Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love) (42 page)

“We’re going out unless you want to have that crew downstairs in our driveway in our house.”

* * * *

There were so many people Travis introduced her to that her head spun. “You’re not going to remember all the names, darling, so don’t even try.” He warned her. “I still have trouble myself.” He talked over the noise. She came out early to the park to help him get things ready for the family.

When Autumn got a chance to be alone with Reggie and Denise, she told them about the line on her stomach. Both Denise and Reggie looked at one another knowingly. “What
?” Autumn quickly asked.

It took a minute before either could answer. They sat looking at her with silly grins on their faces. “Sha, I do believe you’re going to make Maree a grandmother
,” Reggie told her. She grabbed Autumn’s hand and squeezed it.

Autumn stilled and her eyes bulged. She thought that maybe she misunderstood what Reggie said. “What did you say?” She moved her head closer to Reggie
, as if doing so would help her understand the words from her mouth.

“I said
, my sweet sister-in-law, there’s a strong possibility that you’re expecting a baby.”

Denise touched her on the shoulder. “That’s what happens when you’re making all that good love, girl. Tell me you and Travis plann
ed this.”

Autumn stared out beyond the two women’s head
s not really seeing anything but a blur. No, they hadn’t planned to have children just yet. She shook her head. “We thought maybe we would wait.”

“So, you’ve been using protection?” Reggie used her fingers to bring Autumn’s gaze to hers.

Autumn nodded. “Yes.” And then a memory burst in her head. The last time she was there, she was late getting her monthly injection, but it was only by a day. It was the day Travis came back from the trip with his brothers. She lifted her hands to her mouth.
It couldn’t be. It was only one day. Oh, my God!

“Autumn, are you okay, sweetie
?” Reggie saw the concern on her face.

Autumn took a long breath before she answered. She looked from Reggie to Denise and then back to Reggie. “The night Travis came back from his trip. But it was only one day.” She’d been so consumed with the whirlwind of activities surrounding her grandfather combined with Travis disappearing for almost three days. She had a lot on her mind and had forgotten to go to her scheduled appointment. She did make it to the GYN the following day.

“Honey, one time is all it takes. Are you going to be okay with this? Okay if you’re actually pregnant?” Denise took one of her hands and held it.

“I didn’t plan this. What is Travis going to think?”

“Forget Travis for a minute. This is you, your body, and your child. What is it you want?”

Autumn stood and turned away. She searched the crowd for the one face she needed to see the most. She couldn’t find it among the groups of people she did catch sight of. She turned back to Denise and Reggie. She touched her flat stomach and sat back on the bench next to them.

All the changes in her body that she tried to ignore made sense now. She thought maybe it was the stress of the show or the anxiety she felt about the youth center Travis started. He didn’t ask her to come home and be the director, but she sure felt like he might. She wanted to come to terms with her career goals on her own. “I think it’s a little late to consider what I what. I mean, I want to have children. I love children. I also know we have a lot going on with the two of us. I don’t want to rush a family.”

“Well, my dear sister, you may not have a choice at this point. Besides, I think you would make a great mother. I know I’m excited about Tyler having a playmate. Now if we can just get Denise here married off to our other brother, we might can work this thing so that there would be three babies instead of two.”

“I’m ready tomorrow. If Michael asked me tomorrow, then it would happen. I want a dozen little Brooks babies running around here.”

“A dozen?” Autumn frown. “Girl, I know you’re just a little on the kooky side.”

“You almost have to be to be in love with a Brooks man.”

“Sure you right?” Reggie agreed. “But back to you. What’s going through that brain of yours?”

“I’m a little scared, but I know that I would love a baby. I just have to tell my husband.”

“No, first you need to see a doctor to confirm our suspicions and then you can tell the little man.”

Travis from across the distance could see Autumn sitting with his two sisters-in-law. He saw her stand and look around. He got as far as the stage where he was practically yanked up to the platform. He glanced in the direction he was headed and could no longer see Autumn. He would have to remember to talk to her a little later.

Travis played until late in the night. By the time he left
, he’d drank a few too many beers and could just barely stagger to the truck. Autumn drove and pulled into the driveway. The cold shower worked twofold. It helped bring him out of his drunkenness and cooled down his body temperature. He had yet to finish making love to his wife. He still burned for her body.

He couldn’t do anything about the yearning he had for Autumn. He would have to work on it in the morning.
But by the time he turned over the next day, Autumn was already gone. She left him a note. And when she entered the kitchen, Travis was leaning over a strong cup of coffee.

All she could do was shake her head. “Good morning, babe.” She walked over and kissed the top of his head.

“Can you keep it down, just a little?”

“Whatever you say.”

“I’m drinking sweet tea today.”

“Sure you are.” She headed for the bathroom when he called out to her.

“Where you been? I was looking for some more of your sweet loving this morning.”

Autumn laughed. “You could just barely crawl your tail in
the bed last night you were so wasted. And I don’t know how you got that cup of coffee, but I would bet it took you the whole hour I was gone to make it.”

“Autumn.”

She turned on her heels and looked at red eyes beneath those long lashes. “Yes, love.” He looked at her without a word. Autumn held up the bag. “I had to go to the drugstore.”

