Never Too Far (19 page)

“Of course they are,” she replied with an amused tone.

“Thank you,” I said as I looked at each one and found the small pea I knew was alive inside me.

“You’re welcome.” She patted my knee. “You can get dressed now. Everything looks great.”

I nodded and wiped away another tear that had broken free and was rolling down my face.

Rush

“Where is she, Bethy?” I demanded walking out of Blaire’s bedroom holding her cell phone. She’d left it here.

Bethy snarled at me and slammed a kitchen cabinet door. “The fact your sorry ass doesn’t

know where she is only makes me hate you more.”

What the fuck was wrong with her? I’d had a day from hell. Telling my mom she had to get

another house and then telling them I was going to ask Blaire to marry me had sent them all into a wild rage. Well, not all of them. Blaire’s father had seemed ine with it. Nan and my mother had gone ballistic. We’d spent several hours yelling at each other and I’d made threats I intended to keep. Nan was supposed to leave to go back to school on Monday. She’d be gone until winter break and I was sure she’d end up in Vail with friends then. It was what she did every year. Normally I went too but not this year.

“I’ve had to deal with my mother and sister for the past four hours. Kicking Georgianna out of the house and informing her and Nan I intend to ask Blaire to marry me isn’t exactly an easy battle. So forgive me if I need a little help remembering where Blaire is!”

Bethy thumped the bottle of water down on the bar and her angry snarl became more of a

disgusted frown. I’d thought once she heard I was going to propose to Blaire that she’d be happy. Apparently not.

“I hope you didn’t buy a ring,” was her only response.

I was tired of her games. “Tell me where she is,” I roared.

Bethy put both her hands on the bar and leaned forward giving me a furious scowl I didn’t

know the girl was capable of. “Go. To. Hell.”

Fuck. What had I done?

The door opened and Blaire came walking in smiling until her eyes met mine. Then her smile faltered. She was mad at me too. Not good.

“Blaire,” I said as I walked toward her and she started backing up.

“Don’t,” she replied, holding up both her hands to stop me from coming closer.

She was holding something. It looked like pictures. What the hell did she have pictures of?

Was it something from my past? Was she pissed about some girl I’d done something with once?

“Is that what I think it is?” Bethy asked pushing past me and running to Blaire.

Blaire nodded and handed her the pictures. Bethy covered her mouth. “Oh my God. Did you

hear the heartbeat?”

At the words “heartbeat” my chest felt as if it had just been ripped wide open.

Understanding dawned on me. Today was Thursday. It was Blaire’s doctor’s appointment.

She’d called to remind me and I’d hung up on her.

“Blaire, shit baby, I am so sorry. I was dealing with my—”

“Your family. I know. Nan told me when I called back. I don’t want to hear your excuses. I just want you to leave.” Her voice was flat. There was no emotion in it.

She turned her attention back to the pictures and pointed to something. “Right there. Can

you believe that’s inside me?”

Bethy turned her hateful scowl from me to the picture and a soft smile touched her face.

“It’s amazing.”

They were standing there looking at pictures of my baby. Blaire had heard his heartbeat

today. Alone. Without me.

“Can I see?” I asked, scared she’d tell me no or worse, ignore me.

Instead, she took the pictures from Bethy and handed them to me. “The little thing that looks like a pea. That’s… our baby,” she inished. She had been reluctant to call it our baby. I couldn’t blame her.

“Was its heart okay? I mean, did it beat properly and everything?” I asked, staring down at the picture in my hand.

“Yes. They said everything was perfect,” she replied. “If you want it you can keep that one. I have three. But I’d like for you to leave now.”

I wasn’t leaving. Bethy standing guard wasn’t going to stop me either. I would say all this in front of Bethy if I had to but I refused to leave this condo.

