Just One Reason (23 page)

“Leah
already warned me about the internal ultrasound at this early stage of pregnancy, so I’m prepared,” Lindsay said very matter-of-factly.  I, however, was staring in horror at the wand, trying to figure what the hell the doctor was going to do with that.  Lindsay laughed while she undressed and tried to cover herself with the lovely paper gown.

“What the fuck is that thing?” 
I finally asked her, when I couldn’t figure it out on my own.  An internal ultrasound?  Does that mean the doctor was going to stick that thing up Lindsay’s…?

“It’s for the ultrasound,”
she explained.

My
eyebrows pinched together.  “I thought the ultrasound was on your stomach.”

“It will be later on, but right now the baby is too small.  So…they h
ave to look at it from inside.”

“Inside?
  Won’t that hurt?”

She
laughed at my obvious discomfort.  “It’s sweet really that you’re worried about me.  I’m sure it won’t feel good, but I doubt it will be painful.”  I still felt unsure about that, but the doctor came in then.

“Hello, Miss Ross.  I’m Dr. Snyder,” the doctor said holding her hand out to
Lindsay.  She was probably in her forties with short black hair and glasses.  I immediately recognized her as a former customer.

“Mr. Hawke,” she said shaking
my hand as well.

“Doctor.
  How’s your boat?”  I asked.

“Runs great, thanks to you,” Dr. Snyder said before turning her attention
back to Lindsay.  “I hear congratulations are in order.  First, let’s go over your medical history.  I see here that you had a previous ectopic pregnancy?”  I scooted my chair right up next to Lindsay and brought her hand to my lips.

She
licked her dry lips and nodded.  “Yes, it was five years ago.  I was told that I had little to no chance of getting pregnant again.”

Dr. Snyder smiled while making notes in
the file.  “So this baby won’t be spoiled at all, right?”  We laughed and she continued, “We’ll do an ultrasound today to make sure the baby is in the right place this time, and we’ll see how far along you are.  Now that you have conceived, the hard part is over.  There is no reason that your pregnancy won’t be completely normal.”  We both sighed in relief and locked eyes.

I had to
avert my eyes to the ceiling when Dr. Snyder got ready for the ultrasound.  Lindsay found it amusing that I was squeamish about that.  Lindsay didn’t seem to be in pain, but I could tell from her expression that it wasn’t comfortable.  But I forgot all that when a swishing noise filled the room.  Up on the screen was a lot of black and gray, and I had no idea what I was looking at until Dr. Snyder pointed at the little tiny blob in the middle.

“That’s your baby right there.  And that flicker
ing light is the heartbeat.”  Lindsay’s eyes were wide and quickly filling with tears.  Her expression mirrored mine, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“From the measurements and the date of your last period, I would say you are eight weeks along.  That makes your due date June 8,” Dr. Snyder said
, typing on the keyboard attached to the ultrasound machine.  When the ultrasound was over she flipped on the lights and handed Lindsay the picture of our baby.  She passed it to me, and I studied it intently while Dr. Snyder went over all the pregnancy basics - appointment schedule, acceptable weight gain, foods to avoid.

“It was nice to meet you, Lindsay.  I will see you back here in four weeks,” Dr. Snyder said before leaving the room. 
Lindsay got dressed and came to sit on my lap, so she could look at the picture too.  When I looked at my tiny blob again, I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.

“Can you relax now?” 
I asked, hugging her tight.

“Yes, a little.
  Once I get through the first trimester I will relax even more,” she replied.  We sat there for a few more minutes poring over every fuzzy detail of the picture, even though it looked nothing like an actual baby yet.

I took Lindsay’s hand when we left the office.  “Come on, let’s get you a
nd baby Hawke some breakfast.”

Lindsay

Grady was being weird.  Since Christmas last week he had been texting a lot and going in another room to take phone calls.  I eyed him suspiciously every time, but he would just smile at me like nothing was wrong.  It’s not that I didn’t trust him or think he was cheating or anything.  But he was definitely up to something, and I had a feeling it had to do with our New Year’s Eve party taking place tonight.

Taryn and Wyatt had arrived in town two days ago and were staying with us.  It was the first time they had seen the house.  I was glad to have them since Grady and I had decided to stay in Penn Yan for Christmas.  For New Year’s Eve, we were throwing a party at our house.  Grady said we had a lot to celebrate - entering my second trimester and a New Year and new start together.  I couldn’t agree more.

Grady had shooed
Taryn and I out of the house early this morning right after breakfast.  Taryn didn’t seem grumpy at all at having to get up early (for her), which made me wonder if she was in on whatever it was Grady had planned.  He hadn’t let me be involved in any of the party preparations.  That worried me a lot.  Grady was good at many things, but party planning?  Probably not.

Our first stop was Lana’s house, where we only stayed long enough to pick her up.  Wyatt had stayed behind at the house to help Grady with whatever, so we were being chauffeured by Dominic and Ethan.  Dominic complained about
Taryn and me annoying him with our chatter, but I think he was secretly glad to have us all back together again.  I asked him how his relationship with Selena, Taryn’s stylist, was going.

