HARDER (15 page)

“
O
h god
, it’s too early,” I told Caleb the next morning. It was too early, it was a Sunday and we normally slept in but he’d gotten a text.

“It’s good news,” he said, looking at his phone and rolling back into bed with me.

“What is it?” I asked, barely opening my eyes to look at him.

“It’s Rolland. He’s agreed to our terms.”

My lids flipped open and I gasped. “What did you just say?”

“Rolland is going to give up his rights and let me adopt Lucy.”

“You’re going to be her Daddy?” I exhaled and felt tears again. There were so many tears these days, but always tears of joy, unlike my tears of anguish I had before.

“Looks like it,” he said with a grin. “We’re going to be a family.”

“I can’t wait to tell her,” I said and sat up. “We need to wait until all the papers are signed though, right?”

“We really should,” he said quietly. “I don’t want anything to go wrong and have her disappointed.

“Good plan,” I said. “Once it goes through it will be the most amazing surprise.”

I stretched out and rolled into his arms. “I’ll surprise both of you with pancakes this morning,” he said and nuzzled my neck.

“Sounds good to me,” I chirped and rolled away back under the covers. “Let me know when they’re ready.”

He smacked my ass on the way out of bed and I giggled like a crazy woman. I was so madly in love with him it was almost ridiculous.

True to his word, he made pancakes and brought some in bed for me. I ate them and read my kindle and enjoyed the luxury of doing nothing on a Sunday. Caleb took Lucy to the stable to spend some time with Mister Feathers and I indulged like I never had before.

My mom called to update me on Dad’s latest round of treatments. Caleb had paid for him to travel to some exclusive cancer hospital in New York and the medicine they were giving him seemed to be helping somewhat. He was still terminal, but it would extend his life a few years and let him live pain-free.

I was so happy to have a little more time with him.

My brother was apparently adjusting to his job as Caleb’s company pilot. Caleb’s executives had to fly a lot around the country and they maintained a couple of private jets for just that purpose. David was settling in splendidly and I felt thrilled to be able to help out my little brother.

I did get out of bed eventually and was fully ready to go by Lucy’s soccer game.

It felt nice to breeze in on Caleb’s arm with our usual picnic basket of treats and beers for our friends.

Lucy’s game was amazing, she scored a couple goals and they won by a landslide. They were on fire this season.

At the end of the game I stood up to leave and Addy grabbed my wrist to pull me down.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking at her in puzzlement.

“Just watch,” she said with a huge grin. Her excitement was palpable.

“What?” I asked again and looked for Caleb. He was gone.

It felt like the whole crowd knew what was going on and I was the only one in the dark.

Suddenly I heard music coming from behind me. It was Taylor Swift, my secret love. I blushed bright red and turned on my seat, searching for the source of the music.

Caleb came strutting out with a portable stereo on his shoulder, dancing to her music with a silly grin on his face.

“Hey, this is crazy…” he sang and stood at the edge of the soccer field and looked up at me.

The soccer coach took the stereo from him and the entire team fanned out around him.

I stood up and gasped, felt those familiar tears spring to my eyes and watched them perform an elaborate dance number with Caleb leading them the entire time.

At the end of the song all the parents clapped like crazy and Addy nudged me. “Go down to him,” she said.

I walked as if in slow motion, as if in a movie. All eyes were on me and I made my way down slowly, carefully with tears in my eyes and my heart throbbing with love for him.

He dropped down to one knee and flipped open a little velvet box.

The girls on the soccer team yelled out, “Will you marry him?” in unison.

Lucy ran to the front and jumped up and down squealing, “Say yes! Say yes!”

“Well?” he asked me with sincerity and passion painted on his gorgeous face.

“God, yes!” I said and he sprung up, took me in his arms and swung me in a bear hug.

“Thank god,” he said, “I thought you were going to say no in front of all these people.”

“I could never say no to you,” I laughed.

He set me down and pulled the ring out of the box. My heart was pounding so hard at that point I thought I was going to faint. He slipped it onto my ring finger and Addy yelled, “Let us see it!”

