Covering the Carolinas (22 page)

Marleigh wakes as we pull into her driveway. I
notice my parent’s car is in the driveway as well and every light
is in the house on. She begins to unbuckle Gunner while I go around
to the other side to carry him in the house. As she quietly opens
the door to the house, she places her finger over her mouth to tell
them to be quiet as we bring him in. I follow her to his bed and
gently lay him down. Once he snuggles into the covers, I place a
light kiss on his head and Marleigh follows me. We stand there for
a moment and thank God that the three of us are together.

Chapter 44

MARLEIGH

After giving our parents the run down of the
doctor’s orders, Gunnison decides to finally get a shower and for
some reason, I can’t help imagining the sight of him in my
shower.

“
Mar!” Tin says. “Did you hear
Dad?”

“
Oh sorry, must have zoned out.” She laughs
because I’m sure she’s read my mind. “What was that,
Daddy?”

“
Mar, we can stay another day. We don’t have
to leave tomorrow; just let us know what you want us to
do.”

“
Let me talk to Gunnison, and see how Gunner
is tomorrow. If he’s back to his normal self, I think it would be
fine to go back. I don’t want to upset his routine and make a big
deal out of this. We do need to get his appointment for the
allergist scheduled. I know that Gunnison wants to be there as
well.”

“
What do I want to do?” he asks as he dries
his hair with a towel and makes his way into the living room, and
I’m pretty sure I’ve just had to pick my mouth off the
floor.
Hot damn.

“
Um, Gunner, keep his normal routine. We were
talking about tomorrow. I figured we’d talk about that together,” I
say as he tosses the towel into the bathroom and then comes to have
a seat beside me.

Tinleigh interrupts our conversation. “Y’all, Spring
Break! Helllloooo!”

“
Ohmygosh! It totally slipped my mind between
the game and then tonight. I just assumed it was a normal week,” I
say.

GUNNISON

After we to talk to everyone together, they excuse
themselves. My parents insist on going to my apartment, but plan on
coming back in the morning. When we are alone, I place my arm
around her shoulder and pull her to me on the couch. We don’t say
anything, but I can feel her thoughts.

“
So you want to talk about tomorrow or do you
want to know more about why Jordan was at the game?”

“
Both.”

“
Mar, what do you think we should do about
Gunner leaving?”

“
I think he should stay this week. What do you
think? We can take him back next weekend. I mean, unless he wants
to go with them tomorrow. It might honestly kill me though. I don’t
know if I can watch him leave knowing we about lost him. I’ve never
been so scared in my life. The thought of losing your child has to
be the worst fear as a parent. How do you feel about that… the
leaving part?”

The fact that she values my opinion and that we are
truly in this together makes me pull her closer. “Mar, you’ve been
doing this longer than me, but I agree. He needs to keep things
normal. Yes, something terrifying happened today, but it can be
avoided. I think we need to make him aware of it, but I don’t think
we need to act like it will change his life. I would love for him
to stay with us. We could have so much fun this week.”

She pulls away and faces me. “This is the second
decision we’ve made as parents together. Do you realize that? I
mean telling him who you were wasn’t a decision. It had to happen,
but this shows we can do it. Thank you, Gunnison, for being here
with me because today was the first time in my life I didn’t know
if I could handle this alone.”

“
Mar, you’ll never be in this alone anymore.”
She slowly bats her eyelashes at me and I capture her lips tenderly
with mine. “I love you more than basketball and life itself. I’ll
never leave you, I promise.”

“
I love you, too,” she says as she pulls her
legs underneath her, and then asks me to talk about why I think
Jordan was at the game.

“
I don’t really know, Mar. I mean, he’s a
Carolina guy. He could have just been there to watch the game or
see someone who may have gone to Laney High. Typically, I don’t
think he scouts or anything. I could be completely wrong though.
Since he’s an owner now, who knows? I didn’t have time to ask Coach
his opinion. I noticed his sons with him. That’s why I think it was
probably just coincidence he was there. I don’t think it means
anything.”

“
Come on. You have to have a feeling about
it.”