“My mother and your father showed up unannounced today. Nan leaves for college Monday. Mom thought I’d be leaving too so she was back to move in for the year. I informed her I wasn’t leaving and she’d need to ind another home. I also informed them that I was staying until you decided you wanted us to move somewhere else. That I intended to ask you to marry me,” I paused and watched as her face paled. Not the reaction I was hoping for. “It didn’t go over well. There was a lot of yelling. Hours of screaming and threats. When you called me I had just announced to the three of them that I was going to marry you. All hell had broken loose. I was going to call you back once I had my mother and Abe back in their car and headed out of town. I didn’t want you to have to face either of them. But my mother doesn’t go down without a ight. Nan packed up and left for school this evening. She is refusing to ever speak to me again.” I stopped and took a breath.

“I can never tell you how sorry I am. The fact I forgot about today’s appointment is unforgivable. I keep having to apologize to you. I wish I could stop fucking everything up.”

“You weren’t going to have lunch with your family?” she asked.

“My family? What? No!”

The rigid stance of her posture relaxed. “Oh,” she said in a sigh.

“Why did you think I’d go to lunch with them? I wouldn’t hang up on you to go spend time

with them.”

“Nan,” she replied with a sad smile.

“Nan? When the hell did you talk to Nan?” I’d been with Nan all morning.

“When I called you back. Nan answered and said you didn’t have time for me because you

were going to eat with your family.”

My lying little sister better be glad her ass was headed back to the east coast because I’d go ring her neck if I could get my hands on her.

“You went to that appointment thinking I’d blown you and our baby off for them? Fuck!” I

pushed past Bethy and pulled Blaire into my arms. “You’re my family, Blaire. You and this baby. Do you understand me? I missed something today I will never forgive myself for. I wanted to be there and hear the heartbeat. I wanted to be holding your hand when you saw

him for the first time.”

Blaire tilted her head back and smiled up at me. “You know it could be a girl.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then stop calling our baby a ‘him’,” she replied.

I was calling the baby a him. Smiling, I kissed her forehead. “Can we go back to your room and you tell me about the appointment. I want to know everything.”

She nodded and glanced over at Bethy. “Are you going to continue scowling at him or are

you going to forgive him?”

Bethy shrugged. “Not sure yet.”

Blaire

School was back in session. Vacationers and summer people had gone home. The club had a lot less traffic and because of this tips were down. The biggest thing was that Rush hadn’t mentioned the proposing thing again since the night at the condo when he’d said that was what he’d told his mother and sister and my father. He never even mentioned them again. I wondered sometimes if he’d changed his mind or if I’d imagined it.

If it wasn’t for Bethy asking me weekly if Rush had brought it up again I would think it had been a igment of my imagination. Every time I told her no he hadn’t she got more and more agitated. Not to mention my heart hurt a little more. I was afraid he’d thought it through and decided it was a mistake. Before he’d mentioned it that night I hadn’t even let myself believe he’d want to marry me. I igured we’d raise the baby from two different homes. If my thoughts went to the future I would block it out. It wasn’t something I wanted to hope for.

My hours were being cut back due to the slower season and I wondered if I needed to get a

second job. There wasn’t a lot to choose from around here. Then it was very likely that Rush wouldn’t take it well.

When I stepped into my bedroom there were two things that caught my attention. There

were rose petals on my bed and in the center of them was an envelope with my name written

neatly across the front. I picked it up and opened it. The stationery was expensive feeling and Finlay was embossed at the top.

Meet me down at the beach.

Love,

Rush

His abnormally perfect handwriting made me smile. I went to my closet and pulled out a

white sundress that had two black stripes across the hem. If he had planned a romantic something at the beach I wasn’t going to wear my work clothes.

After brushing my hair and touching up my makeup I headed out the French doors that faced the gulf and made my way down to the beach. Rush was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a button up shirt. I was glad I’d changed. His back was to me and his hands were in his pockets as he stood there staring out at the water. I wanted to stop and admire him admiring the water but I was also anxious to see him. He’d been gone when I woke up this morning.

I stepped off the walkway and onto the sand. It was oddly deserted except for the two of us.

