As I stand on the porch staring blankly at the door, Lex holds onto my hand and squeezes it tight.
I’m beyond anxious, my palms sweating as I begin fiddling with the rings on my left hand. When Lex suggested we fly back home to Carmel and finally announce the news to my dad, I tried my best to come up with every excuse under the sun.
It turns out, every excuse has a solution.
Nikki assures me she can hold down the fort at work, and the doctor told me it’s safe to fly since I’m only in my second trimester.
Lex even plays the I’m-offended-you-won’t-come-out-in-the-open-with-our-relationship card. It comes across like he’s mocking me. Maybe it’s my imagination.
A week later, and I’m standing here on the porch at the place I once called home. It isn’t that I don’t want to tell my dad I’m back together with Lex, I’m just anxious his gun collection may have tripled in nine years, and the last thing I want is a wild goose chase all over town.
“It’ll be okay. It’s been nine years, Charlotte,” Lex says, calmly.
“I don’t feel well,” I moan.
“Morning sickness again?”
Whoever came up with the term morning sickness must have been a male. It should be called all-day sickness. The list of food that repulses me is growing longer by the day. On the plane ride here, I officially added oranges to my list. The man across from me had the need to eat three of them in a row, and I had the need to puke three times in a row in the tiny-ass restroom.
There was a week or two where it disappeared, but for some unknown reason, I caught a second wave of it, praying this is short-lived and won’t carry on during the entire pregnancy.
“Yes… err no…” I muster up the courage and knock on the door.
Seconds feel like hours, my heart rate picking up the longer we stand here. But then I remember little bubba inside of me, and placing unnecessary stress on the baby is not good. Taking deep breaths, I talk myself into calming down. Lex is right, nine years is a long time.
The door opens, my dad stares at me in shock.
“Charlie?”
“Daddy!” I cry, running into his arms.
It has been a year since I saw him last, but unlike every other time I’ve seen him, this feels so much more emotional. I’m here, no longer his little girl, but a woman pregnant with a baby to the man I love.
I hold onto him, allowing his smell to embrace me, a mixture of Old Spice and laundry detergent—a sign he has a good woman taking care of him. He pulls away, no smiles, but a stare so cold I swear the birds flew out of the trees like a sixth sense as to what is about to go down.
“What the hell is Edwards doing here?” he raises his voice.
“Dad, please. We need to talk.”
“He’s not welcome here.”
“Dad! Can we please act like mature adults and talk?”
“Mature adults? He was an adult, Charlie, when you were a teenager. An adult who took advantage of you,” he shoots back.
“Dad…” The walls of my stomach weaken. Covering my mouth, I push him out of the way. “I need the bathroom.”
After a nasty let’s-see-what-I-had-for-lunch situation in the bathroom, I stand at the basin, splashing my face with cold water. Seriously, when the hell is the morning sickness going to stop? I open the door and hear my dad and Lex speaking, the voices are muffled, and I can’t really hear the conversation. However, I’m guessing it isn’t pleasant.
I enter the kitchen and interrupt what looks like a heated debate.
“Charlie—”
“Dad, if you’re talking about the small-minded folks in this town, I really don’t care what people say, they can talk about us as much as they want. I know who I am. I’m a woman who fought hard to put my past behind me. I studied and graduated from Yale Law School. I opened up a law firm in New York City. I have been given a second chance with the only man my heart has ever belonged to, and now… now… we are having a baby.”
There, I blurt it out, no sugarcoating—this is the real deal. I decide to hold onto the information about us getting married on a whim in The Hamptons.
One piece of information at a time, Charlie.
His face changes, a look I’ve never seen before. I glance nervously at Lex who shrugs his shoulders, obviously just as curious as I am.
“I’m going to be a granddaddy?” he asks with a slight croak in his voice.
I nod, and instantly he pulls me into a big hug. Thank fuck! The tension eases, and right on cue, my stomach grumbles. Oh, shame.
“Time to get some grub in you… doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, Edwards,” he warns.
“Dad, let it go. And please don’t use the word ‘grub.’ That sounds like something you find dead on the road and decide to grill it.”
“I was thinking your favorite Buffalo chicken wings,” he says proudly.
“Nothing with wings,” I answer queasily.
“How about Debbie’s pot roast?”
“Uh, too meat juicy like.”
“Well, what do you want?”
I think about it for a moment, and like a lightning bolt it hits me.
“A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of ketchup,” I announce proudly, the thought making my mouth drool.
“What?” they both ask in unison.
