The Marriage Pact: A Baby Romance

by Tia Siren

  “I want to start my life with you, Bailey,” said Darren. “I want us to make music together. I want to pick out bathroom tiles together. I want to have kids with you.”

  “Do you?” I said, taken aback.

  “I want to do everything with you,” he replied. “I’m in love with you. I’ve felt this way for a long time, and when you were gone—”

  We held each other’s heads in our hands.

  “I was asleep for six years,” he said. “I’m awake now. I can’t go back to sleep. I need to be with you for as long as I’m awake.”

  Then, for the first time since we were in high school, Darren shed a tear down his face. I wiped it away with my thumb, and I began to feel more streaming down my face.

  “I’m so in love with you, Darren Holt,” I declared. “I want to do everything with you, too. Let’s start right now.”

  Chapter 39

  Darren

  I woke up with Bailey sleeping under my arm. We were both naked, under the covers, sore from a day of hard work and a night of intense passion. I thought back on the last several days.

  We finished packing up everything at my house. Then, on our way to Tennessee, Bailey called the management staff at the place we liked in Nashville and requested lease paperwork for the unit we liked the best. By the time we all arrived in Nashville, the apartment we liked was cleaned and had power and water started for us.

  Our place in Nashville had a lot of space. It was two stories, with a spacious living area and kitchen, and several modest bedrooms and bathrooms spread across both floors. There weren’t any furnishings in the place, and we were planning on painting the walls, but we could immediately see our home when we walked through the door.

  We unpacked me, stayed in Nashville for another day, and then we scooted over to Memphis to help Bailey pack up and prepare to move. Luckily for us, she hadn’t unpacked any of the things she had taken from her parents’ house, and Bailey wasn’t heavy with possessions. It wasn’t going to take long to pack up the trailer and get moving. Neither of us were in a hurry, but we were both anxious to start arranging our things in the new place in Nashville.

  We were resting in her bed, sleeping on about the only piece of furniture left in her apartment except the couch Garrett was on. Bo was sleeping at the foot of the bed, and it seemed as though everyone was sleeping except for me. I tried to return to slumber, keeping my eyes sealed as tightly shut as I could make them go.

  I was trying to think of names for the album we were going to release. We weren’t throwing out many names at that point, but we were both thinking about it. I went through each song in my head, trying to nail down a theme or dissect what inspired most of the music. The easy two answers were “love” and “each other,” but we wanted the title to reflect something unique and personable.

  I got out from under the covers, slowly and carefully crawling from the bed down to the floor, where my laptop was which contained our untitled album.

  I sat there with my earbuds in and played around with the order of the tracks, listening to how certain arrangements flowed better than others. We felt that if we could think of a good title, that would help determine the track list or vice versa.

  We had recorded twenty-one songs, but we were planning on only putting fourteen or fifteen on the album release. We hadn’t been planning on using certain songs, but once I removed that factor from play, I started having more fun figuring out a good running order.

  We had discussed the possibility of a two-disc release, but we hadn’t firmly decided on that, although we were leaning toward it being only one disc. But, I found a few good track combinations, which featured all twenty-one songs. The first set of ten songs were more driven by their beats and instrumentals and featured lyrics more about life, growing and learning; whereas the second set of eleven songs were primarily rock, R&B or country-inspired.

  I listened to the track list a few times in a row, letting it sit with me and simmer. I kept the volume low so as not to disturb my girlfriend or my dog. However, at some point in the night, Bailey stirred and was drawn by the light coming from the laptop.

  “What you doing, baby?” she mumbled.

  “I’m finishing our album,” I told her.

  She wrapped herself in the blanket and comforter like a massive human burrito. She scooted close to the edge to look over my shoulder and watch.

  “I see what you did there,” she said with intrigue as she looked over the proposed track set. “You know, that order could work.”

  “Right?” I said with excitement, causing Bo to stir in his sleep.

  “Let’s work on that in the morning,” she said sleepily. “Come back to bed.”

  “I just need to come up with a name for the release,” I said frantically. “I can feel it there. I know we’re going to figure this out.”

  “We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” she said. “You need to sleep.”

  “I’ve been asleep.”

  I focused on the lightest track on the first disc with the catchiest rhythm, which was a song inspired by, with words taken directly from, Bailey’s father. Wayne sometimes played short little tunes he would make up, even if you were just hanging out with him. They weren’t anything complex or convoluted, but they were always catchy.

  The song we made that was inspired by him was “Friends.” We originally were going to integrate a piece of Wright home video, where Wayne was talking to a younger Bailey, into the song; but we were unable to make it sound how we wanted. Instead, the finished song consisted of words and rhythm that felt like something Wayne might create on his own, rather than something taken directly from his words.

  While we had sworn not to name the album after any of our tracks, I began to ponder.

  Then, I had my epiphany. The idea that I would be unable to shake and yet, somehow I knew it was what we were supposed to do.