I held my hand up and showed it off, a massive diamond on a platinum band. It looked more expensive than a small house back in my hometown.

“It’s so beautiful,” I said, staring at it.

“Caleb is going to be my step dad,” Lucy said and grabbed my other hand. “I can’t wait. Can I wear a pretty dress? Can I be your flower girl?”

“Whatever you want,” Caleb said, lifting her up. We walked off the soccer field through the congratulations from all the other parents. Just like any other normal family, mom and dad and daughter.

It was truly amazing.

I
went
to Virginia’s to meet Caleb for lunch and maybe show off my ring just a little bit. She was duly impressed and the girl I’d trained for my spot, Maria, gushed over it so much I felt almost embarrassed. I wasn’t used to having such nice things.

Caleb strolled in a little before one and we put in our orders. We ate our meal and I appreciated the fact that I was now a customer and no longer an employee.

Virginia came and sat with us for a little bit.

“I knew you had eyes for her from that first day,” she chuckled at Caleb.

“I did not,” he protested.

“You did, your eyes just about fell out of your damned head,” she told him.

I laughed and watched him squirm. “Fine, I was attracted early on. She’s a good looking woman, what man wouldn’t stare at her?”

I loved seeing him in the hot seat and had a hard time remembering him as that grumpy jerk with the chip on his shoulder from all those months ago.

“It’s good to see something finally working out for you,” she said and clapped him on the shoulder. “You deserve it, you’re a good man.”

“Thanks, Virgie,” he said and watched her walk away. “She’s right you know.”

“About what?”

“I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. I’d heard that you were working here, that’s why I came in.”

“You’re kidding! You were so rude to me with your bellowing to Virgie and all that.”

“Once I saw you again I found I couldn’t look you in the eye,” he laughed and grabbed my hand. “I’m glad I found you drunk and vulnerable though, that made up for that awkward time.”

He kissed my hand and I had to agree. All we had now made up for anything in the past.

We were leaving when Ray pulled up in a cherry red Ford truck.

“Hey missy,” he said and jumped out. “Where have you run off to?”

I leaned up against his truck and held up my finger. “Why I reckon I’ve run off with Prince Charming,” I laughed.

He and Caleb shot the breeze for a moment or two and I picked at a dent in Ray’s truck.

It was flaking red paint and dark blue was showing through underneath in a couple spots.

Something triggered a memory in my head and I stood back, looked the truck up and down and said, “Ray, how long have you had this truck?”

“I don’t know, maybe a little over a year,” he said and pushed his baseball cap up his forehead.

“Who did you buy it from?” I asked slowly and looked at him.

“I got it from Vern. He drove it for years but cracked it up a while ago. He fixed it real good though, but the paint’s coming off in a couple spots. Why do you ask?”

“You know about Caleb’s first wife and son,” I said, believing Ray had nothing to do with it.

“Yup, everyone around here does,” he replied.

“You’re saying this is the truck?” Caleb asked in a quiet voice.

“I’m saying I think that old bastard Vern might have had something to do with that accident.”

“I don’t know about that…” Ray started to say but his voice trailed off. “Shit, you know what? Vern’s had a hate on for your dad since he stole your momma away from him years ago.”

“My momma?” Caleb asked.

“Your momma was Vern’s daughter. Didn’t your Daddy ever tell you that?”

“No,” Caleb’s face darkened. “He always told me she was an orphan.”

“God damn this town and its secrets,” Ray said. “Why don’t you go ahead and dial the police, Brooke. It’s about time this secret comes to light.”

“You think Vern hit them on purpose, don’t you?” I asked as I dialed.

“I think he was probably drunk and aiming for Caleb’s dad. He probably didn’t realize there were passengers in the car.”

I spoke to the sheriff and they sent somebody over immediately. It turned out there were still paint chips in evidence to be matched against the truck and they were going to send them all off to a lab in the city.

“Can I get a ride home?” Ray asked after the truck was towed.

