Zane received a relatively clean bill of health from the doctor. The hole that they found on the ultrasounds was actually one that could potentially close on its own. So, surgery was not required unless he struggled to grow and gain weight or if he had trouble breathing.
He needed biweekly appointments and then monthly just to monitor him but they could otherwise live a normal life. Clara was so relieved.
Two days after he was born, they went home, Abigail going with them to stay for a few weeks so she would have backup while Pete was at the ranch.
….
Over the next few weeks, Elizabeth and Jack made their way across the western half of the country toward the Grand Canyon, enjoying themselves immensely, treating it almost like a second honeymoon.
The month had flown by and they were ready to be home, so when they pulled into their driveway, it was almost a relief. He opened her door for her and smiled, putting his hand on her baby bump that had made its appearance in the last month.
"You're beautiful, babe." He bent down kissed her lips and then kissed her tummy. "So are you, sweet pea."
"Thank you, cowboy. For saying that and for this trip. It was wonderful." She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They heard a car pull up. "Oh! Its Clara!" Elizabeth walked over to the visitors. She had suggested postponing their trip so she could be around for the baby's birth but Clara told her no. She insisted they not change their plans on the chance the baby would be born.
"Clara!" She hugged her friend and then caught a glimpse of the car seat. "Oh! I can't wait to hold him. Can you and Pete stay for dinner?"
"I'll go help him with chores and convince him," Jack said, walking off toward the barn, Harv walking happily beside him.
When they got inside, they went to the living room. Elizabeth stared down at the tiny baby. "Oh gosh, he's so little. Now I'm nervous."
Clara smiled. "He is tiny but it will be fine. Just unbuckle him and pick him up."
"Let me wash my hands first. Be right back."
Clara reach down and unbuckled him, picking him up. "Hi, my love. Your Aunt Beth is silly. She's going to have a baby in a few months too." She kissed his head and snuggled him close.
"Ok, I'm ready." Elizabeth sat down on the couch and held her arms out. As soon as he was in her arms she knew she wouldn't want to let him go anytime soon. He smelled so good and felt wonderful. "Oh, I want one!"
"Good thing you're having one then," Clara said with a laugh.
"In like five months! That's forever."
"It will go fast. Enjoy every thing that happens. In a few weeks you should feel it move and then before you know it, the baby will be here."
Awhile later, Jack walked in and stared. Just when he thought he couldn't be more in love with her, she sat there looking breathtaking, holding a little baby.
"Dude," he said to Pete.
"I know, bro. Nothing like it," Pete told him, knowing exactly how Jack felt.
"Jack, I want one," Elizabeth told him.
"Ok, I think we are on the right track, don't you?"
Jack sat down and slipped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple. "Yeah, we are," she agreed.
Pete sat next to Clara, pulling her close as well. "Its been awhile since we've just sat like this," he whispered quietly.
Clara nodded, leaning toward him even more. "Love you, husband." He touched her cheek and kissed her softly.
"Love you back, wife."
"Jack, what do you want for dinner?" Elizabeth wondered.
"We could order pizza."
"Oh! Meat lovers with onions and garlic cheesy bread?"
"Of course. Are you guys ok with pizza?"
"Sure. Make mine a veggie, no mushrooms," Clara told them.
"Pete?"
"I'll eat hers. I'm not picky."
…..
Mike and Julie walked down the street from The Bean to his truck. "You got a suit for the wedding?" she asked him, holding on to his arm.
"Yeah. Same suit I've had for years."
"Men have it easy. They can just wear the same suit over and over. Women have so much to worry about. Does this dress make me look fat? Or that I'm trying too hard? Should I wear pantyhose? Do my shoes match my purse or clash with the dress?"
"Women worry too much."
"Wait, I wasn't done." Mike laughed. "Should I wear long earrings? Do I need a necklace? Maybe I should get a manicure. And a pedicure. Should I wear sandals?" They had arrived at the truck. She was now leaning back against it and Mike was standing close.
He still had not kissed her but she wanted him to. Very much. She refused to initiate it, though. He needed to do it when he was ready. Right now though, he definitely looked ready. She could feel his breath, moving just a bit faster than normal, on her cheek. His eyes held hers captive, occasionally quickly darting to her mouth.
This dating thing was fun and each time they spent time together, they found themselves a bit more at ease than before. He felt himself open up a little more and trust her more. She felt him letting go of the past a bit more too.
Now as they stood, staring at each other, she was sure he was thinking of her, not Renee. That felt wonderful.
"I should, uh, get you home," he said quietly, breaking eye contact, and stepping back, making her heart plummet to her toes in disappointment.
She nodded and stepped aside so he could open the door.
When he pulled up in front of her apartment she hesitated before opening the door. "Mike, do you want to come in for some wine or a beer?"
"Not tonight. I need to be at work early."
"Ok. Goodnight then."
"Hang on." He hopped out and opened her door.
"I could have done that."
"I wanted to." He stepped closer and tucked her hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry, Julie. I'm not sure…"
"Mike, I won't push you into anything. I promise. If you're not ready, you're not." She kissed his cheek and then smiled. "Goodnight."
"Night."
…..
Mike sat on the bed in his house, looking around the room. He needed to move. It was time to say goodbye to Renee. The day of the wedding just happened to be the day after the one year anniversary of her death. That was two weeks away. He already found a different truck and was planning on trading the one he had. He also had heard of a house just outside town that was for rent.