  Disc one would be titled “Friends” and the second disc would be called “Lovers.” That way, the listeners could go on the journey Bailey and I had taken: from friends to lovers.

  I closed the laptop and got back into bed with her. I fell asleep with thoughts of crazy dreams coming true. Friends/Lovers becoming a hit and being a vehicle for Bailey and me to tour the world and sing our songs. Writing songs together on a cool, sunny Tennessee day at the park or on our balcony. Earning a living finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child trying to figure out life, love and the world.

  I wrapped my arms around my lady, seeping into sleep with thoughts of her.

  Epilogue

  Bailey

  One Month Later

  Darren and I stepped out of our Nashville apartment, dressed nicer than either of us had dressed in years, truly feeling like we were quickly ascending to the top of the world.

  We released our duo album, Friends/Lovers, a week after Darren had the right idea on what to name it and what order the tracks should be. It quickly rose to the top of several online charts.

  “We’re still number 1,” Darren often said through cell phone scrolling during breakfast.

  “We got a 3.5 out of 4 rating,” I might reply as I’m seeing what users and fans are thinking and saying about the music on a variety of sources.

  We were all ecstatically surprised to watch the album perform so well so quickly upon release, considering I was still a fairly new name, and Darren had never released a song in any capacity beforehand. In the month since we released the album, we had been invited onto several morning and talk shows, and our overall promotion tour was more massive than either of us had ever imagined.

  Despite things happening remarkably quickly, and how we’d barely gotten any sleep, this miracle that was becoming our lives was so fun to experience with Darren. None of it felt real to me. I was becoming a popular singer. Darren was finally living and breathing music like I’d always wanted. And through it all, I was falling more in love with him every day.

  I still missed my parents, but I took solace knowing th
at they would surely be proud of me if they were still alive and with me. I was grateful to have Darren with me, and I was thankful that we took care of each other.

  As we stepped out into the world, looking like rich people, we called for an Uber to take us to a place called Fine Steakhouse. Although it had an ironic name, it was one of the finest restaurants in our part of Nashville, and we were going there to celebrate and toast our success. Darren had been very adamant about going to Fine Steakhouse, and I was happy to oblige. I’d always wanted to try it, and I just wanted to be with him.

  We were holding each other quietly, smiling the whole ride from our place to Fine Steakhouse. We chatted casually with our driver, and before we knew it, we were outside of the restaurant.

  At first, I was puzzled as to why the place looked vacant, but then it hit me.

  “Darren, why does it look like the place is empty?” I asked knowing the answer.

  “Because it is,” he answered.

  “Are they open?”

  “They’re definitely open,” he said. “I know for a fact they’re open.”

  I shook my head, wondering what drastic measures my boyfriend had taken to be romantic. He always went above and beyond my expectations, so I was learning to stop asking myself so many questions and just let it happen.

  We got inside the restaurant, and my suspicions were confirmed. I covered my eyes in embarrassment, shocked at what I was seeing.

  The place was lit up, decorated with lights and a stream of flowers leading to a specific table dressed up waiting for us. There was good music playing over the sound system, and the staff was there for only us.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “I bought the place out,” said Darren. “What do you think?”

  I didn’t think people could actually buy out a restaurant, and yet, exactly that appeared to be unfolding in front of me. I was rapidly going through scenarios in my head, wondering what all Darren had paid. You don’t just rent out a fancy restaurant for a light celebration.

  “It’s breathtaking,” I replied. “Why did you do all this?”

  “I thought it would be a good idea,” he said in his usual cryptic way. “I had a table in mind, but we do have a pretty wide selection of tables and booths to choose from.”

  “Let’s follow the trail of flowers,” I said. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

  My mind kept lingering on the idea that he was going to propose to me. Darren liked to take things slow, so I felt confident that it would’ve been out of character for him to ask such a question. But, I was still in disbelief that Darren had moved from Rome to be with me, and that had been months ago.

  No other idea was coming to mind. I was busy trying to calculate how much money he must’ve spent to rent the restaurant out, and it had to have taken out so much of what he’d earned on our album.

  “Darren, I don’t—”

  “Let me treat you like royalty sometimes, darling,” he whispered to me.

  We sat at our table, staring at each other for several seconds, beaming.

  “What is all this?” I asked again.

  “I thought we could have the place to ourselves,” said Darren. “You’ve never had a guy rent out a restaurant for you before?”

  “No, sir,” I told him.

  “You know how lately when we go out to places, someone recognizes us and ends up monopolizing a lot of our dinner?” he asked.

  “You wanted it to be just me and you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Nothing else. Well, except for the kitchen staff and our server.”

  “Right.” I laughed.

  Our server, Randy, came over and tried to take our order. I was still fixated on him renting out the restaurant for us. We started off with water and bread.

  “Did we go gold or something?” I asked him, wondering about our record.

  “Not yet,” he said. “This isn’t about work or our creations. This is about us.”

  “Okay,” I said, grabbing his hands.

  “Is this okay?” he asked me about the situation.

