The Webster Grove Series

by Puckett, Tracie

  I arrived at the corner house on Main Street with a few boxes and a bag slung over my shoulder. The sun had already set and it wasn't necessarily the ideal time for moving in. Still, Alex said that parent-teacher conferences would run late and that he'd be home by eight o'clock.

  I showed up at the house to find his car missing from the driveway. I walked up the front steps and rang the bell regardless. The windows remained dark and there was no sign of life anywhere.

  I called Alex.

  With no answer, I sat down on the step ledge and waited.

  Something seemed odd. Alex wouldn't purposely ignore me.

  I heard a rustle in the driveway next door and looked up. Miss Bryan, Alex's neighbor, walked toward her car, wearing a gorgeous dress and overcoat.

  “Hi Miss Bryan!” I yelled, waving.

  “Oh, Steph!” she said, taken aback. “Honey, you scared me to death!”

  “Where are you heading all dressed up?”

  She pulled her coat tighter and clutched her purse closer to her side. “Just off to run some errands, sweetheart. Have a good night!”

  She got into her car and drove away without another word.

  My cell phone rang. I checked the screen to see Cal's name flashing.

  “Cal! Hey, do you have any idea where Alex might be?”

  “Nope, Steph, sorry,” he said. “But I have a major favor to ask—”

  “Okay?”

  “Could you come pick me up? I just left the restaurant and my car broke down—”

  “Yeah, absolutely. Where are you?”

  “Third Street. By the park—”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  I pulled up to the entrance of the gated park five minutes later and killed the engine. I looked down each side of the street and couldn't see Cal or his car.

  My cell phone chimed.

  “Cal, where did you go?” I asked into the device without checking the screen.

  “Hey, kiddo,” Alex said. “You're looking for Cal?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “He called and asked me to pick him up on Third Street, but he isn't here.”

  “Are you at the park?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  The call ended...

  ...Did he hang up on me?

  There was a tap on the window and I let out a blood curling scream. Alex was standing on the other side of the glass smiling. His face was cleanly shaven for the first time since I'd come home from Paris, his hair was trimmed shorter, and he wore blue jeans with his favorite black jacket over a white button up shirt.

  I cracked the window. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you were a murderer—”

  “So instead of driving away from the murderer, you just sat there and screamed like a baby?”

  “Ha-ha.” I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet at the house—”

  “Come on.” He opened the door. “I have a surprise—”

  “Alex, it's nine o'clock at night—”

  “Trust me,” he said. “You're going to want to see this.”

  I removed the seat belt and got out of the car. He took my hand as we moved toward the locked gate.

  “It's after hours. We can't get in—”

  “Not so fast, Miss Ghijk,” he told me. “Have some patience.”

  He pulled a large set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the tall iron gate.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “Shh,” he said, pulling me close. “I wanna show you something.”

  We entered the park and walked slowly down the paved pathway. I couldn't see anything along the way, but I knew that it didn't matter as long as I had Alex by my side. Ten minutes along the way, we climbed up an incline and reached the top of a big, grassy hill. The view below was spectacular. The moonlight danced off the surface of a large, seemingly endless pond, creating the most breathtaking reflection I'd seen in all my life. On the far side of the water was an area of illuminated lights, disguised by the surrounding forest trees.

  “What's back there?” I asked, watching the glow shine through distance branches.

  “What I want to show you.”

  “Which is...?”

  “Patience, kiddo. Patience.”

  We continued to walk down pathway and closer toward Alex's final destination. He grabbed my hand tighter and pulled me off the path and into the wooded area. We wound through the plants and large trees for five minutes until we reached a large clearing.

  My heart fell to my stomach.

  I stared at the clear, flat land ahead of me, illuminated by the lights overhead. Thousands of white stringed bulbs hung from the branches above, casting a glow on the area.

  From the place where I stood staring, all the way across the clearing, was a long stretch of white, textured aisle runner. On either side of the material were four aisles of yellow folding chairs. Daisies were hanging from the backs and the sides of the seating, and sporadically strewn about the opening in the woods.

  I turned to look at Alex and then back to the view in front of me.

  “What's going on?”

  “Look,” Alex whispered, pointing to the far side of the trees.

  Cal stepped out of the darkness.

  “What's he doing?” I asked. “Cal!” I waved. “Is your car okay?”

  “His car is fine, Steph,” Alex grinned. “Cal was just helping me get you to the park.”

  “For what?”

  “Look around,” he said. “You're getting married—”

  “Married?” I smiled. “Alex, are you crazy? We've never talked about this. We're not even engaged—”

  “Not yet.” He knelt down to his knee and pulled a small, black box from his pocket. “I haven't rehearsed a huge, elaborate speech to confess my eternal love for you. I don't have anything cheesy or cliché to say, but I do know this. I had to live five of the worst years of my life without you, and now that you’re here, I can't imagine ever losing you again. And it would make me the happiest man in the world if you would just answer one question for me.” I smiled and choked back tears as Alex opened the box to present a large, square cut diamond ring. “Abcdef Ghijk, will you marry me...tonight?”