“
I’m not really sure. Honestly with everything
that happened, I didn’t have time to think. I just played harder
than I have in a long time. My end goal was Gunner, and that game
couldn’t have ended soon enough.”

After she is content with my explanation, she asks
me if I want to sleep in her room. When I refuse because there’s no
way her daddy is catching me in there, she goes to the closet,
grabs a blanket, and snuggles back into my arms. Finding a movie we
can agree on, we drift off to sleep and don’t move until we hear
the pitter patter of little feet. Waking up with Marleigh in my
arms and Gunner in front of me is exactly how I want every day to
begin.

Chapter 45

MARLEIGH

Gunner is his normal self this morning. He eyes look
tired but other than that, he’s his normal, spunky three-year-old
self. After talking to everyone, Gunner says he wants to stay with
us. Tinleigh and Carleigh take him down to the beach to look for
seashells while we talk to our parents in detail about how this
week will work.

“
Mar, I’m just throwing this out there, but I
think you and Gunnison should spend some time together, too. I
mean, this is the first time you haven’t had classes or practice
since you both got here. Why doesn’t Gunner stay until Wednesday,
and then you spend the rest of the week together?”

I look toward Gunnison for an answer. As much as I
want to keep Gunner with me all week, time with Gunnison with no
plans, classes or basketball sounds fabulous.

“
Mrs. Anderson, I think that sounds like a
good idea,” he says. Within fifteen minutes, my sisters and Gunner
arrive back at the house. Our parents pack their things and we say
our goodbyes. Watching Gunnison’s parents tell Gunner bye is a
moment I will never forget. It’s like watching a happily ever after
in a Hallmark movie.

When everyone is gone, we walk into the house
and that’s when Tinleigh begins to smile the size of Texas.
What’s going through that mind of hers?
“Spill it, Tin.”

“
Kinda funny, ya know?” We all look at her
with more confusion. “Y’all! S-P-R-I-N-G B-R-E-A-K,” she spells.
Cocking my head to the side and thinking, the light bulb goes off.
Spring break four years ago, I met Gunnison and it changed my life.
Today we stand there together, planning to spend the week with our
son. Gunnison looks between Gunner and I, then speaks.

“
It’s the week that our worlds changed for the
better.”

GUNNISON

Thinking about the week I met Marleigh warms my
heart yet tears it apart at the same time. We left on a high, but
the valley we had to go through to get to where we are now was
worth every ounce of heartbreak and pain. It’s made these moments
stand out in time.

The next few days, we do anything and everything
that Gunner wants to do. I stay at their place, but on the couch.
On Tuesday, I decide to surprise Gunner and Marleigh. After
breakfast, I pack up the truck and we make our way to the North
Carolina coast. When I was younger, we visited Wilmington for
basketball, go figure. I can remember how amazing it was, but the
ferry is what I remember most.

Making our way toward the state line, Marleigh
begins to question what we are doing. When I refuse to tell her my
secret, she pouts and it’s too cute. As we get closer to Southport,
signs for the ferry begin to appear and I know she has it figured
out.

Arriving at Fort Fisher, we wait in line for the
ferry to arrive and drive on. Gunner asks questions about what we
are doing and when the ferry pulls into the dock, I point to it.
He’s amazed by the size, but when I tell him we are going to ride
on it, he doesn’t understand. As the worker waves us on, I drive
the truck onto the ferry, put it into park, and add my emergency
break. Looking at Marleigh, I ask if they want to stay in the truck
or go to the watching deck. It’s an absolutely beautiful March
day.

“
Outside!” Gunner exclaims, and we make our
way up the stairs and onto the watching deck. As the ferry makes
its way across the sound, I watch Gunner’s reactions as well as
Marleigh’s. Seeing them experience this for the first time is
something I’ll never forget. I can’t help but wonder if this is how
my parents looked at me.

As the captain announces that we are approaching
Kure Beach, we head back to the truck and as soon as we’re docked,
the vehicles are in motion.

“
Now what?” Marleigh questions.

“
You’ll see,” I say with a smirk.

