Chapter Four
I remember being so consumed with thoughts of something being wrong I could hardly breathe. And when she turned to me and said, "Landon, there's something you should know." My heart clenched as I immediately brought the car to a halt. I gave her my full attention, my heart rate increasing each second.
"What is it?"
"It's not cancer." She watched the realization slowly fill my eyes.
"You mean.there's no chance?" She shook her head with a soft smile.
"No chance." Words cannot express the immense relief those words brought me. She wasn't sick. The nightmare wasn't happening again.
"Oh Jamie.I was so worried."
"I know.I should have told you to begin with.I just."
"You just what?" I couldn't imagine what she was trying to tell me. She looked at me thoughtfully, probably thinking I was dumb not to figure it out, but of course she would never say that.
"I wanted to surprise you with the news."
"I'm just so relieved." I held her hands in mine and stared into her beautiful brown eyes, but then a thought occurred to me. "Wait a minute."
"What?"
"You said test results.test results for what Jamie?" She looked away and bit her lip thoughtfully. "Jamie?"
"I didn't want to tell you here."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to get your hopes up." Her face held a certain excitement that she was trying to contain.
"Hopes up? Jamie I don't understand."
"Landon you'll find out soon enough. Please be patient." She rarely asked anything of me, and I never could refuse those sweet brown eyes.
"All right, all right. I'll forfeit.again." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The day seemed to go on forever. I heard the phone ring that evening, but Jamie said she would get it. A few minutes later she came into the living room with an odd smile on her face. I stood and stared at her for a while. She was dying with anticipation to tell me whatever the news was. It was really so obvious, but it just never occurred to me. I don't why.I guess I was automatically thinking the worst. But the smile on her face told me otherwise. This was good. "Was that the doctor's office?" She nodded beaming. "Well.what did they say?" She ducked her head for a moment, biting her lip and then looked up at me proudly.
"They said we're going to have a baby." It felt like time froze for a moment then. Thousands of thoughts rushed through my head and wound back up at the fact that we were going to have a baby. She waited for me to respond with a hopeful look in her eyes. I started to crack a smile and then she smiled, holding her hands together. Her words were finally starting to sink in and reached for her. She was in my arms the next moment and I held her tightly. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Because then this moment wouldn't have been as special." She had never looked more beautiful to me than she did that instant. It was so Jamie to say something like that. She was always thinking ahead, preparing for the next step.
"Oh Jamie." I breathed, pulling her close again. "Nothing could make this any less special." I felt her smile against my cheek and then she pulled back slightly. Her eyes danced between mine with a twinge of nervousness.
"So you're happy about this?" A laugh caught under my breath and I kissed her instead of using words. They simply weren't necessary. She knew that and I knew that.and we also knew we had just gotten another miracle.
Chapter Five
Living in a small town like Beaufort means news gets around fast. We were however, able to tell our parents the news before the word got out. Jamie and I had my parents and her father over for dinner one night. My mother immediately wanted to help in the kitchen, but Jamie insisted she could do it. So I entertained them for a little while and then snuck into the kitchen to "refill" my drink. Jamie was almost done with everything when I got in there and was humming "Only Hope" softly. music to my ears.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, kissing her neck and she tilted her head towards mine with a grin. "Dinner smells good." I whispered into her ear.
"Thank you. It's almost ready. Do they suspect anything?"
"Not a thing."
"I can't wait to tell them." She turned around at me then with a huge smile and bright eyes. She was glowing and she was beautiful. Suddenly, I wished everyone else would just go away so I could be alone with her, but I knew that wasn't possible at the moment, nor did I want to take the excitement away from her. I kissed her head and began to head back into the living room. "Oh Landon."
"Yeah?" She held a grin on her face.
"What about your refill?" I furrowed brow, but then remembered. She never stopped surprising me. I gave her a smirk, refilled my drink and left the kitchen. Dinner was served about ten minutes later and was filled with good food and interesting conversation. But the most interesting was when it came time to tell everyone our news. We hadn't mentioned that we had any you see, so it came as a total surprise.
"Jamie, how have you been feeling honey?" My mother asked giving us a perfect opportunity in which we took. Jamie glanced at me first and then back at my mother. Now Mom knew Jamie hadn't been feeling well, but she was in no way prepared for what we were about to say, nor were our dads.
"Well, actually Landon took me took the doctor." Now all eyes were on me. That's always a great feeling.not. But of course Jamie rescued me. "Any way they ran some tests that confirmed their suspicions."