  I wiped away a tear and stared into his big, hopeful, brown eyes. “Alex, we can't get married tonight.”

  “We can. Just say yes—”

  “We need a minister—”

  “We have Cal,” Alex said. “He's been ordained especially for the occasion.”

  “I don't have a maid of honor—”

  “Oh, yes you do!” Bridget said, stepping out from behind a nearby tree. She wore a beautiful yellow gown, just tight enough to show her now growing baby belly.

  “Bridge...”

  “And a flower girl too!” Gracie yelled, dramatically hopping out and following her mother. The two of them stood near the back aisle and watched as Alex remained on his knee.

  “But who's going to give me away?”

  Nick stepped into the clearing from the opposite side of the trees.

  “Dad,” I smiled, wiping a tear. I looked down and shook my head. “You don't have a best man—”

  “Of course he does!” Blake Rivera yelled from the end of the aisle where he joined his older brother Cal.

  “What about pictures? Someone has to take pictures—”

  “Please don't tell me that you forgot your best friend is the most incredible photographer in the world, Steph,” Nate said, stepping out of the darkness with his most treasured camera hanging from his neck. “And I think... you're only missing one thing now.”

  “I am?” I asked looking around. “What?”

  “A dress,” I h
eard a familiar voice say behind me. I turned to see Mischa Cunningham holding a garment bag with a beautiful white gown tucked safely inside. “Don't worry, I didn't make it.”

  I laughed and watched as she joined the rest of my family and friends at the edge of the aisle.

  “Steph?” Alex said, holding the tiny jewelry box a little higher. “No more excuses. You have everything you need right here. All the bases are covered, so please... don't make me ask you again...”

  Friday October 27, 10:30PM

  I stared into Alex's beautiful brown eyes as he stood holding my trembling hands.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Alex, my dear brother,” Cal said, proudly. “You may kiss your beautiful bride.”

  Alex pulled me closer and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to my lips. “I love you Mrs. Rivera.”

  I smirked. “And I love you, Mr. Rivera.”

  Alex and I turned to smile at our friends and family. Nate snapped away on his camera, trying to hide his streaming tears behind the equipment. His mother and my father sat next to one another in the front row, smiling ear to ear and clapping. Karen Holt-Rivera, Blake's incredibly pregnant wife, even rose to her feet with a genuine smile. Emilio Rivera, Alex's grandfather, cried a river of tears as he watched his grandson stand in front of the group. Mischa, and a few of her closest friends, sat side-by-side with Barbara Basting and a couple of Alex's coworkers from the high school. Even my former fiancé occupied one of the few seats in the audience. Isaac winked at his wife and daughter as they stood to my side. Blake Rivera patted his brother on the back.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Calvin said loudly to the few smiling members of our ceremonial audience. “Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rivera!”

  Epilogue

  Saturday July 21

  “Welcome home little guy,” Alex said, carrying a tiny bundle of blue blankets into the house. He looked at the newborn swaddled in his arms and grinned. “Steph, go lay down for a bit before everyone gets here. You need rest--”

  “I'm fine,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “Not at all tired—”

  “Liar,” he said, swaying the baby back and forth.

  The doorbell rang as Alex sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the living room.

  I opened the door to find Nate on the porch. “I told you to wait until I got home! Don't you listen?”

  “Sorry,” I said. “It's not like I could keep him in once he decided it was time.”

  Nate shot over to the other side of the room and stared at the sleeping newborn in Alex's arms.

  “Oh, guys,” he whispered. “He's such a beautiful little guy—”

  “Just like his daddy,” I commented, taking a seat on the edge of the couch to admire my family.

  “Did you guys decide on a name? I know when I talked to Steph on the phone it was still up in the air—”

  “We did—”

  “Finally,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.

  “It's a process,” I said for the millionth time in three days. “The name you give your child says a lot about who they are. I'm sorry if I didn't agree with every stupid suggestion you came up with—”

  “Needless to say,” Alex told Nate. “We settled on one.”

  “And?”

  “Well,” I sat up. “Nate, I'd like to formally introduce you to the latest addition to our inner circle, Nathaniel Alexander Rivera.”

  Nate's expression disappeared. He looked between Alex and I and then back to the baby. “You named him after ... me?”

  “After my two favorite men,” I said, smiling.

  “I fought for Alexander Nathaniel, but it wasn't going to happen.”

  Nate smiled and wiped away a single tear. “Can I hold him?”

  “Will you promise not to drop him?” Alex asked condescendingly.

  “No,” Nate answered honestly. “But I can promise that I'll try not to.”

  Alex rolled his eyes and carefully passed little Nathaniel to Nate.

  The doorbell rang again, but before I had time to answer, Emilio, Adriana, Blake, Karen, Blake Jr, Miss Bryan, Cal, Nick, Isaac, Gracie, and Bridget, holding my three-month old niece Lila, came strolling through the door with balloons, presents, and goofy smiles.