“I guess so,” I smiled. “Thank you for helping us out.”

“This town can’t survive if people don’t look out for each other,” he said and climbed into the van with me.

I drove him home and met Caleb back at our place later on. He was going to visit his father and I had a feeling he would want to see him alone to question him about his mother and the night of the accident.

As much as I wanted to be a part of everything Caleb did, this was something he needed to handle on his own.

He came home late and more relaxed than I’d expected.

“What did he say?” I asked as he climbed into bed with me.

“He denied it at first, but then he admitted that she’d been his friend’s daughter. I guess he and Vern were business partners at one time but his affair with my mother had broken that apart.”

“How do you feel about it?” I asked.

“I feel calm, like knowing is half the battle and all that,” he said.

“Are you going to look for her?” I asked and settled into my familiar spot against him, right in the crook of his arm.

He kissed the top of my head and said, “I think I might. I’d like to know her.”

“I’d like to know her too,” I replied and we fell asleep like that, like every night, in love and in each other’s arms.

A
bout a week
later the police report came back that Vern’s truck matched and they went out to arrest him after telling us about it. It was weird, even though we knew it now, we could never think of Vern as Caleb’s grandpa. He would always be a stranger to us.

When they went to get him, there was a stand off, but Vern was eventually taken into custody after getting more than a little roughed up. He was an old man, but he was angry and he was tough.

He admitted to everything. The sheriff said it was like he wanted to confess, as if having that burden on his shoulders all those years had suffocated him.

He hadn’t thought Caleb’s wife and son…or father’s son…were in the car that night he’d slammed into them. He’d been drunk and full of rage when he’d seen them drive by. He’d only wanted to hurt Caleb’s father, not kill anyone, especially a young woman and a little boy.

It seemed like Caleb’s father’s affair with Anna hadn’t been the first time he’d crossed lines and done terrible things. That night he and Anna were possibly running off together though, so it was the most terrible thing he could have possibly done in my opinion.

I still ached for the pain that Caleb had gone through, not just losing Anna and the boy, but for his entire life.

He must have endured so much and before I came along he had been on the same path as Vern, a path that would have lead him to become a twisted, hate filled bitter old man.

I was so grateful that I’d somehow knocked him off that path and brought him back into the light.

We told Lucy about the adoption the day it went through. Caleb had brought me off my own dark path and into his light, and I was forever grateful for that too.

After we went to the courthouse and registered all the proper papers and Lucy became officially Caleb’s daughter, I asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate.

“Pizza,” she declared and grabbed each of her hands.

“Maybe we should go home and make something healthy,” Caleb said thoughtfully.

“Oh come on, Daddy,” Lucy said, “just because you’re finally my Dad doesn’t mean you have to be a boring old guy.”

I laughed and said, “She’s got a point, Dad. Let’s go have pizza for dinner with ice cream for dessert!”

“Oh so this is what it feels like to be the bad cop parent,” Caleb laughed as we loaded up into his truck.

“Definitely,” I replied and let him take my hand as he drove to the pizza place. “I don’t mind sharing the burden though.”

We didn’t mind sharing each other’s burdens that was clear. Our love had truly saved us both and now we were parents to my gorgeous little girl. Once we got married, we would be a real family and that’s all I’d ever wanted.

“
D
id
you lose the rings again, Lucy?” I groaned as she swung the door open and came into the room. Addy tightened my gorgeous wedding dress. She began to lace it up and I had to hold my breath to accommodate the squeezing fabric.

“No,” she said with a grin. “I just wanted to see your dress. Can I hug you?”

I glanced down at her hands and said, “Not unless you go wash up, silly billy. I don’t want grubby little hand prints up and down this white silk.”

“I’m not that dirty, I had some chocolate pudding. Nana gave it to me so it’s okay. Oh. She told me not to tell you,” Lucy said with guilt slipping over her face.

“Don’t worry about the pudding,” I laughed, “just don’t touch my dress.”

“Fine,” Lucy said with a little pout, “I’ll go clean up then.”

