The Marriage Pact: A Baby Romance

by Tia Siren

  “I don’t know,” I answered him.

  “So, what are you still doing here?”

  “Look, the best way I can describe it is this,” I began. “I know I’m happy living here, with the job I have, the house I have, car, everything. I know I can live life content the way I have it right now. But, if I moved to Memphis, tried it out there, I could fail. I could lose a lot of money and have a job I don’t like, working with people I don’t like. I get to work alongside my best friend. I get to live where I grew up, and I get to go to the places I like. I like it here!”

  Garrett slapped me on the shoulder. “You could fail anywhere. What if Mel had to sell his business, and then we lost our jobs? What if we couldn’t find another job, and then we lost our homes?”

  “We could get another job in town,” I said. “We know like half the people here.”

  “Maybe, maybe,” he said and nodded. “Although, some people put up and most shut up. Who’s to say someone could help us find a job?”

  “So, what are you recommending I do?” I asked.

  “I recommend you stop neglecting your gut, and start trusting your instincts again.”

  The notion was simple in theory but difficult to execute. I had been trying to get back to exactly how I once was for a long time—when I trusted my instincts. It is extremely difficult to do.

  All I knew was that I wanted to be with Bailey Wright, and I needed to figure out a way for us to finally be happy together.

  Chapter 18

  Bailey

  I woke up in Darren’s bed to find that Darren had been replaced with Bo. Bo stirred once I began to wake up, scooting over to let me cuddle with him.

  “You are such a sweet boy,” I mumbled to Bo, prompting him to lunge up and shower me with kisses.

  We cuddled together in bed for quite some time, which was the most personal time I’d shared with an animal in a long time. I felt like Bo and I were really connecting, and I was thrilled that he liked me.

  I texted Darren to see if Bo needed to be taken outside to go to the bathroom. Darren replied by saying, “Already took care of that, thank you missy ☺.”

  I stretched out of bed, followed by Bo. I went through Darren’s kitchen looking for breakfast while Bo munched on his that Darren must’ve given him before he left. I kept trying to access the Internet on my phone, but despite having a clear phone signal, the phone did not want to cooperate with the web.

  I walked around his house, registering everything he had and where he had it. I recognized some things from back in the day: some trinkets and toys; some basketball cards that he’d collected; movies that we’d watched together, and so much more. I sat by his bookshelf for nearly a half hour just browsing through his vast library and seeing what kind of stuff he’d read since I had lived in Rome. I’d often browsed through his books whenever I would hang out at his place. I borrowed many books from the Darren Holt Private Library, and often they were never returned.

  I played with his guitar and keyboard for a while, making random noise with no direction. Bo followed me around from room to room while I killed time and continued looking at things around Darren’s house.

  I was getting frustrated with my phone’s data, so I turned to Darren’s computer. I considered texting him and asking if it was okay to use it, but I knew he would tell me yes.

  I touched the mouse, and his screen came back to life. I went onto his internet browser, checked my social media, my email, and the news.

  Just as I was closing the window, I noticed something. Among the sea of thumbnails he had all across his desktop, there was one file that stood out: BW.

  Darren hadn’t called me “BW” in over a decade, but my curiosity was getting the best of me. I clicked on the icon, and I was greeted by an assortment of things.

  There were pages of documents, music files, and several photo folders. I felt like I’d been hit over the head. I didn’t know what to do or where to start. I knew that the right thing to do was close BW and continue minding my own business.

  However, I gave in to temptation. I didn’t go through his writing because it felt too personal. Even I have boundaries. I didn’t look through his music or videos. The pictures, on the other hand, were calling to me. I clicked the folder and got sent back to times I hadn’t thought about in years.

  The pictures appeared in correct chronology, with the first series of pictures showing the two of us as kids. Many of the pictures of us younger also had my dad in them, which was still difficult to see since I was still sad about his death.

  There were gaps during later grade school and junior high, but high school contained many memories. It wasn’t always clear what he and I, and sometimes other friends as well, were doing in the various photos, but what was clear was that we were happy. Every photo of us together showed euphoria and painted a fond picture.

  Once I’d gotten past the time period when I’d moved away, there were only a few remaining pictures. Some of them were of me in interviews about my music. Some were of me on a magazine photo shoot I’d done about a year prior. There were even some pictures of just Darren and my dad together.

  The pictures were at three different places. Some were of them at a football game together. I couldn’t tell, but it looked like Garrett was there, too. A few were of them at a bar together. It was tough to discern with the lighting, but it looked like the place and booth Darren had taken me to before. A significant number of their photos together were taken right when Darren had purchased his house. I wondered if my dad helped Darren in any way when he was getting the place set up. I could see my dad offering to help.

  I looked away from the computer, seeing Bo lying down next to me. He was giving me an inquisitive look, never breaking his puppy dog stare. The more he looked at me, the guiltier I felt about intruding on Darren’s privacy.

