Unbroken Promises (32 page)

“Okay, now lean up.”

Beth did and the pleasure of it made her eyes close. The tub was big enough for him to be able to reach all spots thoroughly.

“Okay, now it’s your turn. Lean forward so I can wash your back,” Beth said as she turned and knelt in front of him.

Jesse smiled a beaming smile and he did as she asked. Beth began bathing him in the same gentle way.

“Jesse, how are we going to face everyone? I am so embarrassed. Everyone is going to know what we’ve been doing. It didn’t bother me when you would kiss me in front of them, but this is totally different.”

“I know, I am 27 and, all of a sudden, I feel like a green kid getting caught with my fir-, with my hand in the cookie jar.”

“Cookie jar, huh?” Beth said and poked him in the ribs. “Well, I know daddy is going to be just as uncomfortable as we are if not more so. We need to just get dressed and go on out and get it over with.”

“Your wish is my command.”

It was noon by the time they finally made it into the big house. Susan and Momma Bately were busy getting the food ready for dinner.

“Where’s daddy?” Beth said as she saw everyone there but him.

“Oh, he said he wouldn’t be here for dinner. He told us to go ahead and eat without him,” Susan said but she was smiling and shaking her head.

Beth and Jesse both knew they were right in saying he would be more embarrassed than they were. Jesse burst out laughing. “Sue, where is he? I’ll go get him.” Susan was laughing, too. “I think he said something about checking on a horse that had gotten hurt.”

“I see,” Jesse said with one eyebrow raised.

Jesse left and returned a few minutes later with a red-faced Jordon. Beth immediately walked up and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Good afternoon, daddy. How’s the horse doing?”

“Oh, he’s gonna be fine. He was limping yesterday, but he seems fine today. Doc, here, said he was going to be fine anyway.”

“I know that’s a relief. Was it one of your riding horses or one of the ones you sell for speed?” Beth said, trying to act as normal as possible.

“It was one of the ropin’ horses, which is more valuable to me.”

“Alright, everyone, dinner is served. Everyone take a seat,” Susan said.

Beth and Jesse sat together but they acted as if nothing was different between the two of them and no one asked any questions. She knew it was because everyone knew how uncomfortable Jordon was with the thought of her being married.

Beth was beginning to show. She was a little over three months. She had a small bulge, but you couldn’t tell unless she had a tight shirt on. No one around the house suspected anything.

She always wore loose tops or a sweatshirt. Her pants and skirts were starting to get a little snug so she had to undo the top button.

Jesse was a wonderful, caring husband. Everytime she got sick, he was right there beside her wiping her face and soothing her. Then he would help her back to bed. She was embarrassed at first, but she was so sick she allowed him to pamper her.

At four months Beth’s sickness subsided. She still had a long way to go. Susan only had a short time left. The doctor was watching her closely to decide whether to take the babies early or not. She and Jordon were so sweet the way they were acting toward each other. Jordon pampered Susan almost to the point of smothering her. You could tell he was very worried.

They were all ready for the twins’ appearance for his sake alone. He was a nervous wreck, but he was also driving everyone else crazy with his constant worry.

One cold foggy morning Jesse asked Beth if she wanted to ride with him to the sporting goods store. She hadn’t been out of the house in so long that she agreed to go. Although she wasn’t into sports, Beth knew Jesse probably saw a new gun or something he wanted to buy.

She just bought him one a few of weeks before for Christmas but his collection continued to grow.

They shopped about an hour when he decided to leave. It had just started pouring down rain when they walked out. Jesse told Beth to wait inside while he went and got the truck. It took him awhile because a car had stalled behind his truck and he couldn’t back out.

Beth didn’t know what was taking so long so she decided to go and see. As soon as she walked to the exit door, a strong gust of rain and wind blew against her spraying rain in her eyes.

Beth tugged the collar of her shirt up to wipe the water out of her eyes. When she looked up again, Clay was standing in front of her.

