The Deadbeat Next Door

by Katharine Sadler

  “Kayla,” I said, my voice as firm and as loud as I could manage, which wasn’t very much of either. “Mom, Dad, get the kids. We’re leaving.”

  Jenny, sweet Jenny, heard me and jumped out of her seat. “No, you’re getting married to Mr. Cody. He’s going to be our daddy.”

  My vision went red and a fury like I’d never felt before rushed through me. How dare he get the kids’ hopes up? How dare he tell them he was going to be their daddy without asking me first? Who the fuck did he think he was?

  Cody got close enough for me to reach and my hand flew out before I’d realized what I was going to do. It connected with his cheek with a loud smack and left a red mark behind. Gasps from the guests had my own face warming with embarrassment. I’d never hit anyone until I’d met Cody. He made me crazy. He made me into the worst version of myself. My anger returned when Cody’s expression changed to a smirk. “Feel better?” he asked. “Can we get married now?”

  “Are you crazy?” I asked. “Are you certifiably insane?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom and Dad ushering the kids away. I turned to watch them go. Jenny was in Kayla’s arms, sobbing. Shit, I’d just smacked her favorite person. I was going to win the award for worst guardian ever. If I didn’t lose my shot altogether as a result of this fiasco.

  “I just want to marry you.” Sincerity and fondness shone in his eyes, along with some other emotion I couldn’t recognize but that made my chest ache with longing. I wanted so badly for this to be real. “Does that make me crazy?” He smiled, like he thought this was an easily resolved situation and my anger was somehow cute.

  “I already told you I won’t marry you to help you convince Bart to sell you his property. You’re going to have to find some other local to play house with.”

  Finally, Cody’s smirk vanished and he frowned. “You think I’m doing this to get the property?”

  I felt like smacking him again. “Why else would you be doing it? You certainly don’t love me.”

  He took a step toward me and I took a step back. I needed to get away from him. I just needed to run. “Carrie. You’re wrong. I—”

  “I don’t want to hear your excuses,” I said. “Getting this property is all you’ve cared about. You haven’t been to see me or the kids more than one time during the past two weeks, yet you’ve got a new roof on the house. I think it’s very clear where your priorities are.”

  “Carrie, no. If you’d just listen…”

  But I didn’t listen, because I was already running away from him. I was running from him as fast as I could and I didn’t look back. Not once. And he didn’t come after me.

  ***

  I put the kids to bed and breathed a sigh of relief and sadness. Jenny had cried all the way home and for another hour after I put her to bed. Kayla claimed that Cody had just asked for their permission to marry me, but Jenny had built it up in her head, having no doubt that I would say yes, and assumed Cody would be moving back in with us immediately. Simon had stalked to his room and slammed the door behind him and even Kayla had been short with me. They might not admit it, but they’d been hopeful about how the day would turn out, too, and I’d let them down. I’d also revealed their hero as the kind of guy who would marry a woman to get a piece of acreage, but maybe they didn’t hear that part or, if they did, they didn’t understand.

  My parents were seated on the couch in the living room when I walked in. I sat in the big comfy armchair and let out a sigh. I loved my parents, but I just really wanted to be left alone so I could have a good cry and move on.

  “We’re so sorry, sweetie,” Mom said. “When Bart called us and invited us to the wedding, we thought…Well, we thought our plan had worked.”

  I was so exhausted that shock washed over me in a slow wave as I took in her words. “Plan?”

  Mom gave my father a look. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Norma Jane told us that you and Cody would be perfect for each other. She’s the one who found out that Cody was looking for property and she convinced Bart it was long past time he sold his old place. It was Bart’s idea to use the property as leverage to push you two together and Dilly—”

  “Dilly was in on this?” Damn it, why did my chest hurt so bad? Was I having a heart attack?

  “It was up to her to push you and Cody together a bit, make sure he thought of you when Bart made him the offer on the property—”

  “Dilly dragged us both to Philistine’s. She very nearly got me fired.”

  My dad chuckled, he actually chuckled, until he met my gaze, which was likely burning with the actual flames of hell and swallowed his amusement. “You have always been so dramatic, Carrie. You were never in any actual danger of losing your job.”

  I was so mad tears welled in my eyes. “You all played with my life, like…like I’m some sort of helpless doll, and you think it’s funny? Was I really making such a mess of things on my own?”

  “Of course not, dear,” my mother said, but she was biting her lip to hold back a condescending smile. She was lying. She and her friends just decided what was best for me and manipulated the situation. “All we really did was put you in each other’s way. It was up to the two of you to fall in love, to get to know each other, and see what Norma Jane and Bart saw right away.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, my throat tight. Why was it so hard to breathe? Could a person die of fury?

  “Why, that you two are perfect for each other,” Mom said. “Sweetheart, you take so much on your shoulders and you need a man like Cody to take care of you and remind you to have fun every once in a while.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I was going to move away, that’s all that was left for me. It was the only way I’d ever get any peace and escape from these meddlers.

