The Marriage Pact: A Baby Romance

by Tia Siren

  It was there. I had the contract in front of me. It was offering me the kind of future I’d only dreamed of. All it required was my signature and my initials in a few places. It was simple, yet binding. It was real and tangible, yet it felt like I was still in the middle of a dream I hadn’t woken up from.

  I couldn’t make up my mind. I clicked the pen nervously against the table, reading over certain parts of the contract. I looked over at the producers and executives, seeing all their smiling faces with overly white teeth.

  I put the pen on the dotted line, waiting to feel destiny pulling on my hand.

  Leah leaned into me. “You can decide not to do it,” she whispered.

  I didn’t know what to do. I was lost.

  Chapter 31

  Darren

  I woke up Tuesday morning with Bo sleeping against me. I was particularly glad my canine companion was right next to me when I left the realm of dreams. I’d been dreaming about Bailey. We were dancing in a field. We danced in a field once when we were younger, and I’d always wanted to go back. I regretted that I hadn’t expressed that desire to her before.

  I was glad Bo was with me because I was able to wrap him in my arms and squeeze him. He always let me pet him and play with him, no matter what. He also was good at reading my own emotions, and he would often stay close to me if he sensed I was sad. I hugged Bo for at least ten whole minutes, and he let me love on him.

  Once he’d had enough, he licked my hand. I let him go, and we hopped out of bed together. As we performed our morning routines, thoughts of Bailey continued to swim in my head. I had the last week of my life replaying in my mind constantly.

  I realized that I had spoken and behaved harshly to her, as she’d likely admit she had spoken unkindly to me. What I hated was that after six years of silence, and after a horrifying event that managed to bring us closer, all it took was one heated argument to let it all fall apart.

  It didn’t take long on that fateful Tuesday until I accepted what I wanted to do: I didn’t want to let us fall apart. I wasn’t willing to return to life the way it was before she came back. And, I was going to make things right. I wasn’t sure at that point how I was going to do it, but I knew that I’d figure it out.

  I sat around the apartment, picking at my guitar, playing directionless and without proper motivation. I was wrestling with my mind when I remembered what it took to properly inspire good music: heart and soul.

  Once I stopped thinking about what to do about Bailey and me and only thought about Bailey, it all came to the surface. I played using my feelings not as a weight on my shoulders, but as the wind to guide my sails.

  I liked the music that was coming from my instrument and me. It was the first time in a long time that I truly enjoyed playing. I wasn’t singing words to accompany my instrumental, but I was occasionally humming. It was easy to perform when the audience was Bo. Bo was loving, and criticized constructively.

  I played for Bo and myself for two hours, never saying aloud what I knew I wanted to do. I longed for Bailey more than I ever longed for anything or anyone.

  I called up Greta, the manager scheduled to work at Mel’s with me later that day. I asked her if it was possible for anyone to work my shift that day and the next. By a stroke of luck and, perhaps fate, my co-worker Ashley was able to take my shifts, as long as I worked for her on Sunday. I agreed to her terms, hung up, and went to take a shower. I wasn’t sure when the next opportunity would be to get a good shower.

  Once I was clean and dressed, I stuffed some clothes and a few other things in a duffel bag, grabbed Bo’s leash and dog food, and stood over by the door.

  I looked over at my excited dog. “Want to go on a trip, bud?”

  I left Rome with Bo—who loved being in the car with his head out the window—early that Tuesday afternoon in the Focus and drove straight for Memphis, Tennessee.

  The only statement I knew for sure that I wanted to make was that I refused to let a possible future together fade away simply because of a matter of distance. Even though I still couldn’t make up my mind on the best course of action, I knew that I wasn’t going to leave Bailey again until I knew we were going to work it out.

  I thought about how she had a record deal to consider, and it occurred to me that not only might I need to leave Rome, but home might not be Nashville or Memphis. I was particular about what kind of area I lived in, and I didn’t want any ill feelings I might have about someplace to seep into a potential relationship. I had a lot to consider, and only a five-hour car ride to sort it all out.

