I carried my luggage to the front of the bus and dropped it near the steps. Riff and Tyke sat at the table eating breakfast, while Trip stood at the island finishing up a bowl of cereal.
Riff eyeballed it before he turned his gaze on me. “What the fuck is that?”
I shrugged and knew this wasn’t going to go over well with the guys. “I have to go, man.”
“Go where?” Trip asked wiping milk from his lip after slurping down what was left in his bowl.
“He’s going to Texas to be with Lane,” Riff answered.
“What about the rest of our shows?” Tyke asked with a frown on his face.
“We’ll have to cancel or postpone them, I suppose.” All three of my band mates stared at me like I’d grown a third eye. “Guys I’m sorry, but she needs me for a week or so. Her mom broke her leg, and she’s sick. I have to go.”
Riff flexed his jaw muscle, clearly pissed at my decision. “Fine. If you want to disappoint all the fans because you’re being selfish—”
“Selfish? This is the first time in my life I’m thinking of others.” I met each one of their stares individually. “I love her, guys. I have to be there when she needs me. I would really appreciate a little understanding on this.”
After a couple tense moments of silence, Riff rubbed his chin. “I guess pushing back the dates a couple weeks wouldn’t kill anybody.” Trip and Tyke nodded in agreement. “I’ll work on having them change the dates. It won’t be easy, and will be a total pain in my ass, but I’ll do it. Go take care of things.”
A grin crept up on my face. “Thanks guys, I’ll owe you one.”
I instructed the bus to turn off at the next exit before I went back and to wake Kyle, who was still fast asleep in his foxhole to tell him I needed a ride. In just a few short hours, I would see Lane again. The thrill of it excited me more than the biggest rush of playing live music to thousands of screaming fans.
Four hours later, I landed in Houston and picked up my rental car. The solitary drive was a nice change. It was very rare now-a-days to be completely alone. The silence was welcomed.
When I pulled into the driveway of Lane’s childhood home, old memories of when we were in high school flooded me. I’d pull into this drive and honk my horn. Lane would come bouncing down the walkway and would hop in the passenger seat of my Chevelle. That was when life was simple.
I knocked on the front door, and Lane answered the door with a huge smile. “Hey!”
She was cheerful. A complete change from when I talked to her on the phone a few hours ago. “Feeling better?”
“Much! I don’t know what was wrong with me this morning. I couldn’t stop throwing up and every smell made me nauseous.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her outside with me, out of earshot of her mother. Alarms were going off like crazy in my head. “Do you think you’re pregnant? It’s been nearly four weeks since you saw that little munchkin looking doctor. It’s possible.”
Lane flinched. “No. I’m on birth control.”
“It’s not uncommon for birth control to fail if someone is on an antibiotic,” I told her.
She tilted her head and crunched her brow. “How would you know that?”
I shrugged and I felt my cheeks burn in my embarrassment. “I read up on pregnancies a lot when I thought I was going to be a father. As you know, there’s not much to do on that bus. A man can only stomach video games so long. Well, most men, anyway. The twins are addicted to them. So, I thought I would educate myself on babies.”
She dropped her head. “What would we do if that’s why I was sick this morning?”
I tipped her chin up with my index finger so she’d look at me. “We’d get married of course.”
She pulled away. “You can’t marry me because you feel guilty if I’m pregnant. I’m not Sophie.”
“Hey.” I wrapped my arms around her waist. “What we have is real. Sophie doesn’t even exist on your level. A baby for us wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
She shook her head. “I still wouldn’t want you to ask me solely because of it though. This isn’t the 1800s. We can have a baby and not marry.”
The temptation to dig the ring out of my luggage was overwhelming. If I gave it to her now, she’d never believe I’d had it before there was even a possibility of a baby. She would think I bought it on the way down here because I suspected she was pregnant after the way I had just jumped to the conclusion right off the bat.
I would just have to wait and plan out a beautiful proposal to make things perfect. She needed to know we could be perfect together and my reasoning for wanting to get married came straight from the heart.
She laid her head against my chest. “Now curiosity is killing me. Do you mind sitting with Mom while I run to the drugstore to buy a test?”
I ran my fingers through her dark hair. “Sure.”
A half an hour later, Lane returned from the drugstore with a plastic bag in her hand. While she snuck off to the upstairs bathroom to take the test, I drummed my fingers on the arm of the couch and watched television with her mom. It was hard to believe the balance of my life would be determined by a ten-dollar test.
“Noel!” Lane called from upstairs.
I swallowed hard. “I’ll be right back, Kathy.”
I took the steps two at a time as I raced up to Lane. She waited in the doorway of her room. After she yanked me inside her bedroom, she plopped down on her bed. Tears filled her eyes before they rolled down her cheeks.
I instantly dropped to my knees in front of her and took her hand in mine. “Whatever it said, it’s going to be okay.”
She sniffed and batted away a couple tears. “You think a baby bed will fit on that tour bus?”
“Oh my God.” I wrapped my arms around her waist. It was true, we probably weren’t ready for this, but it didn’t change the fact I was excited about the news.
I bit my lip and pulled back. I took her left hand in mine and peered up at her. “Lane, will you marry me?”