  Mom frowned. “Yes, and of taking care of everyone else. I’m not questioning your ability, Carrie, but it would be nice to see someone take care of you for a change. You and Cody…You could take care of each other.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Cody’s name flash on the screen. I hit ignore and turned my phone off. “Well, your plan worked,” I said. “I fell in love with him, but he doesn’t love me back.” The words came out against my will. I’d fallen in love with a man who’d never make me a priority, who didn’t feel anything for me at all.

  Dad cleared his throat and leaned back on the couch. “We really thought he cared for you. Even his mother thought the two of you were destined to be together.”

  “Cody’s mom was in on this, too?”

  Dad chuckled. “She forced him to bring you to visit so she could meet you, see if she agreed with Bart and Norma Jane. She did, sweetie. We all want to see you and Cody happy and we think you could be happiest together.”

  “Well, you were all wrong. You should have stayed out of it.”

  “I told you a surprise wedding was a horrible idea,” Mom said, poking my dad with one long bony finger.”

  “The surprise wedding was your idea, too?” I asked. “Hadn’t you done enough?”

  “Actually,” Dad said. “It was May’s idea. I’m pretty sure there was alcohol involved in the planning, but it seemed like a romantic gesture and you are so darn stubborn—”

  A loud banging at the door made me jump.

  “I’ll get that,” Dad said. He was nearly giddy with relief at the opportunity to escape me. He pushed to his feet and left. He returned a moment later with May. “She wants to talk to you, Carrie.”

  “I’m sorry, May. But I’m exhausted. Can it wait?”

  “I’m sorry, Carrie. I screwed up, Cody screwed up, but it came from the right place.”

  “The place where his dream was more important than mine?”

  She tossed something in my lap. “Just read this. Read it and I’ll go.”

  I picked up the bundle of papers. It was a sale agreement for Bart’s property. Dated two weeks ago. Bart had sold the property to Cody two weeks ago, in exchange for money
and some arrangement about wine and visitation. “He already owns the property?” I asked, confused.

  May rested a gentle hand on my shoulder. “He already owns the property. He wanted to make a big gesture, Carrie. He wanted to prove to you how serious he is. I convinced him to make it a surprise wedding. Dilly and I thought it would be romantic, but clearly it wasn’t.”

  “But why? Why would he want to marry me?”

  “I think he should explain that to you,” she said. “Will you come with me?”

  I looked at Mom and Dad. I needed help on this one. “We’ll watch the kids,” Mom said. “You should at least hear what he has to say.”

  “Fine.” I was beyond pissed at them and likely never to forgive them, but I wanted answers. I stood and handed the papers back to May. “But I’m driving separately.”

  I followed her, having to drive a lot faster than I was comfortable with to keep up, back to Bart’s house. She parked and ran inside. Cody was on the front porch, sitting in a rocking chair. He’d changed into jeans and a t-shirt and he didn’t smile when I got out of the car and made my way over to him. My heart stuttered in my chest at the sight of him and I hated myself for still wanting him, for still loving him, even after everything he’d done.

  He stood and met me halfway. “I love you,” he said. “That’s what I should have led with at the wedding. That’s what I should have told you last week. I’m so, so sorry, sweetheart. I never suspected how it would look to you. I thought…I just wanted to do something big and splashy to let you know how I feel.”

  “I don’t need big and splashy,” I said, his words melting my anger. “I never have. I just need you to tell me how you feel. Maybe ask before you plan our next wedding.”

  He rubbed his temples like his head ached. “Yeah, that probably would have been the wiser route. That’s the last time I listen to May’s advice.”

  “Maybe not the last time. Everything about the wedding was perfect. I think that’s part of the reason I got so mad.” I reached up and touched his cheek. “I’m sorry I smacked you.”

  “That’s okay. You can smack me anytime you want as long as you never run away from me again.”

  “I’m not sure I can promise you that. You can be pretty stubborn and obnoxious.”

  He took my face in both of his hands and leaned in until his lips were almost brushing mine. “Carrie Harrison,” he said. “I am crazy, insanely, certifiably in love with you and I want you back in my life and my bed. You don’t have to marry me, yet, but just consider letting me back in your life.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay you’ll consider it, or okay you’ll let me back in?”

  I laughed. “You never can leave well enough alone, can you?”

  “Nope. Come with me, I want to show you a few things that may help you decide.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen those things.” I put my hand in his and let him lead me to the right of the house where a minivan was parked. “After I asked you to marry me and you said no, the first time,” he said. “I realized you had no reason to expect me to be a reliable husband or co-guardian. I wanted to prove to you that I’m serious about you and the kids, so the first thing I did was trade in my truck and buy a minivan that will fit all of us, comfortably.”

  My heart leapt into my throat and his words became more than just words, more than just a confession of his love, they became a promise of his commitment to us, of his intention of being a part of our lives for the foreseeable future. I turned to him, ready to tell him what it all meant to me, but he spoke first.

  “I got a new roof put on the house so that you and the kids can live here. I got the plumbing fixed so that you can be comfortable here. I didn’t do any of it for the winery.” He sighed. “That’s not entirely true. Fixing up the house is a step toward getting my winery off the ground, but I need the winery to be successful for us, for our family, and not just for me. Not anymore.”