He didn’t say anything else which gave Autumn the cue to move on. She was anxious to take the test. After her conversation with Reggie and Denise, she found herself on the edge. She needed to know as soon as possible. A baby. T
hat definitely changed things. She got two different kinds and read both to make sure she had the right answer. She sat on the stool at the vanity and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

By Saturday evening Autumn knew quite a few of Travis’s distant cousins. She teamed up with a bunch of them in one of the male vs. female challenges. Of course the men believed that they’d cheated when they won. She held up her little trophy each of them got as prizes. She sashayed around Travis who caught her by the waist and pulled her into him. “Congratulations, darling. I think you should give up a few of those sweet kisses to show that you’re a good sport.”

Autumn turned in his embrace and kissed him warm and passionately. “How’s that?” Her hoarse voice rang across the short distance between them.

“For now, it will do. But when I get you home, I’m going to love you until the crack of dawn.”

“Promises, promises.”

Autumn bit into the tasty salmon just before the video tribute to Clem started. By the fourth forkful
, Autumn could feel her stomach churning. She quickly left the table and headed for the restroom before Travis could stop her. He got up and followed her, as did Reggie.

“Autumn. Autumn.” Travis called behind her but she kept moving and didn’t stop until she was on the other side of the women’s bathroom door. He stopped but Reggie came right behind him and went through the wooden door.

Autumn dumped everything she’d consumed earlier into an open toilet bowl. Reggie came in with dampened paper towels and held them to Autumn’s forehead. “I take it my suspicions were right.”

Autumn kept her head down and tried to overcome the queasy feeling. “Have you told him yet?” Reggie asked. She shook her head. “I guess congratulations are in order, yeah
?” This time she shook her head up and down. She was happy to know that a little one grew inside of her.

They could hear Travis on the other side of the door. “Autumn. Are you okay
? Honey do you hear me?”

“Yes, she hears you. So does the rest of the hotel.” Reggie threw back. “Give us a minute. We’ll be out in a little bit.”

After Autumn cleaned up her face a little, hand in hand, she and Reggie left the restroom. As expected, Travis stood two steps from the door. He rushed over to her. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Autumn shook her head. “I don’t need to go to hospital, not just yet any way.”

Travis pulled her close. “Good, I’m glad to hear that you’re okay.”

Autumn circled her arms around his waist. “Travis, I’m pregnant.” She spoke into the folds of his jacket.   

Travis did what she did earlier when she heard the word pregnant. He didn’t move for a long moment before he looked down at her. He searched her face for any trace of jest. He swallowed hard to get past the lump in his throat. He had to do it several times to wet his throat. “What did you just say?”

“I’m pregnant, Travis. I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but the test that I got from the drugstore says that I am. I hope you don’t mind that it’s sooner than we planned.”

Travis jerked her into him and squeezed tight. “Oh my God, Autumn. That’s wonderful news. I don’t care when we start. I want babies, darling.” He pulled her away and looked down at her. “I thought you were on protection. I thought you wanted to wait.”

“It’s a long story, but as it stands right now, you and I are
having a little one.” Tears stood in her eyes.

“I hope those are tears of joy. I want this baby and there’s nothing in the world that could make me happier.”

Autumn tipped up on her toes and kissed Travis’s chin. Travis moved his head and sealed the kiss with his lips. When he raised his head he yelped. “Hot damn. I’m going to be a daddy.”

The questioning gaze on his immediate family’s face when they returned back to their table showed genuine concern for Autumn. The wide grin on Travis’s face reassured them that she was okay. He helped her back to her chair and kissed her on the forehead. Instead of taking his seat, he walked around and kneeled between his parent’s
chairs and whispered in their ears.

Diane looked over at her with a teary gaze. She silently clapped her hands before placing her right hand over her heart. 

Before the end of the evening, every relative within the building heard the news. And to Autumn’s dismay she knew she needed to tell her parents the news before it traveled back to them. She stepped out into the foyer with her cell phone in hand. Travis’s protective nature kicked into overdrive. She held up the cell phone and he nodded.

CHAPTER 44

Maree danced around like a kid in a candy shop. Gator had a smile as wide as the Gulf of Mexico. “You know I have to call Mer Drace.” She patted her chest several times to calm down. Mer Drace finally had a telephone in the house.

“No, Mom. I want to call and tell her myself.”

“Alright dear. I’m so happy, baby. You’ll make a great mother. I love you.”

“And I know that you’ll make a terrific grandmother. I’ll check in later. Tell Dad I love him.”

“Will do.”

Mer Drace was still getting accustomed to having a phone in the house. She still liked talking with people face to face. At least then she thought that she could gauge their true feeling
s. People couldn’t hide their true feelings no matter how much they tried. “Hi Autumn.” Demarcus answered the phone. “Yes she’s here. Hold on a second.” He handed the phone to her.

Mer Drace dropped onto the sofa. With the phone still in her hand, she
let her arm down. Her blue eyes filled with tears. Demarcus rushed to her side. He pried the phone from her hand. “Autumn, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Paw Paw. I’m having a baby. You’re
going to be a great grandfather.”

Demarcus did the exact same thing that Maree did
: danced around. “Coooh wee. We got a baby coming, yea.”

Travis pinched his arm. He couldn’t begin to explain the way he felt. An infectious grin formed and stayed on his face. His eyes sparkled. Everyone he greeted he hugged real tight. He also became the target of a lot of
backslapping. The news of his pending offspring won him red lipstick kisses from both old and new aunts, cousins, and family friends.