Even though the crowds were down it was still eighty-eight degrees and sunny outside.

Glancing down I noticed something in the sand. Someone had written in it. There was a stick lying off to the side.

I stopped and read aloud, “Blaire Wynn, will you marry me?” As the words sunk in Rush

walked across the words and knelt down on one knee in front of me.

A small box appeared in his hand and he opened it slowly as a diamond ring caught the

fading sun.It appeared to come alive as it sparkled. It was happening. Did I want this? Yes. Did I trust him? …. Yes.

Was he ready? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want this to be something he was doing because he

felt pressured to. It would be easy to reach down and put the ring on my inger. But was it what Rush really wanted?

“You don’t have to do this,” I forced myself to say staring down at him. He hadn’t spoken to his sister or his mother in weeks. As much as I disliked them… no hated them, I didn’t want to be what came between him and his family.

Rush shook his head. “No, I don’t have to do anything. But I want to spend the rest of my

life with you. No one but you.”

His words were the right words. I still felt like something was wrong. He couldn’t truly want this. He was young, rich, and gorgeous. I had nothing to offer him. I’d tie him down.

Change his world. “I can’t do this to you. I can’t hinder your future. You can go do anything. I promised you I’d let you be a part of our baby’s life. That won’t change when you feel like you’re ready to leave. I’ll always let you.”

“Don’t say another word. I swear Blaire, I am seconds away from throwing your ass in that

ocean.” He stood up and his steady gaze held mine. “No man has ever loved a woman as much

as I love you. Nothing will ever come before you. I don’t know what else I have to do to prove to you that I won’t let you down again. I won’t hurt you. You don’t have to be alone anymore. I need you.”

Maybe this wasn’t right and maybe I was making a mistake but his words tugged at corners of my heart he had somehow not managed to reach until that moment. I took the box

from his hand and lifted the ring free. “It’s beautiful,” I told him. Because it was. It wasn’t too flashy or overdone. It was perfectly simple.

“Nothing less would be worthy of your inger,” he replied and took the ring from my hand.

Then he went back down on his knee and his eyes met mine.

“Please, Blaire Wynn, will you be my wife?”

I wanted this. Him.

“Yes,” I said and he slipped the ring on my finger.

“Thank god,” he whispered then stood back up and captured my mouth in a hungry kiss.

This was real and maybe it wouldn’t be forever but it was mine for now. I’d ind a way to let him go if he wanted to. But I loved him. That would never change.

“Move in with me,” he begged.

“I can’t. I have to pay my half of the lease,” I reminded him.

“I paid your lease in full for a year. Every dime you’ve given Woods has gone into a savings account with your name on it. Same for Bethy. Now, please move in with me.”

I wanted to get mad at him but right now I couldn’t. I pressed another kiss to his lips and then nodded.

“And please stop working,” he added.

“No,” I replied. I wasn’t doing that.

“You’re my iancé now. You’re going to be my wife. Why do you want to work at a country

club? Don’t you want to do something else? What about college? Do you want to do that? Is

there a degree you want? I’m not trying to take away your choices; I want to give you more.”

I was going to be his wife. Those words sunk in as I gazed up at him. I didn’t have to give up college like I had high school. I could get a degree and have a profession.

“I want that. It’s just… let me soak this in. Too much, too fast,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

Rush

Blaire was determined to work out a two weeks notice with Woods. I wasn’t going to argue with her.

She’d agreed to everything I asked. I wasn’t about to push my luck. I sat at the table with my laptop and a cup of coffee waiting on her to get off her shift.

Woods had stopped by to talk to me for a few minutes but other than that it had been a

quiet evening. Most everyone had left town. Jace was hanging around because of Bethy but I wasn’t sure he was going to make it much longer. I’d seen the restless look in his eyes the other day when we’d played a round of golf. He wasn’t used to staying in this town longer than a summer.

“This seat taken?” I looked up to see Meg take the seat across from me. I hadn’t seen her