Wild Ride (29 page)

“Look
, man, when these rich New Yorkers start buying your paintings you’re going to have a little cash.  Don’t you think it’s best to know before strangers start showing up claiming to be mommy or daddy and needing a loan?” he asked Chuck. “I didn’t say you had to meet them or anything… just know who they are so your ass is covered.”

Chuck looked thoughtful for a moment before smacking Dickie on the back
, “You got my back, man… thanks.  Can you really find people Becca?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that but I could do a little
digging and see what I can find,” she said, sitting up and putting her legs down.

“See
, there is something to keep you busy… however, your new office is going to be the living room of my house in Florida,” Dickie said.  “This man got close enough to practically touch you today… it won’t happen again.”

Becca looked at Dickie and then blushed and looked away again.  “I have a beach house in Florida.  I can stay there
,” she said.

“My house is setup where I can work out of my garage and it isn’t that far from the shop anyways
,” Dickie said as though the matter had been settled.

“You can’t force me to go with you
,” Becca said quietly.

“I didn’t say anything about
forcing
you, Becca… I’m
asking
you to come,” Dickie said.

Chuck snickered and a small giggle suddenly escaped Becca and she glanced at Chuck with heated cheeks and shook her head in disapproval. 

For once his inappropriate behavior had actually been a blessing.  Then Becca glanced back at Dickie and upon seeing the look on his face she quickly looked away.

“Fine… but only for a week or two
,” Becca replied after a long moment.

“I need you to let Bobby and Lilly know that I’m heading back tomorrow morning first thing.  She needs to get out of town as quickly as possible…
load my bike in the camper and bring it back with you guys.  I’ll
drive
us back,” Dickie said to Chuck.

“Sure
, man…whatever you need,” Chuck said.  “I’ll take care of it.”

The following morning
Meredith told Lilly about Dickie taking Becca back to Florida and Lilly simply smiled and winked.  “Let the games begin,” she laughed.

They spent the day sightseeing and enjoying a brisk fall day.  Once again Chuck managed to monopolize the baby whom
Meredith got to hold for a whole five minutes before he took her back. 

She stood watching him show Melody a brown leaf that had fallen from one of the trees a few yards away when Dana approached.

“He’s great with the kids,” Dana said. “That was his job in most of his foster homes… to watch the other kids.  He prefers it… it’s his way of making sure they are ok… provided for.”

“
He may seem like an overgrown child himself but when he stops by the house he always starts looking in the cabinets.  I asked Tommy why he did that once and he said to make sure we had food for Gretchen and the baby.  I tell you this in hopes that you don’t give up on him.  He loves you desperately,” Dana finished.

“
Never.
  I love him just as desperately,” she replied, continuing to watch him.  She could watch him for days and still see something new.

Dana put her arm around her shoulders and hugged her before walking over to join Tommy who stood talking to Bobby.  At her approach Tommy stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at her as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world. 

Leaning in he said something to her that made her mouth drop open.  He smiled a mischievous grin at her that probably made women’s knees go weak.  Tommy was every bit as good looking as Chuck, though smaller in size, but pretty mellow where Chuck was wild and exciting.

The following morning a knock on the door interrupted Chuck’s attempts to wake her up.  Scrambling
out of the bed, Chuck said, “Stay here.”

He pulled on some jeans
, went to the door and opened it a crack only to have Lilly nearly push her way into the room. 

“Simon and Kyle both made a deal and it’s looking like
the judge will as well.  We are free to go and I will be notified if I need to testify against Judge Henry.  Bobby’s pissed that they made me worry and travel all this way for nothing when I’m pregnant,” Lilly said before noticing her lying there attempting to hold the blankets around her naked body.

“Who knew he was so old fashioned?  Can you go talk to him Chuck?  Tommy’s already on his way but…
he’s kind of scary when he’s like this,” Lilly finished.

“He’s scary
only
when he’s like this?” Chuck said with a laugh before closing the door.  Then looking at Lilly he patted her arm and said, “Watch this.”

Picking up the
hotel phone, he dialed Lilly and Bobby’s room.  After a few seconds Chuck said, “What did you
do
man?  Lilly’s over here shaking like a leaf… thinks you’re mad and shit.  She’s pregnant, man… you’re supposed to be the rock right now… the
rock
.  Did you seriously tell her she’s gaining weight?  Way to go man…
way to go!
”

With that he hung up and then busted out laughing at the look on Lilly’s face.

“What did you just do, Chuck?” Lilly asked in shock.

“You can thank me later
,” he winked at her.

Having
wrapped a blanket around herself and put on her prosthetic, Meredith grabbed her clothes off a chair and headed to the bathroom and quickly scrambled into them just as Bobby banged on the door to their room.

Opening the door to the bathroom she watched as Bobby stood in the doorway looking at Lilly for a few seconds in confusion.  Then he walked over to her and kissed her as though he was trying to consume her.  The display of passion
toward Lilly made her look at Chuck.