He just smiled and said, “Good.”  For Dominic to be tight-lipped about a girl must mean he was really into her.

They drove us from Lana’s house to the only nail salon in town.  When we went inside I was surprised to see Leah waiting for us.  “Hi!  What are you doing here?”  I asked, giving her a hug.

“Grady arranged for us all to get our nails done,” Leah explained with a smirk.  Yeah, something was definitely up and I was the only one not in on it.  We started with pedicures, and there were just enough chairs for the f
our of us to sit side by side.  While I was soaking my feet and flipping through the color choices, Taryn leaned over and took them from me.

“I’m choosing your color today, Linz.  Since I know what you’re wearing tonight.”

“How do you know?  I haven’t even decided what I’m wearing yet,” I said confused.

“Oh, you don’t have to decide.  Selena sent a dress for you,”
Taryn replied, pulling out a pale shimmery silver color.  “This color will be perfect.”  It was a color that was more suited for Taryn.  I usually went with brighter or darker colors, especially in the winter.

“Trust me, Lindsay,”
Taryn said.  Grady had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to arrange everything, so I was just going to sit back and enjoy.

Back at my house after getting our nails done and stopping in at a winery for lunch,
Taryn produced a scarf from her purse.  “You have to wear this until we get to your bedroom.  You’re not allowed to see any of the decorations until the party starts,” Taryn said, securing the scarf over my eyes.  I rolled my eyes behind the scarf.

“I have to stay in my room all afternoon?”  I whined.  Actually a nap sounded pretty good.  Even though I was technically in my second trimester of pregnancy, I was still more tired than usual.  I tried to squeeze in a nap whenever I could
, which was pretty much anytime right now.  Fortunately I would be busy with classes when the semester started in two weeks.  And as long as this baby didn’t come early, I would finish up before my due date.  Without work or school, the last couple of months had been pretty boring.  I was looking forward to doing something productive again.  But first, a nap.

I must have been more tired than I though
t, because it was almost 5:00 when Taryn sat on the edge of my bed to wake me up.

“Where’s Grady?”  I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

“He’s downstairs.  You’ll see him later.  Right now it’s time to get you ready.  Go get in the shower,” Taryn ordered.  I noticed she had already curled her hair and done her makeup.  There were two dress bags hanging on the back of the door.

“Are those our dresses?”  I asked, going over to take a peek.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Taryn said, grabbing my arm and redirecting me to the bathroom.  “Shower first.”

After my shower I dried my hair, letting it hang down my back in long loose curls.  I applied my makeup, keeping it light, at
Taryn’s direction.  When I came out of the bathroom, Taryn had already dressed in a sleeveless black lace cocktail dress and strappy black heels.

“Wow, I didn’t know this party was going to be so fancy,” I observed.

“Are you ready for your dress?”  Taryn asked, holding the garment bag in front of her.

“Yes,” I replied.  I watched as
Taryn set a pair of sparkly silver heels in front of me.  When she unzipped the garment bag and pulled out my dress, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand.

“That looks like a…wedding dress,” I whispered, almost afraid to say it in case I was wrong.
  It wasn’t a traditional wedding dress, but it had a soft romantic feel that made me think that’s what it was intended for.  Floor length and strapless, the dress was a pale pink instead of white or ivory.  There was silver and crystal beading around the empire waistline, leaving room for my small baby belly.  The top was ruched, and the skirt was several layers of flowy chiffon.  I had never seen a more beautiful dress, and I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect if I had chosen it myself.

Grady and I had not talked about marriage at all.  I assumed we would get married at some point, but I was thinking more along the lines of after the baby was born. 
Or even just going down to the courthouse one random day.

Taryn
just smiled and hung the dress on a hook on the closet door.  She opened the bedroom door, letting Grady in, and closing it behind her as she went out into the hallway.  Grady looked good, really good.  He was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt, open at the collar, no tie.  His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.  I had never seen him so dressed up, and I really wanted to undress him at the moment.

“Hi,” he said, his eyes sweeping over me.  I was wearing a short robe over my bra and panties, and my legs and feet were bare.

“Hi,” I breathed when he strode over to stand directly in front of me, so close we were almost touching.  He wrapped a strand of my hair around his fingers.

“You’re probably wondering what’s going on,” he leaned down to murmur in my ear.  His breath was warm on my neck and I swayed toward him, bracing my hands on his chest for balance.

“I want to marry you Lindsay…tonight.  We’ve already spent five years apart, and I don’t want to start another year without you by my side.”  Grady lifted one of my hands to his lips, his smoky blue eyes watching for my reaction.

Slowly a smile spread across
my face and I squealed, “Yes!”

He looked extremely relieved
, and I realized he had planned the whole thing without knowing what my reaction would be.  When I was a little girl I dreamed of a huge wedding, somewhere in the city with a long guest list and an extravagant setting.  But right now, the only thing I cared about was tying myself to this man forever.

“I hope you’re not disappointed with a small wedding at home,” Grady began, but I stopped him with a finger to his lips.

