Sidewalk Flower (57 page)

“Are you okay?” the young woman asked.

“Oh um, yeah.
Better
now.
 
Thank you so much for letting me
cut.
 
I made it just in time.
 
So, you’re a pretty big Sin Pointe fan?”
 
She didn’t really have to ask.
 
The homemade fringing and v-neck cut-out this
girl had made to her Stefan t-shirt said it all.
 

The girl just stared blankly back.
 
“Well, thanks again, I hope you enjoy the
show.
 
I have to get back to hubby.”
 
Maybe she’d find the girl later and get her a
Stefan-bear-hug.
 

“Wait,” the woman said then frowned.

“I’m sorry sweetie, but you know how boys
can be.
 
Mine’ll be going crazy worrying
right about now and you’ll want to be getting to your seat soon.
 
I think the intro music is starting.”

“Trista?
 
It’s me, Lily.”

“Oh my God, Lily?”
 
She hugged her little sister so tightly, she
nearly peed herself again.
 
“I can’t
believe you’re here.”
 
Of
all the places.
 
“Where are you
sitting?
 
There’s someone really special
I’d like you to meet.”

“Oh, okay.
 
I’m in the front row on Stefan’s side,” she
said.
 

Wow, her seats with Lucky were on the
lawn.
 
A pounding bass intro shook the
grass and the railing she leaned against.
 
The show was starting.
 
This was
just too crazy!
  
They’d obviously have
to talk afterwards.
 
But for now, she’d
let her baby sister go enjoy all that was Stefan.
 
“Hey, here’s my number.
 
After the show, would you like to catch
up?”
 
She wouldn’t mention the fact that
they’d be catching up with Jaxon, Stefan, Will and Marion as well.
 
That would be a surprise.

“Of course, I’d love to.”
 

They exchanged numbers and one last
hug.
 
“See you soon, Lily.”
 
Who couldn’t say that with a smile?
 
As long as she didn’t pass out from this extra
boost of adrenaline, she’d try and fill Lucky in on the crazy wonderful news.

“Are you kidding me?
 
You’re serious?
 
Your little sister, Lily is here?
 
Wow.”

Chanting filled the air as people of all
ages and stations in life sang every word to the first song.

“I know!
 
I almost peed myself, puked on her and then passed out on the way back
here to tell you baby.”

Lucky squeezed her hand and then kissed
the side of her head as he moved his hand to her belly.
 
It was flat and looked nothing like that of
the pregnant woman she’d morph into over the next eight months.
 

“And did things seem okay between the two
of you?
 
You know, since you haven’t seen
each other in so long?”

“Yeah, I think so.
 
She seemed a little quiet but interested in
meeting up after the show.
 
Oh, and take
one guess who her favorite is?”

“Oh geez, Jaxon?”

“No, Stefan!”
 

“Hmm, figures.
 
He’s pretty hot.”

“You goofball.
 
I love you, baby.
 
I can’t believe how good things are turning
out.
 
I definitely like this half of my
life much much more than the first.”

“You and me both,
darlin’.”

* * * *

Lucky looked around at the sea of people
and was glad that this time, at his second Sin Pointe
concert,
he wasn’t searching for the beautiful golden, tangle-haired woman of his dreams
because he was sitting right beside her.
 
He’d never been more proud, never felt more like a man than he did in
that moment.
 
And had
never felt more thankful.
 
Oh Lord, thank you.
 
However you did this for her today, thank you
so much.

It would be quite the reunion later
on.
 
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t
nervous.
 
He held her tight as they sat
on their blanket on the lawn section, listening to Stefan’s deep, soulful
voice.

“I can’t believe how good this feels, to
be here as a fan.
 
If I wasn’t pregnant,
I’d be sipping one of those margarita chillers.
 
The blue one looks really good.”
 
Trista pointed her finger toward a young woman who had one a few bunches
of people away.
 
The black tips of the
woman’s hair dangled dangerously close to taking a dip in the frosty libation.

He leaned in to whisper into her
ear.
 
“I’m really proud of you, you know
that?”

“Well thank you, baby.
 
But for what?”

