And then a final screen.
“Will you marry me, Jen?” was all it read.
The lights started to come on slowly, and I glanced over to Hunter beside me. He was kneeling on the floor next to me, holding out a ring in a small, black box. Tears were pouring down my face and I was sure I looked like a hot mess, but it didn’t matter right then. All that mattered was Hunter.
“Jen, I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow, or even six months from now. I know I hurt you, and that we have a lot of learnin’ about each other left to do,” he began. “But I want you to know that there’s nothing on this earth that’s going to pull me away from you and our baby again. I’m here for the long haul.” Hunter smiled crookedly and pulled a pretty white diamond ring out of its box, holding it out to me.
“Say you’ll marry me… eventually… Jen. Say you’ll let me love you until the end of time,” he said gently. “Say you’ll make me the happiest man in the world.”
I sniffled and wiped my eyes on another napkin. “I love you, Hunter Wright,” I answered softly. I smiled crookedly. “And I guess you’re really gonna be stuck with me now,” I answered softly.
Pausing, I watched Hunter’s eyes widen. He was terrified.
“Yes, Hunter, I’ll marry you… eventually,” I said with a wink.
Hunter whooped loudly, standing up and gathering me gently in his arms. My stomach took up a lot of space and he laughed, reaching down and enveloping my belly in his arms.
“You hear that? Mommy is going to marry your daddy,” he whispered hoarsely to my tummy. “How lucky is Daddy, huh?”
Tears streamed down my face. Joy and love shown from Hunter, and I felt so very blessed. Soon, I was aware of a lot of banging from close by. Hunter grinned crookedly and nodded to the movie booth. I glanced behind us.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we have an audience,” Hunter said offhandedly, with a small, roguish smile.
My eyes rounded. What in the world?
A few moments later, the theater was filled with everyone I loved. Beth and Matt, Pastor and Mrs. Wright, and Daniel and Keith. I gasped as I was surrounded by Hunter’s family… and now my family. Mrs. Wright was crying and so was Beth, but everyone was congratulating us and clapping Hunter on the back.
It was chaos.
It was loud.
It was perfect.
“Are you sure you should be doing this as big as you are?” Hunter asked.
I turned to him and stared him down with a withering glare. “I’m sure I did not hear what I think I just heard,” I gritted out.
Hunter winced. “What I meant was, can’t this wait until after the baby is born, sweetheart?” he amended sweetly.
I blew out an exaggerated puff of air, moving the hair hanging in my eyes. “When am I gonna find time to get all this done after the baby arrives?” I asked. I looked around the kitchen. Pots and pans were everywhere, drawers and cabinets had been emptied out, the curtains had been taken down, and I had one hand full of newspapers and the other gripping a bottle of window cleaner.
“Jen, the baby is going to be here any day now. Your due date is tomorrow, and the doctor said your body is getting ready to deliver.” Hunter looked around at the mess I’d made and shook his head. “I’m just not sure you should be doing all this work.”
“Well, the spring cleaning ain’t gonna do itself,” I said, spraying the windows over my sink. “I mean, did you see the dirt come off that ceiling fan?” I asked, waving toward the once-dirty ceiling fan in the center of the room.
“Your kitchen was immaculate before, sweetheart,” Hunter reasoned. “I could do all this for you. Why don’t you go and put your feet up or somethin’?” Hunter suggested.
“I can’t, Hunter,” I answered. “I realize I’m acting kinda crazy… but I’m feelin’ kinda crazy right now.” I sat the bottle down on the counter and wiped the window with my newspapers.
“You ever feel like you’re about to crawl out of your skin?” I asked. “Like something’s about to happen and you have no control over it whatsoever, so you grasp onto all the things you do have control over?”
Hunter nodded and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Well, this is the only thing I have control over right now, and I’m graspin’ the hell out of it,” I explained. “I just want everything perfect for the baby’s arrival. I’ve got reservations for the inn every single week for the next three months and all the baking that will be waiting on me once I’m back from maternity leave… I just don’t want to have to worry about cleanin’ and such on top of everything else.”