We all laugh, and Dad gets straight to it. Ten minutes later, I sit in front of their disgusted faces and dip my sandwich into the ketchup. It tastes like heaven and hits the spot perfectly.
“So how long are you here for?” Dad asks.
I turn to Lex, unsure of how long he expects us to stay in Carmel.
“Four days,” Lex answers.
“And where will you be staying?”
“Um… we were hoping here, but if it’s a problem, we can find a hotel.”
“You know you’re welcome to stay here… in separate rooms,” he adds.
“Uh, hello, Dad… I think the jig is up. Unless, of course, you think this baby was immaculately conceived?”
Lex laughs as my dad cringes.
We speak a little bit more about life back in the city when Debbie arrives home. I’m excited to see her. She is possibly the best stepmom you could ask for. Lex heads out, saying he needs to pick up a few things from the store.
I shout out, “Hey, if you’re heading that way, anyway, how about you pick me up a tub of vanilla fudge ripple ice cream?”
With Dad cleaning up and Lex gone, it gives Debbie and me a chance to catch up in the living room.
“Honey, I’m so glad you’ve come back to visit. We’ve missed you.”
“It’s actually nice to be back. I probably wouldn’t have been able to say that a few months ago.”
It’s the honest truth, and I thank my lucky stars the nightmare is over.
I tell Debbie all about Julian and how Lex and I ran into each other, including every insane thing that happened since then, excluding the nuptials, the angel on my shoulder whispering, “Your dad will kill you with his bare hands.” Debbie nods and listens intently, and by the end, she’s hugging me so tight that I can feel her tears drop onto my shoulder.
“Oh, Charlie. You deserve to be happy… and a baby? What a blessing. Your dad has been waiting to be a granddaddy. We both knew it would be you before your sister.”
“Aww, please, Melanie? Unless a baby can travel in her backpack, there’s no chance in hell.” I laugh.
“It’ll be nice to have a baby around,” she says with a smile on her face.
It dawns on me that Debbie is also waiting in anticipation for this moment. She never had kids, and by the time she met my dad, they were both too old to start a family.
“Well, lil’ bubba can’t wait to be spoiled by its grandma, too,” I mention softly as I place my hand over hers.
Her face lights up, and with ease, she pulls me into a tight hug, not letting me go for what feels like an eternity.
Lex has some work he needs to catch up on, so I take the opportunity to head down to the local fire station. The building looks exactly the same, its worn-out brick gives it history, built sometime in the early 30s if I remember correctly from history class. The bright red trucks sit horizontally in front of the building and coming from inside are the sounds of rowdy men yelling and cussing at the television.
“Talk about productivity,” I say out loud.
They all turn around to look at me. Finn’s face lights up as he runs over and grabs me, lifting me high in the air as if I were light as a feather.
“Charlie, are you kidding me? Is it really you?”
“In the flesh.” I grin.
“How… why?”
“We need to have a long chat. When are you off?”
“In about two hours… I’ll pick you up, say, around three?”
“It’s a date.”
Smiling, I say goodbye and head back into town.
Exactly two hours later, the doorbell rings. I couldn’t have run any faster, Lex and my dad scolding me for almost tripping down the stairs. As I open the door, I’m met with a goofy grin belonging to my childhood best friend, Finn Rodriguez.
“Hey, girl.” Finn wraps his arms around me. I miss his suffocating hugs, although I don’t miss his man sweat.
“Mark, Alex,” he nods.
Oh, he called him Alex. Lex doesn’t correct him. In fact, Lex smiles at him, which is weird. Am I missing something here? Mr. She’s-mine-and-no-one-can-touch-her-including-that-Rodriguez-kid?
“You wanna grab a bite to eat?” Finn asks, eyeing Lex.
“Sure, let’s go.” I kiss Lex goodbye, and thank God he understands I need some alone time with Finn. Last night when I raised the topic, I thought he would go crazy demanding he be there, but much to my surprise, he shrugged it off and said to have fun. Have fun? Okay, seriously, something was up with the universe.
As we sit in the local coffee shop, I know there’s no better time than now to let it all out in the open.
“Go, ask me your million questions,” I say while shoving the most appetizing chocolate cake into my mouth.
“I have no questions. You broke it off with Julian, and you’re back together with Lex.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s the main… wait, did you just call him ‘Lex’?”
He shuffles his feet but laughs it off. “Sorry, I heard you call him that once, and it must have stuck.”
“When did I call him that?” I ask, confused.
“Must have been Jen, then, I don’t know. Anyway, so Alex and you are back together.”
“Don’t you want to know what happened?”