  “I know, I’m a horrible person, Bo,” I said to Darren’s dog. “Believe it or not, I am ashamed. I know that isn’t stopping me from snooping, but I don’t feel good about this. I’m weak, okay?”

  I continued peering into things that carried my name, but it was hard for me to register any of it. I could feel Bo’s piercing eyes without having to look.

  “You’re not angry. You’re just disappointed,” I said to Bo. “Way to make me feel like shit, dog. You’re better trained than I thought.”

  I stepped away from Darren’s computer, kneeling down to pet Bo, who wrapped his paws around me and licked my hands.

  “Good, you don’t hate me,” I said. “Do you think we could keep this low point between the two of us? I don’t want to keep secrets from Darren, but I’m feeling kind of weird lately.”

  He looked up at me, panting adorably.

  “You don’t have to worry about much, do you buddy?” I said while rubbing his ears. “Darren takes good care of you. And, you take good care of him. You’re both lucky to have each other.”

  Bo subtly whimpered, leaning up to lick my face again.

  I decided to change out of my sleep attire and get dressed for a jog. I hadn’t exercised much since I’d returned to Georgia, so I wanted to spend some time while I had it to give my body some needed fitness. Throughout the morning, Bo continued to follow me from room to room. He would try to play and get my full attention constantly, and it was making me fall in love with him.

  I got to the door, and Bo sat down beside me, looking up at me hopefully.

  “I should text Darren to see if this is okay,” I said while looking at my phone. “But, I don’t think he’ll mind. Besides, I don’t want to be away from this cute little face at all. You’re my new best friend. You’re coming out. We’re going for a walk, you and me.”

  I clipped on a leash hanging near the door onto Bo’s collar, and we exited Darren’s house.

  I was familiar with the area, but I wanted to take it slow at first. I’d missed seeing some spots in town. We crossed the old bridge down by the river that used to be part of an old railroad track. We walked past many stores
and shops that I’d gone in and out of over the years; simultaneously enjoying that most of it looked the same, and regretting that no one in town had taken the initiative to switch things around or redecorate.

  Thankfully, Bo wanted to go at my pace. Occasionally, if I wanted a break, we’d stop to let a nearby child pet him. Bo was shy around them, but very friendly.

  After we’d walked at least three miles, I got a call from Leah.

  “Hey!” I bellowed into the phone.

  “Yo,” laughed Leah. “What are you doing right now?”

  “I’m out walking with Bo,” I told her. “Darren’s golden retriever.”

  “Ah,” she said.

  “What’s up with you this morning?” I asked.

  “I’m kind of wondering what your plans are on coming back,” she answered. “I’m starting to get a little nervous that you’re not coming back.”

  “Trust me, that’s not something to be afraid of,” I assured her. “This is just a break. I promise I’m not losing sight of things.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear!” said Leah. “So, can I expect you today or tomorrow?”

  “Dude, I’m not coming back like right now,” I said.

  There was silence for a few moments.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “I’m here, I’m just nervous that you’re not coming back,” she repeated. “Are you coming back this week?”

  “Leah, I don’t know.”

  “I highly suggest you come home this week,” she pushed. “Get back here before you maybe miss out on something. We need to make a decision on whether we’re signing that deal or not.”

  Strangely, it had taken me several seconds to realize what she was talking about.

  “I won’t be here for much longer,” I said.

  “We can’t let another whole week go by, Bailey,” she said. “How about Wednesday?”

  “How about until Friday?” I asked.

  “Bailey!”

  “Look, Leah, after this trip, I don’t ever plan on coming back to Rome, Georgia ever again,” I told her assertively. “Darren is the only part of this town that I’ll sorely miss. But, he’s not coming to Memphis. He won’t give Tennessee a shot, no matter how incredible these last few days have been.

  “My point is: I’m getting closure. I have to do this my way because I swear to God, I ain’t coming back here ever again once I get on that plane. And, I need more time to think about all this, Leah. I like these studio guys, and the producers made amazing, tempting offers. But, I’m not in my right mind right now, you know? I need time.”

  “Bailey.”

  I began to cry. I couldn’t bear to look at Bo.

  “I know I have to go back, and I don’t want to leave Darren,” I sobbed. “I know I have to, and I’ll do it once I’m ready. But, I’m not ready. But, I will be. I promise. I swear. I’m not a crazy person.”

  “You’re fine,” said Leah. “Boy, how good is that sex? Invite me along one of these nights.” She laughed.

  “Leah!”

  “You have until Friday to get your fine ass back here in Memphis,” she conceded. “They’re getting a little impatient, so we can’t tease them for much longer. I do think if I agreed to Wednesday like they want, but then, cancel a little before and say you’ve got matters about your dad you have to settle, and you have to reschedule for Friday.”

  “I trust you in however you want to bullshit them.” I chuckled.

  “And hey,” she added. “When you do get on that plane, you make sure you bring your heart back with you, intact. You can’t leave any of it behind in Rome if you mean it when you say you’re never going back. Make the break clean, darling.”

