40
Selah
O nce the weekend is over, and Bobby and Natalie leave town, I go out to lunch with Evy, Piper, and Mary at Upwood Pizza and Pasta. We haven’t all gotten together since Edi’s birthday party, so there is a lot to chat about as we share some delicious pizza, and lasagna rolls.
“I think until this baby comes you will need a pizza just for yourself,” Mary laughs, putting another slice of pepperoni pizza on Evy’s plate.
Evy sticks her tongue out at her, taking the plate from her hands. “Very funny. You wouldn’t want your little niece, or nephew, to starve, would you?” she asks, rubbing her stomach.
I shake my head at their banter, before looking over at Piper. “When do you go to do your wedding dress fitting, Pip?” I ask, helping her fill up her bowl of salad while she balances Nova on her lap.
“Well, my mother insisted that I use her personal seamstress for my alterations, so she is paying to have her meet me at the bridal shop in Charlestown next weekend,” Piper responds, kissing Nova on the head.
“Wow! That was really nice of her,” Evy responds.
Piper shrugs, “It is, but I think it’s more about her feeling left out of the planning process. She wasn’t thrilled when I told her that our wedding would be here in Upwood at our new house when it’s finished. The idea of a backyard wedding is appalling to her.”
We all laugh, knowing how over the top Piper’s mother is. She’s been a wedding planner for over 30 years, and is a real southern belle, so I’m not surprised she wanted a huge soiree for her only daughters nuptials.
“I think it’s going to be gorgeous,” Mary says, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “You’re new house has such amazing views. I’d love to have a backyard wedding one day. Would you, Selah?”
Piper and Evy both chuckle, and I look between the three of them suspiciously.
“Smooth segway there, Mary,” Evy laughs, nudging her arm.
Mary shrugs sheepishly, and I tilt my head at her, “What’s going on?” I question wearily.
“We all just noticed how cozy things are with you and Beckett,” Mary admits. “I mean you two are practically living together, and the way he was fawning over you at Edison’s birthday party was so adorable. I swear it looked like the three of you were a family.”
All three of them smile at me and I give them a lopsided grin, my heart momentarily soaring at the thought of Beckett, Edison and I really being a family.
“Things are really good with Beck and me. And, yes, I do spend a lot of time with him and Edison, but..” I trail off, not wanting to finish my thoughts.
Piper’s eyebrows pinch together, “But what?”
I let out a deep breath, poking at my pasta. “I just don’t know what will happen next with us. Beckett made it clear when we started dating that he wasn’t going to move here full-time, so I guess my mind is just trying to figure out how to manage a long-distance relationship,” I say glumly. “I’m going to feel lost without them and Dragana here. We’ve all gotten so close.”
Evy frowns, reaching over to put her hand on top of mine. “I know the distance may be difficult at first, but don’t give up hope that things could change for you two. I don’t think any distance could deter the way that man feels about you.”
“She’s so right, Selah. And also, I’m sure Beckett will make every effort to make sure you all still spend time together. He is so in love with you, girl,” Piper adds, and Nova coo’s her agreement on her lap.
I smile around the table, grateful for their kind encouragement. “Thanks ladies. I’m trying to stay positive and enjoy the time we have together. I just feel like summer is slipping away from us so fast.”
Mary nods, “Summer really is going by fast. I feel like we are going to turn around and it will be Halloween, and then we will be trudging through the snow again.”
Evy gives a fake shudder, and we all laugh. Piper’s laughter suddenly cuts off, her eyes narrowing as she looks across the restaurant. “Oh boy. Look what the cat dragged in,” she mutters.
We all turn our heads and follow her gaze over to a woman that looks vaguely familiar to me. The woman sways her hips as she makes her way over to a table where a man with salt and pepper hair is sitting. He stands up to greet her, looking around for a moment before giving her a hug.
Mary points her fork at the two of them, “You better watch out for that one, Selah. She likes her men unavailable . I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy has a wife somewhere.”
Evy leans over to me, seeing the shocked expression on my face. “Remember the home wrecker I told you about that my ex-husband was seeing behind my back? That’s her,” she explains.
“ That’s Lyndsey?!” I whisper shrilly, realizing that I’ve seen her around but never really knew what her name was.
“Yup. She has been more lowkey since she got caught sleeping with my ex. She at least had more shame after him than she did when she was pursuing Oakland,” Evy scoffs.
“Wait, wait, wait. She went after both of your men?” I gasp, looking over at Lyndsey again. “Does she have no shame?”
“Nope!” All three of my friends respond in unison, then start to crack up.
I find it hard to believe that a woman had the guts to mess with two strong women like Evy and Piper. Lyndsey must either have a death wish, or not enough brain cells to know what a bad idea that would be. I’m shocked she is still showing her face in public.
We finish up our lunch, avoiding Lyndsey’s table on our way outside. We give each other hugs goodbye, and I take Nova in my arms while Piper and I walk to her car.