“This is perfect, more than perfect.  Honestly I would have gone down to the courthouse with you, so this is a good surprise.”  And it was true.  If I wanted to plan a big splashy affair, I knew I would get my chance with Taryn and Wyatt’s wedding.

With one more kiss to the back of my hand, Grady backed away toward the door.  “Get dressed and meet me downstairs
…Mrs. Hawke.”

When he left
Taryn, came back in holding a small bouquet of ivory roses tied with silver ribbon.  She set them down on the nightstand and took my dress off the hanger.

“So, I take it you said y
es.”

“Of course I did.  This is amazing.  I can’t believe he did all this.”

Taryn smirked.  “He had a little help.  And wait until you see downstairs.  It’s beautiful, Lindsay.”  She started to get a little teary as she zipped up my dress and handed me the flowers.  “I’m so happy for you, Linz.  W ho knew you would beat me to the altar?”

We laughed to keep from crying and she led me out to the hallway, then stopped and turned back.  “Your parents aren’t here.  They…couldn’t make it,” she said nervously. 
Even though my dad and I had somewhat mended fences over Thanksgiving, we hadn’t talked much since.  His intentions were good, but his work was his number one priority.  It always had been.  And my mother, well, that’s a no-brainer that she’s not here.  I had always pictured my dad walking me down the aisle, but it didn’t matter anymore.  The only thing that mattered was that Grady was waiting for me at the end.

“It’s okay.  I think it’s appropriate that I
walk myself down the aisle.”

“No, Linz.  My parents are here.  My dad is waiting at the bottom of the stairs to walk you down the aisle,”
Taryn said and squeezed my arm before leaving me to go take her place next to Leah, and I assumed Josh and Ford would be standing up with Grady.  When I heard the wedding march begin to play, I took that as my cue and walked carefully down the stairs so I wouldn’t fall off my high heels.

The
railing down the stairs was wrapped with evergreen garlands and white lights.  As I neared the bottom of the stairs, I had to stop for a moment and take everything in.  Our normal furniture had been cleared away for two small sections of white chairs on either side of an aisle.  The lights were down low, there was a fire roaring in the fire place, and white and silver candles glowed on every surface.

My uncle James offered me his arm and a warm smile as I stepped off the bottom step.  “You look beautiful, Lindsay.  Thank you for the honor of giving you away,” he said quietly.

“Thank you, Uncle James.  It means so much to me that you and Aunt Rebecca are here for me.”

He patted my hand that was wrapped around his elbow and started us towards the living room. 
The gathering of people was small, but perfect.  Everyone we truly cared about and who cared about us was here to see us get married.

And best of all was Grady
waiting for me at the end of the aisle, in front of the living room windows.  He didn’t look nervous at all.  Instead he was smiling at me like I was the only person in the room.  He always made me feel loved and special, and my hand instinctively dropped to my stomach where our child was growing.  His eyes followed and his smiled widened.  I walked to meet him, my eyes never leaving his.

Handing my bouquet to
Taryn I turned and placed my hands into Grady’s.  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered to me.  I could only smile as a tear escaped to fall down my cheek.  The minister from Lana’s church was there to officiate, and we exchanged our vows.  Grady had chosen a plain wide platinum band for himself.  My ring was a glittering circle of platinum and diamonds.  Just like the dress, I couldn’t have chosen anything more perfect.  A few more tears fell down my cheeks before the short but sweet ceremony was over, and Grady’s eyes were shining as well.

“You may kiss the bride,” the minister said.  Grady pulled me into his arms before the words were out and kissed me.  I threw my arms around his neck in wild abandon and kissed him back with everything I had.  When we finally separated a min
ute later, everyone applauded.

The food and drinks for the party/wedding reception had been catered, and Grady had thought of everything.  “Maybe you should consider a career change.  You would make a great wedding planner,” I teased him later when we were sitting with
Taryn, Wyatt, Leah and Josh.

“Wait until you see what he has planned for the honeymoon,” Josh said, winking at me.

I turned to Grady.  “We’re going on a honeymoon?”  I asked excitedly.  With the surprise of the wedding, I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of a honeymoon.

He brought my hand to his lips and rolled his eyes.  “You think I would plan this whole surprise wedding and not plan a honeymoon too?”  I begged to know where we were going, but he wouldn’t say anything else except that we were leaving
first thing in the morning.  Apparently Taryn had already packed my bags.

I was busy trying to get more info out of Grady when Ford came over to say his goodbyes.  “It’s not even midnight yet,” I said
to him.

Ford ran his hand through his hair, leaving it mussed and sticking up in all directions. 
“Yeah, sorry guys.  I’ve got something to take care of.  Congratulations, I’m really happy for both of you.”

What could he possibly have to take care of on New Year’s Eve at almost
midnight.  “What’s his deal?”  I asked when Ford was gone.  Grady just shook his head, but I could tell that he knew something.

“It’s probably about that girl,” Josh chimed in.  Leah immediately snapped to attention.

“What girl?  Why don’t I know about this girl?”  She asked Josh impatiently.  Leah and I exchanged a glance.  She had been worried about Ford being even more down than usual lately.  I didn’t know him as well, so I wasn’t a good judge of his moods, but Leah was concerned.