  Chapter 19

  Darren

  I got back to my house just as the sun had finished setting. I wasn’t sure whether Bo still had company, or if I was only going to be greeted by my canine companion.

  Sure enough, as I unlocked and opened my front door, I was greeted by many things. I was hit by the enticing smell of sensational food. Bo jumped at me, giving me love and horseplay. Bailey was in the kitchen, over the stove, finishing up a meal that she’d cooked for me. It appeared, at first, that she was only wearing one of my shirts and nothing else. But the shorts she had on underneath the shirt were so short that they may as well have been nonexistent.

  “What’s this?” I asked Bailey as I glanced at the mashed potatoes, breaded chicken, and the many vegetables.

  “I made us all dinner!” she answered. “I even found some special kind of dog food while I was out today. It’s got little chicken-flavored thingies, so it’ll be almost like we’re all sharing a meal.”

  “Sounds amazing,” I said as I clumsily took a seat.

  I was awe-struck by all of it. In all my years of dreaming and thinking up moments like the one I’d just walked into, it could not have been any better than what I had right then and there.

  She kept looking back at me without turning her body. “What?” She giggled.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You look like you’re high or something,” she said.

  “I’m high on life right now,” I told her. “If I could freeze time and forever capture a moment fully it would be this one right here.”

  She put her pot down on the stove and marched right over to me. She sat in my lap, facing me, burying her fine ass as low as it would go.

  “What about this moment right now?” she asked.

  “I think this can be included in the overall moment, starting right when I walked through the door,” I said.

  “Fair enough,” she said, kissing me long and softly on the lips before standing back up and finishing up by the oven.

  I finished setting up the kitchen table; even lighting candles, which I never did. I put on some music that we both enjoyed listening to, setting the mood for a calm and collected Monday night.

  We chatted for a good portion of our meal as we shoveled it down our gullets. Bailey had outdone herself, and I knew I wanted to get fat on her food.

  Once we went back for seconds, and Bo was finishing up his bowl, I knew I wanted to steer us into a good conversation. I didn’t want to bring up how she was going to have to leave soon. I was aware that she surely understood that fact and had probably been thinking about it as much as I had.

  “Thank you so much for all of this, Bailey,” I said.

  “You’re very welcome,” she said. “How was work?”

  “Pretty damn boring, to tell you the truth.”

  “I was thinking about tour dates,” she said. “Leah thinks I should play around here. You know, like the south and southeast? I don’t know. I mean, I do want to give it a shot and build a real fan-base. But, I don’t think I’m well known enough to think I should go on tour, you know? I go back and forth on it.”

  “I think you’ve been making excellent choices concerning your career so far,” I said while finishing a bite of green beans. “Go with your gut. Without all the details weighing you down. Think of it simply. What seems like the right choice?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” she shrugged. “I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what I want lately.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  We took a few more bites, slowing down slightly on our race to clean our plates.

  “How’ve you been feeling lately?” she asked.

  My heart sank. I didn’t want to answer the question stupidly or weakly.

  “Huh?”

  I felt like a total idiot. She beamed.

  “How do you feel about things these days?” she continued. “I’ve been thinking about some of the things you were saying before. Some of it was pretty serious.”

  “Yeah.” I chuckled in further embarrassment, remembering how I’d implied that I was still in love with her like a dope.

  “I’ve been really enjoying our time together,” she said.

  “Me too,” I replied. “Being with you these last few days has been such a thrill. Seeing you ag
ain—it’s really taken me back to when we were younger. I feel like a dumb boy that doesn’t know how to talk to girls whenever I talk to you.”

  She laughed. “I think you’re better than you think you are.”

  “I don’t want it to end,” I stated.

  “Neither do I.”

  We slid our hands closer together on the table until they collided. We held onto each other, caressing each other’s fingers and squeezing tightly.

  “I can’t encourage you to play music with me?” she asked with doe eyes.

  “You can try, but I can’t open myself up to humiliation like that,” I said. “I already embarrass myself around you a lot as it is. I know I’d make an ass out of myself trying to keep up with you.”

  “Hey, you know how to keep up with me,” she said suggestively.

  “In many ways, this is true,” I concurred. “I haven’t played music the way I used to in a long, long time. I could probably play one of our older, simpler tunes. But, we don’t even like singing those anymore now that we’re older.”

  “Fuck that!” she said, slamming our hands together on the table. “Let’s go play, goddamn it!”

  “Let’s not get carried away,” I said while trying to keep her at the table.

  “I think we’re past carried away, aren’t we?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  “You don’t think singing together will make it harder when you leave?”

  “Of course, I do,” she replied. “But, I still want to do it anyway.”

  Although I still refused to play an instrument, she pulled out her guitar and played acoustically as we both sang together. We sang for almost an hour, never giving it our fullest, but going full enough that it felt like the old days again.

  When we finished, we were determined to keep the house from going totally silent. I sat with Bo, playing with him and giving him attention while Bailey watched TV.