Rock the Heart

by Michelle A. Valentine

  Chapter 12

  The dock was quiet, and I knew I only had about three hours or so to pull all this together while Lane took her mother for her appointment at the hospital. I set the boxes and bags down on the wooden planks and went back to retrieve more supplies. The Escalade was crammed full of decorations. Mom’s list was nuts, and had cost me a shit-ton of money, but it would be worth it. It almost felt like Christmas. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Lane’s face when she saw the dock adorned with flowers and soft-glowing candles. She’d know what I was doing the moment she saw it.

  Pulling a massive box out the trunk, a voice stopped me dead in my tracks. “Hello, son. Need a hand?”

  I swallowed hard at the sound of my father’s voice, and my entire body stiffened in preparation for the argument I knew was coming.

  I leaned back with the box in hand. “No, thanks. I’m pretty good at taking care of myself these days.”

  My father flinched and a jolt of satisfaction shot through me knowing my words had the possibility of hurting him just as much as his did to me. “Son, please. Can we talk?”

  I shook my head and turned to take the box down to the deck. I didn’t have time to do this now. Of all the opportunities he’d had to speak to me over the years, he chose the biggest fucking day of my life?

  I set the box down and turned around, nearly colliding with Dad as he set the box he carried down beside mine.

  He wasn’t taking the hint to get lost. I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him expectantly. He hadn’t changed too much since the last time I’d seen him, over four years ago. His height matched mine, but his build was slighter. The hair on his head was clean cut, just as I remembered, only now it was salt and pepper versus the dark color I was used to seeing. That was the only sign of aging I saw on him.

  Dad shoved his hands on his hips, clearly uncomfortable. “Look, Noel, I know when we last saw each other things ended on a bad note. I said some things...things I should never have said, and I’m sorry.”

  I rolled my eyes as a sarcastic laugh that I couldn’t stop escaped my lips. “You’re sorry? For what? Making the mistake of having a son that is only a disappointment to you? Because, really, I got it the first time. I don’t need you to come back and tell me again.”

  Dad ran his hand through his hair. It was a trait I’d inherited, both of us doing it when we didn’t know what to say next.

  “I was an asshole, and I was angry. I just didn’t want you to throw your life away. But I shouldn’t have said that, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret saying it.”

  Those were the words I had longed to hear him say for four fucking years. I held his unwavering gaze. He meant what he said. I threw my head back and closed my eyes. His apology rang in my ears. “Why now?”

  A ragged breath of his filled the silence. “Because I wanted to do it in person. I wanted to make sure you’d hear me out. When your mother told me about your project here today, I figured this was the perfect time to get you alone, and I hoped you’d listen to me.”

  I opened my eyes and stared at him, unsure of what to say in return.

  “You don’t have to accept my apology. What I said, back then, was harsh and I’ve hated myself everyday for saying it to you.” He took a tentative step towards me. “But I want you to know I didn’t mean it. You’re not a disappointment. If anything, I’m a disappointment to myself.”

  Dad was just as hotheaded as I was. That was where I got my temper from. Quick mouths were an undeniable trait in the Falcon gene pool. God knew I’d said so many things I hadn’t meant in my life in the heat of anger. I’d asked for forgiveness from Lane for the very same thing in the past few weeks. It would’ve been totally hypocritical to deny my father the chance to prove he was sorry, wouldn’t it?

  I bit my lip and nodded in agreement with my internal thought. Before I could say a word, Dad pulled me into a huge hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me. He must have taken my head gesture as a sign of acceptance.

  Initially I stiffened, but once inside his embrace, memories of the last time he’d hugged me flooded my brain. Graduation day—he’d been so proud. Both he and Mom knew what a struggle school had been for me growing up with dyslexia, so to them it was a huge deal that I had made it to that day. That was the last time my father said anything positive to me. He told me he was proud to be my father, which is why, I guess, it stung so much more when he called me a disappointment.

  My eyes burned as tears threaten to spill out of them. Dad gripped me tightly one last time before he patting my back and pulling back. I was surprised to find him wiping moisture from his own eyes. I sniffed and batted away a couple of tears of my own.

  “I bet we look like a couple of pansies, huh?” he joked. It was his way of lightening mood.

  I laughed at his lame attempt to be funny, and it felt good.

  “Yeah, we probably do.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and peered down at the boxes by our feet. “I guess we should get busy. Your mom told me about your grand plan for this place tonight. Marriage is a huge commitment. You think you’re finally ready to take the leap with Lanie?”

  I nodded confidently and was glad noise filled the empty space between us.

  “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life.”

  Dad smiled and gave my shoulder a manly squeeze. “Guess we’d better get busy then.”

  We worked until nearly sundown. For a while, I doubted we would even be able to pull it off, but luckily Mom came over and coordinated the decorations. In he short space of time we had, somehow we had transformed the boat dock into a beautiful floral garden. It was something straight out of a movie, with the archway of fresh flowers and gold and white fabric, tulle, and even more flowers covering every inch of the end of the dock—the spot Lane and I had spent so much time together.