“Just for being you and you know, for
overcoming so much stuff.
 
I can’t tell
you how proud I am of you.
 
The woman you
are and the mother you’re going to be.
 
And how happy I am that you found your sister.”

“Oh, Lucky, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“I’m sorry, darlin’.
 
I don’t want that.
 
I want you to have a good time tonight.
 
Enjoy yourself.”

* * * *

She wanted that, too.
 
They’d worked so hard getting the new wood
working shop up and running and handling all the renovations to their house.
 
It had taken the better part of the last year
to get to a point where they felt like they could take a night off like this,
to breathe.
 
Tonight was a celebration of
many wonderful things.
 

“We’re gonna be so good to this baby.”
She smiled at the thought.
 
“Promise me something, Lucky?”

“Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll always know what a
good man you are and how special you are to me.
 
And how truly lucky and blessed I am that you were that guy who waited
around for me.”

His eyes, for a split second, became
shinier, and he looked like he might be the one holding back tears.
 
She softly stroked the area just above his
cheek bone with her thumb.
 

“You were worth the wait, darlin’.
 
Every single crazy second.”
 
He smiled at her and it was the one she
loved.
 
It lit up his softly tanned face
and made his blue Tennessee-boy eyes pop with life.
 
The patch of whiskers she loved to watch
whenever he bit his bottom lip moved for her.
 
She had found herself one gorgeous, tall, blonde, long-haired, southern
man.
 
And that good-looking package was
wrapped up around and holding in one of the truest and best hearts she’d ever
known a human being to have.
 
She
couldn’t wait to introduce him to Lily later.

The accompanying light show began with
the third song and Lucky helped her up so they could see over the crowd.

The new music was brilliant.
 
It was the first time she’d been at a Sin
Pointe concert and hadn’t known every word to every song.
 
And true to form, the guys didn’t introduce
each title; there was no need with such fervent fans.
 
That’s why midway through the show, she was
surprised to see Stefan step up to the mic to talk and not sing.

“Shh….”
 
The crowd obeyed Stefan’s deep, intoxicating voice as he commanded them
with a finger to his lips for quiet.
 
“We
have a very special guest in the house tonight.
 
We won’t embarrass her by calling her up here, but baby girl—we love you
and this one’s for you.”

She clenched a hand to her mouth and the
other over her heart.
 
“Oh, I love you
guys,” she whispered.
 
Lucky gave her a
squeeze and smiled.
 
Listening as
carefully as she could, she leaned back further into his chest as he supported
her.
 
She clasped his hands with hers and
snuggled them closely to her belly.
 
He
kissed the top of her head then the song began.
 

Jaxon entered with a longer guitar solo
than normal.
 
The sound was hollow, but
only at first.
 
It gained depth as his
fingers pleasured the strings; the chords came out of their echoes and turned
fuller.
 
After a few more seconds, the
rest of the band joined in.
 
Stefan sang
with such a rich and throaty texture in his voice that she had a hard time
pulling the lyrics at first.
 
But soon,
as if she was the only one in the place, they became loud and clear.

“
I
hurt you, and let you down.
 
I was never
around.
 
I should have been lifting you
up, you were the one good thing…I let you down.
 
Lucky for you, the right one came around and I see you’re happy now
.
 
All I
had, I set it free.
 
The
better part of me.
 
I had to set
you free, the best part of me.
”

She couldn’t have said it better
herself.
 
She reached her left hand up to
find Lucky’s face a foot above her head.
 
The silver band that encircled her ring finger shined in the lights that
bounced off the stage.
 

She had been set free to find something good.
 
And she had been very lucky.
 
Somebody up there definitely liked her.

“Baby, I don’t know about you, but this
music is making me want to, you know…”

She felt Lucky’s chin skim down to tickle
her ear.
 
“Have hot custom made coffee
table sex with your husband?”
 

“You’re a nut.”
 
She brought his fingers to her lips for a
kiss.
 
“Yes, Lucas.”

“Have I ever told you how lucky I
am?”
 

She just smiled and leaned further into
his strong chest.

The End

www.carlenelove.com

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