Here & Now (30 page)

This is definitely not going the way I expected it to. He’s not mad, sad or indifferent. He’s also not scared or completely mind blown. If anything, with the smile playing on his lips as he waits for me to respond, it’s almost like he’s happy.

“Why aren’t you more upset about this?”

“Before I answer that, can you answer something for me?”

“Anything.”

“How are you dealing with this? Are you okay or upset or anything?”

“No, but I’ve had a couple of days to come to terms with it. I’ve talked it out with my mom and told her what I want to do and she’s understanding, even if she’s not happy. It was scary at first, but I’m okay now. It’s not like I can go back in time and change it, so it’s something I’m going to deal with as best I can. What I don’t get is how you don’t seem bothered by this at all.”

“Okay, well first; we knew sleeping together was a risk when you were changing pills, and even though we took every precaution to prevent it, life seems to have other plans.  I’m surprised, but not upset. Second; we’re going to deal with it as best we can, okay? Because we’re in this together. A team. We’re never going to have to go through anything alone again. Your words, remember?”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No! Why would I be?”

“I know this isn’t what you planned. I mean you’re settling into your job as assistant coach, taking all of these classes so you can be a trainer and here I am dumping this in your lap.”

“You’re not dumping anything in my lap, Caddy. So this wasn’t a part of the plans we made. Plans can change. We can still do everything we want to do, it just might take us a little longer to get there.”

“When did you become so smart?”

“The day you slapped sense into me for a second time.”

“You’re really okay with this? I ask, my voice wavering and it coming out more like a whisper then I intended.

“Yes. Are you sure that you are? This isn’t just about me. You’re a big part of this too. It’s not just my life that’s going to change. You have goals, and if this is too much for you and we need to look into other ways of handling this, I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

Dillon has never sounded so level-headed, so sure about anything as he does right now and I’m torn between pinching myself because I have a feeling this might be a dream, and leaning over and kissing him for being exactly what I need him to be right now.

My Rocky.

No. That’s not right.

He’s being my rock period. Even better than the movies.

This is what I wanted when he showed up today, but that I thought with everything he’s gone through with his own parents, I would never get.  It was one of those unattainable dreams, but as he’s proving to me now in a moment where my emotions are flooding over, even the most unattainable dream can come true.

“I just need you to be what you’ve always been, Dillon.”

“And that is?”

“Yourself. Just always be yourself.”

“Well, even though I’ve said this already today, you got yourself a deal. Now will you do something for me?”

“Sure.”

“Move in with me. Stand up right now, take my hand, walk to my car and come home with me.”

“Okay, I’ll do it, but I think we need to talk to my mom first.”

He winks at me before lifting himself off the grass and holding his hand out to help me up, all the while staying completely silent. “Already taken care of. So, Taylor, are you ready to move in to your new home?”

“I’m ready, Murphy. Take me home.”

Dillon

Pregnant.

That word should scare the living hell out of me, but it doesn’t. Taking the job that Coach offered me after I came home from the hospital, putting my all into my classes and taking the ones that would bring me to the end Isaac predicted for me, wanting to live with my girlfriend, it was all leading me here.

Every damn step I’ve taken has led me here and even though shit got darker than I ever imagined it getting after we got together last year, if we hadn’t gone through it, I don’t think either of us would be standing here now.

I’m going to be a father.

There was a time not that long ago that the idea of that was laughable. A joke. With the way I was raised and the role model I had to look up to, the last thing in the world I would ever do to a kid was make them suffer through having me as their dad. That all changed the day I met Cadence.

Wanting to be a better person and then taking all of these steps, making choices and doing things differently, it changed my whole perception. I still managed to screw up along the way and I probably will again with my track record, but she gave me hope. Something to believe in. The desire to want to be someone better.

It’s all of those things I want to focus on as we start this new chapter in our story. It might not have been the ending I saw for us that night in the hospital six months ago, but in a way, this ending is a lot better because it’s going to give me the one thing I’ve craved since I was eight years old but could never seem to obtain no matter how hard I wished for it.

A family.

“Can I take the blindfold off now?”

Unlocking the door and guiding her through, I make sure it shuts behind us and slip the bandana I had covering her eyes off watching as she takes everything in.

“What is all of this?” She asks as she turns, a look of confusion mixed with shock all over her face.

“Welcome home, Caddy.”

Lining the floor are petals. Tons of them, creating a line that goes from our spot in the doorway to my bedroom and another line leading into the living room.

When Ryder came home earlier, he’d seen it, considering how hard it is not to notice, but he hadn’t said a word, obviously realizing at the time what I was up to and just going along for the ride, but now, having her here and seeing it, I’ve got my payoff.

There was no guarantee that she was going to say yes, but when it comes to Cadence, I’m all in, so putting all of this together, whether she said yes or not, had to happen. I wanted the next time she walked into this apartment to be the one that mattered most because it’s the moment that this random apartment in the middle of a town I used to hate, actually became a home.

Our home for our family.

“It’s beautiful and it smells amazing!”

Even though she can hear now, her other senses are still heightened, which was another reason I knew I had to do this. I didn’t want this to be something she could just see. I wanted it to be something she could experience in every single way.

“I know it doesn’t look like much right now, but with the two of us working together, I want to make what you’re seeing right now be what you have every day. What
we
have every day.” I finish, sliding my arms through hers and bringing them to rest on her abdomen.

“It’s perfect the way it is.”

“No, it’s not. There’s cracks and holes and a bunch of other problems, but I swear to you, I’ll make it perfect.”

“It’s those things that make it perfect already, Dillon.” She whispers as she leans back into my arms, tilting her head just slightly so her lips lightly graze the side of my neck.

“Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about the apartment anymore?”

“Maybe because we never were.”

It’s true. Cadence from the very first day I met her, saw past the not so great looking parts to the rubble buried underneath, somehow working her magic and putting what was broken back together. The way I was talking about the apartment, it’s the same thing. As long as we’re doing this together, even the biggest hole can be patched. The same way she patched the hole that was in my heart.

“Come on, there’s something I need to show you.”

“You mean the flower petals all over the house wasn’t everything?”

“Never.” Slipping around and taking her by the hand, I lead her down the hall until we’re standing outside our bedroom. “Open the door.”

What she’s going to see when she walks into the room that has now become ours, and how she reacts, is going to mean everything to me moving forward. I stayed up half the night putting it together, at times wondering if I had lost my mind, but now that we’re here and I know what I do now about how our lives are going to change, I’ve never been more sure that it was the right move.

It’s got an even bigger meaning now.

“Dillon…”

Etched into the wall, after hours of stenciling and more cans of spray paint than I can even count, is the very same sentence that we painted in the ground the night of prom, only this time done right. The way it should have been.

This Is The Start Of Something That Begins And Ends With Love.

“Cadence—” I start, unable to handle the silence anymore as she takes in not only the message on the wall, but the petals that just like outside, line the room and the queen size bed in front of us, but am forced to stop when she turns toward me and places her fingers over my lips. 

“Why did you do this?”

“Because I felt like it?”

“Try again, Murphy.”

“I did it because no matter what happens to us from here on out, how often we argue or fight, how stressed we get, I want this one room to be where everything is set right again. Where all we’re surrounded by when we’re here is us. Our story. Beginning and end.”

“And love.” She whispers as I pull her into me, wrapping my arms completely around her and allowing myself to drown in the rightness of the moment, how truly perfect being here right now with her is.

“It wouldn’t be our story without it, but there’s still one more thing that needs to happen before we can start our new life.”

‘What’s that?”

Pointing to the bed, I wait for her eyes to follow and release her when she notices the note card that’s propped up in the middle. Watching as she picks it up and opens it all the way, her expression changes. The soft smile she’s had since I asked her to open the door is still there, but now there’s a glistening in her eyes. The words on the card obviously making her feel more than she was prepared for.

The last six months have been our fresh start, but it’s this moment here and now that’s our new beginning.

Hi. I’m Dillon.

“Nice to meet you, Dillon. I’m Cadence.”

The End

Beautiful To You
by Halestorm

Life Is Waiting
by Faber Drive

Bleed
by Hot Chelle Rae

Losing My Religion
by R.E.M.

Are You Ready For The Fallout?
by Fastball

Re-Offender
by Travis

Unity
by Shinedown

Stop & Stare
by OneRepublic

Bed Of Roses
by Bon Jovi

Here And Now (Deconstructed)
by Seether

Hard To Find
by Skillet

By Your Side
by Lifehouse

Save A Life
by Manic Drive

Like Nobody Else
by My Darkest Days

You Want To Make A Memory
by Bon Jovi

I’m Yours
by Jason Mraz

What I’ve Overcome
by Fireflight

Broken Open
by Adam Lambert

Halo
by Bethany Joy Galeotti

Here’s To Us
by Halestorm

At the Beginning
by Richard Marx & Donna Lewis

(Dillon & Caddy’s final scene song)

Acknowledgements

As usual, a book of mine wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t come in at the end of it and thank the people that helped me get it to where it needed to be. In the world and in your hands. So let’s get on with it shall we?

Mom and Dad. If it weren’t for you both, none of this would even exist because I wouldn’t exist. So if nothing else sticks, let the next few words I write do it. Thank you for being my parents, for loving me, teaching and nurturing me and making me into the woman, mother, friend I am now. I love you both and it’s the strong and never-ending kind.

Caleb, Noah, Raine and Isabella. My Forever CNRI. Without you, there is no me, or at least no me worth knowing. Not only am I blessed to have you all call me Mommy, but I’m blessed to know you and have had my life altered every single day by you. Thank you for being the light and the beauty in a world often filled with far too much darkness. I love you all to the moon and back.

Lisa and Pamela, the two best beta-readers and friends I could ever ask for. Your input on this book, along with the others we’ve been through together, means the world to me and the amount of love and respect I have for the both of you knows no bounds.

Joey, this time around pulling double duty as my co-author and beta reader, in addition to his other jobs as best friend, critic when things read like crap, overall champion and superhero. Thank you for being who and what you are. If everyone in the world had a person like you in their life, the world would be a much better place. Taking this journey with you was an experience I will never forget. I love your face pretty boy ;)

All of the readers and fans of both the
Count On Me
series and my other books. Words will never adequately portray how thankful I am for each and every one of you. How much you spending your hard earned money and time on something I’ve written means to me. From the very bottom to the very top of my heart, thank you for putting your faith in me as a writer. I love you all more than words can say.

I energy you all <3

Joey’s Acknowledgements

Melyssa Winchester. My pretty girl and maybe my Cadence too. I acknowledge you for being crazy enough to let me write this with you. That’s all I got. I love you, pretty girl and it’s an always and forever kind of thing.

Pamela Sparkman. For not thinking I completely sucked at this and for encouraging me when half the stuff I wrote I thought looked and read like crap. You’re a class act lady. Keep on doing what you love because me and my girl, we love you for it.

Anyone who reads this and likes it as much as they did the first one. Thanks for taking the chance. I’m stoked you picked it up, especially since there’s another Winchester on board this particular crazy train. Thanks for being a part of what Melyssa calls the Dillon Murphy Effect.