One Wild Night

by Vivian Ward

  I finally caved and ordered creme brulee, and excused myself to the ladies room before they had the chance to bring it back to the table. When I sat down, Gage got down on bended knee and took my hand in his.

  “Anita, we’ve created a beautiful son and have the perfect family. When I came back to Millington, I dreaded it and couldn’t wait until I was going to get out of here and head back to California, but when I saw you, that changed. The minute I laid eyes on you, I couldn’t get you out of my mind,” he looked over at Bentley, who was playing with his napkin. “And when I learned that we had a son together, I about lost it when I thought of all the time that I missed out on with him and how I wasn’t there for you. I want to be the best dad and husband that I can be, and you help me be that person,” he pulled a ring from his pocket, “Will you marry me?”

  My mouth was dry, and I could hardly speak. Clearing my throat, I covered my mouth and shook my head yes.

  “Oh my God, Gage!” I squealed. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  He slid a perfect ring onto my finger just before I threw myself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

  “Hey everyone!” my dad called out, tapping his fork on his glass. “My daughter just got engaged!”

  Everyone in the restaurant clapped as Gage got up from the floor and took a bow before sitting back down at the table. I had no clue he had it in him; he’d always been so wild and untamed. I never imagined in a million years that he’d propose to me, especially not in front of my dad.

  The waiter brought a bottle of wine—on the house—to congratulate our new engagement when he delivered the dessert, which was to die for. Everything about that night had been so perfect, but the best part was about to come, and neither Gage nor I could have predicted it.

  “Now that you kids are finally ‘official,' I want to do something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. You both know that I’m not running at full speed like I used to, and I want to do something for you.”

  Gage and I looked at each other, wondering what he was talking about.

  “I’d like to hand over the car lot to the two of you. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Gage needs a new job, and I know I’ve trained you well. There’s nothing that you can’t do, and I know you’ll make me proud.”

  “Dad, are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. You don’t need me getting in the way and slowing the business down,” he smiled at Bentley. “And besides, I’m close to retirement age anyway; I can spend a few extra years helping out with Bentley and playing with him. As much as I’ve always worked, I’ve not gotten a lot of time to be with my boy.”

  I looked over at my mom who was grinning and nodding; she was happy.

  “Wow,” Gage said, reaching over to shake my dad’s hand. “That’s very generous of you. We can buy it from you and then you could use the—”

  “Nonsense,” my dad held his hand up. “There’s no point in having my daughter pay me for something that she’s worked equally as hard for,” he paused for a moment. “But one thing I’d like to see the two of you do is finish clearing out the land that I was trying to take care of, and build a house on it.”

  “What? You want us to build a house on it? Why? I thought you wanted to expand the car lot?” I asked.

  “I did,” he nodded his head. “But all of this has taught me that family is more important than money, and I’d rather have all of you close to me than look out my window and stare at metal—well, fiberglass these days since they don’t build ‘em how they used to.”

  “Thanks, dad,” I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. “This means so much to me.”

  He patted my back, his lips curled in a smile. “You mean so much to me, and all of you,” he waved his hand around the table at mom, Bentley, and Gage.

  “You might not believe it, but that old boy has grown on me,” he bowed his head toward Gage. “Any man who’s got the balls to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage is okay in my book.”

  “What? You asked my dad if you could marry me?”

  He nodded. “Yep, I had to drug him with beer and pain killers, but he said yes.”

  It was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard Gage say; all I could do was toss my head back in laughter.

  “I guess I’ve got a wedding to plan,” I smiled, admiring my ring.

  “And a grand re-opening!” Gage added. “I know exactly what we’ll do for that.”

  “Once you get the place re-opened, I’ll fill you in on all the ins and outs,” my dad said to him. “You might be a hell of a mechanic, but you’ll need to know the rest of the business.”

  A few weeks later, we had our grand re-opening and Gage even got the local news to show up, and they did a small piece about it. Everyone from town came to it, and people from all over were lined up, waiting to view our inventory.

  There was something for everyone; I’d hired entertainment for the kids and had concessions ready for anyone who wanted them.

  The proudest moment was when Gage stood next to my dad’s wheelchair, and the two of them cut the red ribbon together when they finally opened the lot. We had so many sales that first night that I was filling out paperwork on car titles until almost eleven. Thank goodness, my dad meant it when he said he’d take care of Bentley.

  Gage took them back to the house around 8, and my mom put Bentley to bed until we were able to lock up at the car lot. Now all I had to focus on was the wedding, and hiring the right contractors to build our house.

  I was impressed when they told me they could have our dream home built in less than two years; a year if I wanted to take standard everything, but I wanted it customized.

  I planned an early summer wedding for the following year and held it at the same church that my parents were married in. It was a superb wedding, complete with violets and daisies, an elegant band and plenty of guests.

  Bentley was our ring bearer, which took great practice on his part, and my cousin’s daughter, Chrissy, accompanied him as our flower girl as she sprinkled petals all along the aisle.