Hunter came over and stood in front of me. He pushed the hairs that had escaped my messy bun out of my eyes and grinned at me. “Okay. I get it. We’ll get this done today then. I’ll make sure of it,” Hunter agreed. He leaned forward and kissed me on the tip of my nose. “But if you try climbing a ladder again today, I’m going to tie you to a bed until the baby decides to come,” he threatened.
I swallowed and nodded my head. “It’s a deal,” I said with a tiny salute. Hunter gave me a small kiss and then turned on his heel to finish scrubbing out the drawers and cabinets. I returned to the windows.
“The baby’s been awful calm in there today,” I said, rubbing my tummy. “She’s hardly kicked me at all.”
“Well, the doctor said that would happen once we got closer to your due date since the baby’s startin’ to run out of space and all that,” Hunter answered.
I sat my cleaning supplies down and started washing my hands off in the sink. “I’m going to go grab the curtains off the line,” I said, heading for the back door.
“Okay.”
I took a deep breath as I walked outside. My backyard was the epitome of spring. Flowers startin’ to bloom, a nice, warm breeze blowing through. I closed my eyes when I reached the clothesline. I loved this time of year. I loved spending time out here in my garden and even hanging my linens to dry on the line. There was something serene and cleansing about the whole process. Maybe it was because my momma had loved it, and I had so many fond memories of us together hanging clothes and talking. Maybe it was the time alone and the fresh, country air I enjoyed most. Whatever it was, it made me smile. I reached up and took the clothes pins off the kitchen curtains. I held them to my face and inhaled. Clothes even smelled better when they were fresh off the line.
A dull ache in my lower back knocked the smile right off my face. I’d been feelin’ that all day. I hadn’t told Hunter. I didn’t want to worry him. I was sure it wasn’t anything anyway. Just random pregnancy pain, and man, had I had a lot of that the past few weeks. I began walking up to the house when another dull ache in my back, combined with a sharp pain shooting around my lower abdomen, took me by surprise. I gasped and laid a hand on my stomach. Ouch. I came back into the house a whole lot less cheerful than when I had went out.
“Can we hang these real quick?” I asked, pasting a smile on my face.
“Sure,” Hunter said, coming over to help me put them on the curtain rod and then hanging them up for me.
“I’m almost done with these cabinets. I’ll start putting everything back in the drawers as soon as I’m done,” Hunter said with a smile.
I smiled back and then turned to get myself a glass of ice water. Maybe I did need to take it easy. After the kitchen was finished, I’d talk Hunter into a movie up in my room. I could relax on the bed for a few hours.
“How about a movie after this?” I said, voicing my idea as I walked across the room to sit down for a second.
“Sounds great,” Hunter said, not looking up from his work. Another pain came, hurting enough to stop me in my tracks and pulling a small gasp from my lips. Hunter stilled, his head whipping around to find me standing in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a glass of water with one hand and my stomach with the other.
“Jen?” Hunter asked quickly. “What is it, sweetheart?” He dropped what he was doing immediately and rushed over to help me to the table. T
he pain was gone by the time I sat down. Hunter was kneeling next to me, his brow creased in worry. I laid a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s over now. I guess I did overdo it,” I said with a small, apologetic smile.
Hunter searched my face, clearly not even close to being satisfied with that answer. “How long have you been in pain?” he asked seriously.
I shrugged. “I just had some dull aching in my lower back today,” I answered honestly. “The sharp pains didn’t start until I went to get the curtains off the line.”
“Okay. So, what do you need me to do?” he asked. “You need something to eat? A pillow for your back? We should get you upstairs to rest.”
Smiling, I reached over to kiss him lightly on the lips. I felt like it’d been an eternity since I met Hunter Wright. I was sure I’d love him for at least that long. “I’ll go upstairs if it will make you feel better,” I said softly. I stood from my chair with his help and walked out of the kitchen.
“Maybe I’ll watch some HGTV for a while or something,” I said as we entered the living room.
“Sound like a plan,” Hunter said distractedly.
I raised my foot to climb the first stair to go upstairs when another pain hit me with enough juice to take my breath away. Son of a….
