Forever (This #5) (28 page)

Bradley points to Joe. “We wrote down our order for Stoney River. Y’all call it in. We’ll ride, get it, and bring it back here.”

“Stoney River?” I ask.

Gabby sighs. “The. Best. Food. Ever.”

I laugh. “O. Kay.” My eyes wander to Joe, but he’s staring out the window. “I have no clue what to get there.”

“Just order the same thing as me,” Gabby says.

“Sounds like a plan. Y’all be safe.”

They lace their fingers together. “We will. Call us if there are any changes with Ryan.”

“Will do.”

After they’ve walked out, I take a seat beside Joe, then place my hand on his leg. “Any news about your brother while I was donating?”

He shakes his head, never looking at me. “Nope.”

“Did you get to see him?”

“Yeah.”

“Are your parents not coming to see him?”

“They’re out of town. They’re trying to catch the first flight back into town they can get.”

“Oh. Where are they?”

He removes my hand from his leg, gets up from his seat, and starts pacing. “Fucking Hawaii.”

“Wow.” I can’t imagine having a child in the hospital and being literally halfway around the world. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too. It’d be nice if they were here. One of them has the right blood type for him.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re a match.”

“Maybe.”

Bradley laces his fingers with mine, and we walk to the elevator. He pushes the down button, and he clasps my other hand before pulling me into a hug and kissing my forehead. “I hate hospitals.”

“Me too.” My thoughts go to my mom. To Veronica. To Gabe. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been in the hospital for something exciting.”

“The only thing exciting that happens at these places are healthy babies.” There’s a ding, and we both walk in as the doors close behind us. Bradley presses a button.

“Babies on your mind again, Mr. Banks?”

He pulls me to his front and pushes his hips into me. “I have baby
making
on the brain.”

“Ha.” I turn in his arms and plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’m all for practicing. But not here.”

“That’d give you good memories from the hospital.”

“Right before the bad one where we get arrested.” I survey the ceiling. “Don’t they have cameras in these things, or something?”

He chuckles. “Probably. I guess I can wait to practice.”

“We’re not having a baby anytime soon.” The chime of the door causes me to jump. “Can’t get to the car fast enough.”

“You’re naughty. Santa’s gonna bring you a bag of coal.” He grabs my hand as I’m turning, pulling me back. My feet come to an abrupt halt, and I fall back against his chest. Standing in front of us is Veronica and Ian. Bradley’s ex-sex buddy. And Ian, who held my heart for a brief time in high school before letting it free fall, then shatter into a million pieces. Their mouths are in a thin line. Veronica’s hand is on her round tummy. She looks very much like she did the day she was standing in Bradley’s apartment about to cause a tidal wave on our lives when she lied about him being the father of her child, Faith. It was really Ian’s. “Veronica.” I clear my throat that’s suddenly scratchy and dry. “Ian.”

Bradley pushes me out of the elevator. His arm pulls me into his side, where he tucks me in like I’m a football and his sole responsibility is protecting it. “Looks like congratulations are in order for you two.”

Veronica smiles as she glances up at Ian, who is grinning proudly down at her belly. “Thank you.”

Ian’s eyes scale our bodies, then his forehead crinkles. “Everything okay with you two?”

The muscles in my chest twist a bit as I’m reminded why we’re here. I’m not sure if she knows Ryan, and I don’t want to upset her, so I turn to Bradley and tilt my head before staring back at Veronica’s pregnant stomach. “We’re good,” I whisper.

Bradley gives me a squeeze. “Ryan, Joe’s brother, was in an accident.” Veronica knows Joe because she and Bradley met at his bar. And she met Ian there the same weekend Bradley met me. If it hadn’t been for Joe, we probably would have never figured out Veronica was tied to Ian. The timing was right. He’d last had sex with her a few days before he met me, then she had sex with Ian a few days later.

Veronica sucks in a breath before covering her mouth. “No, I didn’t know him. Just Joe. How serious is it? Is Joe holding up okay?” She swallows, then looks down. “I know we all weren’t on the best of terms, but I do care about him.”

Ian pulls her close. “You don’t need to get upset.” He then addresses us. “We have to get going. Veronica’s in early labor, and because of the problems last time, the doctor told us to come here for admission until she has the baby.”

