Black Falcon: Complete Series Collection (34 page)

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 before making 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. If she caught even a whiff of our exchange Kathy would have questions. Lane had 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, damn it, 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 three, I’m lowering you into the chair. One. Two. Three.”

Once safely in the chair and with her casted leg carefully 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.

“Honey, do you mind getting me a glass of water and handing me the remote?” Kathy asked Lane.

Lane smiled and darted into the kitchen. Kathy cleared her throat the minute she left the room. “Are either of you going to tell me what’s going on?”

I raised my eyebrows and sat down on the floral patterned sofa so I could look her in the eye. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head. “Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve known you far too long for you to try to pull the wool over my eyes—either of you. When were you planning on telling me Lane’s pregnant?”

I swallowed hard. Panic flooded me. I wasn’t ashamed that Lane was carrying my child—hell, I was ready to tell the world—but if I let slip to Kathy before Lane was ready to tell her, I would never hear the end of it. The best plan I could come up with in those few seconds was to act dumb and clueless.

“What?”

Kathy let out a sarcastic laugh just as Lane emerged from the kitchen, glass in hand. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I answered quickly.

Lane raised an eyebrow at me and twisted her lips. “Nothing, huh? Didn’t sound like nothing to me.”

Desperate to get away from the situation, I stood and took her hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

Lane’s gaze darted between me and her mother. “
Okay?
”

She knew something was up. I had to get her out of the house so I could tell her that Kathy was on to us. I tugged her toward the front door, but as soon as my hand reached the knob I heard her mom say, “Noel, we’ll talk again later,” and my shoulders tensed. Lane was just like her mom sometimes, relentless, so I knew we’d have to come clean to her tonight. She wouldn’t let it go until we did.

But I couldn’t worry about that right now. Right now, I had bigger things on my mind—like what this beautiful creature would say when I asked her a very, very important question.

L
ane’s tiny hand fit perfectly inside mine and I held on tight to it as I led her around to the back of the house. Nerves inside my skin jittered. What I was about to do hopefully would change both our lives. All I needed was for her to say yes.

“What was that about in there? Did you say something to her?” Lane asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“No. Nothing. But she knows,” I answered.

“Why did you make such a scene at the car?”

I stopped and turned her to face me. “I’m sorry, but I was worried about you. Besides, Kathy’s smart. I’m sure she would’ve picked up on it soon anyhow. She point blank asked me in there when we were going to tell her that you’re pregnant.”

Lane gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. What are we going to tell her?”

She was starting to freak. I had to reel her back in. I placed both hands on her shoulders and dipped my head, forcing her to look me in the eye.

“Don’t worry. We’re adults. Things are going to be okay. If this would have happened five years ago, yeah, she might have given us some shit. They all would have. But this baby, it’s part me and part you, so our families are going to love it.”

A single tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb. “Things will be perfect, Lane. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish together, including raising our child together. Have faith in us.”

She leaned her face into my palm, cupping it. “You really believe that?”

“I do.”

Lane threw her arms around my neck and pressed her tiny body against mine. “I love you.”

“Forever,” I whispered before I pressed my lips to hers.

She frowned when I pulled away and grabbed her hand again. “Where are we going?”

I bit my lip. “There’s something down at the dock I want to show you.”

When we came over the hill, I turned so I could watch Lane’s expression when she saw what we had done earlier. Her eyes trailed down the dock, taking in the sight of the flower arrangements and candles lined up along the edges. The white rose petals sprinkled everywhere was the perfect touch, and I was glad Mom added that in.

“
Noel?
You did all this?” she asked still not removing her eyes from the scene.

I cleared my throat. “Not totally on my own. I had some help.”

“You did?”

I nodded. “Yep. Mom and Dad.”

Her head whipped towards me. “Frank was here? Did you talk to him?”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Yeah. We’re working on things.”

“That’s fantastic news!” she exclaimed, peering up at me. “I bet that makes your mom happy.”

“And me, too. It’s hard to believe how much I actually missed him. This will be a good thing, especially now.” I placed my free hand on her stomach. “Our kid should know all of his grandparents.”

“Or her grandparents,” Lane corrected.

I laughed. “Or her. Come on. There’s more.”

“More?” The skepticism in her voice was ill disguised.

I led her carefully down the hill and once on the dock, I stooped down at the first arrangement and grabbed a single rose. It was a deep, rich red, and it reminded me of how deep she’d worked her love into my soul. There was no doubt in my mind that our love was eternal.

She smiled as she took it from my outstretched hand. “Oh, Noel. It’s beautiful.”

She put it to her nose and inhaled its luscious scent with her green eyes closed tight.

“Yeah, you are.”

She opened her eyes and grinned at me.

