Once Upon A Half-Time 2(88)
I so didn’t sign up for a tinkle tantrum when I agreed to be her Maid of Honor.
Lindsey did her best. She looked at me for help.
“No way,” I said.
She grumbled. “Can’t count on you for anything.”
She eventually worked it out and flushed. We popped out of the stall, and I helped to rearrange her dress. She admired her ring while I ensured she was decent to return to the party.
“Mandy…” My sister washed her hands and watched me in the mirror. “I know you think that love is something mysterious and destined by fate. Well, it isn’t. You and Nate found each other. It’s as simple as that. Now you have the choice—take him or leave him. And I really hope you take him.”
Easy for her to say. She hooked her prince in high school.
“Is there ever a sign that you’re making the right decision?” I asked.
“You want a sign?” Lindsey grabbed her bouquet and tossed it at me. I caught it with a gasp. “There’s a pretty big one.”
“Ominous,” I said.
“Is it really?”
No.
It wasn’t.
Lindsey marched me out of the bathroom and pointed me toward Nate.
“I think it’s time you two talked…” She squeezed my shoulders. “And stop hiding behind the wedding and the family. You deserve to be happy too, rat face.”
“Thanks, bubble butt.”
The dinner had finished, and the DJ began his first set. The crowds moved from the taco bar and cookie table and danced in the grass.
I stared only at one man. He approached and took my hand.
“It’s time,” Nate said.
“I know.” I glanced over the party. “Where?”
“Follow me.”
The fellowship hall was jammed with people. The dancing area crowded with Mom, Dad, the Washingtons, and everyone else in their generation getting down to the best hits of the 1970s. Our table giggled as the first round of beer went down in a chugging contest. Rick served a second to the groomsmen.
Nate tugged my hand and led me to the corner of the yard. We’d rented a photo booth as something fun for the party. Luckily, no one was using it just yet. He pulled back the curtain, and we tucked inside.
The darkness swelled. A tiny black-and-white screen flickered before us, and I stared at Nate in the dim light.
My heart beat a little too fast. I wished I had been able to sip some champagne before tackling this. But I didn’t feel scared or worried. I couldn’t, not around Nate.
I just had no idea where to begin.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Nate spoke at the same time I did. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”
I swallowed. “You don’t have to be sorry.”
He interrupted me. “Why are you sorry?”
“I never, ever should have kept the baby a secret from you.” I pulled his hand to my chest. “You were right. I was hiding behind the wedding and all the problems with my family. I thought I was making it easier on myself to focus only on the party, but it was all an excuse. I was…scared.”
“You had no reason to be scared.”
“But I was. I had no idea how you’d react. Hell, I had no idea how I felt about it. I still don’t. I’ve kept the secret for so long, and it became just that—a secret. It never felt like a baby. And then…that sonogram, and when we were together two nights ago. It got real. It was…”
“Was what?” Nate leaned close.
“I felt like we could be a real family.”
“Not could. Will be.”
“What about California?”
“What about it?” Nate shrugged. “Since I was young, I planned to leave home and abandon the life my father wanted for me. I rebelled against it. Hard. I never wanted a life of commitments and relationships and family. But you know what I realized when I finally had you?”
He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered on my cheek, and I smiled.
His voice strengthened. “That life isn’t something to fear or refuse. I would be the luckiest bastard in the world if I could just share a moment of that with you.”
I swallowed. My heart nearly burst, and I willed it to slow so I didn’t miss a single word.
“No,” he said. “I’m not leaving. I’m not hunting for that miserable existence anymore. Not when I can have a life with you, a life worth living and protecting.”
“What about the baby?”
Nate nodded. “What about the baby?”
“Are you scared?”
“Of course I am.” He grinned. “Hell, I’ve never been this terrified—and I don’t know what’s got me more worried. Losing you…or winning you over and tackling this amazing responsibility.” He brushed my lip with his thumb. “Don’t tell me you aren’t excited.”