"And what were those?" Her father spoke for the first time in a while, already concerned about his daughter. Jamie paused and then smiled softly.
"That I was pregnant." She slipped her hand in mine then, though no one else knew. I squeezed it softly as we watched her words sink in. It hit my mother first and she clasped her hands happily.
"Oh that's so wonderful!" She was thrilled to say the least and leaped up to hug Jamie and me. My dad soon smiled and offered his congratulations, but Reverend Sullivan.he just sat there with a blank look on his face. We all realized it after a few minutes.
"Daddy?" He slowly made eye contact with Jamie's concerned eyes. He soon offered a small smile and nodded his head.
"Well now.that's.that's." I think we all leaned forward simultaneously, but maybe I just imagined it. "Very nice." He nodded his head again, and then stood. After he kissed Jamie's cheek and gave me a pat on the back he left...without a word. The room was filled with silence for while. We were all in a little shock from his reaction.
"Well he seemed happy about it." I said and laughter erupted. ********************************************** Later that night I helped Jamie tuck the sheets down. Her father's reaction had been bothering me all evening, but Jamie didn't seem to be concerned. "Do you think your father was upset?" I finally asked and she looked up at me with a smile and shook her head.
"Oh no he's.very happy about it." My eyes widened in disbelief and she grinned. "He just doesn't know it yet." I smiled too then as we got into bed. Jamie scooted into my arms and sighed. "Don't worry about Dad.that's just his way of handling things. He'll come around.just like he did with you." She looked up at me proudly and I kissed her. Her head fell to my chest then and I noticed her eyelids falling.
"You feeling okay?" Her eyes were closed by then; she was already half asleep.
"Mmm.fine." Her breathing steadied and I knew she had fallen asleep. I smelled her brown hair, its fragrance sweet and then looked at her long arm gently draped across my stomach, her skin looking so soft. I could see her delicate eyelashes turning upwards under her light bangs. I suddenly wished she were awake so I could kiss her on the lips again, but I settled for her head instead. With the lamp turned out then, I too drifted off to sleep. I dreamt about Jamie that night. About our future and the best part was when I woke up the next morning.the dream became reality.
I remember being so consumed with thoughts of something being wrong I could hardly breathe. And when she turned to me and said, "Landon, there's something you should know." My heart clenched as I immediately brought the car to a halt. I gave her my full attention, my heart rate increasing each second.
"What is it?"
"It's not cancer." She watched the realization slowly fill my eyes.
"You mean.there's no chance?" She shook her head with a soft smile.
"No chance." Words cannot express the immense relief those words brought me. She wasn't sick. The nightmare wasn't happening again.
"Oh Jamie.I was so worried."
"I know.I should have told you to begin with.I just."
"You just what?" I couldn't imagine what she was trying to tell me. She looked at me thoughtfully, probably thinking I was dumb not to figure it out, but of course she would never say that.
"I wanted to surprise you with the news."
"I'm just so relieved." I held her hands in mine and stared into her beautiful brown eyes, but then a thought occurred to me. "Wait a minute."
"What?"
"You said test results.test results for what Jamie?" She looked away and bit her lip thoughtfully. "Jamie?"
"I didn't want to tell you here."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to get your hopes up." Her face held a certain excitement that she was trying to contain.
"Hopes up? Jamie I don't understand."
"Landon you'll find out soon enough. Please be patient." She rarely asked anything of me, and I never could refuse those sweet brown eyes.
"All right, all right. I'll forfeit.again." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The day seemed to go on forever. I heard the phone ring that evening, but Jamie said she would get it. A few minutes later she came into the living room with an odd smile on her face. I stood and stared at her for a while. She was dying with anticipation to tell me whatever the news was. It was really so obvious, but it just never occurred to me. I don't why.I guess I was automatically thinking the worst. But the smile on her face told me otherwise. This was good. "Was that the doctor's office?" She nodded beaming. "Well.what did they say?" She ducked her head for a moment, biting her lip and then looked up at me proudly.
"They said we're going to have a baby." It felt like time froze for a moment then. Thousands of thoughts rushed through my head and wound back up at the fact that we were going to have a baby. She waited for me to respond with a hopeful look in her eyes. I started to crack a smile and then she smiled, holding her hands together. Her words were finally starting to sink in and reached for her. She was in my arms the next moment and I held her tightly. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Because then this moment wouldn't have been as special." She had never looked more beautiful to me than she did that instant. It was so Jamie to say something like that. She was always thinking ahead, preparing for the next step.