Within minutes, we arrive at the North Carolina
Aquarium. This place is right off the beach and almost feels as if
we could drop off into the ocean. We each take Gunner by a hand and
make our way inside. He’s in awe of all of the sea life as well as
land animals they have in their makeshift habitats.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat to tide us over
until we get back to Southport, we sit outside and let Gunner play
on the playground. Checking the clock, I know it’s time to get back
to the ferry. Reluctantly, Gunner stops playing when we tell him
it’s time to leave but when I mention the ferry again he grabs my
hand without hesitation.

Arriving back in Southport, I drive us toward the
Fishy Fishy Café. Knowing how much Marleigh loves the water, I
can’t wait to see the look on her face when we get there. I’ve done
my research, and she’s going to love the fact that this is where
“Safe Haven” was filmed.

Pulling into the sandy parking lot, Marleigh stares
at the bright blue building as the sun shines on it. “The reviews
on this place are fabulous.” I don’t mention the movie, but when we
make our way to the hostess she spots a picture of the cast. As she
looks my way, a grin escapes my lips. Picking Gunner up, I carry
him to the table. After we order, we walk to the railing and look
at the small fishing boats in the inlet.

We enjoy lunch with only minor whining from Gunner
and then make our way back toward her house. Within minutes, Gunner
is asleep. Marleigh and I talk about tomorrow and taking him back
to her parents, and I’m thankful they are going to meet us halfway
in McBee. Now what are the two of us going to do? I have an idea,
but I’m not sure if it will be too much too soon for her.

Back at the house we enjoy the remainder of the
afternoon. As Marleigh begins to prepare supper for us, her mama
calls to let us know there’s been a cancellation at the allergist
for tomorrow afternoon and they can fit Gunner in. I guess that
means my plans will be put on hold, and I can’t help but laugh at
the fact that I don’t want to be patient.

Chapter 46

MARLEIGH

Wednesday morning, we wake up early and make our way
to Gaffney. We arrive on time for Gunner’s appointment. I’m a
nervous wreck. Having no clue of what to expect, I’m thankful that
Gunnison is with us.

After speaking with the doctor and the nurse
reappears with a box of miniature needles, my heart begins to race
and I’m terrified for Gunner. I want it to me be and not him. She
explains that she will make small pricks and then we will have to
wait to see if there is a reaction.

Gunner does well with the pricks, but within minutes
he’s trying his best to scratch his back. As Gunnison talks to him
and holds his hands, I run my fingers down the sides of his back,
careful not to touch the testing area. Between the two of us, it
helps soothe him as much as possible. The fifteen minutes we have
to wait feels like an eternity and as soon as the timer erupts, I’m
staring at the door for the nurse. Quickly she comes in and uses a
pen to circle certain ones, and as soon as she’s finished, the
doctor enters. He informs us of Gunner’s other allergies as the
nurse takes a cream and wipes down his back. Gunner is in immediate
relief. The doctor informs us that he’s allergic to almonds and
several types of grass. Thank goodness! I don’t know if I could
keep him away from bread or eggs. He prescribes a daily allergy
medication to use and tells us he will see us in a year.

GUNNISON

Walking out of that doctor’s office, there is no way
we are leaving him tonight. That was pure torture. By the time we
get to her parent’s house, he has fallen asleep. Marleigh takes him
in her arms and holds him tight.

After giving her parents the rundown, we enjoy the
night at their small farm. As Marleigh and her mama give him a
bath, her dad and I have a heart-to-heart talk, and by morning it’s
time to head toward the beach. Watching Gunner in the rearview
mirror is hard, but Marleigh squeezes my hand to try to ease my
mind.

“
It’s tough, isn’t it?” she asks and I nod
because of the lump in my throat. “It doesn’t get easier, but it
gets bearable.”

“
Mar, I don’t want to keep doing this. I mean
I know we want to finish this year out with the plan, but next
year, I want him with us.” She doesn’t say anything and I’m not
sure what she’s thinking. She turns the radio up and as the song
begins to play, she begins to sing. I’m mesmerized by the sweetness
yet perfect roughness of her voice.