  Our freshly built house was ready to move into two months after we tied the knot, just in time for when we came back from our honeymoon in the Cayman Islands.

  I had never seen anything so beautiful, and I loved the white sandy beaches so much that I bottled some of it up and brought it back home with me; which is proudly displayed with an array of seashells above the mantle in the living room.

  Epilogue

  The last four years have flown by, and I found it near impossible to believe that my baby was starting kindergarten. He was so excited for his first day of school that he didn’t go to sleep until after midnight.

  He kept climbing out of bed to make sure his glue was in his backpack, and then his crayons, and then he had to check on his clothes to make sure I’d set them out for him.

  My dad had taught him how to tie his shoes; they had become the best of friends and did almost everything together. Having him and my mom watch Bentley was the best thing that I could have done for them, and I hoped they’d continue to babysit the baby that was due in just five weeks.

  At the end of summer, I was ready to have our new baby. It had been the longest, hottest, most miserable summer in my entire life.

  “Hey doll, lookin’ beautiful today,” Gage said as he sat down at the breakfast table.

  “Thanks, I don’t feel so beautiful. Did you wake up Bentley? I don’t want to be late on his first day of school.”

  “He’s up, but he’s not happy about it. He was so tired that he didn’t even realize today was his first day of school.”

  “I’m sure once his eyes finally open, and he gets his teeth brushed, he’ll be excited about getting to meet his teacher today.”

  “Are your parents still coming with us to drop him off?”

  “Yeah, dad called while you were in the shower. I told him we’d come pick them up just as soon as Bentley was ready for school.”

  I seriously dou
bted that dad was going to wait for us to pick them up; they were just as excited as Bentley and ready to go. Right as I was plating Bentley’s sausage and eggs, I heard a light knocking on the back kitchen door; it was mom and dad. I motioned for them to come in.

  Dad was walking quite well on his prosthetic leg. It took him a while to get used to it, and it had to be adjusted several times before it fit properly, but once the doctors got it right and dad started wearing it, it was like second nature to him.

  “Hey, mom and dad. Want some breakfast? There’s plenty here if you’re hungry.”

  The truth was, I’d made enough for them when I started cooking because I knew they’d be over. When I was a little girl, he was always more excited than I was when it came to going back to school at the beginning of the year. They loved that boy so much.

  “Yeah, I’ll take a few pieces of sausage if you don’t mind.”

  After breakfast, everyone climbed inside our SUV and Gage drove us to school for Bentley’s first day. He was so giddy that he could hardly contain himself.

  “Now you be good today and make sure you give your teacher the supplies from your backpack, so she knows you brought everything you need. Okay?” I asked Bentley.

  “Okay, mommy.”

  “Have a good day, buddy. Remember, you’re going to ride the bus home this afternoon, and grandma and grandpa will pick you up from the bus stop,” Gage told him.

  We each took our turns hugging him before leaving, and it took everything I had not to cry as we walked down the hallway.

  “You gonna be okay?” Gage asked, putting his arm around me.

  I couldn’t hold my tears back anymore.

  “My baby’s leaving me, Gage. He’s growing up so fast, and now he won’t be at home playing with mom and dad,” I dried my eyes, not wanting to look weak in front of the other moms and teachers.

  “Here,” my dad passed me a thick, gold-squared picture frame.

  It was folded in half, each side containing an unknown 3x5 picture inside. I almost didn’t want to open it, afraid of what was going to be inside.

  “Go on, open it up.”

  “Now?” I asked.

  He and mom shook their heads, “Yes, now.”

  Slowly, I unfolded it and saw a picture of my mother on one side and a picture of a much smaller, much younger me.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a picture of your mom on your first day of school. You can’t tell it in that picture, but she was balling the morning she dropped you off. Just remember that things get better and that he’s going to grow up a fine young man, just like you grew into a fine, young woman.”

  That was all it took. I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy hormones, losing my baby on the first day of school, or how sweet my parents were, but I came unglued and started sobbing uncontrollably as I hugged them.

  Four and a half weeks later, I was in labor at the hospital giving birth to a precious baby girl. Natalie weighed six pounds, four ounces and was the most adorable baby girl I’d ever seen.

  Gage and I cooed over her as Bentley climbed into my lap, snuggling up to his baby sister as my mom snapped pictures of our latest addition.

  “That’s one beautiful granddaughter I have,” my dad smiled as he looked down at her after Gage put her in her bassinet.

  “She’s amazing, just like her mom,” Gage said, kissing the top of my forehead.

  “Flattery will get you nowhere,” I laughed.

  “So I guess this isn’t the time to ask if you want one more?” he teased.

  “Maybe, but it’ll be a while. Right now, I just want to enjoy our little Natalie; they grow so fast.”

  I looked over at Bentley, who was the only reason we were all one big, happy family as he tiptoed over his sister’s bassinet, talking gibberish to her. It was obvious that he adored and loved her as much as everyone else in the room, and he was going to make an excellent big brother to her.