She shook her head. “No. I told you I won’t marry you just because of a baby. This is just a decision on a whim for you. I don’t want you to regret asking me or resent me later in life.” She stood up, leaving me still kneeling on the floor by her bed.
“Where are you going?”
She stopped just short of walking out the door. “I need time to think and adjust to this news.”
Watching her walk out and tell me no to one of the biggest dreams I’d ever had nearly crushed me.
I needed advice, and since I couldn’t ask Lane for it, I went to my go-to person. I pulled my cell from my pocket and dialed my mom’s number.
“Hi, honey. How are you?” Mom answered.
“I’m in need of some advice, actually. You got a minute?”
“All the time in the world for you. What’s up?”
I cleared my throat as I stood and walked over to the window. The dock was in perfect view from here. My hand pressed against the warm glass when I saw Lane at the end of it looking out over the lake. It hurt me to know she was sad and didn’t take my proposal seriously.
“Noel, you still there?” Mom’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, Mom, I’m here. I need your help. I want to plan the perfect proposal for Lane,” I said.
A giddy laugh echoed through the phone. It had been a long time since I’d heard Mom laugh like that. “I’d be honored to help. What do you have in mind?”
From there I broke into the entire story of how Lane and I reunited and how we were nearly torn apart by Sophie’s lies. I didn’t have to explain why I loved her so much to Mom. She knew. She always knew. I remembered how she would tell me how much she liked Lane and couldn’t wait until the day she officially became part of the family.
The only thing I couldn’t tell her was about the baby. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t feel right telling people before Lane was comfortable about the idea of letting our families know.
?
??So you’ll help me? Lane is taking Kathy for a follow-up appointment tomorrow, so we’ll have to work quickly.”
“We’ll decorate the dock and make it the most romantic thing she’s ever seen. There’s no way she won’t take you seriously after we’re done,” she gushed. “I’ll email you a list of everything you need to buy tomorrow. Just call me when you’re ready for me to come over to help.”
Chapter 12
The dock was quiet, and I knew I only had about three hours or so to pull all this together while Lane took her mother for a follow-up appointment at the hospital. I set the boxes and bags down on the wooden planks and went back to retrieve more supplies. The Escalade was crammed full of decorations. Mom’s list was nuts, and it cost me a shit-ton of money for all of this, but it was worth it. It almost felt like Christmas. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Lane’s face when the dock was adorned in a massive amount of flowers and soft-glowing candles. She’d know what I was doing the moment she saw it.
Pulling a massive box out the trunk, a voice stopped me dead in my tracks. “Hello, son. Need a hand?”
I swallowed hard at the sound of my father’s voice, and my entire body stiffened in preparation for the argument I knew was about to happen.
I leaned back with the box in hand. “No thanks. I’m pretty good at taking care of myself these days.”
My father flinched and satisfaction shot through me knowing my words had the possibility of hurting him just as much as his did to me. “Son, please. Can we talk?”
I shook my head and turned to take the box down to the deck. I didn’t have time to do this now. Out of all the opportunities for him to speak to me, he chose now? On the biggest fucking day of my life?
I set the box down and turned around, nearly colliding with Dad as he set the box he carried down beside mine.
He wasn’t taking the hint to get lost. I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him expectantly. He hadn’t changed too much since the last time I saw him over four years ago. His height matched mine, but his build was slighter. The hair on his head was clean cut just as I remembered, only now it was salt and pepper versus the dark color I was used to seeing. That was the only sign of aging I saw on him.
Dad shoved his hands on his hips, clearly uncomfortable. “Look, Noel, I know when we last saw each other, things ended on a bad note. I said some things—things I should’ve never said—and I’m sorry.”
I rolled my eyes as a sarcastic laugh that I couldn’t stop escaped my lips. “You’re sorry? For what? Making the mistake of having a son that is only a disappointment to you? Because really, I got it the first time. I don’t need you to come back and tell me again.”
Dad ran his hand through his hair. It was a trait I picked up from him when we didn’t know what to say next. “I was an asshole. I just didn’t want you to throw your life away and I was angry. I shouldn’t have said that, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret saying that to you.”
Those were the words I had longed to hear him say for four fucking long years. I held his unwavering gaze. He meant what he said. I threw my head back and closed my eyes. His apology rang in my ears. “Why now?”
A ragged breath of his filled the silence. “Because I wanted to do it in person. I wanted to make sure you’d hear me out. When your mother told me about your project here today, I figured this was the perfect time to get you alone, and I hoped you’d listen to me.”
I opened my eyes and stared at him, unsure of what to say in return.
“You don’t have to accept it. It was harsh, and I’ve hated myself everyday for saying it to you.” He took a tentative step towards me. “But I want you to know I didn’t mean it. You’re not a disappointment. If anything, I’m a disappointment to myself.”
Dad was just as hot-headed as I was. Matter of fact that was where I got my temper from. Quick mouths were an undeniable trait in the Falcon gene pool. God knew I said so many things I didn’t mean in my life in the heat of anger. I’d ask for forgiveness from Lane for the very same thing in the past few weeks. It would’ve been totally hypocritical to deny my father the chance to prove he was sorry, wouldn’t it?
