Chapter Eleven
“When are you going to marry her?”
Jaxson looked over at his dad. They just finished his mother’s delicious meal, and he and his father insisted on doing the dishes, rather than allow their women to clean after they cooked. His father had done this all his life. When Susan cooked, it was their responsibility to do the clean-up.
“Dad? What the ... seriously? She is just outside. She could hear you.” And he didn’t want to scare Tillie away.
She’d been so nervous about this meeting. He moved toward the back door to check to see Tillie was still on the back porch, enjoying a glass of his mom’s homemade lemonade. Sometimes his mother did it a little on the sour side, but today it was perfect and he knew it was because of Tillie.
“And does that scare you?” Mark asked.
“That Tillie will hear, freak out, and run away? Absolutely.”
Mark laughed. “But not about marrying her?”
Jaxson had his hands deep in soapy water as he ran the cleaning brush across the plate. His mother always refused to have a dishwasher as she considered them a waste of money. Her motto was, if you had to rinse the plate off to put it in the dishwasher, you may as well clean the damn thing.
“I want to marry her, Dad. I want to make her my wife,” he said, pulling his hands out of the suds and rinsing them.
“You want to marry her?”
“Yeah, more than anything.”
Mark smiled and then reached into his jacket pocket. “Your mom asked me to give this to you,” he said. “It was given to her by your grandmother, and now it is time to be passed on to you. It’s the engagement ring all Riggs women get to wear.”
Jaxson recalled the ring as it sat on his mother’s finger for the last thirty-seven years. They were engaged before he was even a thought.
“It’s beautiful.”
“And she knew when her son was ready to propose, it would need to be passed on, and now it can be. It has to be passed on to you.” Mark gripped his shoulder. “You did make us believe for a while there that you might never settle down, but I knew you had it in you.”
“Dad, I don’t know how to ask her,” he said. He ran a hand down his face, suddenly regretting years of being a player, of using girls and tossing them aside. He never promised anyone anything.
“You’ll figure it out. Now, come on, let’s get these dishes done, and when the time is right, you will know exactly when to give it to her.”
Jaxson wanted any engagement proposal he made to Tillie to mean something. She meant everything to him.
They joined their women on the back porch, and he was so happy to see his mother and his woman getting along.
After enjoying some lemonade and watching the sun go down with his folks, he and Tillie left and walked back toward her place.
It was a short walk, but he took her hand, linking their fingers together, and he basked in the knowledge that his mother already adored her.
She had already won his mother over, and that was the biggest challenge of all.
“Your family is amazing,” she said.
“They adore you,” he said.
Tillie let out a sigh and ran her hand across her forehead. “That is a huge relief.”
He chuckled. “It’s not hard, you’re pretty amazing, you know that?” He pulled her close beneath one of the lampposts. “I know a lot of women are saying some nasty shit behind my back, and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I was a fuckhead before you, but I’m not anymore. Okay, I am with you, one hundred percent.”
Tillie tilted her head back and smiled. “Is this because I was a virgin?”
He groaned. “No, this has nothing to do with that.”
She grabbed his hand and they continued to walk. “I wish you could have met my parents. I mean, my dad would have probably threatened to shoot you with his shotgun, and my mom would have probably threatened you with rat poison.”
“What a charming family,” he said.
She burst out laughing. “Seriously, it was more of a threat that if you ever cheat on me, or break my heart, then that is ... what they would say.” Tillie looked at him and frowned. “Would you like to see them?”
He knew they were gone, had been at their funeral.
“Yes, I would like to.”
They cut off, heading toward the church and the graveyard. It was getting much darker, and the lights cast their glow onto the streets. The church gate was closed, and there was a barrier across the graveyard, but he and Tillie bent down, crawled under it, and were in the graveyard.
“I can’t believe you’re breaking the rules.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not every day you take your boyfriend to go and meet your dead parents,” Tillie said.
She took his hand, and although it was dark, as there were no more streetlights, she knew exactly where she was going, and he was more than happy to follow her, even though they were in a graveyard after dark.
