Living Again (57 page)

Kayley shook her head, laughter shaking her shoulders. “You’re so crazy, Em, and I love you. He’s yummy in all ways, yes. But more importantly, he loves us so much. Did I tell you what he did this morning?”

“No, tell me what he did now,” Emily rolled her eyes in mock irritation. “Build her a castle in the backyard? Order her a custom made princess crown made of diamonds?”

Kayley giggled. “Not exactly, though don’t say it too loud or he just might. He had the whole living room and kitchen decorated for her birthday. I have no idea when he did that. She loved it. It’s like he knows just what to do to melt both of us.” She looked across the pavilion at him, smiling. He was something else.

Finally done with all of the trips from the cars, Ben got out sand toys for the kids that were coming, and started cleaning off the grill. He looked around at all the preparations, and he smiled. Today was a good day. Scratch that. It was a fantabulous day. His eyes wandered to Alexis, playing happily with Cate in the sand. She was wearing a little pink bikini, and he had to grin that he had found it for her. When he had given it to her, Kayley had rolled her eyes at him while Alexis squealed. She was such a girl already. There were days that she refused to get out of her princess dress up clothes that Ben had bought for her for Christmas. Hey, when you were a princess, who could blame you for looking like one at all times?

He swung his eyes back to Kayley, who was animatedly talking to Emily, her eyes bright and her hands flying all over. They were setting up tablecloths and decorations for the party. People would start arriving at any moment. Wearing a small pair of white shorts and a tank top over his favorite bathing suit (he insisted, or she wasn’t allowed to leave the house), her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, she made his heart skip a beat. It was hard to believe he had only known her a year because he couldn’t imagine what his life was like before she and Alexis came along.

“All set,” Trevor appeared next to him at the grill. Ben met his eyes and Trevor winked.

“Thanks, man. You watching?” Ben lit the grill for it to heat so it would be cooking already when people got there. He knew that these little kids didn’t want to wait for food.

“Oh yeah. Eyes trained right on it.” Trevor clapped him on the back. “So, how’s the birthday girl?”

“She’s going to sleep really well tonight,” Ben laughed. “She’s like a kid on speed today. It’s pretty exciting stuff for it to be the first birthday you really understand. We took her to breakfast this morning and she told every single person she saw that it was her birthday.”

Trevor laughed. “She is a character. Cate loves her and she’ll be so happy that she’s staying over tonight.”

“You didn’t tell Em, did you?”

Trevor shook his head, looking over at Emily. “Nope. Just like you said.”

“Thanks, man. I owe ya one.”

The guests started arriving, and Alexis screamed in excitement every time someone came. With their friends and all of their families, including Alex’s parents who had come just for this, they easily had a party of over 50. Burgers and hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and fruit salad were ingested pound after pound. Games of Frisbee, tag, and attempts at Boogie boarding were popular, while most of the moms laid around on the beach, getting tan and watching the little kids play in the sand.

“
PRESENT TIME
!” Ben called. The kids came running, Alexis at the front of the pack, and gathered along the picnic tables. The table was covered in pink boxes, bags, and bows. Ben probably bought half of them.

Kayley watched Alexis’ face while she held the video camera, unable to believe how much bigger she was than a year ago. She looked more like a little girl now than a baby. Thinking back to last year, in so many ways their lives were completely different. And while she would never wish again for her baby to be frighteningly sick, sick enough to need to go to the hospital in an ambulance and stay there for a few days, at the same time she was so thankful that they had been there that day. Would she have ever met Ben had Alexis not been there?

Emily leaned over close to Kayley’s ear so she couldn’t be heard on the video camera. “Look at her. She’s amazing. After everything, you have a family. Don’t worry about what happened last year. Or the year before. Look at her
now
. That man won’t even leave her side, he loves her so much. You were meant to be. As hard as that was for that to happen to her, look at where it got you. Well that and Ben and I conspiring together to make you wake the hell up.”

Kayley laughed softly. “You did,” she whispered back. “Thank you.” She took her free hand and rubbed Emily’s baby bump, really showing now.

“Ready, Mommy?” Ben caught her attention, indicating the present they had gotten her. Kayley nodded, ready to record the reaction. Ben helped Alexis with the wrapping around the box, since she was kind of over the present opening. She wanted to play with everything she got instead of opening something new. “Okay, Lex, let’s see what this is.” As he revealed the writing on the box, Alexis furrowed her brow. Once the see through plastic was visible and she could see what it was, she started vibrating on the bench, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Is-is my baby! My baby!” Alexis snatched the box and held it to her chest. “Mommy, wook! Daddy got me my baby!” The party crowd aww’d as she ranted and raved about it. It was a Bitty baby from American Girl. Cate had one and Alexis loved to play with it. They had gotten her a little girl that looked like she did as a baby.

“It’s baby Lex,” Kayley said, tears shimmering in her eyes. “She has blue eyes like you, and she’s adorable, just like you.”

“No, me baby Wex,” she argued, pointing to herself. “Dis my baby. My baby gul. Out, Daddy.”

Ben took the box from her to open it, and Kayley turned the video camera off. “Who wants cake?”

The kids all cheered, and Kayley sat the cake in front of Alexis. Of course it was a Disney Princess cake, but thankfully was a pull apart cupcake cake so she didn’t have to make a mess. Lighting her number two candle, the group all sang “Happy Birthday”. Alexis’ face beamed as she looked around, seeing everyone looking at her.

