"Sure."
I got up from my chair and helped Shelby make her concoction before grabbing a glass of milk and setting it all down at the table for her.
A knock at the back door was followed by it swinging open. Brooke stood uncomfortably in the doorway looking surprised to see us all.
"I... uh...."
I couldn't help but try to kill the awkwardness ensuing.
"Would you like some ice cream?"
She looked at me like I had five eyes before she finally answered, "If you wouldn't mind sharing."
Canyon grabbed another bowl while I called out the options we had available.
"I will just take mint chocolate chip, please."
She had just pulled out the chair opposite of Shelby and sat down when that precious sister of mine blurted out, "Why are you here?"
"Shelby!"
"What? I'm not trying to be mean. I just figured she had a reason is all."
I was just about to scold her when Brooke cut me off.
"No, she's right. Shelby, I was bored. I'm not used to being here anymore and that house is not mine. I came over here to say thank you to Canyon for trying. Thank you all for caring enough, but I can't stay here. I'm going back to my dorm, and I am going to live my life. I can't stay here feeling trapped. Please don't think that I don't appreciate your efforts, but..."
"No."
My head snapped back, following the voice that boomed behind me.
"We agreed that if you weren't seeing a doctor that you would be here. No one ever said you have to stay over there alone. If you want to come here to visit you can. But there is no way I am going to be okay with you living there again. If you decide to not pick up the phone I have no way of knowing anything!"
I placed my hands on Shelby's shoulders, and when I got her attention I nodded my head, letting her know we needed to give them space. She wasn't happy about abandoning her ice cream, but she followed me upstairs regardless. Once we were in her room, I closed the door behind me, attempting to keep the screams from below at bay.
"Why did God give them a baby if they fight so much? They don't even like each other. Do you think that's why the baby is sick? Do you think God is trying to take it back? I think—"
"Shelby, stop." I sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to me. "Come here."
She sat down ready for me to give her answers that I wasn't prepared to give.
"Parents come in all shapes and sizes. What I mean by that is, whether they love each other or not, in this case, it doesn't matter. They love that baby and both want what's best for him."
"He's going to die, Arianna. That's what they were saying at dinner. So if he's dying, why aren't they sad? Why do they get mad and scream at each other?"
"Because when people are scared sometimes they react with anger. Right now they both are trying very hard to find a happy place in all their sadness, and that isn't easy to do. We need to do what we can to make it easier for them, not harder."
"When you say parents come in all different ways were you talking about ours too?"
I didn't see that coming, but I had opened the door for it.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"Do you ever think about them? Do you think they think about us?"
It was time to tell her everything, even if I wanted to hold out a little longer.
"Your dad isn't someone I try to think about, and my dad died a long time ago. Our mother, though, is a little different. I have been thinking a lot about her lately."
"You have?"
"Yeah I have. Have you?"
She took in a deep breath and held it before she blew it out and looked me in the eye.
"You never asked me before, so I didn’t want you to think I wasn't happy with you."
I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms.
"There will never be a day that I will think any less of you. You can miss Mom. There's nothing wrong with that."
Just as I finished my sentence, the door to the kitchen slammed so hard the house shook.
"Hey, I'm going to need a big favor from you. I really need to go down there and talk to Canyon. Can you get your teeth brushed and go to sleep for me?"
She hugged me one last time before she said, "Go. I will be asleep before you even check in on me."
I pulled back and tapped her nose.
"I couldn't have asked for a better sister."
"No, you couldn't have."
She smiled, and I gave one right back to her as I closed the door once again behind me. Now it was time to do some damage control.
Chapter 24
When I walked into the kitchen I was surprised to find it empty. Pushing open the screen door I saw Canyon out of the corner of my eye sitting in his usual chair with his head between his knees. To say there was any hesitation would be a lie. As soon as my eyes found him my feet were moving and they didn't stop until I dropped to the ground in front of him and placed his face in my hands.
I whispered the first lyrics of a song that popped in my head, afraid to put my terrible voice on display. He never took his eyes off me as he asked, "What is that from?"
"Let me go get my phone. I can't sing for crap, but I have been waiting for you to hear this."
I got up and ran into the house, pulling Rachel Platten's song “Stand by You” up on YouTube as I walked back to him. The music started, and I climbed in his lap as we sat there and listened to the whole song together. Other than Canyon brushing his fingers through my hair, neither of us were willing to move until the last note. Even then we sat in silence for a while just taking it in.
"Stand up."
I was confused, thinking that maybe he mistook the words as I saw him as weak, but once I stood and watched him, he tapped the screen on my phone to play the song again, proving me wrong. Then he turned to me and held out his hand.
"Dance with me."
"What?"
"I said dance with me."
I took a step back and he took one forward, closing the space between us.
I began to laugh nervously, but he never faltered on his mission.
"Canyon, this isn't a song you dance to."