“Jen?” Hunter grasped me around the waist and led me over to an armchair. “Jennifer Collins, speak to me, sweetheart,” Hunter begged.
I realized I’d sucked in a breath and was concentrating so hard to get through the pain that I’d tuned Hunter’s voice right out. “I’m fine,” I gasped out. “I’m fine.” I glanced up at Hunter, gave him a little smile, and shrugged.
“It looks like you better grab my overnight bag from upstairs,” I said. Hunter’s eyes widened into two saucers. “My phone and purse too.” Hunter stood there staring at me, a deer in headlights. I clucked my tongue.
“Not to freak you out any more than necessary, but you’d better get a move on, babe,” I nudged. Hunter snapped out of his frozen state and took the stairs two at a time. I heard doors slamming open and winced. I sure hoped he didn’t break anything. He was back downstairs just about the time the next contraction hit me.
“Get the car, Hunter,” I gasped. “And call Beth and your momma. We’re about to have a baby!” Hunter had his phone in his hand and hit call before the words had completely left my mouth. He was on his way out the door when I heard his words to his brother Matt.
“It’s time. Operation I’m Gonna Be a Daddy is a go!”
Even through the pain, I couldn’t help but smile.
“You can say it now,” Beth whispered from her coveted spot on the edge of the bed. She was holding the baby, not even looking at me.
I rolled my eyes. I knew this was coming. “I don’t know what you mean,” I said.
Beth glanced up from the bundle in her arms and raised a brow before quickly looking back at the baby. “Don’t play coy, Jennifer Collins. You know exactly what I mean,” she answered back.
Mrs. Wright, the only other person in the room at the moment, snorted. “Better tell her what she wants to hear, Jen,” she said. “She ain’t gonna let you rest until she hears it.”
I harrumphed as well as I could while wearing a hospital gown and reclining back in a bed. “Fine,” I said finally. “You were right,” I answered.
Beth grinned, but she still didn’t look at me. She was mesmerized by the little one in her arms. We all were. Mrs. Wright had to threaten Hunter and the rest of the Wright guys out with things only a momma could threaten them with to make them go get some food and for Hunter to get a shower before coming back to the hospital.
“That’s right,” Beth cooed at the baby. “Your Auntie Beth knew all along you were a little princess.”
I shared a glance and a small smile with Mrs. Wright. And Beth had been right, of course. Exactly six hours and twenty-two minutes after we made it to the hospital, little Elizabeth Grace Wright was born, weighing in at seven pounds and eleven ounces. Named Elizabeth for Beth, of course. And Grace for my mother, Evelyn Grace Collins. She was all of twenty inches long and the most beautiful baby in the entire universe. And she’d been told as much a hundred times in the past twenty-four hours since she’d made her debut into the world.
“When will they let you go home?” Mrs. Wright asked.
“As long as everything looks good with the baby and me, it looks like we’ll be discharged tomorrow morning,” I answered. And it wouldn’t come a moment too soon. I was ready to get out of the hospital and get back to the comfort of my own home. I’d never been a fan of hospitals… too many bad memories.
“You guys did good, Jen,” Beth murmured, holding a hand out to me.
I smiled and grasped her hand in mine. “Thank you, Beth,” I whispered, fighting the tears. There’d been enough of those the past few days.
“We should go and let Jen and the baby get some rest,” Mrs. Wright suggested.
Beth sighed and placed a gentle kiss on the baby’s tiny head. “Yeah, I guess I’ve kept them awake long enough, hogging up all the baby snuggles,” Beth said. She handed the baby to me and stood next to Mrs. Wright.
“We’ll see you back at the inn tomorrow,” Mrs. Wright said softly. I nodded at her and Beth. The baby was snuggling into my chest and fighting her sleep. And I was helplessly under her spell.
Hunter just couldn’t stay away. He was supposed to come and pick us up at the hospital the next morning, but here he was, entering the room behind a nurse later the same evening. At least he looked refreshed and showered. His eyes lit up when he entered the room and found me and the baby awake and sitting up in bed.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Hunter murmured before placing a kiss on my lips and then one on the baby’s forehead.