  Oddly enough, as we crossed the state border into Tennessee, across the radio airwaves I heard a familiar voice sing out of the speakers. It was Bailey’s song on the radio, and even Bo recognized her voice as it continued to serenade us.

  “Hear who it is, Bo?” I said. “We’re going to see her. That’s why we’ve been in the car for so long.”

  Bo folded his ears, expressing a look of concern.

  “I know it might not go the way I want it to,” I said. “I’m prepared for her to tell me to just go again. I’ll go—eventually. She said she wants to be with me. I’m not letting her go that easy again.”

  Bo returned to sticking his head out of the window. This time, he kept his mouth shut, instead of letting his tongue and slobber fling in the air.

  “I’m not ignoring the obvious, bud,” I said to him. “I’m not going to get hurt. I might get sad, but I won’t get hurt. You won’t have to do any damage control.”

  Bo kept his head out the window for the duration of our trek, and I kept my sights set on Bailey’s studio.

  Once I crossed into the Memphis city limits, I started to feel uneasy. I wasn’t worried about embarrassment, or even rejection. I just hated the thought of showing up and making her feel uncomfortable. I was worried, due to the looming possibility that I could persist and ruin any chance of salvaging any kind of close relationship with her.

  We hadn’t been to the bathroom since leaving Rome, so I found a rest stop a few miles away from Bailey’s studio. We relieved ourselves, and I bought myself more time before my journey concluded. I grabbed one of Bo’s toys from the car and played outside with him for a while. A few couples and children came up to see Bo, and he ate up the attention like it was a treat.

  Once I decided to stop procrastinating, we hopped back in the car, and I drove us to the studio. I only saw one car outside, and it wasn’t Bailey’s.

  I took a deep breath and then sighed. I was hoping she was inside.

  I took a chance and brought Bo with me to the entrance. I rang the bell and knocked, standing up straight and petrified, ready to meet my doom.

  The door opened, and it wasn’t Bailey—it was Leah. She grinned with satisfaction, putting a hand on her hip as she shook her head.

  “I should’ve known you’d come,” said Leah.

  “Is Bailey here?” I asked her.

  “No, I’m afraid not,” she answered. “Can I take a message?”

  I laughed. “Uh, I guess—maybe I’ll—can I set an appointment?”

  She laughed. “I’m afraid my client is kinda booked solid.”

  “Do you know where I could find her?”

  “I sure do,” said Bailey. “I’ll tell you where she is if you say why you’re here.”

  “I’m here because I want to be with her more than anything,” I told her. “I want to talk to her about everything. She’s everything.”

  Her sarcastic grin softened.

  “Just so you know,” I added. “I’m more than willing to sit in my car and wait until she shows up here.”

  “It’ll be a while until that happens,” said Leah. “She’s out of the state at the moment.”

  My heart went past skipping a beat and nearly leaped out of my chest.

  “She should be back soon though, but I’m not really sure,” continued Leah. “Would you like me to leave a message?”

  “I’d like to know where Bailey went.”

 
“She’s in Rome, Darren.”

  I looked down at my feet, completely taken aback.

  “Really,” I uttered.

  “She sure is,” she confirmed. “She’s at her father’s house, last I heard.”

  “Why is she back there?” I wondered. “Did she forget something?”

  “You could say that,” Leah said cryptically. “Why don’t you come in, and we’ll talk about it.”

  Bo and I walked through the entrance. I took a seat in the lobby while Leah sat gushing over Bo. She and he played around together on the floor, getting along well.

  “Okay, so I’m totally stealing your dog,” said Leah. “He is the cutest thing in the world. What’s his name, again?”

  “Bo,” I said.

  “Bo is the sweetest dog ever!” she said while rubbing Bo’s face and ears. “I can’t get over it. I’m going to steal you! Yes, I am! Yes, I am!”