“You interrupted my morning ride boss…” Chuck said
, walking to the door and holding it open.

“You scared the hell out of me
,
Charlie
… next time you do that shit I’m going to hurt you,” Bobby said before taking Lilly’s hand and leading her out of their room.

Closing the door he smiled at her and dusted his hands as though he had dirt on them
. “Now where were we?” he asked, approaching her with a sexy grin.

The trip back from New York was fun since the nervousness of testifying was
behind them all and Melody was a much better passenger.  Meredith, Lilly, Sherri, and Dana talked and giggled nearly the whole trip back.  Meredith was sorry when the trip ended.  Almost as sorry as she was that the nights spent in Chuck’s arms would once again become few and far between rather than a consistent thing.

The morning after arriving back from New York
Chuck stopped by Tommy’s house and he was all smiles.

“Did you ask her
, man?” Chuck asked.

“Yep
,” Tommy replied with a grin. “You are looking at Dana Atkinson’s fiancé.”

Chuck
gave him a bear hug of congratulations and then said, “You got mine then?”

“Actually
, Dana liked the one you picked out better so I gave it to her instead,” Tommy said and then after a pause laughed. “I’m kidding!”

“Man, I’m a hot mess as it is…
like sweaty kind of nervous.  You know old Judge Patterson is probably going to punch me right in my mouth when I ask him… right?” he laughed.

“Grow some balls
, Chuckie… oh that’s right… they’re in a jar in his office right?” Tommy laughed.

“Seriously not funny right now
,” he snickered.

“Luck’s been with you so far this week…
here’s hoping it sticks,” Tommy said smacking him on the shoulder and then handing him a bag.

An hour later he was sitting in Judge Patterson’s office in a chair being scrutinized by the older man and attempting not to
keel over from heart failure.

“Though I appreciate hearing about your new venture in the world of high dollar art
, Mr. Reynolds, there is only one reason a man looks like he ate nails for breakfast and his coffee’s kicking in… so why don’t you ask me what you came to ask me,” Judge Patterson said.

“Nathan…
Judge Patterson… I know Meredith and I haven’t known each other very long and that we are really young but, uh… I love her… like
really
love her and I, uh… I want to ask her to be my wife.  If that’s ok with you,” he choked out. 
That sounded stupid.

Turning in his chair the old man looked up at the painting of his wife and said
, “We knew each other for four
days
before we got married.  Everyone said a thing done like that on a whim would never work… never last.  I lost her two weeks shy of our fortieth wedding anniversary,” he said before taking a deep breath.

“There’ll never be another one for me…
she was
my
Meredith, Mr. Reynolds  That picture is almost exactly how she looked when we met and I can hardly look at it without
feeling
her,” Judge Patterson finished.

A silence filled the room that he was almost afraid to break but he had to know.

“So that means I can ask her right?” he said, finally unable to take another second of not knowing.

“Yes, on one condition…
don’t take her far from me.  She’s a little slice of my wife where Carla is a little slice of me,” the judge said.

If he was nervous asking the
judge’s permission, thinking of how to ask
her
was going to make him vomit.  He’d stopped by and picked up the painting and everything was ready… now he just had to do it.

Having been completely useless most of the day at the shop, Bobby had finally told him to get on with it and let him off work early.  Lilly had hugged him with tears in her eyes
after suffering several bouts of happy tears from talking with Dana and hearing about her and Tommy’s engagement.

Pulling up on his bike outside the Johnson’s house he sucked in a deep breath and unstrapped the painting from the back of his bike, being careful not to tear the wrapping paper.  Heading to the door he was met by Carla who eyed the gift wrapped package he held.

“Got a little something for Meredith when we were in New York,” he said in answer to her unasked question.

“She’s in the kitchen working on homework
,” Carla said.

Making his way into the kitchen he was saved from having to awkwardly get her to un-wrap the gift, when skipping ahead of him Ben yelled “Chuck got you a present Meredith!”

Looking up she eyed the gift he held.  God she was beautiful. 
Please say yes.

Taking the gift from him she began to unwrap it with Carla, Matt and Ben watching on.

“Oh my God… Chuck?” she whispered upon seeing the painting.

It was an image of him in a black tuxedo holding out his hand.  He had put a small string through the canvas in the palm of his hand and tied the diamond ring to it.  The ring he had seen online and Tommy had picked it up while they were in New York.  The words ‘marry me’ were printed in old style calligraphy in an arch above his palm.

Her eyes were shining with tears but she didn’t say anything for a minute and then she was in his arms, “Yes… yes, Chuck… oh yes!” she choked out, hugging him tightly.

“Oh
, Thank God!  If you had said no I would have felt real stupid having asked the judge for permission this morning,” he laughed against her neck.

She kissed him and it felt like home
to him… finally a
real
home.