  One day, she’d be as big as he was, but for that moment, I just wanted to cherish the memory and never forget how important or precious my family was or how it all started out.

  Love Locked Down

  Copyright © 2016 by Charity Carter

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  Nick

  The day had finally come. As I looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath full of the morning air, I knew that within minutes, I’d finally be a free man. Now I was outside, staring at the gate that I’d be walking out of within a matter of minutes.

  I wished that I’d had enough sense to bring a couple of clothing options. Being close to winter, the cold air was blowing through the thin material of my t-shirt, causing my muscles to involuntarily flex and leaving me feeling as though I was being chilled to the bone.

  I tried to maintain the hard demeanor that I’d earned for myself while inside, but my body didn’t want to cooperate. Instead, I was left shivering like a child.

  Even the jeans that I’d worn in weren’t fitting anymore. I tried shoving my hands in the pockets to keep them warm, but they didn’t reach very far into the small pouches. The size of my knuckles didn’t leave very much room for my hands.

  The gates began to open and, almost immediately, other inmates that were being freed had a whole lot to say to the guards keeping watch. I heard every insult and curse word there was to say, but I wasn’t going to take any part of it.

  I looked down at the ground and quickly made my way out. Once on the other side, I looked around at others as they ran into the arms of their loved ones. I didn’t have that luxury. I simply walked past all of them, unnoticed by everyone, which wasn’t an easy feat considering my size.

  I was 6’4” and weighed close to 260 pounds, the majority of which was solid muscle. I’d always been a big guy, opting for hard, manual labor before I got sent to prison.

  With nothing but time on the inside, however, all I ever did was workout and did my best to stay out of trouble. What was a solid and rough form when I went in had had been transformed to be cut and chiseled in all the right places.

  Most of the people who I thought cared about me had abandoned me when I went to prison. Since I didn’t have any loved ones to pick me up in their warm cars, I was left to walk, having no idea about what was in store for me.

  The only things I was certain of was that I needed to eat a real meal, preferably a huge steak, and I needed a shot of Jack.

  I had a single change of clothes inside of a plastic bag, which I knew wouldn’t fit me any better than the clothes on my back. I also had a little cash leftover from my account at the jail.

  The rest, I was going to have to figure out on my own. Even though everyone else had ditched me, I was fortunate enough to have one friend that stood by my side through my entire ordeal. He was willing to give me a place to stay and he was setting me up with a job at the construction company he owned.

  I was grateful to him for being there for me. I didn’t have any real family of my own. The only families I ever knew were foster families who were just taking me in so they would get a check from the government.

  The only time they gave a shit about me was when I turned 18, and that was only because they couldn’t wait to be rid of me.

  My upbringing led me down a path where I made bad choices followed my even worse choices. I ended up spending my days working and my nights in bars getting drunk and seeing what kind of trouble I could get into.

  One night, I found more trouble than I should have and lost my temper when one asshole wouldn’t stop running his mouth. The end result was five years in prison.

  I hadn’t meant to put the man into a coma. It was just a bar fight, after all. That didn’t stop the prosecutor’s office from hitting me with an attempted
murder charge.

  I was looking at a 40-year sentence if I allowed the case to go to trial so I accepted the plea deal and welcomed my punishment. I did do the crime, even if it wasn’t something I meant to do.

  Prison wasn’t really as bad for me as it is for some people. I had size on my side going in, which deterred a lot of inmates from trying to flex their muscles around me.

  I pretty much kept to myself and the other inmates left me alone. Now that I was out, I wanted to fit into society instead of always being the one trying to buck the system. The problem was, I wasn’t even sure how to do that. I just wanted to stay out of trouble. I knew I wasn’t a bad guy.

  In all reality, I wasn’t even a troublemaker. I just didn’t take any shit from people trying to start trouble with me. I was dealt a shitty hand of cards that didn’t play well with life.

  That was the past, and I knew only I had the ability to change that. I had a place to stay while I worked and saved up some money. After that, I’d be able to find my own place and, as long as I kept my head down, I’d be okay. After that, who knew what could happen.

  I didn’t have a clue how many miles I walked. It honestly didn’t matter. It was cold but I’d gotten used to it. The temperature was nothing more than a minor annoyance.

  That changed as the sun went down and the snow started to fall from the sky. The wind chill dropped to near zero, and the roads and sidewalks were starting to freeze. In the distance, I could see the city where all the bullshit went down, but I continued on.

  The first building I came to was a bar. It wasn’t just any bar but the bar. The last place I visited as a free man was going to come full circle. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should go inside but it was freezing, and I didn’t really have it in me to walk anymore.

  I opened the door slowly and made my way inside, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. The smell of food frying in the kitchen entered my nostrils and instantly made my mouth begin to water. I was already starving before I left the prison and the walk had left me feeling famished.