My thoughts go back to Faith, Veronica and Ian’s premature baby. She wasn’t Bradley’s, but he got attached to her so fast before he figured out he wasn’t her father. All the baby talk makes me think he’s not over it. I gaze at Veronica. Some kind of foreign yearning courses through my body, and I’m not sure what it is, but seeing her pregnant makes me question what it’d be like. To feel a life growing inside of me. In about five years, though. “Veronica,” I say.

“Yeah?”

“I hope everything goes well this time.” I look at Ian. “I’ll be praying for y’all.”

They smile. “Thanks, Gabby.” Ian presses the up button.

“Oh. Is it a girl or a boy?” I ask.

“We don’t know,” Veronica says. “We wanted to be surprised. Just as long as he or she is healthy, we’ll be happy.”

“Ah. Well, we’ll be thinkin’ about y’all.”

“Thanks.”

I watch as they enter the elevator and the doors close. Bradley swipes a piece of hair behind my ear, and I lean into his touch. “That was sweet of you,” he says.

“The past is the past. I would never wish harm on a child for the reckless actions their parents once took. I can’t imagine losing a child.”

He kisses my forehead. “I love you, Gabby Girl.”

“Love you. Let’s go get that food. I’m starving.”

We walk hand in hand to the car until we’re settled inside our silver Nissan 370z.

After he cranks the ignition.
A Thousand Years
, by Christina Perri is playing. “Ah. Our song,” I say.

“Perfect.” He puts the car in gear and pulls out.

I stare out the window, thinking about my mom as we drive to Stoney River to pick up our food order.

Taking my hand in hers, she says, “Gabby, you have to promise me that you will at the very least save yourself for marriage. Please give me the peace of mind in knowing that.” She’s weak, and the guilt for causing her to even have to make the statement, to have to ask such a question immediately causes regret to set in the pit of my stomach. “I just want you to reach all your goals, and I don’t want to see a boy or a baby get in the way of them.” Her lip quivers as she continues. “Not that I’ll be here to see it, but you know.”

“Gah, Mom. Really?”

“Yeah, I’m being serious. You may love him. But no boy is worthy until they have married you. Promise me you’ll wait.”

My head automatically moves up and down as I swallow back the tears, trying to be as strong as she is at her weakest point. “I promise.”

“Gabriella, I don’t want you to not be able to finish school—reach your dreams—because you made a poor decision...because you got pregnant too soon.”

“Whatcha thinkin’ about so hard over there?” Bradley asks.

“My mom. School. Babies.”

“Oh.” I get a glimpse of his beautiful blue eyes. “Because of Veronica?”

I nod. “Because you keep mentioning babies and because of Veronica.”

“Have you changed your mind?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Because if you have, I’ll pull this car over so fast you won’t know what’s hit you, and I’ll be happy to impregnate you.”

“Ha. That sounds so sexy.” I crumple my brows together. “Not!”

“I’m kidding. We have food to get. Well, I’m kidding about pulling over, at least. Not kidding about impregnating you at the first chance I get.”

“I know what you meant. I’m seriously wondering if Mom were here…if she were to see us…if she’d still say the same thing.”

He cocks his head and pouts his bottom lip out, like he’s pondering the question. “Interesting.”

“I was in high school when she died, you know. I believe the context she spoke of getting pregnant was mainly a fear of teen pregnancy.”

“Right.”

“And finishing high school.”

“True.”

“I mean, we’re married. I honored that promise.”

“Indeed, we did the best we could on that one. I mean, technically, some people say oral is sex. I couldn’t help myself where that was concerned.”

“I’m so glad we didn’t wait where that was concerned.”

He laughs. “You like that, Mrs. Banks?”

I glare at him. “Don’t make me answer that. You know.”

“Aw. You’re so cute when you’re shy.” He reaches over and places his hand on my knee, then rubs it. “At what point do we get to have a relationship free of these promises you made to your mother?” He briefly glances over at me. “I’ll keep this charade up as long as you want because I love you more than I thought it was possible to love another human being. But…” He takes my hand in his and brings it to his mouth and kisses it. “I think you’re hanging onto promises because you feel like it’s all you have left of her.”

A tear slips from my eye. “I think you might be right.”

“Oh, don’t cry. Please don’t cry, Gabby Girl.” He places my hand on his leg and reaches over to swipe away the tear.

“Can I think about it some more? Maybe talk to Sam about it?”

“I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you. Take all the time you need. But this thing with Ryan has made me realize time is so precious. We think we have forever, but really all we have is now. I’m ready when you are.”