mean it. It seemed like the only times families got together was for weddings and funerals. We were only a few weeks from our wedding and now this had to fall on the Crabtree family. I didn't know if a wedding would be the shining light they'd need after this tragedy or if a dark cloud would just hang over it.

  Blaine put his arm around my waist. "And the plus side of that is that my cousins Kendall and Chelly will be staying in my room, so I'll be sleeping in yours."

  I turned slowly toward Blaine. "In my room?"

  Vicki smiled. "Dee said that it would be fine if Blaine stayed with you all while the family was in for a few days. It'll make things easier with everyone coming in for the funeral and it'll give y'all practice for the future."

  Blaine couldn't hide his smile. He may have been upset when he called the other night, but I guess he found a silver lining in tragedy. Now only if we could both fit in my twin-size bed without killing each other.

  ***

  I'd never actually slept in the same bed as a guy.

  Weird. I know.

  When I dated Beau, I never stayed the night at his fraternity house and since Blaine lived with his parents, and I lived with Aunt Dee, we never really got the chance to share a bed.

  I wished I would have bought a cute pair of pajamas at Lenora's or something because my usual over-sized t-shirt and shorts weren't exactly the sexiest thing to wear for my first sleepover.

  Blaine emerged from the bathroom in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. I would have rather had him in nothing at all, but given the fact that Aunt Dee wanted us to keep the bedroom door open, I guess he figured being clothed was a better option.

  "Ready for bed, Sleeping Beauty?" he asked.

  "If I'm Sleeping Beauty, does that make you the beast?" I asked, sliding the covers down and scooting against the wall.

  He smiled and slid in next to me, pulling the covers of both of us. I expected the bed to be crowded, but it was more of a feeling of warmth. Like being safe, pressed against him. "I think you just mixed up two different fairy tales."

  "No. I just made up my own fairy tale."

  He turned off the light and laid his head on the pillow, turning toward me. The moon cast a thin light from the window, illuminating his bright blue eyes. "Yeah? Is the beast a redneck boy from Louisiana and the princess a girl from Chicago?"

  I leaned in and gently kissed his lips. "Something like that, except the guy is more of a Southern Casanova."

  He laughed. "I like that."

  "And I like you."

  "Promise?" he asked, putting his hand on my cheek and running his thumb along my jaw line.

  "Always," I whispered and kissed his thumb before closing my eyes and letting sleep take over.

  ***

  Meemaw's funeral came and went, but Blaine's relatives stayed, something I definitely wasn't expecting.

  I guess Meemaw had a lot of finances and things they needed to go over in her will, so Aunt Mary was staying for as long as it took to go through that.

  Which meant that Blaine was staying at Aunt Dee's.

  We were counting down the days now until the wedding and I still had two out of four of my summer classes to finish. They were quick, three week classes, and all online, but that meant that I was constantly on my laptop doing tests and trying to get all my homework in. And Blaine was left to a lot of the finishing touches on the wedding.

  We were sitting on the couch, both with our computers on our laps. I was taking an online quiz and he was going through the guest list. "So, I guess Dad's cousin Lydia can't come in since she used her vacation time for the funeral, so I'm going to move the Sinclairs to the table her and her family were at."

  "Uh huh," I said, trying to figure out the difference between a stalactite and stalagmite.

  "And then move Jackson's family up another table and put Dina's mama with them."

  "Uh huh." One comes up. One goes down.

  "Baby, are you even listening to me?"

  I turned to Blaine, shaking my head. "What? Of course I'm listening."

  "Then what did I just say?"

  "You said something about moving tables."

  He groaned. "I'm trying to help you out here, but you have to help me, too."

  "Can it wait until after I'm done with this quiz? I just have this and my online final is the day after tomorrow, then I'm done."

  He put his head back on the couch. "Is this what it's going to be like all the time? You on your computer, me working all day, then we both come home and sit on our own devices? Is our baby going to be born with an iPhone in his hand?"

  I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "You're being ridiculous."

  He sighed and set his computer on the coffee table. "Baby, I don't want to be one of those couples that just stays stagnant like old pond water. I don't want us to be sitting next to each other and working on our own thing. I want us to be together. Really together."

