Independence (36 page)
"I'll try. It's hard keeping the balance."
"It is, but you do a fantastic job. Caleb, too. He's a great balance for the council. Well, I'll let you go. See you tomorrow and be careful on the drive, OK?"
"We will."
"L
ove you, Maggie."
"I l
ove you, too."
I hung up and
saw a text sitting there from this morning. I opened it. It was Kyle.
Make sure y'all stop by the house 2night. Lynne has some stuff for u.
I texted back.
Will do.
I
put the cell back in my purse. I couldn't help but smile as I tried to follow the path of shade
to keep from being scorched by the Tennessee sun
. Then
I
heard Caleb
and looked up to find him. And t
here he was
…
I walked to
ward
the tree he was leaning against. He was wearing jeans, a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up
,
and a smirk.
"Fancy meeting you here."
"Well," he said in a formal voice, "I was supposed to be picking up my gorgeous wife. But you'll do."
I giggled and accepted his kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm glad."
"How was your last day of classes?"
His hands fit perfectly on my hips. I loved them there.
"Great. I'm glad it's over though."
"Are you ready for…" he gave me a goofy smile, "dun dun dun duh! The lovely state of Idaho!"
I laughed. "Idaho? That's where you're setting up centers next?"
"Yep. My analyst worked their magic. What do you think?"
"Wherever you are, there I'll be."
He smiled. The
real
smile that told me everything I needed to know. "How was your day? You feeling OK?"
"Well," I said and put a hand on my lower back, "someone was distracting me all day. It was a miracle I got anything done."
He gave me a scowl and fell to his knees. He lifted my shirt and touched my round belly with his palm. Speaking to our little girl he said, "Have you been giving Mommy a hard time? We talked about this remember?" I giggled as people walking by laughed at him. I put my hand on his head. "We said no kicking during Mommy's class, right?" He smiled and kissed my belly right by my belly button. "That's a good girl."
He stood and gave a mock proud look. "She'll behave now. She's a Daddy's girl."
"She will be," I promised him. "Of that I have no doubt."
"Haddock's tomorrow, right?" He took my hand and started to tow me toward his truck.
"Yep. Take me home and give me a warm bath before the drive?" I tilted my head to the side for emphasis.
He stopped walking and his face changed into one of my favorite faces.
"You trying to tempt me on the school lawn, Mrs. Jacobson?"
"Maybe," I said coyly. "Maybe I'm just ready to get home with you."
He picked up the pace and I couldn't help but laugh. He opened my door, but didn't help me inside. He turned me to him and gave me his proud look. "This time when you graduate, I'll scream and yell for you. No earbuds for me."
I nodded. "I can't wait to hold that diploma."
"I can't wait to
see you
hold that diploma."
I blinked rapidly. "You're going to make me cry."
"I don’t want you to cry," he said and chuckled. "I just want to make absolute sure you understand how proud of you I am."
"Thank you."
I pulled him down to kiss me. He braced himself on the door with one hand and the other found my hip again. I shivered in the heat of the day. He leaned in further until I was pressed to the truck side.
When I let my hand go beneath his shirt he groaned.
"You're
killing me, baby."
"Then take me home
."
"Done." He helped me into the truck and practically ran to get in.
I laughed.
He turned on the ignition and I scooted over. "Ready?"
"I was born ready."
He smiled and pulled out of the parking lot. "Yes, you were."
Even after these years, I still couldn't get enough of him. He was still my tyrant and the Champion, and I was still the Visionary. Things were about as perfect as a life could be. We made it work
for the good
. Because after all…
You don't choose your life, your life chooses you.
Five Years Later
"Dad!" Maria screamed and jumped up and down holding the purse clutched to her chest. "Ohmygosh, I love it. Thank you,
Dad,
thank you, thank you!"
Bish grinned and accepted her into his arms as he laughed. "You're welcome, sweetheart."
Jen laughed when Maria practically tackled her and they fell back on the couch giggling.
Rachel laughed at them as she rocked Maria's little sister in her arms, swaying her hips slowly back and forth with a burp cloth draped over the shoulder of her black silk blouse.
The Christmas tree at Peter's house that year was unreal. With all the grandkids running around, Rachel said she wanted nothing less than a fairytale Christmas.
"You're up next, papa bear," I said coy
ly and handed the
package we'd gotten Peter to him. He was wearing a Santa hat and playing Santa for the day as he doled out the gifts.
"You didn't have to get me…anything…" He sucked in a quick breath as he ripped the packaging off. "
Where did you find this?
"
Caleb and I grinned at each other
. I leaned back into his chest as
Peter opened the Johnny Cash LP
.
Ava came and jumped up
on my lap. "I picked it out, Gramps," she told him.
I swept her hair back behind her ear and she smiled up at me, proud of her gift. Ava was four and half and the biggest Daddy's girl ever. And she looked just like Caleb,
though he said she looked just like me. He
pulled her to sit in his lap instead. "Ava, remember we've got to
be careful of Mommy's belly, OK?" He rubbed his hand over the top of my round stomach. She followed his movements and rubbed it, too.
"OK, I'll be careful," she whispered like it was a secret.
Ava Winifred Jacobson. Named after Gran, who bawled hard after she born. The uncles and grandparents called her Winnie sometimes.
"I'm fine," I assured her. "Daddy just likes to worry." He smiled and
kept rubbing his hand over my belly.
"Daddy does like to worry." He grinned at Ava. "But you like it when Daddy worries about you, don't you, baby girl?"
I bit my lip. I loved it when he called her that.
The baby kicked and he pressed harder. "Feel tha
t, Ave?" H
e moved her hand to find it and
she squealed
with delight
. I beckoned
Maria and she knelt down and let Ava sit on
her lap as
she pressed her fingers to my belly. "Wow."
Maria smiled wide. "That's amazing, Aunt
Mags
."
It was. I leaned into Caleb's side and closed my eyes involuntarily as he kissed my forehead. "I'm ready for
my
cousin
to be here
," Maria whispered
in awe
.
When I felt his kick again, stronger and harder, I agreed with her. I was huge and it was almost time.
Baby Rodney was almost here.
The amount of gratitude
and love I have for you, my readers, would fill a Volkswagen. This series is my most favorite and this had been the hardest book to write to date. Caleb and Maggie's journey is over. Will there be another book in the future in the Ace world? Maybe. But for now, thank you SO much for allowing me to take you on this journey. I need to go and wipe my eyes for the millionth time. I'm glad it's a closed chapter of my life, but to end this series was like saying goodbye to a dear friend. I'll miss them. I'll miss their world.
Thank you!
Please feel free to Contact Shelly at the following avenues.
www.facebook.com/shellycranefanpage
www.twitter.com/authshellycrane
Shelly is a b
estselling YA author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in everywhere USA as they happily travel all over with her husband's job. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, site see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read.
Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.
Shelly's website:
www.shellycrane.blogspot.com
Playlist
The best Of
Intoxicated : The Cab
Stay Close, Don't go : Secondhand Serenade
Tyrant : The Bravery
Every Night : Imagine Dragons
Run : Matt Nathanson
Ho Hey : The Lumineers
Every Gets A Star : Albert Hammond Jr.
Love is a Verb : John Mayer
Oh My Stars : Andrew Belle
Madness : Muse
Kill
Your H
eroes : Awolnation
Kiss Me : Ed Sheeran
You Are Too Beautiful : Hawksley Workman
Wild : Royal Teeth
Keeping Me Alive
: The Afters
Maggie : Rod Stewart
Heartbeats : Royal Teeth