“Awe, this is a big day for her too, isn’t it?” Addy said as Lucy flounced off to the washroom.

“It is huge,” I replied. “She’s getting her Daddy but it’s changing her world like crazy.”

“I suppose it is,” I said. “I know I shouldn’t be so hard on her, maybe it’s my nerves too.”

“Of course you’re going to be nervous, this is your big day!” Addy said. “Now let me see you, turn around.”

I lifted my arms out and twirled, letting the skirt of the dress spread out with the movement. I felt like a Disney princess, the heart shaped strapless top was beaded with delicate little pearls and the skirt was miles of silk and taffeta, all in beautiful white.

“Wow, you look amazing, Brooke!” she said with a huge grin.

The door opened and I automatically ducked behind Addy, half expecting Caleb to crash our little party. He was overly anxious to see me and not superstitious at all, but I was.

It was my mom.

“Oh Brooke, you look so beautiful…just like your grandma when she was young,” she said and I could see tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “I just wish your father could have been here to see this.”

“I know, I miss him too,” I replied and felt tears stinging my own eyes.

“No crying!” Addy ordered. “We just did your make up.”

“Yes ma’am,” I sniffled and dried my eyes. My dad had lived a few months past our first meeting but his cancer had been too far gone for us to save him, even with all of Caleb’s money and resources.

All we’d been able to do was make him as comfortable as possible at the end. I had to take a deep, quivering breath to settle myself so I wouldn’t break down in tears. If I started, mom would start and then we’d both sob until our heads hurt and our eyes were swollen.

“Is David here?” I asked, hoping to distract mom with good news. I couldn’t let myself cry, it was my big day and I’d have time to grieve his loss.

“He is,” she smiled. “He brought his girlfriend, we finally get to meet her. She seems like a lovely girl but you’ll have to talk to her and find out how serious it is.”

“He brought her to a family wedding, it’s serious,” Addy laughed and adjusted some of the curls on top of my head. “Now sit down so the hairdresser can come in and do her magic.”

“Can I hug you first, Mommy?” Lucy asked. I’d forgotten about her, she’d been so unusually quiet. I felt a pang of guilt for my earlier irritation.

“Make sure your hands are clean!” Mom said as Lucy walked towards me.

“Already got it covered,” I smiled. “Great minds think alike I guess.”

Lucy wrapped her arms around me and whispered, “I love you Mom, and I’m so happy we’re going to be a real family. Please can I have a little brother or sister?”

I laughed and heard the photographer snapping pictures. “We’ll see about that,” I told her and kissed the top of her head. She seemed settled after I cuddled with her for a few minutes, she was my little buddy after all. “I think it’s time to get into your dress.”

“Can I? It’s so pretty!” Lucy smiled and stood back.

“Go find my wayward daughters,” Addy said, “They need to get suited up for the big event too.”

Addy’s daughters were my flower girls and Lucy was the ring bearer. Addy was my Maid of Honor and a couple moms from Girl Guides were my bridesmaids.

Speaking of them, the door opened and they both came in giggling and excited.

“This gown is gorgeous, thank you for not making us spend a bundle on some hideous thing we’ll never use again,” Jules told me.

“Same,” Midge said, running her hand over the silk dress. “I will actually wear this again!”

“No problem,” I said and sat still as the hairdresser arrived and began to work on my tousled, thick hair. I’d thought about cutting it short before the wedding, but Caleb had protested heavily. I didn’t mind keeping it long for him, I loved the way he ran his fingers through it and grasped it when he was being rough with me from time to time.

I shivered at the thought of his hands on my body, his mouth on mine. God how I did love him with every cell in my body. I couldn’t even imagine a world before him, how did I ever live without Caleb in my heart?

Everything about the morning felt surreal. My hair was finished, my makeup touched up, my dress adjusted again, and I was handed my bouquet. I couldn’t believe it…I was marrying Caleb Harder.

