Ronnie stood to her feet wiping the tears from her face. She didn't want to seem weak in front of Will. He stood just inside the wrought iron doors with his arms folded over his chest. Today she noticed that he was dressed down. He looked more like the boy she had met their first summer together. "I just wanted to drop these flowers," she turned and placed the sunflowers on the ground and placed a kiss on her hand that she pressed against the headstone. "I was just leaving."
She briskly walked towards her car but he grabbed her arm to stop her. "I would never keep you from her."
Ronnie stared off to the end of the path wondering how she could let him go. How do you walk away from a man who could make time stand still with his kisses? Or how do you leave a life that had fit you like a glove? She shook her head realizing that is exactly what she had done when she divorced him. "I was on my way to see Alston," she lied.
His eyes narrowed and his grip on her arm tightened slightly before he dropped it all together. "Then don't let me stop you."
The wind picked up around them causing the trees to sway and a beautiful melody to fill the air. There were leaves flying through the air and birds chirping in the background. It was an amazing sight. "I forgot how beautiful this place is."
Will smiled and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was. One summer, when they were both on break from school, Will had brought her home for a week so that he could spend time with his parents but not lose any time with her. They had snuck out one evening so that they could make love beneath the trees and she remembered the wind creating a harmony like the one it was making now. The leaves had fallen all over them and a few had even got caught in her hair. His mother had been suspicious of their activity but she never came right out and accused them. Even though she had started to warm up to her then, old prejudices were hard to break.
"Are you going to the airport to pick up Annie," Ronnie questioned. She nervously wrung her hands hoping Will would say no.
"Yeah, I was on my way when I saw your car," he motioned behind him. "I was surprised to see you here."
"I couldn't do it Will. It took everything in me to get here today."
He nodded his head in agreement. "That doesn't make you a bad mother."
"Doesn't it," she asked feeling the tears building in her eyes again. "You seemed to make it just fine but me…"
He closed the gap that had opened between them and placed his hands on her face. "No, it just keeps me grounded. I need to feel like I have a connection with her. Our therapist said we would grieve differently."
He lightly wiped the tear on her face then he let his hand trail down to rest on her belly. It didn't take long for their child to recognize his touch and kicked his hand. "We have a little miracle on the way. A miracle I don't want to waste," he offered.
"What does that mean," she asked searching his face for clues.
"It means…" They both turned to see Will's mother driving through the gate at the entrance. While he was distracted Ronnie started walking back up the path to her car. She wasn't sure she was ready to have this conversation. By the look on his face he was about to tell her that he wanted sole physical custody of their child.
A shudder ran through her when she thought of the fact that Annie would most likely become a second mother to her child. She didn't want anyone else raising her child. An even uglier thought made Ronnie's heart start beating erratically. When everything was settled with Will and all was back to normal, or as normal as possible, she could end up alone.
"Ronnie," Will called after her but she got in her car and drove away.
Will stood in the crowded airport watching families say their goodbyes. One had really caught his attention when a soldier had held his daughter in his arms while she cried her eyes out. The man was in his uniform and he could tell by the tense set of his shoulders that he was trying hard not to cry himself. He wondered if it was for his daughter's sake that he held the tears back or because he wanted to keep up his tough guy appearance. Either way Will was focused on the tiny girl in his arms.
Her diminutive body was adorned with a bright pink summer dress that hung loosely on her. She had golden hair that was swept up in a messy ponytail. It made him wonder if he would be holding his own daughter in a week. Or maybe he would have a little boy, someone to take fishing with him. He smiled thinking how awesome it would be to have a guys' weekend with his father, Nick, Daniel, and his son.
On the loud speaker, a woman announced a gate change for one of the flights but it was muffled by the sounds of the crowd. A few people glanced up as if hoping to hear better but no one moved.
He thought back to a few months ago when he had been here waiting for Ronnie. Not much had changed over the last few months even though they had said they would work things out before the baby came. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. They had become proficient at avoiding the topic.
The question was; could he move back to New York? It seemed the only way they would be able to coexist.
"Will," he head Annie's voice through the crowd. She walked slowly towards him with her bag rolling behind her. She had a smile firmly in place but was quickly removed when she noticed the scowl on his. "Hi."
"How was your flight," he asked.
"Good," she answered dropping her gaze to the floor.
He knew he had to get this conversation over with whether she was going to like it or not. With Ronnie telling him she loved him and the baby scheduled to make an appearance any day he needed to set things right. "I don't play games Annie. I'm not in college and I'm definitely not in high school anymore. If you're not mature enough to handle our relationship like an adult I don't want to continue on."