“Charlie, I’m a guy, we don’t care for sordid details. Unless it’s dirty, but since I look at you like a sister, that’s just plain wrong. Actually, it’s just plain wrong that I called you a sister when we did it twice.”
“Foot-in-mouth disease, welcome to my world.” I chuckle.
“Okay, so what I mean is, if you’re happy, Charlie, then that’s all that matters.”
“I’m pregnant, Finn,” I blurt out.
He almost spits out his strawberry milkshake. His face reddens and his eyes go hard. Shit, did I just ruin our happy reunion?
“Don’t tell me you’re with him because of that?”
“Finn, really, do you think I was raised in the 1950s?”
He remains silent, and I allow him a moment to let it sink in.
“You know babies cry all night,” he informs me.
“I know.”
“And you need to change their diapers like thirty times a day.”
“I’m aware of their bowel movements, yes.”
“And you can’t have sex for like six weeks after the birth.”
“Yes, I know…” Realization of what he’s said hits me like a sledgehammer. “Wait! Six weeks?” I ask a little too loudly, and the old lady behind Finn turns around.
He smirks, bastard. Nikki never mentioned that, probably because she was doing something else to compensate. Mental note—ask her later.
“It’ll be okay, Finn, and besides, you’re only a phone call away. An experienced parent like yourself should be able to answer all my questions.”
“Congratulations, Charlie.” He smiles.
I place my hand over his and squeeze it tight.
“Hey, I got an idea, you up for some law-breaking fun?” he asks with a mischievous look on his face.
“Sure, why not. I can always represent myself.”
***
“When you said ‘law-breaking fun,’ I didn’t think you meant breaking into Carmel High,” I sigh.
“Charlie, don’t you miss high school? We had so much fun,” Finn reminds me.
We stand in the hallway as I give myself a moment to take in my surroundings. It is surreal to be here again, walking the same hall I used to walk down every day. Not much has changed, the lockers are still the same, but maybe the walls have been painted. The trophy case still stands there in all its glory. Unconsciously, I make my way to my old biology classroom. The door is unlocked, and without hesitation, I find my old desk, the one sitting beside the window near the fish tank. I run my fingers over the desktop, remembering how many times I’d sit here and stare out the window daydreaming about Lex. After prom, I would sit there and daydream about how he fucked me on this very desk. I carefully lift the lid, and low and behold, there it is engraved in the corner where only I could see—the initials CM 4 AE. It was all very juvenile, but I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic over this tiny reminder.
“Finn, we should get out of here before we get busted.”
“Yeah. But let me take you to one more place.”
He holds my hand and leads me down the corridor until we are standing in front of the gymnasium. God, I hated this place. The number of times I was hit by the dodge ball has left me scarred for life.
“No offense, Finn, but sports wasn’t my thing back then… we aren’t going to re-enact gym class, are we?”
“Will you just shut up for just one second?”
I roll my eyes as he opens the doors.
“Welcome to prom night,” he announces.
My eyes widen at the scene in front of me. The gymnasium has turned into prom night exactly like prom night nine years ago. The disco light shines around the room, the spotlights focusing on the massive Eiffel Tower standing in the corner, just like I remember it. The Parisian street signs are arranged throughout the room. Adriana must have had something to do with this.
And standing in the middle of the room is the most perfect man dressed in a black tuxedo.
I walk toward him, trying to catch my breath and take it all in.
“Charlotte.”
“Lex, what is all this?”
“Before you say anything else, I have a dress and shoes waiting for you over there.”
He points to the locker room. I’m still confused as to what the hell is going on, but I follow his instructions. I walk over and enter the restroom. Inside, hanging on the door is a beautiful emerald green gown, almost a replica of my prom dress, with a pair of silver Manolo Blahniks. I change into the gown, which fits like a glove even though my stomach has begun to show, then walk back outside feeling extremely self-conscious. Why? I have no idea.
“Charlotte… you look breathtaking,” he whispers.
“I believe you’ve said that to me once before.”
“But this time I hope you don’t abandon me on the dance floor.”
“Lex, what is all this? I mean it’s beautiful, you’re beautiful.”
“We didn’t get to have our prom dance in front of everyone to see. I didn’t get to hold you close to me, and I wasn’t able to look at you the way I’m looking at you right now.”
“I kinda don’t want to ruin the moment, but it’s only us.”
“Is it?” he asks with a mischievous grin on his face.
I turn around, and walking through the door is Rocky and Nikki, Adriana and Elijah, Eric, Emma, Kate, Finn, and Jen. All nine of them are dressed formally in suits and gowns.