The night of the wedding, he was going to kiss Julie. He wanted to so badly when he walked her to the truck but he hadn't been completely in control of his emotions. The only woman he ever kissed was Renee. Kissing Julie would mean something huge and it scared him.
So he was going to call about the rental house the next day, drive to the dealership after work to trade in his truck and pick up his new one, and then he was taking Julie to dinner. He picked up his phone and made a reservation at the Italian restaurant in Bozeman and then sent Julie a text.
"Hey."
"Hey there. Miss me already?" she teased.
"Yep, and I wanted 2 know if u will u go out 2 dinner with me 2morrow night?"
"Yes."
"This time, get dressed up, please."
"Ok."
"I will pick u up 6."
"I'll b ready."
…..
The next evening, Mike leaned against his new truck and waited for Julie. He looked up as she came down the steps. She looked…amazing. His eyes took in everything. Her perfect auburn hair, straightened. Her swingy sundress, hugging her hips perfectly, ending just above her knee. Her legs were shaped….
"Hey," she greeted, kissing his cheek and breaking into his thoughts. Good grief, she smelled just as amazing as she looked.
"Hi."
"New truck?"
"Well, used yes, but I traded the other one in."
She nodded and looked in his eyes. She knew he was trying to move forward and she could only imagine how hard it must be for him. "You look very nice, Mike."
He was wearing black dress pants, and a white button down with no tie. She thought it made him look polished yet casual. His hair looked styled but not overly so and he smelled wonderful. She had to force herself not to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his neck just to get closer to his cologne.
"Thank you. You look beautiful."
He opened her door and offered his hand to help her in. "Thank you."
She moved to the middle seat, as she had done every time since the first time she rode with him, making sure their legs touched.
As they drove, she again slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow even though her hand itched to touch his. He turned his hand over and gently laid it on her knee, as if he read her mind. She slipped her fingers between his and held his arm with her other hand.
"So where are we headed tonight?"
"Bozeman to Piazza."
"Oh, I've wanted to try that place since I moved to town. I love Italian."
"Good, I'm glad," he told her, squeezing her hand.
….
LAKE HOUSE
"Dear, would you mind if I did some sprucing up around here?" Charlotte asked Bill.
"Sprucing? I thought you loved it here."
"Oh, I do! It just looks like your house, not our house."
"Well, once you move your things in, maybe you'll like it better."
"I guess…"
"What things did you want to fix?"
"Spruce up."
"Ok, what things did you want to spruce up?"
"Well, the bedrooms for one. They just say "a man lives here". They don't say that a happily married couple lives here."
"Ok. What else?"
"The bathroom. It's nice but I think the shower curtain has seen better days. What if we put in shower doors and then changed the tile and lights?"
"I'm scared to ask, but what else?"
"In the kitchen. The cabinets are dark and…"
"I built those cabinets, Char. They aren't old."
"I wasn't going to say old."
"Mmhmm. So is there anything you do like?"
"The deck and the windows and fireplace."
"Wow, Char. Why don't we just build a new house?" He shook his head and walked outside onto the deck.
This wedding was getting to him. The wedding coordinator she hired had been over every day for the past week to make sure everything was ready for when it was time to set up. Instead of inside, the wedding would be in the backyard.
It was supposed to be small but the list seemed to be growing. The flowers in the yard seemed sufficient to him but the coordinator insisted more had to be ordered.
Char and he had decided on cheesecakes instead of a traditional wedding cake but now she wanted both, in case someone didn't want cheesecake. If someone was going to be that picky, they didn't have to eat it, in his opinion.
He had planned an Alaskan cruise for their honeymoon. At least nothing could be altered by the coordinator on that. It was going to be two beautiful weeks with just Char. He couldn't wait.
"Bill?"
"Yeah."
Charlotte walked onto the deck and took his hand. "I'm sorry."
"I wish I had known you didn't like the house. You said you loved it."
"I did when it was just yours. It's just not me, us. We will make it work though. I'm sorry that I brought it up."
He turned to her, looking into her eyes. "Do you want to move?"
"What? No. You built this house, Bill."
"I did and I built it like this because I thought you'd like it. I wanted you to be comfortable here."
"You built it for me?"
"Of course. I loved you and I hoped one day we would live here together."
Charlotte slipped her arms around his neck, feeling like a lovesick teenager. "Bill."
"Char, if you don't like it, I could never ask you to live here."
She softly kissed him. "I love you so much, Bill. I don't want to move and I do love the house. I can't believe you built this for me."
He hugged her tight and buried his face in her hair. This woman was everything he always wanted and she was going to be his wife in thirteen days. She could change anything in the house and he would still love her just as deeply.
…..
After dinner, Mike and Julie drove back to Hunter Creek and stopped outside a house Julie had never seen. It was little white house with blue shutters and a blue door.
"Where are we?"
"My house."
"You moved?"
"I will be in the next few weeks."
"You moved and traded in your truck. Those are big steps, Mike."
"Yeah. It was time to take those steps."
She felt him grab her hand and hold it in both of his. "Are you ok?"
"Yes. I'm doing fine. It helps to have you with me."
"Mike, why are we here?"
"I want you to see the house. It's important to me that you see this part of my life." He hadn't shared his current house with her. He wasn't even comfortable staying there himself.
"Ok. Let's go see it."
He slid out and held his hand out to assist her. He took a deep breath and let her to the home that represented his new life. One he hoped she would be a part of.