He pulled out his cell phone and pressed for the flashlight, illuminating their path. They only had to walk for another few minutes, and then Tillie came to a stop. Jaxson saw the fresh flowers on the graves of both her parents. Side by side.
“I miss them so much,” Tillie said. “Whenever I had doubts, Mom was always there telling me I could do anything I put my mind to. Dad was the same. Both of them had my back and were in my corner forever.” She wrapped her arms around her waist.
“They would have hated me, wouldn’t they?”
Tillie laughed. “I think at first, they would have thought I was crazy. Choosing you, and us, well, you know, together. But I also think they would have liked you as well.” She held onto his hand.
“Mom, Dad, if you were here today, I know you would have a lot to say. Here is Jaxson Riggs, and I know you’re both probably upset. ”
“How about I take it from here?” Jaxson asked.
Tillie nodded.
“Mr. and Mrs. Short, I know I probably wouldn’t be your first choice for Tillie. Possibly not even your tenth choice. I’ve not made all the right choices, but I promise you, this is the best choice I have ever made. I will take care of your daughter. Always.”
He looked over to Tillie and saw the tears glistening in her eyes. “They’re happy tears, I promise.”
She started to laugh and moved right into his arms.
****
Several Weeks Later
Tillie was not in the mood to film. She had woken up, had been sick, and was still not feeling her best. She felt so tired, and just a few pieces of toast seemed to suffice, but it hadn’t settled her stomach.
Jaxson was back to work on Cruz’s ranch. In between other emergency calls, like keeping his promise to Carl and dealing with the school, as well as several local businesses, he’d been so busy.
She had a lot of filming to get done. She’d been in her sewing room several times over the past several weeks and made so many garments.
She needed to get them documented and reviewed.
Right now, she just didn’t have the energy.
Turning off the camera, as she hadn’t done anything with her makeup, she felt terrible, and it was time to leave the house.
Belle was already waiting at the front door. Her dog knew her better than she knew herself. She was not going to walk today, as the weather had taken a slight turn over the past couple of weeks and was quite cold compared to previous weeks.
She secured her dog into the back seat, rounded to the driver’s side and slid her seat belt on, then pulled out of her driveway, going to the one place that would make her feel happy.
Arriving at Kate’s Fabric Shop, she saw there were not a lot of cars in the main parking lot, and she was a little thankful for that. She climbed out of the car, made her way inside the fabric shop, and was grateful to feel it was warm.
“Tillie, I was not expecting to see you back so soon,” Kate said, coming around the counter. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I think there is a stomach bug going around or something.”
Kate frowned. “Not that I’ve heard. Is Jaxson ill as well?”
“No, he’s not ill at all. He’s just busy. He has lots to do.”
Kate moved toward her and put a hand on her forehead. “You’re not feverish.”
“I’m not?”
Kate grabbed her hands. “Nor cold to the touch.” Kate looked around and then leaned in close. “Do you think, by any chance, you might be pregnant?”
Tillie jolted back a little, shocked that she would ask her that, but at the same time, it also made a lot of sense. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about this sooner. What kind of fool was she?
“Is there a chance?” Kate winced. “Your eyes have gone wide, does that mean there is a chance?”
“I don’t know,” Tillie said. “I mean, there is a chance.” She hated how stupid she sounded.
There were a couple of women in the shop and Tillie winced. “I can’t go to the pharmacy and get a test. If I do that ... everyone will know.”
“Crap, you’re right. Jaxson would hear the news even before you had taken the damn test. You know what, I’ll go.”
“But ... the rumors?” Tillie asked.
“What rumors? People won’t have a clue as to why I’m taking the test in the first place. They’ll be shocked because I’m not seen with anyone. Trust me, this is the only way.”
She wanted to argue, but at the same time, if she did go, everyone was going to know she might be pregnant with Jaxson’s baby. This was terrible and amazing all at the same time.
