Authors: Kari Alice
Restored (24 page)
“What do you think that was?” Lexi whispered to Caleb as they stood at the altar.
“You said that you could feel your parents here. I think that they just wanted to let you know that they really are with you,” Caleb whispered back.
Lexi blinked back tears and nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”
The day was perfection, more than an ideal day for a wedding. The sun was out, but cool air came off the water and kept the temperature comfortable. The blue of the water and sky mimicked one another. The combination of both grass and rock accentuated Lexi’s crisp white dress. Caleb had hired a wedding photographer to capture the day. When the preacher signaled the couple to kiss, Caleb dipped Lexi back and kissed her deeply. At first Lexi wanted to hold back because of the presence of their guests, but finally she gave in to the kiss. Mrs. Avery blushed slightly at Caleb’s romantic gesture, and Lexi heard her comment to her husband that she “never could have imaged Caleb so happy.”
As the ceremony ended, the wedding party headed toward a small area nestled behind the lighthouse, under a pergola that offered protection from the stronger winds, which had just started to escalate. A large table had been set up. White linen draped through the slats of the pergola, and flower arrangements decorated the area. The photographer had Lexi and Caleb pose in the same spots that Lexi’s parents had posed. The newlyweds joined the rest of the party after all of the pictures were taken.
Mrs. Avery took Lexi’s hand into her own. “I told you that you bring out the best in him. I couldn’t be happier that you’re my daughter-in-law now.”
“Thank you. As far as it goes, he brings out the best in me too,” Lexi said with a smile.
“Surprise wedding? It’s sneaky, and you know I love it. The only thing I’d change would be to let me in on the secret next time. I could have catered,” Mike said as he nudged Caleb’s shoulder.
“Then you wouldn’t have been able to relax. I didn’t want you working at my wedding. I just wanted you here,” Caleb shot back.
Mr. Avery walked over to hug Caleb. He patted him on the back and pulled away. “Listen, I want you to use the vacation house. You don’t have to honeymoon there, but both you and Lexi are welcome there anytime. Just let me know when, and I’ll make sure it’s ready.”
Caleb smiled at his father’s offer. His parents’ vacation house was something they’d bought as a gift to themselves after thirty years of marriage. The house was in Bermuda, and when they weren’t using it themselves, they rented it out. Caleb vacationed rarely, but he was finally open to change. Making memories with Lexi was now his top priority.
“Do you think it could be ready in September? It might be nice to get away before it gets too cold here.”
“Not a problem, whenever you want,” Mr. Avery said with a wide grin.
Ashley looped her arm around Lexi’s. “Do you realize that we’re now doubly related?” The ends of her bandanna flapped in the slight breeze, but she smiled and was obviously unfazed by the fabric and its erratic movements.
“Who knew that’d ever happen? We’re lucky ladies,” Lexi said with a goofy grin.
“Yes we are!”
The wedding ceremony was perfect in every way; it even seemed as if Lexi’s parents had witnessed it themselves. No other wedding venue could have been better, which was why Caleb suggested having the wedding there shortly after he’d proposed. Lexi hadn’t believed in fate or even in destiny, but those assumptions were different now and allowed her to open up to the possibility of synchronicity. Her life had gone from loss, grief, and loneliness to complete contentment. She was living a life that she couldn’t have dreamt of before. She chose to honor her parents by loving her own life and her husband.
Before Lexi entered Caleb’s life, he hadn’t know what it was that he missed. He hadn’t suffered like Lexi had, at least not knowingly. She had awoken a thirst for life in him, and now with her by his side, his appreciation for his own existence blossomed. They both were forever changed.
Epilogue
I
t was the end of the workday, and an office meeting was about to take place. The meetings were held every other Wednesday at four o’clock. The meetings didn’t necessarily need a reason but gave the staff an opportunity to voice their concerns. The team gathered in the break room, which contained a large table. A few crumbs remained on the table from lunch. The walls were generic with cream-colored paint, and the room looked thrown together, but it featured a wall-mounted television, a microwave on the countertop, and a full-size refrigerator. None of the appliances matched, but all were functional. This was the only space large enough for a meeting other than the patient waiting area. One good thing about the break room was that the staff couldn’t be disturbed by patients who didn’t observe the
Closed
sign posted on the door.
Lexi sat next to Caleb at the crumb-soiled table. She was always by his side.
Missy pushed her chin-length blond hair behind her ear while looking at her cell phone. Her eyes seemed glued to the screen without regard to how rude she was. As Missy gazed downward at the phone, it buzzed, and she grinned. She’d been dating Miles for the past few months. After things broke off with Tony, Miles was apparently there for her.