  “It is, but Darren, this must’ve cost so much.”

  “I’ve been spending a lot of big money lately, don’t you worry about that,” he said. “You’re worth the world to me, Bailey.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” I said. “I feel like you’re going to propose to me or something.”

  “Well, that was the plan,” said Darren.

  I let go of his hands, unable to keep mine from freaking out. “What?”

  “I wanted to propose to you tonight,” he said again without hesitation.

  “Oh, my God, is this really happening?”

  “I don’t know.” He laughed. “Is it?”

  “I’m going to think about it all night. I think you better,” I said nervously.

  “In that case, I guess I’ll go ahead and start talking now,” he said nervously.

  “Oh, my God,” I repeated.

  “Bailey.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  We both laughed. We knew this day was going to come, and soon, but it was still alarming to see it unfolding before me.

  “Bailey, I love you more than anything else in this world,” said Darren. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I’ve wanted nothing more for so long. All I’ve ever wanted was you. I want to live life with you, grow old, release ten albums, have a house full of children, dogs, and cats. I’m tired of not going after what I really want. I’ve been getting better about it over the last few months, and I’m not about to slow down.”

  He got out of his seat, walked over to mine, and got down on one knee.

  “Bailey, as long as we have each other, we’ll be invincible,” said Darren. “I want you to be my wife, and I want to be forever and always your husband.”

  He took out a small jewelry box from his back pocket, opening it up to reveal a large, stunning engagement ring. I could see my reflection in the diamond.

  “Darren!”

  “I love you, Bailey. I always will. Will you marry me?”

  I didn’t have to think about it. “Yes! Darren, of course, I will!”

  He slid the ring on my finger, one that I’d imagined receiving. I’d wanted to be Darren’s wife for years.

  He leaned up, and I stood up. We wrapped each other in a warm embrace, kissing each other, as fiancés.

  “Let’s get married right now,” I said half-jokingly.

  “I don’t think anyone in the restaurant could officiate a wedding,” said Darren. “I could ask.”

  “Nah, Leah would kill me if we eloped and she didn’t help me plan some big, extravagant wedding,” I said. “Garrett would probably be pissed too.”

  “Yeah, he’d hate missing out on free or cheap booze,” he said.

  “Darren, you could have proposed to me anywhere, in any way,” I told him. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble just to propose.”

  Our waiter returned, carrying a bottle of celebratory wine over to the table for us. While Darren ordered our food, I stared down at my beautiful engagement ring, imagining the day when we would be declared husband and wife.

  After our waiter left, and as Darren was pouring us a nice glass of wine, I leaned on my elbows, watching him admirably.

  “I’m the luckiest girl in Nashville,” I said.

  “I’m the luckiest man on the whole damn planet,” said Darren, pulling me in for another kiss.

  A few days later, Darren and I held a small engagement party at our apartment. We invited many, but we expected a small turnout since many of our friends and family were outside of Tennessee. Fortunately, our two closest friends were able to make it, and that’s who we wanted most of all.

  Darren and Garrett were grilling food out on the balcony while Leah and I chatted in the living room. Leah constantly took my hand to praise my ring.

  “I’m going to steal this whenever you take it off,” said Leah.

  “Then, I’m never going to take
it off!” I laughed. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  “Too gorgeous,” she replied. “Darren probably had to get a loan to afford that.”

  “He said that he got a lot more money than expected when he sold his house in Rome,” I relayed. “If I found out this ring has caused him to go broke, I’m making him take it back.”

  “No!” said Leah in distress. “It’s too pretty!”

  “What would you do?” I asked. “I don’t just want a fancy wedding and a glamorous ring. I want a healthy, good marriage. That won’t happen if we don’t have any money.”

  “You’re still worried about money, superstar?” she went. “You guys are going to be set for life soon!”

  “Let’s not jinx it or get carried away,” I said. “Just because things are going well right now doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. I can’t be frivolous.”

  “Listen to your man,” said Leah. “Enjoy yourself. Don’t fret about money. Let him show you how much he cares. It’s good that you have a man that wants to take care of you. Don’t take it for granted.”

  I looked over at Darren, who was laughing and grilling vegetables with Garrett. Still, I was in disbelief at how perfect everything felt.

  “Have you decided what you guys are going to do about your upcoming solo albums?” Leah wondered. “Have y’all sorted through the list of interested labels and picked one that suits you?”

  “I think we’ve been doing excellently just releasing our material online by ourselves,” I said. “I can’t speak for Darren, but I don’t think I’m interested in signing with a label. I think our albums will sell great without them. Together, he and I are invincible.”

  When the food was cooked, we broke out the liquor and started pouring shots for all of us. In less than an hour, we were all full of food and booze, and we had all gotten a little silly.

  Toward the end of the night, we all started singing various songs together, having fun, occasionally making funny quips about our upcoming wedding and enjoying each other’s company. During a pause when we were trying to determine what song to sing next, Darren poured us all shots and raises his glass.