Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
PETE TOWNSHEND, “LETMYLOVEOPENTHEDOOR”
Gabby
“Where are we going?” I signed when Ben gave me a sidelong glance as he drove us in the wrong direction.
He took the morning off to take me to my OB appointment the week before our wedding, but he was supposed to take me home before going back to work.
Ben shrugged as he always did when he knew I said something but didn’t want to answer. We pulled onto the long drive where his boss lived, but instead of heading to the gray two-story farmhouse, he veered right where cars were parked around a trailer I hadn’t seen before. I recognized my mom’s car right away.
“What is this?” I signed.
Ben jumped out and ran around his car, opening my door. “Welcome home, my soon-to-be wife.” He held out his hand.
I stepped out of the car and straightened my green sundress. “Home?” I signed.
“Yes. For now. Mr. O’Neill said as long as I’m working for him, we can stay here. If there’s a tornado warning, he said we could take cover in his basement.”
It was a beige mobile home with white trim and a makeshift set of wood stairs to the front door.
Nothing big.
Not a dream home.
It screamed accidental pregnancy and shotgun wedding.
I threw my arms around Ben because I loved it. One day, we would remember it as our first home. Ben’s parents offered to let us live with them, but we wanted our own place, and Ben delivered.
“It’s small,” he said.
I released him and shook my head while signing, “It’s perfect.”
The hesitation on his face vanished, leaving nothing but pride. “Get going. I have to get back to work.” He nodded toward the trailer.
I narrowed my eyes.
He kissed me before sauntering toward the barns on the opposite side of the drive. Benjamin Ashford looked sinful in Wranglers and boots.
When I climbed the stairs and opened the door, the living room of women yelled, “Surprise!”
I stood still, wide-eyed and grinning.
“Welcome to your shower,” Mom said, hugging me. “It’s a wedding shower, baby shower, and housewarming party all in one.”
When she released me, I didn’t know what to take in first. It was my house, so I wanted to see it, but there were family and friends, party decorations, food covering every surface of the kitchen counter and dinette table, and a mountain of gifts piled between the sofa and television.
As everyone bombarded me with warm hugs and sweet greetings, I wormed my way through the trailer to peek into the back two bedrooms separated by a bathroom. The nursery already had a cradle and white baby dresser. A queen bed with a light blue striped comforter occupied most of the other bedroom.
I bit my lip to hide my grin. That’s where Ben and I would sleep and do other things that didn’t involve sleep.
For the next two hours, the women who loved me the most showered me with gifts and advice on marriage and parenting.
“Do you want us to stay and help get everything put away, or do you want to do that with Ben?” Sarah asked.
“I bought her lingerie,” Eve said. “It’s safe to assume she’ll want to be alone with Ben.”
“Not until your wedding night.” Mom said, tying the top of the last trash bag.
Sarah snorted and Eve rolled her eyes while I sat in my rocking chair, fanning myself with one of the cards.
“Mom, do you know how Gabby got pregnant?” Eve asked.
“It’s neither here nor there. That’s in the past. They’ve waited this long since being home from school, what’s another few days?” Mom asked.
Sarah and Eve looked at me. I shook my head, lips pressed together. My parents lived in their own world, and that was fine. Ben and I were respectful of their rules. But just because we hadn’t been allowed in his room or mine with the door shut didn’t mean we were abstaining.
Quite the opposite.
The barn.
The garage.
His car.
By the creek.
We had so much sex.
“I’m not staying here until our wedding night,” I said in my sweetest voice, which earned me an approving smile from my mom as she set the trash by the door.
Eve and Sarah synchronized their barely restrained snorts which only made my innocent grin double. I even batted my eyelashes for extra emphasis. Was I pregnant out of wedlock?
Yes.
Was I still the favorite child?
For sure.
“Are you having dinner with us tonight or are you eating with Ben’s family?” Mom asked, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.
I drummed my fingers on the arms of the rocking chair. “Hmm, I think we’ll be at his house for dinner.”
“Okay. Then we’ll see you after dinner.”
I rocked forward and stood, hugging my sisters and then my mom. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, honey.” Mom never made a big deal of it, but I loved the way she discreetly pressed her hand to my belly at the end of our hugs.
As soon as they closed the door behind them, and the place was quiet, I turned in a slow circle, inspecting all the gifts. Then I squealed and jumped up and down.
I had a house with furniture.
I was getting married.
We were having a baby!
As a little girl, I loved playing house. Part of me still felt like that little girl, so I didn’t wait for Ben before organizing my kitchen and stacking new towels in the linen closet. After I put all the baby clothes and diapers in the dresser and folded the blanket Grandma Bonnie crocheted the baby, I put my lingerie in our dresser.
My belly seemed a little big for sexy lace and satin, but the red nightie was so pretty, I couldn’t stop myself from trying it on. After I stepped into the bathroom to look in the mirror, the front door opened.
I quickly shut the bathroom door.
“Gabby?” Ben called.
Gah!
He couldn’t hear me. And my clothes were in the bedroom.
“It’s fine,” I murmured to myself, blowing out a slow breath, while inspecting my reflection. My boobs were so big. I looked ready to shoot a porno. And the lace didn’t hide my nipples at all. The crotch of the matching panties crawled up my butt. There was nothing sexy about me. “Ben won’t care,” I said, closing my eyes.
“Gabbs?” He knocked on the door.
With my shoulders back, I bit one side of my lip and then the other, testing which one felt most sexy, then I opened the door.
“Oh my gosh!” I gasped, slamming the door shut.
“Uh, sorry about that. I’ll just give Gabby the gift and tell her it’s from you and Mrs. O’Neill,” Ben said to his boss!
“No. No. No.” I covered my face.
A few seconds later, Ben opened the door, forcing me to take a step backward.
His gaze landed on my boobs before slowly inspecting the rest of me.
“Your boss saw me!” I signed.
My dramatic hand movements brought Ben’s attention to my face.
He scraped his teeth along his lower lip and slowly shook his head like Mr. O’Neill didn’t see me. But he did! Or Ben was dismissing the incident like it wasn’t a big deal. But it was!
I crossed my arms over my chest to hide my nipples poking through the lace.
Ben smirked, balancing on one foot and then the other to remove his dirty socks. “Baby, don’t do that.”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. We weren’t having sex after Mr. O’Neill saw me.
“Ya think that little red getup is dry clean only?” he asked, unbuttoning his dirty gray shirt. “Because I need a shower, but I need you more.”
“Your boss saw me!” I signed. “Do you understand me?”
Ben’s grin doubled as he shrugged off his shirt and unbuckled his belt. “Yeah, I understand. I’m sorry. Did you try to tell me?” He stepped closer.
When his jeans slid down his legs, he cupped the back of my head and kissed me.
Every time we had sex, but most especially after Ben got off work and needed a shower, I thought of the girl who was saving herself for marriage—the girl who imagined a white canopy bed and a husband who wore a suit and had a clean-shaven face. That girl no longer existed.
Rebel Gabby slid her hand into Ben’s briefs and stroked him until he groaned.
Rebel Gabby knew she wasn’t rebellious enough to mess up the new bedding, so she made Ben lie on the floor.
He grinned up at me while pushing his briefs down his thighs. I slid off my uncomfortable panties and started to take off the nightie.
“Leave it on,” Ben said.
I paused for a second, eating up the way he looked at me like I was the most beautiful person in the world. His hands slid up my legs as I straddled him, and they gripped my hips when I guided his erection into me.
We were young and stupid.
Wild and free.
Figuring out life one day—one happy accident— at a time.