Kate reached behind the counter and grabbed her bag. “Watch the store. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Tillie wanted to stop her because she knew the town would start to talk about Kate. However, her friend was quite fast on her feet, and within a few seconds, she was gone.
What if she was pregnant? She couldn’t believe Kate had figured it out before her, if she was indeed pregnant. What if she wasn’t? She’d have to go and see her doctor. Otherwise, Tillie didn’t have a clue what could be wrong.
The few ladies that were in the shop made some purchases, then were on their way.
Even as Tillie was terrified about what a pregnancy test could mean, she was also a little excited.
She had no clue what Jaxson would think.
Her nerves started to get the better of her.
What if he freaked out? What if this was all just a little bit of fun for him?
She took a deep breath, then another, as Belle came to nudge her and sat at her feet, giving her a bark.
“I know, I know. I’m freaking out, and I know you’re telling me not to, but I just can’t help it.
” She smiled down at her dog. She would love to have a child.
She had always wanted to have a large family.
Her parents hadn’t wanted a large family.
After one child, her parents had wanted to devote all their time to just the one. It had gotten a little lonely at times.
She knew her parents meant well, but she would watch some of her peers at school, seeing them with their siblings, and although they claimed to hate their guts, she always saw the love.
It was like a beacon, clear to see. Tillie never had that.
Neither did Jaxson. She didn’t even know if he wanted a family.
Kate walked into the shop. “Wow, it is like the whole town of Higher Ridge just decided to walk right into the pharmacy at the same time.” She shook her head.
“People saw you?” Tillie asked.
Kate closed the door, flicking the “open” sign to “closed.”
“Yes, of course they saw me, but no one really knows me. I’m sure they assumed I was a tourist.” She gave a shrug. “Trust me, to most people, I’m invisible.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the pregnancy test. “But I got it.”
Tillie felt that sickness starting to build up.
“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Kate asked.
“Just a little.”
“There’s no reason to be scared, okay? Everything is going to work out fine.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Tillie asked. “I don’t know if Jaxson even wants kids, and I don’t know ... ugh...” She let out a scream. “There is a lot I don’t know.”
“Well, at least if you take that test, there is going to be one thing you do know, so you can narrow down the list.”
Tillie nodded. “You’re right. This is one thing.”
She took a deep breath, then expelled it.
“I’ve got this,” she said in agreement.
“And if Jaxson wants nothing to do with the baby, you’ve got me. I’m always here to help.”
Tillie looked toward her friend. She reached out, wrapping an arm around the back of her neck. “Thank you. You’re a great friend.”
Kate gave her a hug, and Tillie pulled away, as she stalled toward the bathroom.
“Go,” Kate said. “Do you need me to come in with you?”
“No, no, no, that’s okay. I can do this. It’s fine. I’ve just got to pee on a stick.” She rather liked her life the way it was now. She loved waking up with Jaxson and falling asleep in his arms. “I love him,” she said, turning back to Kate. “I really do.”
“And even if he hasn’t said it to you yet, I have a sneaking suspicion he loves you as well.”
Tillie could only hope.
She made her way into the back of the shop and approached the toilet. She was not in any kind of rush to get the results. Sickness swirled in her gut.
Stepping inside the stall, she caught her reflection in the mirror, and she looked pale. This was not what she was expecting. There went the sickness again. The slight fear.
“Enough,” she said. “I’ve got this.”
It took her a few seconds to pee. She nearly peed on the wrong end, and now that she wanted to know the answers, she was a little anxious to get this right. She put the stick on the counter by the sink, wiped, washed her hands, and read the back of the box. She felt a little sick.
There were two tests inside, but she was only going to do one. The time ticked on by, and she looked at what the results would mean, and she gasped. She was pregnant. The test confirmed it.
She didn’t want to be a multiple test taker, but she felt that instinct to try again, to check and see if it was right. This was insane. She shook her head, and she was not going to take the second test. The first one confirmed it for her.
She was pregnant with Jaxson Riggs’s baby.
Opening the door, Kate had Belle in her arms, waiting.
“I’m pregnant,” she said.