Beth could tell he was surprised to see her, but he looked more as if he were seeing an apparition. Then Beth noticed he wasn’t looking at her face. When Beth followed to where his eyes were staring, she noticed they were staring at her stomach. Her wet shirt was plastered against her skin.

“Beth, how far along are you?”

Beth closed her eyes. This could not be happening. Not now. “I’m about fo-four months.”

“How many weeks?”

“Clay, why are you asking such questions? You haven’t even said hello,” Beth said shakily.

“You are right; that was rude of me. Come over here out of the rain. You’re getting soaked,” Clay said as he took Beth’s arm and gently pulled her back into the store.

“Let me start again,” Clay said as he took her hand and held it. “Hello, Beth. It’s good to see you. I’ve really missed you. You know, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left. I kept hoping you would call and tell me you were ready to start seeing me. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been doing good, wonderful. Did you hear I got married?”

“Yes, I was told as soon as I got into town. I was disappointed that I didn’t hear the news from you. Why didn’t you call and let me know? I thought we were friends, more than friends.

And I won’t lie and say it didn’t hurt when I heard the news.”

“Clay, you’ve always known how I felt about Jesse. I have never lied or misled you.”

“I know, but I thought we may have had a chance when he slept with Becky.”

“That wasn’t nice, Clay,” Beth scolded lightly. It still hurt her when those old memories came to life.

Clay closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, Beth, I just hoped that one day you and I would… Well, never mind.”

Beth was about to speak again when she saw Jesse through the door. She didn’t want a scene. Most likely, they would both act like adults, but she didn’t want to take a chance of Clay getting hurt. She still thought of him as one of her best friends.

“I have to go now, Clay”

Clay pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. “Beth, call me.”

“I can’t,” Beth said as she pulled free and started walking toward Jesse.

“Then I will call you.”

“Okay, okay I’ll call. Are you staying at your cousin’s?”

“Yes. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Jesse had been watching them talk from outside the window. He wondered why Beth didn’t walk out when he pulled up. So he left his truck in the “no parking zone” to go see what was wrong. When he got close enough to see through the window, his temper quickly spiked. He stood still and watched the two embrace. He had to restrain himself from not running over and ripping the guy’s head off. If they weren’t standing in a public place with kids around, he wouldn’t have stopped himself. He started in their direction when Beth broke away from Clay and started walking towards him.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Beth said when she got close to him. Jesse’s eyes were as hard as steel when he nodded. Beth walked passed him and out the door.

Jesse stood a few moments staring at Clay who was staring back, each one loathing the other.

When Beth noticed Jesse wasn’t right behind her, she stepped back in.

“Let’s go, Jesse, your illegally parked!” She would have said anything to get him out of that store. She went straight to the truck and climbed in. She prayed he was right behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief when he got in, cranked it up, and drove off.

He waited until they were on the main road before he spoke.

“What did he have to say?” Jesse said casually, but Beth could tell he was mad; and, if she told him the truth, he was going to be furious.

“He said he was glad to see me and asked how I’ve been doing.”

“Anything else?”

“He said he heard I got married.”

“Anything else?

“No…I believe that about covers it.”

“I see,” Jesse said with tight lips.

“Oh crap,” Beth thought. How he knew everytime she wasn’t completely honest, she’d never know. She had lied to him when she was younger but she didn’t want lies in their marriage. “H-he knows I’m pregnant and he wanted to know how many weeks I am.”

“Son of a bitch!” Jesse cursed. “What did you tell him?”

“What did you want me to tell him? I changed the subject to avoid saying exactly how far along I am. Jesse, if he does find out how many weeks I am, he is going to believe this baby is his.”

“You are not to speak to him again. Is that understood?”

“Jesse,” Beth sighed. “I have to speak to him, I have already told him I would.”

“You did what?” Jesse growled.

“Jesse, I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he already suspects the baby is his.

If I avoid him, it will only increase his suspicion. Do you want him to believe I’m carrying his child?”