We say our goodbye’s and soon I’m back on the road, driving to Beckett’s house. I decided to bring over some cannoli’s from the restaurant for all of them since Edison should be home from summer camp soon, and I know he will love a little treat.
I ring the doorbell when I arrive, and Dragana answers after a few minutes. She smiles brightly like she always does when she sees me. We exchange a hug and the familiar smell of her lavender perfume makes me grin.
She has really become a surrogate mother to me over the past few weeks. The way she shows me unconditional love, and is always looking out for me has meant more to me than she understands. I can’t even think about what it will be like not being able to see her as often.
She pulls away from me and shuts the door behind us, pointing to the box in my hand. “What did you bring us?! More of your cookies?” she asks excitedly, as we walk down the hall to the kitchen.
“Not this time. I brought cannoli’s from Upwood Pizza!” I respond, stopping and opening the box for her to see inside. “Have one!”
She reaches into the box, snatching one out quickly, “You don’t have to ask me twice, duso! Just don’t tell Beckett. He’s on me about how much sugar I’ve been having since we came here.”
“And I’m going to stay on you about it,” Beckett barks, making Dragana and I both jump in surprise, almost dropping the cannoli’s on to the floor.
He strolls into the kitchen, his eyes scanning between me and the cannoli Dragana is doing a poor job of concealing.
“What are you eating that your doctor will be frowning upon now?” he asks, coming over and wrapping his arm around my waist.
Dragana waves her empty hand, grabbing a paper towel and heading out of the kitchen. “Don’t worry about it! I’ll be in my room!” she calls out cheerfully, scurrying away.
“I only ever see her move that fast when she’s smuggling sugar,” Beckett mutters, making me laugh.
He smiles and takes the box from me, setting it on the counter. He leans down to kiss me, pulling me against him and snaking his tongue into my mouth.
I hold on to the front of his shirt, clutching it as he has his way with me. After a moment he pulls away, a satisfied smirk on his face when he sees my dazed expression. “Hey angel,” he murmurs.
“Hi Beck,” I sigh, my whole body tingling.
He moves and peeks inside of the box, “Did you have a good lunch with the girls? What did you eat?”
I’ve grown used to his casual interrogation of my daily diet, and water intake. Even though the way I see food has greatly changed, I still have days where I struggle, and worry about calories, or if my clothes may not fit the way I want them to if I consume too many carbs.
It’s a hard mindset to break, but I’m getting better with it one day at a time. It certainly helps that I haven’t spoken to my mother for a while, and haven’t had to hear any more of her negative comments like I did the night we had dinner with them.
“I had lasagna rolls, and salad,” I respond, going to grab a glass for water.
He follows behind me and leans against the counter. “Good. Tonight Dragana is making sarma and prebarnac, so I don’t want to hear that you had a big lunch, and can’t eat much. I know you love both of those dishes,” he warns, folding his arms over his chest.
“So bossy,” I mutter under my breath, going to the fridge.
I squeal as I'm pulled backwards and hit Beckett’s hard chest. His arms wrap around my waist, and one of his hands moves up my stomach. His large hand squeezes my breast, then continues on until his fingers reach my throat, and squeeze.
“What did you just say to me, little girl?” he growls in my ear.
“Nothing!” I squeak, wiggling against him until he slowly releases the grip on my throat.
“Hmm. That’s what I thought,” he murmurs, kissing my neck. “Why don’t you be a good girl and have your water, and some dessert. Then you can come with me to go get Edison from camp, ok?”
“Yes, Beck,” I chirp, going to move, but he shakes his head, his grip tightening around my waist.
“Try again .”
I moan, feeling him growing hard against me, “Yes daddy .”
“That’s better,” he murmurs, kissing me on the head and letting go. “Go on. I’ll finish up my work and meet you at the door.”
Twenty minutes later, we are outside of the Upwood Youth Center, right next to the Historical Museum.
One of the camp directors brings Edison out to us in the carpool lane, and he waves excitedly to us as he gets in the car.
He chatters about his day until we are almost back at the house. He talks about the usual things he does at camp, from swimming, to the crafts he made during art. I listen attentively, nodding along and asking questions, until he asks me something that I wasn’t expecting.
“Ms. Selah, are you and Uncle Beckett going to get married?”
My mouth falls open and Beckett chuckles quietly next to me. I look to him for help, but he only lifts an eyebrow at me. “Well go on, Ms. Selah. Answer the kid,” he teases.
I turn back around to Edison, my brain trying to conjure up the right words. “Well Edi.. your Uncle Beckett and I really enjoy spending time together. So we decided to date each other,” I explain carefully.
He bounces in his seat, throwing a fist up into the air, “Yes! I knew it! I even told Gana, but she wouldn’t answer me when I asked,” he says, his eyes alight with excitement. “Does this mean I can call you just Selah now?”
Beckett laughs loudly and I smile at Edison, reaching back to hold his hand. “Of course you can, Edi. I wouldn’t mind that at all.”