  It was only right to ask her here. It brought our lives full circle. This was the site of all our firsts, so asking her to be my wife here fit perfectly.

  Mom finished lighting the last candle and I found myself mesmerized by the soft glow. Even as a guy, I could tell this was romantic. I sighed in contentment. Now it was just a matter of getting her out here.

  Mom wrapped her tiny arms around my waist as we took in the sight of all of our handy work together. “It looks great, honey. Lanie is going to love this.”

  I gazed down at her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Thanks, Mom. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” She pulled my head down and kissed my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

  Dad cleared his throat behind us. “Irene, we’d better go.”

  Mom nodded and gave me one last squeeze before letting go. “Will you come by tomorrow? I’d like for all of us to have a family dinner together. Bring Lanie, won’t you? She’s part of this family now, too.”

  I laughed. “She hasn’t said yes yet, Ma.”

  Mom waved her hands dismissively. “A technicality.”

  “We’ll be there.”

  “Good.” She smiled, clearly pleased with my answer.

  Dad stepped forward and held out his hand. “Good luck, son. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow,” I agreed.

  With that, they both made their way up the path and back toward their house. Building a relationship with Dad wouldn’t happen overnight. We’d have to work on it together. Everything in my life was suddenly starting to feel perfect. I had the woman of my dreams back in my life, a relationship that was finally on the mend with my parents, and a baby on the way.

  The last thought might have scared a normal twenty-two year old guy, but not me. Just the thought almost made me giddy. Sure, we weren’t exactly ready for a kid, and the timing wasn’t the greatest, but it was the perfect situation. I loved Lane with every inch of my being, and parenthood was something I couldn’t imagine wanting to share with anyone but her.

  A car door slammed shut and I jerked my head towa
rds the house. Lane and her mom must be back from town. My heart squeezed. On one hand I was so excited I felt as though I would burst, but on the other, fear caused my stomach to clench.

  What if she said no? Could I survive that?

  I raked my fingers through my hair before making my way up the dock.

  At the top of the hill, I noticed Lane helping her mother out of the car, and I felt a wave of panic like I’d never felt before. I ran over to the car.

  Lane’s eyes widened as I took over the brunt of Kathy’s weight. “Noel! I’ve got this.”

  I shook my head vigorously. “Not today you don’t. No lifting. I know that much.”

  A scowl filled her beautiful face. I knew she was pissed I was talking like this in front of her mother. If she caught even a whiff of our exchange Kathy would have questions. Lane had said she wanted to wait to tell her Mom about being pregnant after she had an appointment with a physician, but I wasn’t going to let her put herself at risk until she was brave enough to spill the beans. Maybe she was totally fine to help her mom out of the car but, damn it, that was my baby inside the love of my life. Neither of them were getting hurt on my watch.

  I grabbed Kathy’s arms and pulled her up to a semi standing position. “Scoot the wheelchair a little closer.” My eyes snapped to Lane as a thought crossed my mind. “You didn’t do this own your own at the hospital, did you?”

  Lane shook her head. “No, I pulled up to the emergency room door and asked for someone to bring a wheelchair to help, like you said.”

  “Good.” I turned my attention back to her mom. “Okay, Kathy, on three, I’m lowering you into the chair. One. Two. Three.”

  Once safely in the chair and with her casted leg carefully positioned, I wheeled her up the ramp and into the house. Lane followed us inside, shutting the door behind her. The sun was just starting to set, leaving the room a little dark. I flipped on the light and then situated the wheelchair between the sofa and chair, directly in front of the television.

  “Honey, do you mind getting me a glass of water and handing me the remote?” Kathy asked Lane.

  Lane smiled and darted into the kitchen. Kathy cleared her throat the minute she left the room. “Are either of you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  I raised my eyebrows and sat down on the floral patterned sofa so I could look her in the eye. “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve known you far too long for you to try to pull the wool over my eyes—either of you. When were you planning on telling me Lane’s pregnant?”

  I swallowed hard. Panic flooded me. I wasn’t ashamed that Lane was carrying my child—hell, I was ready to tell the world—but if I let slip to Kathy before Lane was ready to tell her, I would never hear the end of it. The best plan I could come up with in those few seconds was to act dumb and clueless.

  “What?”

  Kathy let out a sarcastic laugh just as Lane emerged from the kitchen, glass in hand. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” I answered quickly.

  Lane raised an eyebrow at me and twisted her lips. “Nothing, huh? Didn’t sound like nothing to me.”

  Desperate to get away from the situation, I stood and took her hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Lane’s gaze darted between me and her mother. “Okay?”

  She knew something was up. I had to get her out of the house so I could tell her that Kathy was on to us. I tugged her toward the front door, but as soon as my hand reached the knob I heard her mom say, “Noel, we’ll talk again later,” and my shoulders tensed. Lane was just like her mom sometimes, relentless, so I knew we’d have to come clean to her tonight. She wouldn’t let it go until we did.

  But I couldn’t worry about that right now. Right now, I had bigger things on my mind—like what this beautiful creature would say when I asked her a very, very important question.