"Oh Jamie." I breathed, pulling her close again. "Nothing could make this any less special." I felt her smile against my cheek and then she pulled back slightly. Her eyes danced between mine with a twinge of nervousness.
"So you're happy about this?" A laugh caught under my breath and I kissed her instead of using words. They simply weren't necessary. She knew that and I knew that.and we also knew we had just gotten another miracle.
Chapter Five
Living in a small town like Beaufort means news gets around fast. We were however, able to tell our parents the news before the word got out. Jamie and I had my parents and her father over for dinner one night. My mother immediately wanted to help in the kitchen, but Jamie insisted she could do it. So I entertained them for a little while and then snuck into the kitchen to "refill" my drink. Jamie was almost done with everything when I got in there and was humming "Only Hope" softly. music to my ears.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, kissing her neck and she tilted her head towards mine with a grin. "Dinner smells good." I whispered into her ear.
"Thank you. It's almost ready. Do they suspect anything?"
"Not a thing."
"I can't wait to tell them." She turned around at me then with a huge smile and bright eyes. She was glowing and she was beautiful. Suddenly, I wished everyone else would just go away so I could be alone with her, but I knew that wasn't possible at the moment, nor did I want to take the excitement away from her. I kissed her head and began to head back into the living room. "Oh Landon."
"Yeah?" She held a grin on her face.
"What about your refill?" I furrowed brow, but then remembered. She never stopped surprising me. I gave her a smirk, refilled my drink and left the kitchen. Dinner was served about ten minutes later and was filled with good food and interesting conversation. But the most interesting was when it came time to tell everyone our news. We hadn't mentioned that we had any you see, so it came as a total surprise.
"Jamie, how have you been feeling honey?" My mother asked giving us a perfect opportunity in which we took. Jamie glanced at me first and then back at my mother. Now Mom knew Jamie hadn't been feeling well, but she was in no way prepared for what we were about to say, nor were our dads.
"Well, actually Landon took me took the doctor." Now all eyes were on me. That's always a great feeling.not. But of course Jamie rescued me. "Any way they ran some tests that confirmed their suspicions."
"And what were those?" Her father spoke for the first time in a while, already concerned about his daughter. Jamie paused and then smiled softly.
"That I was pregnant." She slipped her hand in mine then, though no one else knew. I squeezed it softly as we watched her words sink in. It hit my mother first and she clasped her hands happily.
"Oh that's so wonderful!" She was thrilled to say the least and leaped up to hug Jamie and me. My dad soon smiled and offered his congratulations, but Reverend Sullivan.he just sat there with a blank look on his face. We all realized it after a few minutes.
"Daddy?" He slowly made eye contact with Jamie's concerned eyes. He soon offered a small smile and nodded his head.
"Well now.that's.that's." I think we all leaned forward simultaneously, but maybe I just imagined it. "Very nice." He nodded his head again, and then stood. After he kissed Jamie's cheek and gave me a pat on the back he left...without a word. The room was filled with silence for while. We were all in a little shock from his reaction.
"Well he seemed happy about it." I said and laughter erupted. ********************************************** Later that night I helped Jamie tuck the sheets down. Her father's reaction had been bothering me all evening, but Jamie didn't seem to be concerned. "Do you think your father was upset?" I finally asked and she looked up at me with a smile and shook her head.
"Oh no he's.very happy about it." My eyes widened in disbelief and she grinned. "He just doesn't know it yet." I smiled too then as we got into bed. Jamie scooted into my arms and sighed. "Don't worry about Dad.that's just his way of handling things. He'll come around.just like he did with you." She looked up at me proudly and I kissed her. Her head fell to my chest then and I noticed her eyelids falling.
"You feeling okay?" Her eyes were closed by then; she was already half asleep.
"Mmm.fine." Her breathing steadied and I knew she had fallen asleep. I smelled her brown hair, its fragrance sweet and then looked at her long arm gently draped across my stomach, her skin looking so soft. I could see her delicate eyelashes turning upwards under her light bangs. I suddenly wished she were awake so I could kiss her on the lips again, but I settled for her head instead. With the lamp turned out then, I too drifted off to sleep. I dreamt about Jamie that night. About our future and the best part was when I woke up the next morning.the dream became reality.