Curves in the Road (The Southern Devotion Series Book 2) (12 page)

"Your breath smells like shit from puking," I said jokingly. He responded by blowing air in my face then laughing as we pulled apart from each other.
"Let's get the hell up off this boat and go home. I think I need to carpe diem something before it's too late."  I said.

Ashton grinned, then headed to the driver's seat of the boat, "I hope that means what I think it means."

It took two hours to get back to the dock, pack up our gear then get on the road. Two hours later we were back at Ashton's house. I ran in the door anxious to find Mary Jane but found the house was empty. The dry erase board on the fridge had a note that said, "Gone out for Chinese, be back soon."  So I sat down to wait for the girl of my dreams to walk back in that door so I could grab life by the balls the way my dad always did.

Chapter Fourteen

**Mary Jane**

Our day of fun with Tristan and Cameron turned into an afternoon of bonding. We were only out for a few hours; we went to paint pottery together. Gracie chose to paint a spoon rest for Ashton; she painted it a baby blue with a ladybug to match the decorations in their kitchen and then wrote 'Spoon Me' on it. Cameron chose a picture frame that he painted for Gavin. Across the top he wrote, 'This is what Fabulous looks like'.  He said he was going to put a picture of their wedding day in it. Tristan and I decided on making coffee mugs for each other since we didn’t have significant others.

We wouldn’t be able to pick them up for a few days, so Gracie said she'd run by and get them one day and save it for when we moved back home. Afterwards we picked up some wine and went back to Ash and Gracie's. They drank wine while I slipped my shoes off and propped up my swollen feet.

"Aw, baby girl, do your feet hurt?" Cameron asked, sliding over to rest beside me.

"They look like stuffed sausages so yeah, you could say they hurt. I'm retaining water like crazy but also peeing more times a day then Cameron looks in the mirror."

Gracie gasped, "Wow, that's a lot of peeing."  We all thought Gracie's comment was hilarious, well all except for Cameron who flipped us off playfully.

"Want me to rub your feet?" Tristan asked.

"Ooh, girl. You should keep this one around if he's willing to do that kind of stuff without getting laid. It's alright though Tris-stud, I'll take care of my baby momma today. I never get to do that, nor did I think I'd ever say that." Cameron said, shaking his head. He started to rub my feet. At first I cringed at the pain, then the more he rubbed the better they felt. I laid my head back and began to moan in pleasure. Cameron cleared his throat, "Whew, honey. I never thought I'd make a woman make those noises." 

Tristan and Gracie go to the kitchen to grab a few snacks for the four of us. While they're gone, Cameron starts in with the heavy talk. "So, Derrick knows about the baby now. Are you two going to wo
rk through things?"

"I don’t know.
He deserves better than me, Cam."

"Why would you say that?  Who could be better than you?" Cam asks sincerely.

"Anyone." I sat up, placing my feet back on the ground. Cameron moved to sit next to me, placing his arm on the back of the couch behind my shoulders and turning so that his body is facing me. "I keep pushing him away. Yesterday, I pull him in for a passionately intense kiss only to pull away a moment later and tell him that it isn’t the right time for us to be together."

Cameron places his hand under his chin and leads forward with a grin, "Tell me more about this passionately intense kiss."  He winks at me then reaches forward to run his fingers through my hair, "Sweetie, you're scared. You and Derrick had a short but powerful relationship. You two have been through crazy things that most couples do not have to deal with. The man was shot saving your life and the lives of your friends. You're pregnant with his brother's baby, which is like a Jerry Springer moment no couple needs."

I toss my head back in frustration but give a faint laugh when I beg him, "Stop saying it like that."

Cameron scoots closer, laying his head on my shoulder. "I was trying to make you smile. Seriously though, what you did for Gavin and me…well you are the true definition of fabulous in my book."

"It's been my pleasure. Seeing how happy you two have been for each new moment of this pregnancy has been worth it for me. In a few weeks you are going to be a dad. How are you feeling about that?"

