A Week for Love to Bloom (22 page)

He
took Lauren back to Andrew’s to get her car. It’d been an unusually long, eventful day, and Lauren was tired. The baby was taking what it needed, and she could tell.

“
I’m afraid to let you go,” Justin said, hugging Lauren next to her car. “I really need time with you tomorrow. There’s something I want to show you, so can you beg your mom for one more day off?”

“I can take off.
Mom will have Ashley to help her. Even though I’m better now, Mom is still worried about me working after the fall, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, and I fired Brett after you left that day. I figured you’d be glad to hear it.”

“
That’s a person I’m glad to see leave for Vanderbilt.”

“Believe it or not, he was trying to g
et me to go back with you.”

“
That’s shocking. Can I pick you up around lunch time? I want to go out before it gets too hot.”

“
I’ll be ready. I love you, Justin.”

Before Lauren went to bed, she found the b
ox her diamond bracelet came in. The square ultrasound picture fit in it perfect. She found some white, blue, and pick ribbon in her mom’s craft supplies. She tied a small bow with all three colors combined on top of the box and felt her stomach flutter with fear and excitement.

Lauren
was worrying about his reaction. She knew he wanted kids, but she didn’t know how he’d handle having one right before he graduated college. She knew he’d be concerned about being able to provide for them.

Lau
ren looked out the window after she showered the next morning. She saw the deep blue sky that reminded her of Justin’s eyes. Wondering what color the baby’s eyes would be, she placed her hand on her stomach.

Lauren put
on the thin sundress Justin had loved when they made out in the back of his truck. It reminded her of how much had happened in such a short amount of time.

She placed Justin’s gift in h
er purse and waited for him. Lauren saw him pull in the drive and watched in awe as he walked to the porch wearing khaki shorts and a white polo. His dark hair had that messy look she loved so much, and she thought he was hotter than ever in his black shades. She could never grow tired of looking at him.

“Hi, beautiful.
You’re glowing today,” Justin said as he kissed her cheek and took hold of her hand. Lauren had to hide her face. She couldn’t believe he said she was glowing.

“Where are we going?”

“First, I’m taking you somewhere nice for lunch, and then I have something special to show you.”

Lauren was relieved they we
re eating first. She was noticing an increase in her appetite.

He took her to a quaint, privately owned restaurant. One whole side was glassed in overlooking a beautiful lake. It was undoubtedly the nicest place to eat near Masonville.

“You’re spoiling me. First you buy me jewelry, then a house and a business, and now this. You’re always full of surprises.” She was grinning ear to ear.

“Lauren, you deserve more than I could ever give you, but
I’ll do my best.”

“Stop,
you’ve given me everything I need, and I mean everything.” Lauren was tempted to give him his gift at that moment but decided to wait until the next place since Justin was genuinely excited about it.

“Are you rea
dy to go?”

“Yes,
I’m curious,” Lauren said excitedly.

She
noticed they were driving toward the direction of her home and Justin’s parents’ home. Her stomach was doing flip flops, and she couldn’t decipher if it was from the baby or from her nerves. They started slowing down near a gravel road.

“Here we are,” Justin said as they turned onto the gravel road. It was a long dri
veway and about half way down Lauren spotted a small lake with cattails growing all around. It sat below a rolling hill of tan and yellow hues. She eyed the flourishing massive oak and maple trees filling the back of the property.

“
It’s beautiful,” she said.

Justin stopped the truck just passed the lake
. He jumped out and went around to help Lauren out. He grabbed a blanket behind the seat, and when Lauren wasn’t looking he reached for her ring in the glove box.

“What are we doing here?”

“Will you sit with me by the lake?” he asked.

“S
ure.” She sighed wondering when she’d get an answer.

“Just come with me.”

Lauren sat on the blanket as lady like as possible in her short sundress. Justin sat facing her with his legs crossed. She noticed his hands shaking as he took hers, squeezing them tight.

“Baby, t
his is my property. It’s five acres that my grandparents left to me. I’ve debated on selling it many times, and I’m extremely grateful I didn’t.”

“Wow, you haven’t said a word
about it. It’s breathtaking here, Justin.”

“Lauren, the last few months have been the best
of my life. The only painful parts were when I thought I lost you, and those were significant because they confirmed the depth of my love for you. The passion between us is without a doubt the most intense emotion I’ve ever felt. I didn’t want to get out of your truck that first night, and I haven’t wanted to be away from you one second since.” Justin started getting up on one knee. 

A few joy
ful tears filled Lauren’s eyes as she relished in his loving words. She believed he was going to stand them both up, but once he pulled out the ring box the lightheaded feeling returned, and she was thankful she was sitting. She felt her heart dance from the anticipation.

Justin, shaking even more, opened the box in front of her. Lauren sucked in a loud breath. The ring sparkled in
the sunlight, and had an antique looking setting with a circle shaped diamond in the middle.

“Lauren, I’ve
never wanted a thing from this town, and now it holds my entire future. Please do me the honor of being my wife, so I can wake up to your beautiful smile every morning, build a home for us to raise our children in and make all the possibilities we’ve dreamed about a reality. Lauren Evans, will you marry me?”

They were both trembling as heavy
tears filled her eyes, causing them to shimmer. She placed one hand on her stomach and cupped his face with the other.

