Love You Moore (16 page)

“
You look very nice.” she
complimented.

“
I look like a bum compared to you.” he
leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He handed her the roses. One of
the stylists was there to take them from her.

“
I’ll put these in some water, you two
have fun tonight, Happy Birthday Abby” Abby later found out her
name was Elizabeth.

Jimmy took Abby’s arm and wrapped it around
his and led her down to the restaurant. They were seated by a big
window that overlooked the ocean. The moonlight was shining on the
water and it was absolutely beautiful. Jimmy had ordered some
sparkling cider, well aware Abby was too young to drink alcohol.
After they had eaten a meal of prime rib, scalloped potatoes,
Caesar salad and sautéed green beans the waiter brought over a
small chocolate cake with a candle lit in it.

“
Close your eyes and make a wish” Jimmy
told her.

Abby closed her eyes and made the only
wish she could think of
,
that
this night would never end. When she opened her eyes Jimmy was on
his knee next to her. She covered her mouth with her
hand.

“
Abby, since the moment I saw you, I
knew you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life
with. I had never felt like that before and I know without you I
would never feel that way again. My every day since then has been
spent thinking of you and ways I can make you happy. I know it has
only been six months since we met but I feel like it’s been a
lifetime and it will be an incomplete lifetime if you are not with
me. Abigail Jane Moore, will you do me the honor of becoming my
wife and making me the happiest person on the planet?” Jimmy opened
a small black velvet box, inside was a Princess cut two carat
diamond with a dark blue tanzanite princess cut stone on each side
set in a platinum setting. Abby could barely breathe. As the tears
ran down her face she was able to nod a yes.

“
Yes?” Jimmy shouted, “She said
yes!”

Suddenly her parents were there hugging her
and outside the window, lights came on illuminating a large white
tent she could see Holly standing near the tent entrance and it
looked like it was full of people.

“
It’s your birthday party.” Jimmy told
her as he picked her up in his arms and hugged her. “I love you
Abby. I will make it my life’s goal to make sure you are happy
every day and never want for anything.”

“
Then you can check that off you’re to
do list, because I am the happiest girl in the world and there is
nothing more on Earth that I could possibly want. She kissed him
and the whole restaurant broke out into applause.

“
Shall we go to your party?” Jimmy
asked.

Since it was the middle of March in Maine the
tents were heated by large heaters that made it feel like the
middle of summer. Round tables were set up with dark blue table
cloths that reached the floor with a beige cloth that came down
half way to the floor over that. A dance floor and stage was set up
and a DJ was playing top 40 hits. Everyone Abby knew was there, her
whole senior class and most of the underclassmen. When they walked
through the door everyone cheered. Holly was the first to approach
them.

“
So let’s see how it looks on” She said
and picked up Abby’s hand.

“
You knew about this too?” Abby cried.
Holly stood there with that Cheshire cat grin.

“
Who do you think helped me plan all of
this?” Jimmy told Abby. “She was the second person I asked for your
hand after I spoke to your parents”

“
You Brat, I can’t believe you kept
this from me?” Abby hugged Holly. “This is amazing. Thank
you”

“
If you think this is cool wait for the
wedding.” Holly teased.

“
Speaking of that, excuse me.” Jimmy
said and walked up on to the stage and took the microphone. The
music stopped and Jimmy asked if he could have everyone’s
attention.

“
Everyone, thank you for coming and
helping us celebrate Abby’s birthday.” screams erupted from the
crowd. “But I have another announcement I would like to share. Abby
has agreed to become my wife.”

Louder screams erupted followed by applause
and congratulations. Abby was mauled by her friends and classmates
wanting to see the ring, hear the story of how they met and how
could she keep such a secret from them. Billy was there, not
congratulating or even clapping. He looked like he’d been punched
in the gut. Even though they had barely spoken since their final
breakup last October, Abby felt bad for him. She walked over to
him.

“
Well I guess congrats is in order.” he
said while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“
I guess so.” Abby replied
apologetically although she didn’t know why.

“
Ok then.” Billy said and walked
away.

“
Wow, ok then.” Abby said to herself
and turn to see Jimmy standing behind her.

“
Everything ok?” he asked
skeptically.

“
Yes, everything is perfect.” she
replied putting her arms around his neck.

They spent the night dancing and having a
wonderful time. Jimmy had treated the crowd to an impromptu
concert. Ben and Mikey had come up with Jimmy, they were also in on
the secret. They told her they were very happy and couldn’t wait
till she was part of their family. After things had died down and
her friends had left, Abby’s parents hugged her goodnight and left
for home. Holly soon followed leaving Abby and Jimmy alone. He
walked her back to the section of rooms he had blocked off and
opened one of the doors. Inside there was a lit fireplace, dim
lighting and a rose pedaled covered bed. He turned her to face him.
He took her face him his hands and began to kiss her. She pointed
to the bed with a bewildered look on her face.

“
How else should it be the first time
we spend the night together.” He gently kissed her and caressed her
body with tender hands.

Slowly undressing her and holding her tight.
He picked her up and placed her on the bed. He laid with her, their
bodies formed into one perfectly. As he held her tighter and
tighter, moving their bodies in sync, she knew at that moment, she
was loved more than she had ever been in her life.

In the morning they ordered room service for
breakfast. They didn’t leave the room all day, they ordered in
lunch and dinner. That night after their bodies were exhausted of
all energy, they snuggled together in the bed.

“
How did you pull all of this off” Abby
asked stroking her fingers across his bare chest.

“
Oh that’s a secret, I‘ll never tell,
torture me if you will, I will never tell.” he teased.