"What if she hates me? What if she hates both of us? What if people are mean to her
because of the fact that she has two dads? The closer it gets, the more terrified I am that I am going to ruin her life."  Cameron is being completely serious, which doesn’t happen often with him. When these rare moments arise you know that it's important to pay attention. "I haven't told Gavin any of this. It started getting really bad lately and then his father died and well, it didn’t seem right."

"Call him. Call Gavin and talk to him about it." I grab his cell phone off the
table; find Gavin in the contacts under 'hubby' and hit send.

He takes the phone from me and sits up. Sounding confused he asks, "Um…Derrick? Hey where's Gavin?" He sits up straighter with panic on his face. "Is he alright? Do I need to be there?" Relaxing a little he says, "Thanks for taking care of him. I'll
call him later."

"Everything okay with Gavin?" I ask.

"Derrick said he was having a moment. He said that they've got him taken care of though. I know that Ash and Derrick will make sure he's fine. He's got a lot to deal with right now. I will rely on my girls to help me through my fatherhood worries for the moment."

"You're right." His words resonated in my head, reminding me that I needed to give Derrick time to deal with his father's death.
Sitting up, I slip my shoes back on as Tristan and Gracie come back into the living room. "Tristan, can we talk a minute?"

Gracie speaks up, "We were thinking about going to get Chinese for dinner. So don't be long."

I drag Tristan back to Gracie's room and shut the door. "Are you up to driving back tonight?"

Tristan's brow crinkles, "Why? What did I miss?"

"Nothing. I need to leave before Derrick gets back. He and I cannot keep going round and round about whether we have a relationship or not. He has more important things happening right now. We can stop and spend the night in Atlanta, my treat. I need to be away from here though."

"Ok, let's go." Tristan starts packing while I go to explain to Gracie and Cameron.

Gracie was in the kitchen writing a note to Ashton on their dry erase board that let him know they were going for Chinese. "Hey girl, I'm starving. I thought we could pick Autumn up on the way to grab some dinner. I've had a mad craving for sesame chicken here lately." She turns to face me, noticing the serious look on my face. "What's wrong?"

"
Tristan and I are going to head home tonight…right now actually."

"Why?" Gracie asked, moving closer to me. "Derrick will be back tomorrow, don’t you want to say goodbye?"

"I can't. All we do is end up fighting and he needs…he
deserves
better than that right now. The last time we spoke I told him we'd figure things out when I move back. I'm sticking to that. I can’t handle seeing him again or I'll give in to him."

Gracie wraps her arms around my neck, "I'll miss you. I'm so glad you're going to be home in a month. It hasn’t been the same since you left. I love you." 

"I love you, too."

Tristan and I drove away, waving at Cameron and Gracie as they watched us from the front porch. Leaning against the door, I press my face to the window to watch my surroundings speed by. We were pulling into the hotel in Atlanta when I get a text.
When you guys get back from dinner, I want to talk. I'll wait for you at Gracie and Ash's. ~Derrick.
He's waiting for me? Maybe I made a mistake by leaving? It’s too late now; I have to stick to my plan.
I didn’t go to dinner with Gracie and Cam. Tristan and I are on the way back to Florida. We'll talk when I move home in a month or so. Give Katie a kiss for me. I'm sorry; I couldn't handle another goodbye from you. ~MJ.

My phone notified me that he was typing a return text,
and then it would stop; alert me again he was typing to stop once more. Whatever response he was typing, he never sent and that was the last communication we had for a while.

###

It's the last day of my internship with Disney and they offered me a full time position. It was a fantastic opportunity, one that I'd dreamt about for many years. The problem is I’d have to stay in Florida, away from everyone. It was a lot to think about. They gave me some leeway since I was about to give birth. If I wanted the job it would be here for me in three months when I was ready to start.

The baby came a week later. Cameron and Gavin flew down the minute Tristan called them to tell them I was in labor. They made it only minutes before their baby girl made her debut in the world. Cameron was the first one to hold her, so I'm told. Labor was not progressing fast enough for a safe delivery so they took me in for an emergency cesarean section. There were complications with the C-section; I lost a lot of blood and had to be given a blood transfusion.  It was touch and go for a little bit there. Tristan actually cried when I woke up and spoke to him the first time. He'd been sitting by my bed holding my hand the whole time.