I bit my lip and nodded, agreeing with my own internal thought. Before I could say a word, Dad grabbed me into a huge hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me, taking my head gesture as a sign of acceptance.
I stiffened, but once inside his embrace, memories of the last time he hugged me flooded my brain. Graduation day—he was so proud. Both he and Mom knew what a struggle school had been for me growing up with dyslexia, so to them, it was huge that I had made it to that day. That was the last time my father said anything positive to me. He told me he was proud to be my father, which is why, I guess, it stung so much more when he called me a disappointment.
My eyes burned as tears threaten to spill out of them. Dad gripped me tightly one last time before he patted my back and pulled back. I was surprised to find him wiping moisture from his own eyes. I sniffed and batted away a couple tears of my own.
“I bet we look like a couple of pansies, huh?” he joked. It was his way of lightening mood.
I laughed at his lame attempt to be funny, and it felt good. “Yeah, we probably do.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and peered down at the boxes by our feet. “I guess we should get busy. Your mom told me about your grand plan for this place tonight. You think you’re finally ready to take the leap with Lanie? Marriage is a huge commitment.”
I nodded confidently and was glad noise filled the empty space between us. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life.”
Dad smiled and gave my shoulder a manly squeeze. “Guess we better get busy then.”
We worked until nearly sundown. For a while, I doubted if it would even be possible to pull this off, but luckily, Mom came over and coordinated Dad and me on the decorations. Somehow, we had transformed the boat dock into a beautiful floral garden. It was something straight out of a movie with the archway of fresh flowers and gold and white fabric, tulle, and even more flowers covering every inch of the end of the dock—the spot Lane and I had spent so much time together. It was only right to ask her here. It brought our lives full circle here. This was the place of all our firsts, so asking her to be my wife here fit perfectly.
Mom finished lighting the last candle and I found myself mesmerized by the soft glow. Even as a guy, I could tell this was romantic. I sighed in contentment. Now it was just a matter of getting her out here.
Mom wrapped her tiny arms around my waist as we took in the sight of all of our handy work together. “It looks great, honey. Lanie is going to love this.”
I gazed down at her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Thanks, Mom, for everything.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” She pulled my head down and kissed my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
Dad cleared his throat behind us. “Irene, we’d better go.”
Mom nodded and gave me one last squeeze before letting go. “Will you come by tomorrow? I’d like for all of us to have a family dinner together. Bring Lanie, won’t you? She’s part of this family now, too.”
I laughed. “She hasn’t said yes, yet, Ma.”
Mom waved her hands dismissively at me. “A technicality.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Good.” She smiled, clearly pleased with my answer.
Dad stepped forward and held out his hand. “Good luck, son. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” I agreed.
With that, they both made their way up the path and back toward their house. The relationship with Dad wouldn’t happen overnight. We’d have to work on it together. Everything in my life was suddenly starting to feel perfect. I had the woman of my dreams back in my life, a relationship that was finally on the mend with my parents, and a baby on the way.
The last thought would’ve scared a normal twenty-two year old guy, but not me. It almost made me giddy. Sure, we weren’t exactl
y ready for a kid and the timing wasn’t the greatest, but it was the perfect situation. I loved Lane with every inch of my being, and parenthood was something I couldn’t imagine wanting to share with anyone but her.
A car door slammed shut, and I jerked my head towards the house. Lane and her mom must be back from town. My heart squeezed. On one hand I was so excited I felt as though I would burst, but on the other, fear caused my stomach to clench. What if she said no? Could I survive that?
I raked my fingers through my hair and made my way up the dock.
At the top of the hill, I noticed Lane helping her mother out of the car, and I felt a wave of panic like I’d never felt before. I ran over to the car.
Lane’s eyes widened as I took over the brunt of Kathy’s weight. “Noel! I’ve got this.”
I shook my head vigorously. “Not today you don’t. No lifting. I know that much.”
A scowl filled her beautiful face. I knew she was pissed I was talking like this in front of her mother. She’d have questions. Lane said she wanted to wait to tell her Mom about being pregnant after she had an appointment with a physician, but I wasn’t going to let her put herself at risk until she was brave enough to spill the beans. Maybe she was totally fine to help her mom out of the car, but dammit, that was my baby inside the love of my life. Neither of them were getting hurt on my watch.
I grabbed Kathy’s arms and pulled her up to a semi standing position. “Scoot the wheelchair a little closer.” My eyes snapped to Lane as a thought crossed my mind. “You didn’t do this own your own at the hospital, did you?”
Lane shook her head. “No, I pulled up to the emergency room door and asked for someone to bring a wheelchair to help, like you said.”
“Good.” I turned my attention back to her mom. “Okay Kathy, on my count of three, I’m lowering you into the chair. One. Two. Three.”
Once safely in the chair and with her casted leg positioned, I wheeled her up the ramp and into the house. Lane followed us inside, shutting the door behind her. The sun was just starting to set, leaving the room a little dark. I flipped on the light and then situated the wheelchair between the sofa and chair, directly in front of the television.