"That's where you're wrong. This is the perfect song to have you in my arms. Now stop fighting me and come here."
He pulled my body close and began swaying to the beat. Seconds into it I let my reserve go and melted in his arms as we listened again. The lyrics were everything I needed him to know. That I would stand by him no matter what. That he could take what he needed from me if it meant it would help him.
"You are more than I ever could deserve."
"That's where you're wrong. I am everything you deserve."
The song ended, and he pulled back to look at me.
"I needed that. After trying to talk to her, I don't know what is the right thing to do anymore. She's so difficult."
"What did she decide to do? Is she heading back tonight?"
"No. For now, she's agreed to stay. I'm just not sure for how long."
"You can't keep her here if she's miserable. Let her go. She needs to find happiness as much as you do, babe. This whole situation is awful."
"She just keeps throwing me under the bus saying the same old shit when she's mad. That I have the perfect family already and there's no room for her or the baby. That I should just sign papers saying I will give her x amount of dollars a month and she will be out of the way."
"What? She wants you to pay her to go away? That's insane."
"I know, right? Where she gets that idea is beyond me. Like I would ever give up my hope for my son. The only thing I ever fought for was that he didn't suffer."
"Tomorrow is a new day. Let's just hope her emotions are going berserk and she will feel differently then."
"It's doubtful. When she found out she was pregnant she said the same thing. Only then it was, ‘You don't want this baby so why don't you just give me money and we will be out of your hair.’ I told her to eat shit. I would pay her whatever it
took to make sure my son is taken care of when he isn't with me but that was it."
"I'm so lost. I thought she did this because she wanted you back. Where does the money come in?"
"It's something I let go in one ear and out the other. She's been crazy since she found out. Nothing makes sense."
"We do."
He leaned down and kissed me softly.
"Yes, we do. In fact, there hasn't been a time where I ever doubted what we have.
"You were there for me from the beginning. You saved me, and even though I can't protect you from her, from this, I promise that I will be by your side the whole time to catch you if you fall. It's what love is about.
“Will you marry me?"
"What?"
I couldn't have heard him correctly. There was no way he asked me the question that my mind was processing. Looking at him, all I saw was confusion in his eyes. It was as if he didn't even know the question was going to come out of his mouth.
"I didn't mean now. Hell, not even a year from now. But someday, when we're ready, I want you to marry me. I want only you to be by my side forever."
I knew one thing for certain, there would never be a man better than the one standing in front of me. Even if I was far from ready I knew the answer.
"When the day comes, I will walk down the aisle only seeing your face. Until then, let's just be us."
He picked me up, bringing me almost to the ceiling and then slowly brought me back down to meet his lips.
"I have a song for you too."
"Really? I thought I was clever, and here you go stealing my thunder."
He set me down and began to laugh.
"I don't have to play it for you tonight. It's just something I have been playing around with after I heard it for the first time. I have waited for the right time and this seems like the perfect one."
What is wrong with me? I had begged him forever to play for me and now I was teasing him for wanting to.
"Grab your guitar, stud, and sing for me."
His cheeks turned red.
"Now I don't want to."
"Hell no, you offered, you can't back out now."
When he didn't move I went and got it, placing it in his hands, and begged with everything I had.
"Fine, but the moment is gone. I feel stupid and you making me isn't helping."
"Will this change your mind?"
I took the guitar from him and set it on the floor, resting it against the wall next to his chair before I came back, grabbed his face, and kissed him like I would never get the chance again. He responded exactly how I wanted, running his tongue over mine with a passion only we could ignite.
Finally breaking free for air, we both burst out in gut-grabbing laughter. That kiss was sexier than any other I could remember, but it was the sole purpose of it that we couldn't take seriously.
He slowly picked up the guitar and sat in his chair plucking at the strings under his fingertips.
"You win."
The smile he wore when he said it made the moment that much more perfect. I lowered myself to the floor and crawled over to sit at his feet. At first I didn't recognize what he was playing. Then it hit me. He had slowed down the tempo, but as clear as day it was Meghan Trainor and John Legend's “Like I'm Gonna Lose You”.
The way he sang brought tears to my eyes and chills to my whole body. I couldn't take it. All the emotions that were building up in me as every memory came rushing back at warp speed. The first day we met, him helping me get away from John, the first time we kissed, Kale coming into town, when we made love, the fire, the day I left, coming back only to be forced to leave him again, finding out the baby was ill... I just couldn't take it. We had been through too much to withstand it all and yet here we were, waiting on another blow that could possibly be the one to shatter us.
I sat up on my knees and grabbed the guitar, pulling it from his hands and placing it in the floor, then climbed up to straddle him.
"What's wrong...."
I cut him off and immediately brought my lips to meet his. I couldn't answer—I just needed to be as close as I could get.
"Hey, hold up." He pressed me back enough to see my face. "What's got you so scared? It was just a song, darlin’'. I'm sorry if it upset you."