  Chapter 13

  Lane’s tiny hand fit perfectly inside mine and I held on tight to it as I led her around to the back of the house. Nerves inside my skin jittered. What I was about to do hopefully would change both our lives. All I needed was for her to say yes.

  “What was that about in there? Did you say something to her?” Lane asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “No. Nothing. But she knows,” I answered.

  “Why did you make such a scene at the car?”

  I stopped and turned her to face me. “I’m sorry, but I was worried about you. Besides, Kathy’s smart. I’m sure she would’ve picked up on it soon anyhow. She point blank asked me in there when we were going to tell her that you’re pregnant.”

  Lane gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. What are we going to tell her?”

  She was starting to freak. I had to reel her back in. I placed both hands on her shoulders and dipped my head, forcing her to look me in the eye.

  “Don’t worry. We’re adults. Things are going to be okay. If this would have happened five years ago, yeah, she might have given us some shit. They all would have. But this baby, it’s part me and part you, so our families are going to love it.”

  A single tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb. “Things will be perfect, Lane. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish together, including raising our child together. Have faith in us.”

  She leaned her face into my palm, cupping it. “You really believe that?”

  “I do.”

  Lane threw her arms around my neck and pressed her tiny body against mine. “I love you.”

  “Forever,” I whispered before I pressed my lips to hers.

  She frowned when I pulled away and grabbed her hand again. “Where are we going?”

  I bit my lip. “There’s something down at the dock I want to show you.”

  When we came over the hill, I turned so I could watch Lane’s expression when she saw what we had done earlier. Her eyes trailed down the dock, taking in the sight of the flower arrangements and candles lined up along the edges. The white rose petals sprinkled everywhere was the perfect touch, and I was glad Mom added that in.

  “Noel? You did all this?” she asked still not removing her eyes from the scene.

  I cleared my throat. “Not totally on my own. I had some help.”

  “You did?”

  I nodded. “Yep. Mom and Dad.”

  Her head whipped towards me. “Frank was here? Did you talk to him?”

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Yeah. We’re working on things.”

  “That’s fantastic news!” she exclaimed, peering up at me. “I bet that makes your mom happy.”

  “And me, too. It’s hard to believe how much I actually missed him. This will be a good thing, especially now.” I placed my free hand on her stomach. “Our kid should know all of his grandparents.”

  “Or her grandparents,” Lane corrected.

  I laughed. “Or her. Come on. There’s more.”

  “More?” The skepticism in her voice was ill disguised.

  I led her carefully down the hill and once on the dock, I stooped down at the first arrangement and grabbed a single rose. It was a deep, rich red, and it reminded me of how deep she’d worked her love into my soul. There was no doubt in my mind that our love was eternal.

  She smiled as she took it from my outstretched hand. “Oh, Noel. It’s beautiful.”

  She put it to her nose and inhaled its luscious scent with her green eyes closed tight.

  “Yeah, you are.”

  She opened her eyes and grinned at me.

  We walked together to the end of the dock where two chairs faced each other surrounded by candlelight. My Gibson guitar leaned against the railing, just waiting for me to carry out my plan. I held my hand out, gesturing for Lane to take a seat.

  I sat across from her and picked up my guitar. She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up a finger to cut her off.

  “Before you say anything, just hear me out. I’ve had t
his planned from the moment you came back to me. Our current situation has no effect on my feelings for you, other than making me love you even more. I had no idea it was possible to love someone so much. But I love you, Lane. You are the one for me. The only girl.”

  A few soft cords sounded as I strummed the cords to an acoustic version of Only Girl originally by Rihanna but sung in the style of Boyce Avenue because it fit my feelings for Lane perfectly. I sang about how she made me feel like a real man, and that she was the only one who was in control of me. I gazed into her eyes and sang about making her my wife. She placed her fingertips to her lips as her eyes glistened.

  The best part of the song was conveying that every moment with her meant everything to me. Singing was the best way I could get out everything I felt. Music spoke to my heart, and I knew from past experience it spoke to hers too.

  I bit my lip as my emotions overtook me. The last verse came out, and I stopped strumming the guitar, completely lost in her eyes and the feelings I saw there. My voice softened as I got down on one knee in front of her and lay the guitar on the dock to continue the last chorus.

  “You’re the only one who understands.” I took her left hand in mine and kissed each one of her knuckles, lingering on the one above her ring finger the longest. She was truly the only girl in the world for me.

  A sniff from her drew my attention. Tears poured from her eyes and, unsure of what those tears meant, my heart pounded in my chest.

  “Lanie Vance, I have loved you from the moment I saw you. So many times I’ve dreamed of asking you to be my wife, and I think today is that day. I love you with every inch of me. I’m drawn to your fire and passion, and I don’t think I can ever be without it again. I want you every day for the rest of my life. You and our baby.” I leaned in and kissed her stomach and then my eyes met hers. “You two are my life. I’ve had this ring”—I pulled the princess cut diamond ring from my pocket—“since the day we went shoe shopping with Kyle, before you knew you were pregnant. This had always been my plan. Having a baby doesn’t change how I feel about you. You are my heart, Lane, and you always have been. Will you marry me?”