They named the baby Addison Grace. She's beautiful and looks like a mixture of Cameron and me. At first the emotions I felt holding the baby made me think I’d never be able to give her up. Then I saw how Gavin and Cameron were with her, and I knew that that they were the true parents.
It would be difficult knowing that she was my blood but they made me Godmother and promised one day to tell her all about the 'gift I had given them', in their words. 

Gracie, Ashton, and Angel came to the hospital to see all of us. Angel said she found us an apartment in Nashville to move home whenever we're ready. She wasn’t aware of my job offer just yet because I hadn’t made a decision.
Most likely though, I would move back home so it really wasn’t a waste that she was looking.

A few days after leaving the hospital I started having terrible pains
in my stomach. The incision area from my c-section had become infected. It took weeks of medication and tests to determine the infection was completely gone. On my last visit to the gynecologist, the week before I was to move back to Nashville, I went in to make sure the infection hadn't left any lasting consequences. The doctor walked into the room, "Hello Mary Jane, how are you today?"

"I'm doing pretty good. Ready to get all moved back home next week. I'm feeling much better too. Hopefully my test results show that
everything is normal."

"Let's see.
Due to the nature of the infection and all the complications that came with your delivery, we're going to do a hysteroscopy. I'm going to insert this tube with a video camera so that we can see inside your uterus. You'll experience a little cramping, but it will go away shortly after the procedure. Lay back and we'll get started."

Lying
back on the bed, I place my feet in the stirrups and scoot to the edge. During the test she is very quiet which makes me feel certain there is nothing to worry about. Then the test is over, the doctor turns on the light and moves her stool over next to me. "Are you comfortable? Do you want to sit up?"

She helps me sit up on the table then says, "
Everything looks good. You'll need to find a doctor in Nashville and make sure to keep up your yearly exams to be sure. The infection you had can cause infertility and other issues that could pop up later. Regular checkups will make sure that you'll be able to have another child one day when you're ready. Other than that, you're good to go. I do want to say that I think what you did for your friends was an amazing thing. You should feel very proud of yourself."

The drive home had me feeling more hopeful than I had in weeks. Soon we'd be back in Nashville where I can finally see what will happen when I come face to face with Derrick again. The doctor's visit left me with a great amount of hope, ever since I found out about the infection I was terrified that I had become infertile. I'd never regret what I did for Cameron, but it would be so much harder if I knew I could never carry another child of my own.

Angel was packing up the apartment
when I walked through the door. She stepped into the living room wearing shorts that left nothing to the imagination with a tank top. "Damn, girl. You need to put some clothes on. Tristan's coming over to help pack in a few."
              Angel shook her hips, "If you got it, flaunt it," then smacked her right hip, "and I've been told I got it."  She laughed then lifted a box off the kitchen counter, taped it down with duct tape and wrote kitchen in all caps with a Sharpie.

Tristan knocked once before popping his head inside, "Hello ladies…" His voice trailed off and I saw why when I looked over to see him staring at Angel who was bent forward filling a box giving him a full view of her cleavage. Angel looked up and gave him a smile before standing up, turning to her bedroom, then giving him something to watch as she swayed her hips for him until she was out of sight.

Clearing my throat I said, "Are you done ogling my friend now?" I said teasingly.

"Um…I wasn't…uh…I'm here to pack?" he said it as a question hoping maybe that was the right answer for the moment. I started laughing and motioned for him to join me in the kitchen. Tristan began packing up our cabinet full of coffee mugs. He paused when he saw one of them. Holding it up to me he asked, "Who made this for you? It's adorable."

The mug had a handprint painted in pink with 'I love you' in black, the background of the mug was baby blue. Katelyn was only four at the time, Derrick had helped her paint it and then he filled it with memories of our dates; movie tickets, a pink carnation, and Chuck E Cheese tokens. "Katelyn made this for me as a gift when I left for Florida. I used it every day when I first moved here. Then after Derrick and I broke up, I hid it in the back because it was too difficult to look at it."