We’d thought about going out of town but had settled on having the wedding in our own house. We’d set up a gorgeous aisle and flower covered archway outside and the wedding planner had come up with beautiful flower and white silk seating and a long strip of white silk for me to walk along.

The day was gorgeous; almost a year to the day Caleb and I first met. We had huge tents set up on the lawn anyways, and had his DJ friend Ryan to play for our celebration party afterwards. Ryan had jumped at the chance to be a part of it…he still claimed it was his music that had brought us together that night in the club. Who knew, maybe it was.

I could hear the low rush of hundreds of voices outside, Caleb had invited half the town and it seemed as though I’d invited the other half.

It was bound to be one heck of a party.

“Are you ready to go?” Addy asked me and handed me a shot glass with clear liquid.

“I am,” I said and breathed in and out as if to build up my courage. “What is this?”

“A wee bit of tequila to calm your nerves,” she grinned.

I down it in one gulp, coughed and handed the glass back to her. “Thanks,” I said. “So everybody is ready?”

“For sure. I have Gary downstairs recording it, just to supplement the photographer of course,” she said, glancing nervously at the woman I’d hired to take pictures.

“All right, let’s do this,” I said and took a deep breath. I clutched my bouquet and followed the others down the stairs to the back yard where the wedding planner had set up a canvas screen to hide me from the guests until the music began.

Mom squeezed my shoulder and grabbed Lucy’s hand. She would wrangle the kids until we got to the bottom, and then she’d take her seat at the front.

It made me almost choke to know that my dad hadn’t made it in spite of us being told we’d get a couple years from him.

At least mom had David and his girlfriend to sit with, but Dad’s presence sure hung over me on that day.

Of course we hadn’t invited Caleb’s father. That old bastard could rot in hell for all I was concerned. I knew it still upset Caleb, he’d never get over that need to have his father love him, but it was best that we kept the old man out of our lives all together.

I took a deep breath as I heard the music start. I watched the girls leave one by one and waited for my turn.

Finally the bridal march began and I stepped out. I heard the guests collectively gasp and exclaim how beautiful I looked but I barely heard it.

My eyes were focused on Caleb alone. He looked amazingly gorgeous in his custom tailored tuxedo. His friends stood at his side, guys he knew from college, but I barely noticed them at all.

Caleb’s green eyes were glowing with pride and his strong, angular face was clean-shaven. I missed the scruff, but he looked damn good. I didn’t know how they’d managed to pack all his muscles into that tux, but it managed to make him look trim and almost lethal. Like one of the hotter James Bond actors.

I walked slowly down the aisle as Addy’s girl’s dropped rose petals and Lucy held the pillow with the rings like it was precious to her.

At last we were standing in front of each other and I barely managed to croak out, “I do,” when it was my time.

I was so overcome by love for Caleb that it made it difficult to speak. I felt my love swirling through my body, from the tips of my toes to the tips of my fingers, like a natural high.

We finally heard the words, “You may now kiss the bride,” and the guests applauded and cheered for us.

Caleb pushed my little veil over my head and dipped me low to kiss me deeply. His mouth on mine was intoxicating, more than the tequila I’d just had, more than anything I could take in life.

His love completed me, made me whole and made me so filled with joy I knew our life would be perfect from this day forward.

He swept me back up to my feet and broke away. He looked down at me with such a fierce intensity in his eyes that my heart skipped a beat. “You look incredible,” he told me. “I’m so proud to call you Mrs. Harder.”

“I’m so proud to belong to you now, Mr. Harder,” I whispered and pressed my face against his chest as he embraced me.

We finally turned, hand in hand, and stood before our guests as Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Harder.

We walked back down, accepting congratulations as we went, and Caleb lifted me into his arms and strode right back into the house.

“This isn’t in the plans,” I said and looked back at the wedding planner as she waved her arms at us. “We’re supposed to take photos and then have a meet and greet with our guests before the sit down dinner.”

“Fuck all that,” Caleb growled and took the stairs two at a time. “I need you, Brooke. I need to be with my wife.”

I couldn’t argue with that.