"It wasn't that. Well, it was, but not like you think. The way you played it was beautiful. I just started thinking about things and.."
"Nothing is going to make me leave you. Ever."
"I know you believe that but we have no way of knowing what is going to happen..."
What sounded like a muffled scream came from the property causing both of us to stand up and look. The night sky didn't provide much help and the lights didn't give way to an answer. We both walked to the door, but Canyon held his arm out, blocking me from going with him.
"You stay with Shelby."
I heard it again. This time it was coming closer.
"Canyon, it sounded like..."
He jumped down the four steps to the ground and was running toward the side of the house when a shadow moved under the light. It was clearly Brooke, only she was completely bent over with horror on her face as she grasped on to the baby bump with both hands.
"Canyon!'
Chapter 25
I ran down the steps as I watched Brooke collapse into Canyon's arms and reached both of them within seconds.
Brooke's screams intensified as she clutched her stomach in pain. Without hesitation Canyon scooped her up in his arms and began to run for the driveway repeating, "I got you. It's going to be okay. I got you."
I was two feet behind him but picked up my pace to get to the truck and open the passenger side door. He set her down and then turned to me in a panic, patting up and down his body.
"I don't have my phone. Go call 911 and tell them we are on our way!"
"I'll be right behind you," I screamed as he closed the door, put the truck in reverse, and sped out, throwing rocks in every direction.
I ran as fast as I could to the house, falling on the steps going up and taking a chunk out of my knee in the process. I attempted to stand, but the knee buckled, forcing me to hold out my hands to catch my fall.
"Not now!"
If it took crawling I was going to get inside that house, and that's exactly what it took. After several attempts at standing I gave up and drug my leg behind me. Once inside I searched for his phone, my phone, anything that would allow me to call. Finally spotting mine, I grabbed it and dialed.
"911, is this an emergency?"
"Yes! There is a pregnant woman in her second trimester headed to Regent Hospital in a black Ford truck. She's having severe abdominal pain."
"So she is already being transported?"
"Yes! I already said that."
"Thank you. I will let Regency know to expect her. What is the patient’s name?”
"Brooke Stanton."
"Age?"
"Twenty-three."
"Date of birth?"
"I have no idea! Will you just have them ready, please?"
"I have already done that ma’am. I am trying to get her admitted, and..."
"Look, I need to get up there. She or Canyon can fill in the blanks."
I hung up and threw my phone on the table as looked around for his.
"Damn it. Where is it?"
It hit me that I could call and make it a lot easier on myself. Seconds later it was ringing from in-between the couch cushions. Grabbing it and my purse, I headed out the door frantic. Was this it? Would the baby survive at only twenty-eight weeks?
Once I was in my truck and backing out I remembered Shelby.
"Shit!"
I slammed on the breaks and pulled back in, racing inside the house, calling her name.
"Shelby!"
Taking the stairs up to her room wasn't easy, but by the time I made it to the top my adrenaline had kicked in. Throwing her door open I ran to her bedside and began shaking her.
"Shelby, baby, you have to wake up.
"
"Ugh,” was all I got before she rolled over and grabbed onto her pillow.
"Shelby! Get up! We have to go."
She sat up and rubbed her still-closed eyes before stretching her arms in the air. I ripped the covers off of her and pulled her out of bed.
"Take off your pajamas."
I was pulling a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt out of her drawers. When I turned around she was back in bed.
"Shelby! Get up! Canyon took Brooke to the hospital. We have to go, now!"
That did it. She sat up wide-eyed and asked, "Is she okay?"
“I don't know. We need to get there. Canyon doesn't have his phone."
"Okay."
She started stripping down and putting the clothes I handed her back on. Finally, she grabbed flip-flops and barked, "Let’s go!"
We both ran to the truck and were on the highway in less than twenty minutes. Regent wasn't more than thirty miles away so it shouldn't have taken long, but those minutes felt like an eternity with all of the questions Shelby had.
"What happened? The baby shouldn't come out yet, right? Is he going to be okay? Is Brooke hurt? Will we get to see him?"
I had no answers other than, "Shelby, we just have to get there and see. I don't know any more than you do right now."
I regretted having to wake her and force her to come with me. A simple solution but one that could come with major drawbacks, would be having our mother with us. After getting all the answers I needed, there was only hope that one day she would be, but that day was not there yet.
We pulled into the parking lot and raced into the Emergency room straight for the lobby desk.
"Brooke Stanton was brought in a few minutes ago?"
The man looked like I could have told him he had won the lottery and he still would be complacent.
"And you are?"
"Not again! Look, I know the hospital rules. I don't really care right now about them. If you can't tell me where she is then you can find the man that brought her here and tell him we are waiting."
Again, I got the same look.
"Any day now would be good."
"Arianna!"
I looked down at Shelby and immediately felt awful. Turning back to the “enthusiastic” gentleman, I apologized.
Let it be Us Page 13