  I let them play around while I processed what I’d just heard. I didn’t want to get cocky and assume she was in Rome because of me. At least, not entirely. I figured she would have called or texted if she was returning to Georgia.

  “Why is she at her dad’s place?” I asked Leah.

  “We had a meeting with the record label that wants to sign Bailey,” she answered. “They gave her the contract, and she kinda lost it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She had a breakdown in the meeting trying to decide whether she was going to sign or not,” Leah explained. “She didn’t sign the contract.”

  A significant part of me was relieved and happy to hear that news. I knew she was better than that record label.

  “We have a lot to work on now,” continued Leah. “I’m hoping they’ll come back with an offer that she likes better. We’ll see.”

  She finally stopped petting Bo and stood up to come sit beside me.

  “So, why is she back in Rome?” I asked again.

  “Well, I’m not really sure, Darren, to tell you the truth.”

  “She got on a plane to Georgia without giving you any explanation?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  We sat in silence for a few moments, awkwardly looking at our phones. Bo came over to us, sitting between us, letting Leah keep loving on him.

  “I don’t think she was ready to say goodbye to Rome yet,” said Leah. “She said she had to go back. She didn’t say much other than that.”

  “You’re her best friend,” I said. “What do you think?”

  She looked up at me, smiling.

  “Yes?” I said. “I’m a guy. I’m slow. Just tell me.”

  “I think she’s trying to figure out what she wants to do,” said Leah. “Maybe she thought being back around where she grew up would help her in some way.”

  “So, nothing to do with me then,” I surmised.

  “No, she definitely wanted to see you,” corrected Leah. “She went by your place first.”

  I leaped up out of my seat, lovesick and craving her. Without another word, I headed for the door with Bo behind me.

  “Where are you going?” Leah asked.

  “I’m going back to Rome!” I said. “I need to talk to her! I need to see her.”

  Bo walked back over to Leah, licking her hand and walking in circles around her.

  “Can I ask you something?” Leah inquired.

  “Anything,” I obliged.

  “Do you think Bailey could make it on her own without signing a major record deal?”

  Without missing a beat, I replied. “Of course, she could. I think that’s what she should be doing. Look how far she’s come just it being you and her!”

  “Well, it’s not just her and me,” said Leah, blushing slightly.

  “I think all she has to do is release good, new music at a good pace,” I continued. “She’s great with fans. I’ve seen it. She just has to tour a few major cities, keep up a good social media base, and I think she could do amazingly.”

  “Thank you!” declared Leah. “Finally. Could you please tell her to go on tour? I’ve been saying it for years, and she keeps blowing me off saying she’s not big enough yet to tour.”

  “She could’ve been touring like last year,” I said.

  “Exactly.” She laughed. “I’m so glad we agree. We need to be united front on her ass, rent a tour bus, and go play some fucking shows.”

  “Let’s do it.” I chuckled.

  “You should wait for her,” Leah suggested. “She’ll be back either tomorrow or Friday, probably. You could surprise her! You and Bo could crash at my place until she gets back.”

  As I considered what course of action I wanted to take, I found myself examining the studio more thoroughly. I was admiring the rooms, wondering what some of the acoustics were in certain areas of the building. I looked toward the recording booth and thought about what it was like when Bailey recorded her latest songs.

  Then, I got an idea, and I knew it was the right thing to do.

  “Leah, I need you to do me a huge favor. I think it’ll help make Bailey happy, and it’s something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

  “I like knowing what I’m signing up for before I agree to a contract like that,” said Leah.

  “I promise it’s a good idea. Please say you’ll help me,” I begged.

  “Fine,” she reluctantly agreed. “I’ll help you make Bailey happy. What can I do to help you?”

  Chapter 32

  Bailey

  The first thing I did after my Uber took me from Atlanta to Rome on Tuesday afternoon was to scour the town looking for Darren.

