Keep Me Safe (29 page)

“Pretty positive,” She laughed. “We’ll do an ultrasound to confirm how far along you are and make sure everything looks okay, but it looks like you’ll get another chance after all.” I wanted to speak, but the only thing my mouth and lips would do was smile.

I took his hand and placed it on my stomach, taking longer than necessary to enjoy the sight of his hand resting there. I looked up and saw the look of confusion on his face.

“Will you love me when I’m fat and cranky?”

He searched my face, unsure of what I meant.

“You’re…now? Right now?”

I nodded, my smile growing as big as my face would allow.

There were so many reasons for me to smile. Things with Parker couldn’t have been better and I loved every minute that I spent with him. Our one year dating anniversary was in a little over a month and I couldn’t believe how fast the time had flown by. Given everything we had been through together, the fact that we withstood it all meant so much to me. My perception of normalcy and expectations for a relationship had been so skewed, I was amazed we had gotten through it all.

There were a lot of things Brent had taken from me, including my first child. But that never stopped me from firmly believing that “everything happens for a reason”. Here I was, now engaged to the most patient and understanding man I’d ever met; a man who showed me how much he loved me without saying a single word. I’d learned the hard way that sometimes we don’t see how strong we are until we are tested to our limits. But it certainly helps to have someone there to remind you.
Especially when they’re as hot as Parker.
  I laughed at my recurring thought.

We held hands as we walked off the field and Parker pointed up towards the bleachers, giving a thumbs up in the direction of the band. The front row quickly unrolled a huge piece of paper, undoubtedly the same one Katie had been hiding under her seat, revealing the saying “SHE SAID YES!” The speakers started playing “God Gave Me You” by Dave Barnes and I looked up at Parker, laughing at the realization of how much he had put into this.

“My students were in on it too?”

“Oh yeah, it was all or nothing, baby. Stephannie jumped at the chance to sneak around behind your back. She talked to all of the students she needed to include last week.”

I leaned into him and tilted my head, waiting for him to kiss me. When he did, the applause and yells roared again from the stands. We both walked up and sat in the front row in front of the band. We stared at each other, not really needing to say anything. He kept looking down to stare at my stomach, as if he was imagining what my growing body would look like.

“No one else knows yet, okay? I just found out today.” He nodded and smiled, but didn’t say a word. I wasn’t really sure he grasped the idea of it yet.

After leading the band through the first half and then watching them do their halftime show, I sat back down next to Parker to take a break. The drum majors usually led them through the second half of the game, so I got a bit of a break. I laced my arm through his and interlaced our fingers.  My head found his shoulder, as it always did so perfectly, and he kissed the top of my head. There were only two minutes or so left in the game, but I had stopped paying attention last quarter. I had my eyes closed and was replaying the night’s events in my head when he shifted.  His focus never left the buzzing activity on the field, but his right hand came over and rested right on my lower stomach. He rubbed it gently, acknowledging the news he’d received. Even if he promised not to say anything about it out loud yet, I knew he wouldn’t be able to ignore it altogether.

“We will give her the world.” He beamed as he leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“Her?” I asked.

“For sure. There’s no way this baby was given to us without it being a little girl as perfect as her mom. Nothing else would make sense.”

Tears filled my eyes, many reasons to be grateful sitting on this bleacher bench. Everything I’d ever wanted, dreamed, or hoped for was right here.

“And if it’s a boy?”

“Then I guess I’ll have it made, won’t I? Having a baby with you officially makes me the luckiest guy alive.”

I instinctively grabbed my necklace, it representing everything true and important in my life right now. I leaned back against his shoulder and Parker kissed me on the top of the head again. I placed my other hand on top of his on my stomach and looked down.

“Hear that, baby? I’ve hoped for you for such a long time. We will both love you so much.”

Acknowledgements

To my husband, Luke - A ‘thank you’ seems unfair because I could say thank you every day and it wouldn’t be enough. You indulged me in what you probably thought was a random, silly desire but still answered all of my questions redundantly without fussing. Thank you for also allowing me to submerge myself in the Indie atmosphere on several occasions when I could’ve or should’ve been doing something else. I love you.

To Christa Cervone - Thank you for telling me to “just write it”. The thought of turning a ten year old outline into a story seemed absolutely insane until you told me that. Because of you, here I am writing an acknowledgement page.

To Stephannie Tolitsky – Take the best word for my feeling of gratitude, and multiply it by a hundred. You never gave up on me, you were my biggest cheerleader through this whole crazy journey, and you became one of my best friends in the process.

To Veronica Eichman and Melanie Dawn – Thank you for being here to give me an outside opinion from the very beginning. Your input has influenced this book in so many more ways than you probably thought they would. Your willingness to help me will never be forgotten.

To Smutty Mafia – You already know. We’ve found out between two real life get-together’s that we will be friends as long as time allows. You’ve helped me through things in my everyday life, and thank you could never,
ever
be enough.

To Kimi, Rebecca, Erika, Nacole, and the original Chixx - Between being in the group and meeting some of you in Vegas, we have gotten so close! I’m so thankful to have you all as friends. Your knowledge and wisdom have helped me more than I could ever repay. Thank you for taking me under your wings and not thinking I was a nerd.

To those in my other groups; IC, ANGTFD, IGC – Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve asked questions time and time again, in twenty different ways and you still answered them without making me feel like an idiot. I’ve been very blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful talents.

To Robin Harper of Wicked by Design – You’re A-MA-ZING! I was a giant pain in the ass. Let’s not sugar coat it. But you turned my cover into something that I’m so thrilled to show off, and it’s all your doing. I’m so proud of it, and you’re the one to thank for that.

To Jodi Murphy – We hit it off right away and just keep going. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me as an author. Thank you for also sharing Frills & Freckles with so many, and allowing me to be a part of so many things you do as an amazing blogger.

To Laura, Hannah, Shannon, Nicky – Thank you for making life in Utah fun. Our get-togethers are so much fun, and you keep me sane during my busy and sometimes lonely day to day routine. I don’t know that I would be as content here as I am if you all weren’t around.

To Kristy Louise – Thank you for being a major support from the very beginning. Having someone excited about this story right away kept me going when I wanted to delete the whole thing. Also, thank you for my amazing trailer that I gushed over for hours.

Thank you to Ana Zaun and Nicki DeStasi – You two are amazing, and I thank you from the bottom of my panic stricken heart. You two saved me on more than one occasion with logistical things, and without you, I’d be frustrated and broke. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To EVERY SINGLE blogger, fan, and reader that has had anything to do with Keep Me Safe in ANY way – Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’ve helped me from the goodness of your own heart, and that means more to me than anything. Among the struggles of being an Indie author, are the amazing people that make the Indie community the tight-knit and amazing place that it is.