“You talkin’ to me or your newest little sweetheart?” I asked.
Hunter flashed me a wide smile and then one at his daughter. “Both,” he answered softly. “Can I take her?” he asked.
I nodded and helped him pick her up gently. He sat down next to me in a rocking chair. “You know she’s going to be spoiled rotten before we ever leave the hospital, don’t you?” I asked with a happy sigh.
Hunter shrugged. “If this is spoiling her, then I’m a hundred percent for it,” he answered. I smiled as I watched him with little Grace. It was clear to anyone with two good eyes, heck, even one would do the job—that Hunter Wright was head over heels in love with the little bundle in his arms.
“She’s going to want to be held all the time,” I warned.
“Well, then, I’ll just quit my job, sell the business, and become a full-time baby holder,” he answered seriously.
I snorted. “You just want to make her a daddy’s girl,” I accused with a smile.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Hunter asked with a twinkle in his eye. “Then I’d have the two most beautiful girls in the world under my spell,” he said with a wink.
“Oh really?” I asked with a raised brow. “You got me under your spell, huh?”
Hunter looked down into the face of our daughter and smiled, his face full of wonder and love. “You’re right,” he agreed. “I’m the one under the spell.” He looked up at me as he held the most precious thing on the planet to either of us in his arms and smiled.
“And I never want to be anywhere else,” he said softly.
“You guys look like you spent a lot of time in the sun!” Beth said. She only sounded a little jealous.
I grinned over at Hunter, who was talking with his dad and brothers as they stood around the barbeque grill. Hunter winked at me, and I blushed. We sure had. Our honeymoon had been beautiful and relaxing. It had lasted two weeks and had taken us forever to finally get around to. Six months after we’d married, in fact. Time flew when you were busy and had a two-year-old to care for. For our honeymoon, we had gone swimming, snorkeling, took surfing lessons, and even spent some quality “alone time” on our private beach one evening. A lot of things checked off my bucket list, I thought
with a grin.
“Oh my, I don’t even want to know what that smile is all about,” Beth said with a smirk.
I cleared my throat and shook my head.
“Momma… Daddy say… Uncle Matt likes ‘em,” my little princess said as she patted my arm.
I glanced into the bucket and squealed. A frog. Ick.
“Okay, honey, well, how about you go and show Uncle Matt then?” I said with a gentle push. Grace was wearing a leopard print T-shirt, a pink tutu, and a pair of brown cowboy boots. All curtesy of Auntie Beth. I rolled my eyes. I had to admit, though, Grace reminded me a lot of her Aunt Beth. Same wild and restless spirit, same heart of gold, same inexplicable love for cowboy boots.
“So, when do you find out what you’re having?” I asked. Beth laid a hand on her tiny stomach and growled. I was grinning.
“Not for another four weeks,” she said. “Doggone kid. Now we have to wait until they can fit us in at the place that does those fancy ultrasounds.” Beth frowned. She had been very displeased when the doctor couldn’t tell for certain what she was having.
I grinned. “Well, you know what I think…” I said.
Beth held up her hand. “Don’t you dare, Jennifer Wright. I’m warning you,” she shrieked.
I just sat back and took a sip of my sweet iced tea, watching her from over the rim of my glass. She didn’t want to hear my predictions. She is so havin’ a boy, I thought to myself with an evil chuckle. Beth raised a warning finger, and I laughed.
Matt came over, kissing Beth on the cheek and rubbing her stomach. He was beaming with love for his wife and their unborn child. In a few months, Grace would have a little cousin to play with.
Grace’s giggles and screeches drew my attention to her. Her daddy was chasing her around the yard. When he caught her, he lifted her up over his head and blew on her exposed tummy. I smiled softly. Hunter then carried her over to her grandpa and uncles, where they all pretended to fight her big, bad daddy to win the hand of the fair princess. It was times like this that I was reminded just how much I had to be thankful for. And at times like this, I was sure I could feel my momma’s presence all around me.
Perfect Contradiction Page 13