“Blow out the candle!” Kayley instructed, videoing again. Alexis leaned over and blew gently, and the candle went out. Clapping her hands, she grinned up at Ben when he handed her the Bitty baby.

“What’s her name, Lex?” Kayley asked as Emily stepped into the picture to help pass out cupcakes to impatient kids.

“Her name Pwincess,” Alexis said immediately, rubbing the baby’s head softly. Kayley zoomed in on her face, loving the adorable look that she had on her face while looking at the doll. She looked almost—motherly.

Ben leaned over and kissed Alexis. “That’s a perfect name, Lex.”

Kayley sniffled at the tender exchange. She didn’t think she would ever get used to how much love this man showed them.

“Kay,” Ben called from across the pavilion, “can you do me a favor and go to my car and get my sunglasses? I’m going blind out here.” Ben was separating sand castle building tools across the sand for their family vs. family sand castle contest.

“Sure, babe, hang on one second,” Kayley threw away remnants of lunch and cupcakes, trying to clean as she went so they didn’t have to stay forever after the party was over. Grabbing his keys off the table, she headed for his Camaro in the parking lot a couple hundred feet away. Opening the door, she grabbed his sunglasses out of the console and shut the door. Running her hand along the car, she stood there for a moment and reveled in the car that was a machine representation of Ben: sexy, muscular, and powerful. While she really could care less about cars, there was something about this car that coiled desire inside of her. Maybe it was remembering back to the time he pulled up at her office, looking like a god stepping out of the sexy, strong machine. Or maybe it was the times they would drive his car places and he would rest his hand on her leg while he smirked at her with those intense baby blues staring a hole through her. Or when he had the windows down and his blonde hair rippled in the wind, making her want to do nothing else other than hold onto it as they made love.

Shaking her head at herself, she headed back for the party, where Ben had everyone assembled around the sand tools, giving instructions. As she approached, Ben finished and looked at her, giving her that short-circuiting smile that made her tingle from head to toe.

“Ready?” Ben looked at her, and she nodded her head, rejoining the group. He looked around the group. “Everyone else ready?” The group echoed yes loudly, and he cheered. “Okay, since it’s Princess’ birthday, I think it’s only fair that we get to start to dig first. Any objections?” He looked around at the heads shaking no. “Perfect. Princess, let’s get a start. Grab me the shovel, and give one to Mommy, too.”

Alexis ran for the shovels, bringing back enough for them. When she handed Kayley hers, she noticed that Alexis was wearing a necklace, but it was tucked under the tee shirt Ben had put on her to protect her little baby skin after being out here all day. Figuring it was a gift she didn’t see, or Ben had finally found jewelry for her, she made a mental note to ask him later.

Ben and Kayley started digging, followed by Alexis’ little digs. After a few big piles of sand were extracted, Kayley’s shovel hit something hard, and it sounded like glass against her plastic shovel. “Hold on, babe, I think there’s something under here. Don’t let Alexis dig for a second until I see what it is. It sounds like glass.”

Ben stopped and told Alexis to stop, waiting for Kayley to get to the object. Alexis watched intently, wanting to see what it was. Ben turned and caught Kayley’s mom’s eye, who smiled encouragingly. Kayley finally got to the object, and she lifted it out with the shovel, just in case it was broken.

Lifting up a small glass bottle, she furrowed her brow. “What in the world?” She turned it over, seeing that it was completely intact. It was like one of those bottles that you find washed up on the shore. “It’s a message in a bottle! This is awesome!” Kayley could see a small paper in the bottle. “I wonder how far away this traveled to get here? It doesn’t even look old!”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool, baby. Open it up, maybe it’s someone looking for a long lost love.”

Kayley looked at Ben and placed her hand over his. “Always a romantic. I love that about you.”

“Open, Mommy! It’s a pwesent for you!” Alexis hopped up and down on her knees, impatient.

Pulling the small cork out of the bottle carefully so it wouldn’t break, she threw that to the side and then shook the bottle so the paper would fall into her hand. Finally getting it out, the crowd moved closer, murmuring to one another about what it could be. Opening the paper, her eyes scanned it quickly, then again.

Our forever starts today.

“Hmm,” she murmured, still looking at the note. “‘Our forever starts today’. Well, that doesn’t tell me much of anything.”

Looking where Ben was just a moment ago, he was no longer there. Turning her body, what she saw behind her caused her entire body to start shaking and her heart to beat so loudly she was sure the entire party could hear it. Her mouth dried out as she stared, unable to fully comprehend what was happening here.

Ben, her Ben, the man that had made every day worth living again, was kneeling on one knee on the sand with their baby girl sitting cross legged next to him. “Kayley Lynn Carson,” he began, now that he had her attention. A small gasp came from her, and her hands flew to her mouth. Tears poured down her face. The group of people that were standing there watching all of a sudden didn’t exist. It was just her, Ben, and Alexis. Her head felt fuzzy and her body unstable. She licked her lips, trying to wet them.

“One year ago today, I met the most amazing woman at one of the lowest points of her life. I fell head over heels in love with her, and I gained a daughter at the same time. When we met, it was like my soul reached out and grabbed yours, like we were two pieces of the same puzzle that finally found its match. I never, ever want to be without you, not for a moment. You filled something in me I didn’t realize that needed filled. You’re my best friend, my lover, and the best person I have ever known. We have come so far in the last year, baby. I want to spend my life waking up to you, laughing with you, and telling you every single moment that I love you and appreciate you. Will you marry me, Kayley?”