  I headed on a path toward Mel’s A/C, assuming that Darren was at work. On my way to Mel’s, I looked around a few places that I knew he liked to go to, on the chance that I might spot him elsewhere.

  By the time I arrived at Mel’s, I still hadn’t spotted him, his Focus, or his golden retriever. His Focus also wasn’t in the parking lot at Mel’s when I arrived. I wondered if Garrett had driven them into work that morning.

  I walked through the front door, and there was Garrett by the register, scrolling on his phone. He looked up when the door closed behind me.

  “Whoa!” he responded, almost dropping his phone. “Uh, hi!”

  “Hi, Garrett,” I said smiling. “Is Darren working right now?”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, he’s not,” he answered. “He took the day off.”

  “Oh. Is he okay?”

  “Not really,” he said. “He’s been kind of going mad lately.”

  “Oh, no,” I said with an amused tone. “So he’s at his house?”

  “No, he set off of on a road trip a little while ago,” said Garrett. “He and Bo both left together.”

  “Where were they going?” I wondered facetiously. “Atlanta? Cartersville?”

  “He’s doing the exact thing you’re doing,” he said grinning. “He’s in Memphis.”

  “Shut up,” I said in shock.

  “He didn’t really say what was on his agenda,” said Garrett. “He just said he had to talk with you.”

  “You’re kidding,” I said in similar disbelief.

  “No, he’s probably in Tennessee right now if I had to guess,” he said.

  I couldn’t believe it. We’d both had the same ideas and enacted them at the same time. It felt like another one of those things that happen that make you believe in destiny.

  “If I can ask,” said Garrett. “What were you hoping to talk to Darren about?”

  “I—wanted to tell him how I was feeling,” I said. “We’ve had a pretty intense last couple of weeks.”

  “This seems important,” said Garrett. “You didn’t even call or text him, did you? You both just left your homes and showed up to where the other was supposed to be. That’s kind of nuts.”

  “Garrett, remember when we were all hanging out and drinking together before that one night?” I asked him. “Remember how you said Darren still had feelings for me like he did in high school?”

  “I said a l
ot of things that night. I was super drunk and messed up.”

  “Right, but you meant what you said, didn’t you?”

  “Sure,” he admitted.

  “I want to know how Darren feels about us, and I want to know if we can be together,” I admitted.

  Garrett looked at his watch, then behind him. He was pondering.

  “I can come back later when you’re not working,” I told him.

  “Why don’t we meet up over at Chelsea’s for a drink?” he proposed. “I’ll buy. We’ll talk. And I’ll let you know what’s going down.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “So Darren’s really in Memphis?”

  “He says he started missing you from the moment he left,” said Garrett. “I can’t believe he’s over there, and you’re over here. That’s unbelievable.”

  It certainly was unbelievable. I was tempted to call Darren and tell him that I’d come to his job and was looking for him. Then, I wondered if he went to where he expected to find me working, and maybe my best friend was talking to him the way his best friend was talking to me.

  To kill some time between then and when we were meeting at Chelsea’s, I sat in the house I grew up in, languishing over the fact that I’d returned to Rome already, after only a short few days of being away from it and declaring I’d never return. I felt like a weak hypocrite, but in my state of weakness, I didn’t care. All I cared about was figuring out things with Darren.

  Garrett left work and made it to Chelsea’s before I did. He ordered a tall pitcher of beer for us to share, and I gladly took a glass and filled it up.

  “Cheers,” we said, toasting ourselves.

  We drank and ate pretzels for a short while; mindlessly watching whatever was on the TVs. I was waiting until we both felt comfortable, but it seemed like that was never going to happen.

  “So, talk to me,” I said to Garrett.

  “What would you like to talk about?” he asked.

  “Do you know when Darren is getting back? Have you talked to him?”

  “I haven’t heard from him since he texted saying he was in Memphis,” he told me. “I’m not really sure what he’s up to.”