The scent of black coffee drifted through the break room as Dr. Hale poured a cup. The coffee was several hours old and bitterly scented the air. Lexi’s stomach lurched at the odor. She tried to breathe from her mouth, but there was no relief. She discreetly put her wrists down on the cool surface of the table, hoping that the coolness would help alleviate her nausea. There was a growing weight in her belly, and though she generally reveled in it, lately her morning sickness had taken its toll. Caleb seemed to sense what was happening, and he gently caressed her lower back to try and soothe her discomfort. After the wave of nausea subsided, she instinctively cradled her hand over her belly. She’d been vomiting on a daily basis for several weeks and was so drowsy that she could hardly keep her eyes open at work. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself, but it was a daily battle.
Lexi and Caleb broke the news of their honeymoon baby to Ashley, Mike, and Mr. and Mrs. Avery just a few weeks before at a family dinner. Their secret had to be revealed since Lexi’s appetite had been so dramatically altered. She insisted on waiting to at least twelve weeks to break the news to their coworkers, even though it’d been difficult to hide her symptoms.
With the summer weddings, Lexi had forgotten to schedule her Depo-Provera injection. The injection had altered her periods, and so she’d stopped tracking them, as there was no real need. While on vacation in Bermuda, she hadn’t felt right. Nothing could be pinpointed until the missed injection was finally recalled. Caleb purchased a home pregnancy test, and soon their vacation became memorable for reasons other than the spectacular beach at Horseshoe Bay. The pregnancy was unplanned but welcome.
Since their return to Maine, Lexi had been examined by Dr. Ives and was assured that everything looked normal.
As the meeting closed, Caleb spoke up. He looked at Lexi as she nodded her head in permission to proceed.
He cleared his throat as he prepared to speak. “I just wanted to let everyone know…” He spoke to the room, but his eyes were only on Lexi. “Lexi and I are going to have a baby!” Caleb said proudly.
At home Lexi lay down on the bed. Her exhaustion finally won its battle. Benjamin purred loudly on the end of the bed, with his eyes closed and his furry body nestled into a loose ball. Caleb carried Lexi’s dinner on a tray, which held a slice of chocolate pecan pie and a glass of whole milk. Luckily, Mike’s restaurant had a variety of desserts, so Caleb was able to get Lexi just about anything she craved. All she could tolerate at this point was dessert. Savory food gave her intense bouts of nausea. After Lexi ate, Caleb moved the tray off the bed and pulled her to him to rest against his body. He pulled her shirt up and caressed the small swell of her belly.
“I love you so much, sweetheart,” he said into hair.
Lexi closed her eyes and focused on his attention. Once the baby arrived, she’d be too busy to rest and enjoy her husband like she was able to now. “I love you too.” Her forehead creased. “Do you think we’ll always be this happy with each other?” she asked. She constantly harbored fearful thoughts of loss.
“Why do you doubt it? You’ve got to stop living like you only get an allotment of happiness,” Caleb said as he made a figure eight pattern on her belly with his index finger.
She laughed, his light touches tickling her overly sensitive skin. “It’s just that I didn’t think I would ever have any of this, you know?” When his finger stopped moving on her belly, she grabbed his wrist to encourage him rub her some more.
“I know…me neither…but then again, I didn’t know that it was even possible to feel this way about someone.”
The tension in her brow eased. “I didn’t know that it was possible either.” She’d always thought that bad things happened to her, and that was her unfortunate luck. She hadn’t thought that the opposite was even possible. Now that she had a taste of the optimism, she wasn’t going to let it go without a fight. Caleb wouldn’t let what they had together vanish either. Their love mattered.
“Have you thought about baby names yet?” Lexi asked in a dreamlike voice.
Caleb glanced across the room and studied the graphite drawing that hung on the far wall. The drawing was an original Alexis Avery and one that Caleb had gotten framed so that they both could enjoy it. The image was of their wedding day, but in the background stood her parents along with the whole wedding party.
Caleb smiled. “I would like to name her Alizabeth. You know, a mix of your name and your mom’s.”
Lexi’s voice caught in her throat. She hadn’t thought of many names, or at least none that she really liked. The name he’d suggested was different and perfect in every way. Lexi’s mother was named Elizabeth, and clearly Caleb had considered Lexi’s feelings on this topic even before she’d thought about it herself. With tears in her eyes she said, “This is why I love you. I ask you a simple question, and you blow me out of the water.”
Caleb pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. She turned to face him, and his mouth was on hers, kissing her tenderly. He calmed her in a way that she hadn’t known before and excited her like no one else ever could.
As he pulled away to speak, he said. “My heart only began to beat when I first saw you. You are my heart, Lexi…”
About the Author
Kari nearly faints at the sight of blood, so after ten years of nursing, she said good-bye to her patients and turned to her true passion—creating stories. She writes full time, and since she took the leap, she’s never looked back. Because that would make her dizzy.
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