  I watched as the group of our closest friends and family gathered around the two Nathaniels in the rocking chair.

  Alex took my hand and pulled me close. “One down, one to go?” he whispered.

  I smiled. “Two to go.”

  “Three kids?” he asked with wide eyes. “Wow, that's ambitious.”

  “Three,” I said adamantly. “Three Rivera boys.”

  “No daughters?”

  I shook my head. “I'm perfectly happy being the only girl in your life, thank you very much.”

  He grinned. “That's a lot of pressure to put on one man.”

  “You'll be fine,” I assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

  The group continued to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s' company for the next half hour. I finally carried the baby to the guest-room-converted-nursery to lay him in the crib away from all the noise. Turning the monitor on, I left the room and rejoined the crowd of family and friends.

  Bridget bounced her newest daughter in her arms while Gracie clung to her father's leg. I smiled as I thought back to the first day I'd met Bridget... how far we've come. Staring at Isaac I realized how much I needed him in my life. He was the family I always wanted and never had. I'd been blessed to have a brother who cared for me the way he had over the years.

  In the corner, Nate was talking Alex's ear off about his recent trip to Paris where he finally met Christopher's parents. Not too long after they started dating, Christopher came out to his mom and dad. Much to his surprise, they were more supportive than he'd ever expected. He and Nate had been together for nearly nine months.

  More than any other friend I'd made in my entire life, Nathaniel Bryan had a piece of my heart that would never belong to any other man. He was always there— protecting me, guiding me, and pushing me in the right direction. I owed him my life.

  Blake and Karen sat staring googly eyed at their newest addition, Blake Jr. It made me happy to see that two people who I'd once hated so much were now happily married and getting along in the world like normal, friendly human beings.

  Nick was sitting on the couch talking to Nate's mother. Nicholas Peyton was the filler of the empty hole I'd been carrying in my heart for twenty-three years. Once he came into my life, and all the drama, secrets, and lies were behind us, I made a vow to make him one of my greatest priorities. Nate's mother, one of the two women who'd always loved and cared for my best friend, had found a friend in Nick after her divorce from Nate's father four years ago.

  Adriana and Emilio were in the corner of the living room, enjoying conversation with one another, but not socializing with any of the other guests. Alex and Adriana had never patched things up, and I had my doubts that they ever would. He was still angry about the way she'd treated me, and she was still hurt that he couldn't see her side. Emilio chose to stay out of it, which I admired.

  And then there was Cal...

  “I have something I'd like to say,” Nick said, standing from the couch and getting everyone's attention. “But first, I want to check something. Is everyone done with their engagements, surprise weddings, and/or pregnancy announcements?” The group laughed and nodded. “Okay, then.”

  “What's going on dad?” Isaac asked.

  Nick smiled. “I've been waiting almost a year to tell you guys, but the timing was always off. First Bridge and Isaac got engaged, then Steph, then Steph again, and then the babies started popping out left and right.” He took a deep breath and turned to Nate's mother on the couch. “I've been dating this beautiful young woman for nearly two years. We didn't want to say anyth
ing unless we knew for sure that it was going to go somewhere, for the sake of the kids, but now there's no better time to announce that we are getting married.”

  I shot a look at Nate whose eyes widened and mouth dropped.

  “Nate!” I yelled. “You're going to be my brother!”

  He smirked and looked back at his mom and my dad. “You guys are serious? You're getting hitched?”

  “Next summer,” Miss Bryan said.

  Everyone congratulated them and gathered around to wish them their best. Cal, though, sat quietly on the corner of the chair on the opposite side of the room, watching it all fall together.

  I walked over and took the seat next to him. “Pretty great stuff, huh?”

  He nodded. “And they all lived happily ever after,” he mumbled.

  “Did they?” I asked, taking his hand. “You're not happy, are you Cal?”

  “I should be,” he answered honestly. “Both of my brothers are married with children, and my best friend has found the love of his life. I should be happy for them, but...”

  “You want it for yourself too.”

  “Yeah.” he nodded.

  I hugged him, not knowing what else to do. More than anyone in this room, Calvin Rivera deserved to have someone to love, hold, and come home to every night...

  The gathering went on for another half an hour or so. I tiptoed back to the nursery to check on the quiet baby, admiring his beautiful, round, plump, Rivera face.

  “Never wake a sleeping baby,” Alex whispered behind me.

  “I wasn't going to,” I assured him, turning to wrap my arms around him. “I love you, Alex.”

  “Mmm, I love you too, kiddo,” he said sweetly as we watched Nathaniel Rivera sleeping soundly in the crib.

  The doorbell rang and we walked out together to rejoin the group and see who'd arrived.

  Calvin was standing at the door, welcoming in Barbara Basting. She flew through the room with open arms and pressed a kiss on the side of Alex's cheek and then mine. “Congratulations you two!”

  “Thanks” we said in unison as she turned back and looked at Cal.