She glanced up at him," I know I should have called. I just didn't know what to say. That day in the hospital I was angry. You can call your actions anything you want but what you did to Alston shows how invested you still are in your relationship with Ronnie."
"You're right. But we're a team and we need to work things out as a team. You can't run away every time things get rough."
"You knew I was going on vacation," she shot back while dodging people walking past. Her bag was knocked a few times before Will took it from her hands and put it beside him.
"Yes, but you didn't pick up one phone call." Will sighed and placed his hands on either side of her face. "I have feelings for you. I'm not going to say I love you because I don't know if I'm there yet."
"What do you feel," she asked.
Will rubbed his finger along her jaw savoring the feel of her soft skin. It had only been two weeks since the last time he saw her but he had missed her as if they had been apart for years. He knew the love he had for Ronnie but there was no denying that he also had feelings for Annie. The hard part was he couldn't name what those feelings were.
Was it love?
Without thought, he slowly lowered his head towards hers and captured her lips. Her arms wove around his neck and he secured her in his arms. His thoughts weren't on the people walking by but on the woman in his arms who seemed to make everything all right just with her presence.
"I feel that you are something special," he dropped a kiss on her forehead then grabbed her bag to head to the car.
Ronnie licked the frosting off her finger while peering down at the cookbook that was on the counter. She had been working diligently to get the cupcakes ready for Noelle's birthday dinner that she would be hosting later that night. On the radio, she had blasting from the corner, was an old country song she couldn't remember the name of but she found herself humming along anyways.
Pushing a strand of hair back from her face she gazed up at the clock on the wall wondering where Will was. He had gone to pick Annie up from the airport three hours ago. She wasn't one to complain but she hoped he got back soon. They had plenty of work to do before the guests arrived at seven.
Turning back to her work, Ronnie decided to put a touch more vanilla in the icing figuring that there could never be too much vanilla. She had never been a great cook but Noelle had asked for her favorite treat; which happened to be an Oreo cupcake. Ronnie had gotten up early to prepare and cook the sponge and then after a small nap she had been ready to tackle the frosting.
"Hi, Ronnie."
Ronnie jumped not knowing that someone else was in the room. "Hey, Annie. I didn't hear you come in."
Ronnie noticed the small sunburn on her face and the stiff set of her shoulders. "I'm surprised you can hear anything over the radio," she laughed.
Ronnie smiled in return and reached to turn the volume down. "Did you just get in?"
"Yeah, Will went upstairs to wrap Noelle's presents and he said he would be back down."
Ronnie pulled out the drawer beside her and grabbed a spoon. "I'm glad you're here. Tell me what you think." She dipped the spoon in the frosting and extracted a small amount of the treat.
Annie accepted the spoon and took a bite. "Yummy, are you making a cake?"
"Actually, I'm making some Oreo cupcakes. Would you like to help?"
Annie nodded and grabbed the extra apron hanging on the wall. It was the one Will had bought Ronnie years ago that said kiss the cook. The black apron was now faded and the kiss mark on the corner was starting to unravel.
"I want you to take one cupcake," she lifted the nearest one for an example. "Then you swirl the frosting like this and place a bite size Oreo on top. Pretty simple."
They worked side-by-side for the next few minutes in silence till Ronnie pulled the tower from the cupboard to place the cupcakes on. Annie handed her the cupcakes so that she could line them up like she had seen in a magazine. She knew it wasn't her best work but Noelle would still be impressed. She had even impressed herself since she had never been fantastic when it came to baking.
"Noelle is going to love it," Annie stated stepping back to admire Ronnie's work. The three-tiered tower held identical black and white cupcakes that looked picture perfect.
"I love him," Annie said and then went to work on cleaning the kitchen.
Ronnie, who had been taken aback by her comment, stood rooted to the spot. It wasn't as if she didn't know how Annie felt but hearing it out loud had been another thing altogether. Who would be able to spend time with Will and not fall in love with him? He was a perfect gentleman and his smile could light up a room.
"I know," Ronnie answered stepping up to help clean. "I love him too. So where does that leave us?"
"I thought a lot about who I am and who I want to be in a few years and one thing I don't want to be is a home wrecker."
Ronnie grabbed the mixer and started pulling it apart to wash. Her heart was beating erratically knowing that the conversation they were having was going to change the paths of their lives. If Annie wanted to stick around Will would most likely end up marrying her. He was loyal to a fault. But if she left would Ronnie end up being blamed for his failed relationship? Neither answer sounded appealing.
"I've decided to bow out gracefully," Annie said barely above a whisper.
Ronnie's head snapped up.
Hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Btw, I know there are a lot of typos throughout this story and as soon as I am done I will be going back to fix it up. But in the meantime I would appreciate it if you would leave a review/comment. It would make my day!