  I shook my head. "It's easier said than done."

  He put his hand on mine. "It doesn't have to be. I know things have been crazy and they're just going to keep getting crazier, but the two of us have always had so much passion. It's fueled everything in our relationship and I just want to keep that. Forever."

  "Did you think all of that up just now?" I raised an eyebrow.

  He groaned and put one arm around me and the other one on the coffee table. "Sometimes you make me poetic. And sleeping next to you every night, but worrying your Aunt Dee will come in if your bed creaks has me horny basically 24/7. I have to recite song lyrics in my head just to think about anything else besides how good your boobs look in all those new tops."

  I shoved him gently. "Stop it!"

  He leaned in and tickled my sides. "Stop what?"

  I squirmed and giggled, falling back on the couch as he crouched over me, his hands sliding up my sides and raising my shirt as he continued tickling.

  "Oh my god, Blaine!"

  "That's the sound I like to hear!" He laughed.

  I never wanted to escape that moment. It was the first time either of us had really laughed in a long time. We could forget about everything else that was going on and just enjoy each other. That is...until I heard a throat-clearing cough.

  We parted and I practically jumped across the couch when I turned and saw Aunt Dee standing in the hall. "I didn't mean to intrude."

  "No, sorry for disrespecting your home, ma'am. It won't happen again," Blaine said.

  Aunt Dee just nodded then looked at me. "Libby, do you have a moment?"

  Oh shit. Was I going to be reprimanded? I was twenty, pregnant, and about to be married, yet I was about to be punished because my fiancé was on top of me in the living room.

  "Yes." I stood up and followed her back to her bedroom, where she closed the door.

  I closed my eyes and let out a breath before opening them, waiting for the blow. I didn't want to fight with her, but it was a few days away from our wedding and a few days before we could move in our new place. We needed our own space. I needed to be able to be with my husband.

  But instead of yelling, Aunt Dee opened her closet and pulled out a white sheet that was draped over a hanger. Slowly, she peeled off the sheet and my eyes widened. Aunt Dee's former wedding dress had transformed into a short lace dress with capped sleeves and scalloped edge that framed the crossover neckline. A silk ivory sash cinched around the middl
e with a full knee-length skirt that gave it just the right amount of pouf. It was perfect.

  "Aunt Dee, this is amazing," I said, breathlessly as I wiped the tears out of my eyes.

  "Do you really like it? You don't need to lie to me."

  I looked up from the dress to her eyes that were just as watery as mine. "It's perfect. Thank you. Not just for the dress, but for everything. For taking me in. For giving me a job. A home. A future."

  She didn't say anything, instead she just took me in her arms and we both let our happy tears flow.

  Chapter 20

  Our wedding day was finally here.

  After the whirlwind of planning, our ups and downs, we were finally going to go to bed as a married couple.

  Blaine spent the night at Jackson's, so all of the bridesmaids were getting ready at Aunt Dee's. The place was packed with six bridesmaids, Aunt Dee, my mom, and Vicki running around and doing everyone's hair.

  "Libby, did you make sure to eat something? I picked up beignets," Mom said for about the hundredth time since her, Beth, and Luxx walked through the door.

  "I'm fine, Mom."

  "I'll take one of those donut things though, those are damn good," Krisi said, grabbing one as Vicki layered her hair with bobby pins.

  Beth scooted in between Mom and me. She had Luxx swaddled against her in some kind of fabric contraption. "Has anyone talked to Aunt Dee about Grandpa and Leslie?"

  Mom and I shared a look.

  "Um, well, she knows Grandpa is remarried to a much younger woman...you know, half Grandma's age."

  Beth raised an eyebrow. "In other words, you didn't tell her that his much younger wife is also knocked up?"

  "Well, when you put it that way." I rolled my eyes.

  "Maybe there will be too much going on for her to even notice," Mom said.

  And as if Leslie knew we were talking about her, a knock came at the door and I saw Grandpa looking in.

  Shit.

  This was supposed to be my day. Not one that I had to stress about.