“Are you kidding me?” I laugh, unable to comprehend this moment.
“And I didn’t get to do this…” He cups my face and gently places his lips on mine. It’s the most perfect, gentle kiss, the kind of kiss that travels down to the pit of your stomach, smothering it with butterflies.
With my head nestled on Lex’s shoulders, I watch as the others dance. Each one of them dressed impeccably, smiling, laughing, enjoying this trip down memory lane. Having the closest people to me in this one room tugs on my emotions, and I can’t help the tear that falls upon my cheek. Where the hell did Hard-Ass Charlie disappear to? I’m seriously crying over the most nonsensical things these days.
“I have to confess something…” Lex speaks.
My stomach churns a little. Oh, for fuck’s sake, Charlie, he is yours, he married you!
“What is it, Mr. Edwards?”
“There is another reason why I did this.”
“Oh?”
He removes my hands from around his neck and places them in his own hands.
“If I had known all those years ago in the treehouse that you were the one, I would have saved myself a shitload of misery. No matter what life has thrown at the both of us, here we are, standing here… together. Charlotte, you complete me. For eight years, I believed I had met my fate. I have been punished for my actions, but somehow, someone gave me a second chance at life, gave me a reason to breathe again. Charlotte, you are my reason that I stand here with a heart bursting full of love. You are the reason that in five months from now, my wildest dreams will come true. I want every part of you, and I need to do this properly. Will you do me the honor of making our family complete? Will you marry me, again?”
He kneels on one knee and opens a small black velvet box—an emerald ring is nestled perfectly inside. The diamonds almost blind me, but I shift my gaze and stare directly into his eyes, his beautiful eyes, and for some stupid reason, my tongue is tied. Am I supposed to respond? I already said yes when I married him. C’mon, Charlie, don’t leave him hanging. Gosh, if only my brain would shut the fuck up. Wait, what?
“Yes,” I blurt out.
With his eyes dancing, he gently slides the ring on my finger, kissing it softly before he stands back up and embraces me.
“You know I couldn’t say no, right? I’m legally Mrs. Edwards already,” I tease.
“Legally, yes, but emotionally, I needed to do this. This makes it real to me.”
A loud round of applause follows, along with some whistling. Rocky, of course, echoing throughout the room. One by one, each of them comes up and congratulates us. Eric grabs my hand before hugging me, rambling on about carats and diamonds, followed by more OMGs.
“It’s so great that you guys are here. Are you planning on staying long?” My words are neglected, there’s a hush, and all eyes are on Lex. Am I missing something?
“The reason why I called them here is because we are getting married tonight,” Lex adds.
“Huh? As in tonight, tonight? But we’re already married?”
He nods.
“I don’t get it…”
“Tonight, at the stroke of midnight, you will become Mrs. Charlotte Edwards again, but this time in front of all our family and friends. A wedding, Charlotte. We never had a wedding.”
“But… but… what?”
“Everything is taken care of. I won’t see you again until 11:50 p.m., Charlotte. Apparently,” he says in an annoyed tone, “… I have a bachelor’s night to attend.”
“Yes, and dear Charlotte here has hers,” Nikki responds, much to Lex’s displeasure.
“Okay, I’m confused, really confused, but I don’t care. I trust you, Lex.”
His hands find their way back to my face, placing his lips on mine, this time with more pressure, and I know, without a doubt, he’s anxious. It’s the same kiss he always gives me before we’d say goodbye each day before work.
“Six hours until you’re my wife… in the eyes of our family, friends, and the whole world.”
“That’s a long time.” I smile back.
“Thank God, you are thinking the same thing,” he murmurs, rubbing his nose gently against mine.
“Okay, show’s over, we need to get down to serious business,” Rocky announces.
Nikki and Rocky pull us away from each other. I mouth ‘I love you’ before being hustled out of the gymnasium and into a Range Rover waiting at the entrance of the building.
“Wow, nice ride. So, what’s next?” I dare to ask. I still have no idea what’s going on.
“Your dress, silly… finally, I get to reveal my creation.” Adriana beams as she clutches my arm and rests her head on my shoulder.
A wedding dress.
When Lex said we didn’t have a wedding, I thought he meant the reception. My insides are doing the cha-cha, dancing on the ceiling, singing from the tops of their lungs. It’s every girl’s dream, and why I thought I deserved anything different is beyond me.
It’s all systems go—I’m prepared and ready to marry the man I love in front of everyone.
What I’m not prepared for is this bachelorette party, and if Nikki had anything to do with it, I am in trouble.
Deep trouble.
