Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One (31 page)

We
joined my friends—and I hoped he would consider them his friends—at the “fun”
table. And to my ever-loving amazement, Blake held out my chair for me. It was
like a small miracle. I sat down and smiled up at my husband.

“Do
you two need a room?” Cheyenne asked right off the bat. “For a moment there I
thought we were watching
Dirty Dancing
and Blake was going to lift you
over his head.”

Everyone
but Blake laughed. I doubt Blake had ever seen
Dirty Dancing
.

“Thanks
for raising the bar,” Shane said to Blake. “Now our partners expect us to dance
with them and kiss them like we mean it in front of everybody.”

Abby
smacked Shane. “Are you saying you don’t mean it when you kiss me?”

“Of
course I mean it, baby.”

Kent
looked at Cheyenne, who was giving him a cold and calculating look. “You know I
always mean it.”

Cheyenne’s
look said otherwise.

“How
about we change the subject,” I suggested.

Blake
sat back and draped his arm around me comfortably in front of my friends. “Good
idea,” he said.

Shane
laughed.

“How
about Veronica’s dress,” Cheyenne said too loudly.

“Let’s
save that for later,” I responded quietly.

“All
right,” Cheyenne said, disappointed. “I suppose since we snapped several
pictures of it, we’ll be good to go for later.”

“What
Cheyenne means by
we
is
she
,” Abby chimed in.

It
didn’t matter anyway because the awards had been delivered by a harried Lucy,
the mayor’s secretary.

“Looks
like you’re going to get your award after all,” Cheyenne said.

I
shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t really care one way or the other about it. But
someone else did.

Blake
leaned in close and whispered. “You’re getting an award?”

I
turned to my husband, who almost looked hurt. “Uh, yeah, Jessie Belle’s won Best
Business of the Year.”

He
shook his head slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Honestly,
I didn’t think it would matter to you.”

His
eyes definitely said ouch. He stood up abruptly and held out his hand to me
while turning to everyone else at the table. “Excuse us,” he said.

Everyone
nodded curiously.

I
took his hand and he helped me up and then led us to a quiet, empty corner
outside the ballroom. He backed me up against the wall and I couldn’t tell if
he was angry or not, but his impassioned look had me feeling warm. He leaned in
and his forehead met mine.

“Jessica,
how do you not get that you matter to me? Have I been that terrible of a
husband to you?”

“No.
It’s just that we’ve lived these separate lives for so long.”

“Jess,
I’m proud of you and the last thing I want is to be separated from you.”

“You’re
proud of me?” I almost giggled.

“Not
like in a parental sort of way, but yes, I’m proud of you and proud to be your
husband. I don’t know many women who would have taken Madeline in and loved her
the way you have, all while running your own business and trying to save the
world.”

“I’m
not trying to save the world.”

“You
right a lot of people’s worlds, so same thing.”

“Do
I right your world?”

“Every
day,” he said before he pressed me against the wall and kissed me like there
was no tomorrow. It was definitely not a church kiss. And I’m pretty sure my
lips and hair didn’t survive as his hands wove their way through my hair and he
drank me in as fast as he could. We only broke apart when we thought we heard
steps in our direction. It was a false alarm.

He
smiled down at me. “You didn’t tense up.”

“I
know.” I grinned slyly. “I love you, Blake.”

“I’ve
been waiting to hear those words.”

“Are
you ready to move back into our room?”

“More
than ready, but can it wait until tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“What
I have planned for tonight doesn’t involve clothing.”

I
think I may have blushed. “Are you ready to go home?”

“What
about your award?”

“What
award?”

Blake
practically growled before he took me up in his arms and kissed me deeply.

We
could hear my name being called as we walked briskly passed the ballroom on the
way to the exit. “This year’s award goes to Jessie Belle’s Café. Jessie Belle,
come on up here.”

We
grinned slyly at each other. Oh, there was going to be talk. My little ladies
at the café were going to be so thrilled. And even better, this time the rumors
were going to be true.

“Good
morning.” I smiled as I curled in closer to Blake, if that was actually
possible.

He
did his best to bring me in as close as he could.

“Did
you sleep well?” I asked.

“It
was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months.”

“Really?”

“Yes.
Why do you ask?”

I
looked up into his smiling eyes. And guess what? They were the happiest I’d
ever seen them. That gave me a great sense of pleasure and peace. “You’ve
always said you could never sleep next to me.”

“Well,
I was an idiot.”

“I’m
so happy you’ve finally come to that realization.”

He
groaned before his lips found mine and we began to pick up where we had left
off in the wee hours of the very early morning. Oh, I had missed him.

And
apparently someone else was missing us. First my cell phone went off, which I
ignored, but then the house phone rang and rang and rang.

Blake
used some of those nice four-letter words and I had to say I agreed. We
reluctantly disentangled ourselves and I answered the phone, though Blake
reached for it. I figured I would spare the poor caller his wrath.