She thumped him on the chest. “Ok, ok you
win, I give.” He cried. “When I came to see you at Christmas,
before I called you, I had asked him and your mother for their
blessing. I then called Holly, it took me awhile to calm her down I
filled them all in on the plan to ask you on your birthday. You
were upstairs and had no idea I was there until your dad called you
to come downstairs.”

“
Everyone knew for three months and
didn’t even hint to me there was something going on? Who are these
people?” Abby shook her head smiling in jest.

“
They, My Dear, are the people that
love you the most including me.” He said as he kissed her on the
forehead and got out of bed.

Abby sat up, “Where are you going?

“
To call my parents.” Jimmy replied
with a smile and he went to get his cell phone.

Abby’s hand flew to her mouth, “Oh my gosh, I
haven’t even met your parents yet and we’re engaged. This is
wrong.”

Jimmy came back with his phone. “It’s ok,
they know all about you. They’re very excited, in spite of the last
time.”

“
The last time? What?” Abby asked as
Jimmy started talking to his mother.

“
Hi Mom, yes…she said yes, it was
great…I was sorry you and Dad weren’t able to make it to the party,
how is Dad feeling…good to hear, yes she’s right here hold on….It’s
my mom she wants to talk to you” he handed the phone to
Abby.

“
Hello…Mrs. Riley yes this is Abby, how
are you? Yes I am very excited. I’m sorry we weren’t able to meet
in person before this became official…I look forward to meeting you
as well…April? Ok I will see you in April then…Good-bye, here’s
Jimmy” She passed the phone back to Jimmy and mouthed, “We’re going
to Mississippi in April?” Jimmy shrugged his shoulder and mouthed
back with a surprised look on his face “I don’t know."

He continued to talk to his mother for a few
more moments and then hung up the phone. Abby looked at him with
surprise and wonder on her face.

“
What is going on?” Abby
asked.

“
Well my dad isn’t feeling well, I
don’t think it is anything serious but he wasn’t up to flying in
from Mississippi. Mom says he’s ok but I’m not 100% convinced. So
her thought is that we go to visit them in April when you are on
vacation from school, if you want too no pressure.” He
added

“
No of course I want to meet them, if
that’s the easiest way for them then we do it their way. What if
they don’t like me?” Abby suddenly thought getting very
nervous.

Jimmy reached out for her and took her in his
arms. “Nonsense, they are going to love you, almost as much as I
do.”

Abby sat back against the headboard. She
hoped they would like her, but what would happen if they
didn’t?

* * * * *

Chapter 15

Jimmy had been right, once people knew about
her they acted different around her. She was now a celebrity in a
small town. The girls at school who were always too good to even
acknowledge Abby’s existence, were now trying to be her best friend
and the boys with rock star ambition, were trying to get her to
introduce them to Jimmy, no doubt so that jimmy could tap into
their potential and make them famous. Abby got tired of the fakes
pretty quickly. She avoided most of them as best she could and just
tried to get through the day. The local news caught wind early on
and tried to interview her a couple of times. The fakers got their
faces on the TV pretty regularly in the beginning claiming to be
Abby’s closest and dearest but that soon died down as well. Jimmy
would apologize for bringing her into the limelight but told her
she deserved nothing less. He was back in LA promoting the album
and would now answer out right the questions the interviewers would
ask about her. She still feared that the news about her accident
would come out and this fairy tale would all be over. They made
plans to fly down to see his parents as soon as she got out for
spring vacation. He told her he would fly into Owls Head the coming
Friday and they would fly out the next day. Time seem to speed up
when she was waiting to do something she was nervous about. Jimmy
had come in that Friday as promised and taken Abby and her parents
out to dinner at Amalfi a local restaurant on the water.

“
Honey I am sure they will welcome you
into their family just as Dad and I have welcomed Jimmy, relax."
Her mother tried to assure her.

Jimmy reached out to take her hand and gave
her a reassuring wink. She wanted to be sure it would all be ok but
she wasn’t convinced. The whole plane ride there she was nervously
twisting her hair, wringing her hands or biting her lip.

“
Abby, relax, they are not going to
bite, why are you so nervous?” Jimmy asked trying to calm her
down.

“
I don’t know” Abby replied, but she
did know, sort of. What if they did like her, they invited her into
their family with open arms and then her past came back to haunt
her. Not only did she have to worry about Jimmy’s feelings towards
her, she now had his parents too. She wanted to be accepted, but
would it be better if she weren’t so that if the past did come up
they wouldn’t be as surprised and ashamed.

“
We knew there was something off about
that girl from the very beginning, she acted all sweet and innocent
but deep down she was really a lying murderer, making someone else
pay for her crime. Terrible!” she could hear his parents telling
him.

Maybe she should spare all of them and call
off the engagement. Yes, she would be devastated but it would all
work out in the end right. Not all fairy tales have a happy ending,
do they? She was brought out of her mental ranting with the sound
of the landing gear getting ready for touchdown.

“
Here we go” Jimmy said excitedly
rubbing his hands together.

Yes, Abby thought, here we go. Jimmy had
rented a car for the dive to his parent’s house in Magee. It was
about an hour and a half from the Jackson Airport. The ride was
silent. She was nervous and he didn’t want to push her to relax
because, it seemed, that only made it worse. They drove in the
driveway up to the one level brick house and parked under the
carport. That appeared to be the style of all the homes in that
area of the South. Jimmy said it was because of tornados and hot
weather. She wasn’t sure she believed him or not. Once she met his
family, all of her fears and hopes were realized. They were
awesome. Welcoming and kind, made her feel at home instantly. His
mother reminded Abby of Paula Deen from the FoodTV channel and his
dad was a mix between Kenny Rogers and Santa Claus. His mother had
every burner on the stove going and something baking in the oven.
Abby was introduced to Southern Cooking at its finest, fried okra,
black eye peas, cornbread, fried chicken and homemade sweet tea to
drink.