We walked together to the end of the dock where two chairs faced each other surrounded by candlelight. My Gibson guitar leaned against the railing, just waiting for me to carry out my plan. I held my hand out, gesturing for Lane to take a seat.

I sat across from her and picked up my guitar. She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up a finger to cut her off.

“Before you say anything, just hear me out. I’ve had this planned from the moment you came back to me. Our current situation has no effect on my feelings for you, other than making me love you even more. I had no idea it was possible to love someone so much. But I love you, Lane. You are the one for me. The only girl.”

A few soft cords sounded as I strummed the cords to an acoustic version of Only Girl originally by Rihanna but sung in the style of Boyce Avenue because it fit my feelings for Lane perfectly. I sang about how she made me feel like a real man, and that she was the only one who was in control of me. I gazed into her eyes and sang about making her my wife. She placed her fingertips to her lips as her eyes glistened.

The best part of the song was conveying that every moment with her meant everything to me. Singing was the best way I could get out everything I felt. Music spoke to my heart, and I knew from past experience it spoke to hers too.

I bit my lip as my emotions overtook me. The last verse came out, and I stopped strumming the guitar, completely lost in her eyes and the feelings I saw there. My voice softened as I got down on one knee in front of her and lay the guitar on the dock to continue the last chorus.

“You’re the only one who understands.” I took her left hand in mine and kissed each one of her knuckles, lingering on the one above her ring finger the longest. She was truly the only girl in the world for me.

A sniff from her drew my attention. Tears poured from her eyes and, unsure of what those tears meant, my heart pounded in my chest.

“Lanie Vance, I have loved you from the moment I saw you. So many times I’ve dreamed of asking you to be my wife, and I think today is that day. I love you with every inch of me. I’m drawn to your fire and passion, and I don’t think I can ever be without it again. I want you every day for the rest of my life. You and our baby.” I leaned in and kissed her stomach and then my eyes met hers. “You two are my life. I’ve had this ring”—I pulled the princess cut diamond ring from my pocket—“since the day we went shoe shopping with Kyle,
before
you knew you were pregnant. This had always been my plan. Having a baby doesn’t change how I feel about you. You are my heart, Lane, and you always have been. Will you marry me?”

Her eyes searched my face, and I prayed to God she found whatever answer she was looking for. After what felt like an eternity she nodded, and a huge smile spread across my face.

“Yes. YES!” Her fingers tangled in my hair, and she crushed her lips into mine. “I love you.”

“Yeah?”

I felt tears of exquisite joy slide down my face.

She cried and smiled at the same time. “Yes. I’ve always loved you.”

“I knew you did, even when you fought it.”

She laughed, and I knew we were at the start of something really good.

I told her I loved her too before I wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing the sweet lips of my wife-to-be.

This was it. This was what every up and down in my life had been bringing me to—this time and this moment with Lane.

“And this is just the start of our forever,” I whispered.

Rock the Beginning

by Michelle A. Valentine

S
o this is it. Freshman year.

I stand in the pristine hallway of Cedar Creek High School next to my best friend Cassandra Lutz as we survey the same faces we see year after year. Nothing in this town ever changes. I was hoping that I would be wowed in high school—dramatically swept off my feet on my first day by a dashing upper-classmen, living the dream of going to the prom as a freshman. Well, at least it’s a big dream of mine.

But sadly, I’m disappointed yet again.

I sigh heavily and lean my back against the red locker and squeeze my books tighter against my chest. I can’t wait to get out of here and run off to a big city where I can make something of myself. I’ve always thought a job in advertising sounded fun. Maybe I’ll try that someday.

“Just once I’d love to have some fresh meat in this place,” Cassandra says pulling her brown hair into a loose bun on the top of her head. “I hate knowing everything about these guys. There’s no mystery. None of them do anything surprising.”

I nod in total agreement. “Where are all the guys I read about in books—the ones that know exactly what to say? The first day of school is practically over and nothing remotely exciting has happened yet.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, a crash against the lockers a few feet to my right draws my attention. I suddenly feel the urge to take back the last thing I said. This is not exactly the kind of excitement I was hoping for.

All the kids in the hallway stop dead in their tracks in unison and stare at the scene playing out before us like a bad teen sitcom. Roger Robertson, the guy we all know as the school bully, grips Wendell McFarland, a kid in my grade, by the collar of his shirt. Roger’s large arms twist as he repositions his wrists in order to get a better grip, while he wears a sickening smile on his red, pimple-covered face. Roger isn’t the kind of guy you want to mess with. His temper is about as red-hot as the flaming color of his hair and we all know he’s been held back to the freshman level three times now. If Roger walks down the hallway, you get out of his way or duck for cover. His reputation of assholeism precedes him.