“Hello.”

“Jessie
Belle! Abby and I have been trying to reach you since you bailed last night,”
Cheyenne said in her too loud voice.

“Is
something wrong?” I asked her as I sank back against Blake. He promptly began
kissing my neck, making it hard for me to concentrate. I had to make myself not
sigh.

“No,
we just wanted to make sure everything is okay with you.”

“I’ve
never been better. Thanks for asking.”

“Oh.
Oooh. I guess I should let you go then.”

“Uh,
huh.”

“When
you get a chance, check out the
Daily Press
,” she quickly said before I
hung up.

I
clicked end and threw the phone and turned back to Blake, who didn’t miss a
beat.

But
apparently our romantic interlude wasn’t in the cards this morning. Within
seconds of being wrapped back up in each other there was a knock on our door.

“Jessie,”
Maddie called.

“Did
you lock the door?” I quietly asked Blake. We had never had to worry about that
before.

He
grinned seductively at my paranoia and nodded his head.

I
sighed out of relief before calling out, “Yeah, honey?”

“Do
you know where my dad is?”

It
was my turn to smile at Blake. He sat up and ran his fingers through his
tussled hair. “I’ll be right out, Madeline.”

She
didn’t say anything in response.

I
sat up, too. Blake turned and kissed me once quickly. “Do you think your
parents would take her one weekend?”

“Sure.
What do you have in mind?”

“As
long as it is you and me alone, I don’t care about the particulars.”

“I’ll
come up with something.”

He
smiled in response.

“So
what do you want to do today?” I asked as he threw on a shirt.

“Anything
you want.”

“We
could go to the parade, and then you and Maddie could help me at the community
center.”

“Sounds
good.”

“Really?”

He
smiled and walked back toward me. He kissed my forehead. “Yes, really. You
don’t need to keep asking that.”

“Well,
I do because I can’t believe it.”

“Then
I guess I have some more work to do.”

“I
love you, Blake.”

“I
know, and I want to be deserving of that.”

That
statement alone made me fall in love with him even more. “I’ll get ready and be
out soon.”

“Take
your time. Madeline and I will handle breakfast.”

“No
green smoothies.”

He
smirked at me and walked off.

I
found I didn’t want to take my time. I rushed to get ready and join my family.
My
family
- I liked the way that sounded.

Maddie
and Blake were making waffles when I joined them. I looked at the pair for just
a moment before I walked into the kitchen. Maddie was talking to him about the
art class I had signed her up for that started later in the month. She was
obviously excited about it and I was happy to see Blake make sure he was
listening to her and responding when appropriate. Though sometimes when talking
to her it was hard to get a word in edge-wise.

I
kissed Maddie’s head as she sliced strawberries. “Good morning, honey.”

“We
made waffles.”

“I
see that. Did your dad add any spinach to them?”

She
laughed. “No, but he put in some weird seeds.”

I
looked toward Blake who was manning the waffle iron and looking quite handsome.

“They
were flax seeds.”

“No
harm then.” I winked at him.

“Did
you, by chance, grab the paper?” I asked him.

He
pointed to our kitchen table.

I
kissed his cheek before retrieving it. “Thanks.”

I
loved the way he grinned back at me. I made my way to the table to see what all
the fuss was about. We only got the paper on the weekend or if I was running an
ad in it. I slid it out of its plastic covering that wished us a “Happy Fourth
of July.” It didn’t take me long to see what Cheyenne was talking about. Oh,
this town.

“So
we made the front page of the newspaper this morning.”

“You’re
kidding, right?” Blake responded.

I
looked his and Maddie’s way. “I’m afraid not.”

They
both quickly joined me in the dining area.

Maddie
scooted in close to me. “Let me see.”

I
held out the picture of Blake and me kissing quite nicely on the dance floor.
The headline read “Belle of the Ball.” Someone at the paper thought they were
clever.

“You
guys are so embarrassing,” Maddie informed us.

We
both laughed at her.

“You
should get used to it,” her dad replied.

I
hugged her to me. “Sorry we embarrass you.”

“Maybe
you could just kiss in private,” she practically begged.

“We’ll
do our best.”

“Speak
for yourself,” Blake teased as he kissed me on the way back to the kitchen.

“Ewww,”
Maddie responded.

I
remembered feeling that way about my parents. I guess it was the circle of
life.

“Well,
you know who is going to be on the rampage when they see this picture?” I
asked.

“Who?”
Blake inquired.

“Veronica.
There’s not one picture of her in here. The only mention of her is that she and
Landon are married.”

Blake’s
face reddened at the mention of the Rileys. Like me, he wasn’t a big fan. “The
paper got it right if you ask me.”

“I
would kiss you for that remark if it didn’t induce gagging reflexes in
someone.” I smiled at a playfully scowling Maddie.

We
did end up having plenty of kissing in the kitchen, but only after Maddie left
to get ready after we ate together. We had a lot of kissing and making up to
do.