  “Now I feel really bad about slapping you. But why didn’t you just tell me all this before? Why the surprise wedding?”

  “I didn’t think it would be enough. I thought I needed more to convince you to stay with me.”

  “You don’t need to do anything but love me,” I said. “Love me and love the kids. That’s all we need.”

  “Oh.” His cocky smirk was back in place. “I’m pretty sure I can do that.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “Kayla,” I said, sticking my nose into Kayla’s room, sticking just my nose into Kayla’s room. She might be a brilliant student and a capable and caring big sister, but she was a slob and I didn’t want to know how bad her room had gotten, because I’d feel compelled to clean it and I didn’t have time. “I’m leaving in ten minutes with or without you.” Now that the sole responsibility for Simon and Jenny wasn’t on Kayla all the time, she’d been smiling more, relaxing, and acting like a typical teenager. She’d stopped waking up when Jenny did and was sleeping in later as the months went by.

  She popped out of bed, her eyes only half-opened. “I’m awake.”

  She stumbled toward the bathroom and I hurried downstairs to finish getting myself ready to go. We were still living in Cody’s house. He might have fixed up Bart’s house so we could live there, but it made more sense for Nora to have free reign to make it into a profitable bed and breakfast. I knew Cody hated to have us so far away, especially when he worked such long hours at the winery, but it wouldn’t be forever. He had plans to build us a house on the property someday.

  The diamond on my left hand sparkled in the sunlight coming in through an upstairs window and I smiled. Cody had proposed shortly after his botched attempt at a surprise wedding, but I was in no hurry to get married. At first, it had been because we’d been waiting for the guardianship to be official and a new marriage could have prolonged that process. Now…Now I was waiting until Cody made some more progress on the winery. I wanted the picture-perfect wedding. I wanted the fantasy after our fake engagement and relationship. I wanted the most beautiful wedding in the most beautiful destination winery in Virginia. I wanted our wedding pictures to be the ones advertised on the website, the fantasy wedding that attracted others to his place.

  “Is she up?” Cody asked. He had Jenny’s small hand in his and was headed toward the front door, Simon in tow. Nora would understand if we were late to her Sunday brunch, but I didn’t want to have to eat cold eggs.

  Cody and I had eventually forgiven her and my parents, Bart, Norma Jane, and Dilly for their manipulative, pushy behavior, but we’d made sure they’d understood to stay out of our business in the future if they wanted to see us more than once a year. They’d agreed to our terms and I’d found it difficult to stay mad when I was so blissfully happy with Cody.

  “She’s up, but she’s not moving very fast.”

  “Jenny and Simon are ready to go. If you get them loaded in the van, I’ll try to hustle Kayla along.”

  I sighed, grateful for him in more ways than words could express. I paused a moment to take him in, his expression was concerned, but happiness danced in his eyes. He was in jeans and a dirty t-shirt that clung to his muscles. Muscles I now adored. He was ready for a day of work on his winery, his dream, after brunch of course. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Somehow, we all made it to Nora’s place, as we’d all come to call the bed and breakfast, just as she was putting food on the table. May, who was still in town and helping out at the winery, was there, along with Jonas, who’d been a regular visitor to Nora’s place, and Bart.

  I’d just loaded my plate with eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits when there was a knock at the door. Nora stepped out of the kitchen with a serving tray, Cody was cutting up a pancake for Jenny, and May and Jonas were having a quiet conversation that seemed serious, so I stood and headed for the door.

  My jaw dropped when I saw Aubrey standing on the porch. Aubrey’s smile was weak and she looked like she might want to turn and run. “I hope this isn�
��t a bad time?”

  “No,” I said. “No, it’s…You’re just in time for Sunday brunch. Come on in.” As she passed me to come inside, I noticed that her shape had changed, her belly was now rounded and full. “I just…I had no—”

  “Aubrey,” Nora said, coming up behind me. “Come on in.”

  I looked over at Nora, who didn’t look at all surprised about Aubrey’s arrival. I raised my brows, but she ignored me.

  Aubrey, however, didn’t miss the exchange. “I take it you didn’t tell anyone I was moving in.”

  Nora didn’t look repentant in the least. “When we last talked, you weren’t sure. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

  “Nora hired me to help out with the bed and breakfast,” Aubrey said. “She said there’d be room for me.”

  “It’s so good to see you,” I said. “Of course there will be room for you and your…Your baby.” I didn’t want to pry, but it would be weird to pretend I hadn’t noticed. Cody and May stepped up behind Nora, both with shocked expressions.

  Aubrey smiled and tears welled in her eyes. She swiped at them. “The baby is Noah’s. He doesn’t…I haven’t found a good way to tell him, but I thought Nora should know she was having a grandbaby.”

  “When she told me,” Nora said. “I insisted she move in here so I could help with my grandbaby and she could help with the business.”

  Aubrey gave a wobbly smile. “I was fired from my previous job. They said it was because they were downsizing, but it was pretty obvious they just didn’t want a single mother working for them.”

  Nora wrapped an arm around Aubrey’s shoulders. “Come on inside. I’ll get you some breakfast and show you around.”