“Yes, Justin. I would love to marry you.”

He placed the ring on her finger, and in one swoop, he picked her up and gave her a hug, enclosing her once again in his warm embrace. Justin gave her a long, sensual kiss. The magnetic sparks were flying between them as their kiss intensified. They hadn’t made love in weeks, and their craving for each other’s touch was almost too much for them to control.

Lauren pulled her trembling lips from his.
“I have a gift for you.”

“Baby, I don’t need anything but your warm body pressed
against me.”

“I can’t return thi
s,” she said with a nervous smile. Lauren walked to the truck to get the box. Justin paced near the blanket as adrenaline continued to flow through him. Lauren pulled the box out of her purse and took a deep breath.
When she returned to the blanket, she handed it to him.

He raised
an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t have bought me anything.”

“I
promise I didn’t buy it.”

Justin smiled with curiosity and pulled the ribbons from the box. He opened it slo
wly and stared inside for what Lauren felt like was an eternity. His eyes filled with urgency, widening to their fullest potential.

“Lauren, am I looking at what I think
I am?” He grabbed one of her hands. The yearning in his eyes for the answer was remarkable.

“Yes,
that’s our baby. I’m pregnant, Justin,” Lauren answered nervously.

He
let go of her hand and pointed at the picture. She could see the deep rise and fall of his chest.

“And this
... this is a picture of our baby?” He asked in a quiet voice, never taking his eyes off the tiny dot on the paper.

“
Yes. I’m almost ten weeks. I know it’s shocking and not the best timing.”

He
lowered himself to the blanket. Lauren was starting to feel queasy from the heat and his lack of response.

“Justin, please say something.”

He looked up at Lauren with a shocked expression as sweat dripped from his forehead. “Sit, Lauren,” Justin said as he grabbed hold of her hand. His eyes quickly filled with tears.

“I thought there was no
room left in my heart to love anyone besides you and then you showed me this. Lauren, there’s a part of
us
growing inside of you—
us
. I’ve dreamed about you having my children. I knew it had to be you the minute I saw Jack in your arms.

“
It might not be the easiest of times, but you’re carrying a life that binds us. It’s absolutely the right time.” Justin pulled her over into his lap. He reached his hand down and laid it on her stomach as images flashed through his mind. Thoughts of seeing her belly grow, feeling his baby kick, holding it at birth, and speaking its name had him overcome with joy.

“
I moved my stuff back to the guest house last night. Will you go back there with me?”

“Absolutely, I need to get out of this heat, anyway.”

“God, Lauren. I’m going to have to take extra care of you while you’re pregnant.”

“I guess
I’m not too fragile since I’ve passed out twice.”

“Twice?”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you about that yesterday. We’re definitely giving the people in this town a lot to talk about.”

Lauren sat on the bed while Justin got her a bottled water. He sat next to her, and with one hand, he grabbed all of her hair, twisting it and holding it up off her neck while they tried to cool off.

“He or she is due to grace us with
its presence in March. I could already hear its heartbeat.”

Justin appeared surprised. “You can really hear it already?”

“Yes. I’m sorry you weren’t there. I promise you can go next time. There will be many opportunities.”

She saw his expre
ssion change from joy to a frown. “Lauren, when were you going to tell me if we hadn’t got back together yesterday?”

“I swear I was going to tell you when your classes started. I just knew if I told you before
, you’d drop out and move back here. I don’t know why I underestimated your stubbornness. I have to admit, I was so glad when I heard you were still here. I knew you weren’t going to let me walk away once I told you about the baby. Your stalker skills would’ve been put to full use,” she said, grinning.

“
You’re one hundred percent correct, young lady. I would’ve held you hostage for sure. Lauren, where do you want to live? When do you want to get married? We have a lot of decisions to make.”

“I wonder
ed if you’d want to move into my place. This guest house isn’t that big, and I see no sense in trying to pay for a place if we can stay there.”

“I don’t know how I feel about living wi
th your mother. Wow, saying that stings.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to provide for you and the baby myself, without help. I have the money for us to live out on our own.”

“My house is huge, and
I’m sure Mom won’t care once she knows about the baby and our plans to marry. It’s just … there’s been a lot of changes already.”

“Lauren, is it important to you
to stay there with your mom? You grew up there, and I imagine you’re worried about her being alone this soon after your father leaving.”

She picked nervously at the hem of her sundress. “I
t would mean a lot to me to go from my home to the one we’ll live in forever.”

“Then
we’ll live there,” he said as he ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “Now, when do you want to get married?”

“You pick this one since you proposed,” Lauren said.

“If you’re OK with it, I’d like to marry you soon. I want it all.” Justin lay back on the bed, pulling Lauren down with him and squeezing her tight.

“What do you think about us getting married
at my place or at your property with family and a few friends?” Lauren asked.

“Don’t you want a big wedding?”

“No. I really don’t. I have everything I need already.”

“
Lauren, as soon as I graduate we’ll start building on the property. It seems like fate that it’s so close to the nursery.”

“I still want to work, but I definitely want to have plenty of time with our baby.
Mom will have her hands full next spring, but I wouldn’t change anything.” She placed her hand on her stomach, and a second later Justin’s was on top of it.