In
our thirteen years of marriage we had never been to the Fourth of July parade
together. And it wasn’t like the parade was this huge event or even very
meaningful to me, other than I loved our country. But being there with Blake
and Maddie suddenly made it this big deal. For everyone else in town, too.

As
we walked down Main Street’s sidewalk in search of my friends, several friendly
faces greeted us with grins and snickers. I’m sure they had all seen the paper
or heard that I skipped out on my award. Several guys slapped Blake on the
shoulder as we walked by hand in hand. I felt like we were in a locker room.
And it wasn’t any better when we reached Abby, her family, and Cheyenne and
Kent. Kent seriously tried to high-five Blake. Blake looked at him like he had
lost his mind. At least Shane showed some decorum. He gave a sly little grin
and then lifted Isabelle up on his shoulders.

“I
see Katie and her dad. Can I watch the parade with them?” Maddie asked.

“Sure,”
Blake replied. “Just don’t wander off anywhere.”

“Okay,
Dad.”  She rolled her eyes.

Oddly,
and to everyone’s surprise, Connor walked with her. Abby and I both looked at
each other wide-eyed. I had to hold Blake back.

“Behave,”
I whispered in his ear. “We can see them and they aren’t even touching.”

He
turned and our eyes met. Did I ever mention he had brooding down to a science?
He kissed me once quickly.

“You
better watch out, the press could have caught that.” Cheyenne said for our
entertainment.

“I’m
more worried about the mayor’s wife.”

“I
would have loved to be a fly on the wall this morning in their house,” Abby
said.

“All
I know is I might need to take out a protection detail.”

“Believe
me,” Blake whispered in my ear, “no one will ever touch you. Except for me, of
course.”

I
tried not to smile, shiver, or blush, but I couldn’t help any of it. My friends
happened to notice.

“Wow,
you two are really getting into this whole couple thing. First you leave the
ball early to … well, you know.” Cheyenne looked over at the listening ears of
Avery. She grinned back at us. “Now you can’t keep your hands off each other.”

Blake
wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled me closer to him as if to
say, what of it?

“Well,
it’s about time,” Cheyenne responded.

“Nice,
Cheyenne,” I replied.

All
the other adults laughed, well, except Blake. I could only imagine the dirty
look he gave Cheyenne. She smirked at him. Maybe someday they would get along.
Maybe?

All
I knew was Blake and I were getting along better than ever and I felt lighter.
I was still longing for a little hand to hold, but I found that in Blake’s arms
I could deal better with the pain of losing our son.

The
parade was fun. I enjoyed watching Isabelle get excited over little things like
salt water taffy being thrown her way or when one of our own veterans came out
and shook her little hand and handed her a small American flag. But probably my
favorite part, aside from Blake being there with me, was a little evil. The
convertible Landon and Veronica were riding in the back of, waving like they
were Jackie O and JFK, came to a sudden stop, sending Veronica falling forward
into the backseat. I tried my hardest not to laugh as she got up and righted
herself and the tiara she wore. Yes, she wore a tiara.

Cheyenne
was snapping pictures of the scene with her phone. “This is so going on
Facebook,” she said. “Right along with that tacky dress of hers. I’m going to
dedicate a post to her—Bimbos on Parade.”

Several
around us laughed at Cheyenne’s commentary. Veronica Riley was not the most well-liked
person in this town. Landon still had credibility because of his parents and
all the glory he had brought to our high school while we were students there.
Our town loved high school sports about as much as they did gossip.

After
the parade we made our way to the closed Jessie Belle’s and grabbed the
supplies I needed for my cookie decorating station. Maddie brought Katie with
us to help. I was so glad she and Katie had become friends. One of the hardest
things for Maddie was missing her old friends in Utah. There had been some
tears shed over it. She had also had some homesickness. She missed her mom and
we encouraged her to call her, but Sabrina was not responding to her in the way
any of us hoped. She kept making excuses not to talk to Maddie. I hated every
time Maddie would hang up the phone with a downtrodden look. The excuses were
anything from Sabrina saying she was tired, busy, or that she had company. It
was probably that louse Randy, but regardless, she should be making time to
talk to her daughter. I wondered if she was doing it as a way to cope, but
either way, Blake and I didn’t agree with it.

And
we knew Sabrina wasn’t being truthful with us about where her health stood. We
weren’t even sure if she was still going to the doctor or not. But it wasn’t a
day to think about Sabrina. It was our family day.

I
could tell Blake felt out of place as the festivities began at the community
center. Sure, he was happy to help carry in all of the supplies and help move
tables and chairs for Abby, but when the actual event began he looked like a
fish out of water. I wanted to help him feel more comfortable, but I had little
people clamoring for my attention and help with their cookies. I was trying to
keep them from licking the plastic knives and putting them back in the frosting,
or spilling all of the sprinkles. I loved it, but there wasn’t any turning my
back on it.