“I believe you know the answer to that,” Jesse snarled. “I’m going to kick his ass.”

“No, please,” Beth said panicking now. “Clay is my friend, Jesse. I don’t want you to hurt him. What good would it do? It wouldn’t change the fact that he thinks I’m carrying his child.”

“Is that why you let him hug you because he’s your friend?”

“It was an innocent hug; you make it sound as if…”

“As if it wasn’t four months ago you laid cuddled up with him on a pallet in his tent.”

“Jesse, what do you want me to do?” Beth said wearily.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Beth was crying now, which made Jesse madder because he knew it was because she didn’t want him to hurt her friend.

“You can relax, Beth. I’m not going to hurt him. I am just going to talk to him and set everything straight, but I meant what I said. I don’t want you talking to him again. Do you understand?”

“Why can’t I talk to him again if you get all this straight? I’ve never asked you to stop talking to Donna.”

“No, Beth, you haven’t; but you don’t have the visions of me and Donna like I have of you and Clay.”

Beth didn’t even dignify that with a reply. She could have told him she had an ample supply of visions, but she was tired of arguing. She just wanted to go home and go to bed.

Jesse got Clay’s phone number and called him. Clay agreed to meet with him. They made plans to meet at a little coffee shop in town.

When Clay walked into the quiet coffee shop, which smelled of brewed coffee and baking croissants, Jesse sat back with folded arms and looked him up and down. After seeing his deliberate swagger, he thought, he’s still a cocky bastard.

Jesse decided to be as peaceful as he could for Beth’s sake. He held out his hand when Clay walked over to the table. Clay shook his hand and sat down. Jesse didn’t want to sit around and chitchat with this man so he got straight to the point.

“I want to solve the mystery of the night in question. After you and Beth drank your cousin’s spiked punch, you thought you made love to her, but you didn’t. I’m the one who walked in the tent that night and took Beth’s virginity.”

Clay was not as passive as Jesse. “Why, you sorry bastard! Is that the only way you could get her, by raping her while she was drugged?”

Jesse’s composure of being nonviolent was weakening fast. “Listen, I promised my wife I wouldn’t break your freakin’ neck. I came here to set the record straight. No man has been with my wife except me. The baby is mine. The reason you had the blood on you is because I wiped it on you after I made love to her. You were so ‘out of it’ you couldn’t have done anything even if she would have let you.”

“You mean like she let you,” Clay said scathingly.

“Yeah, like she let me. Beth told me she knew it was me all along. She even kept my chest hairs as a keepsake,” Jesse said with a smirk.

“You know you don’t deserve her. You’ve done nothing but break her heart. It won’t take you long to pick up your old ways and break her heart again. And when you do…I’ll be waiting to mend it for her.”

“If you ever touch my wife, I’ll kill you.”

“You don’t scare me, old man,” Clay said as he got up. “Oh yeah, tell Beth that I love her.

And tell her thanks for all the good times, picnics and campouts.” Clay grinned and laughed arrogantly then turned and left.

It was all Jesse could do not to beat Clay within an inch of his life. He shattered his coffee mug before he realized how tense he was. He grabbed a couple of napkins to stop the bleeding.

He laid money down with his other hand and walked out.

Beth was a nervous wreck. She paced the front porch waiting for Jesse to get home. When he pulled up, she ran out to meet him before he had a chance to get out of the truck.

“Well, how did it go?” She asked nervously through the open window. Then she saw his bloody hand on the steering wheel. “Oh, my God. What happened, Jesse?”

“Are you worried about me or are you worried about your camping buddy?”

“Jesse, that’s not fair and you know it. Of course, I’m worried about you, but I’ve seen you fight before. You could kill Clay if you wanted to.”

“I’m not invincible, Beth. I can’t stop a bullet and a knife can kill me just as easily the next man.”

Jesse knew he was being mean, but all he’d seen so far from her was concern for Clay. After he said what he did, he noticed she turned pale. Then, before he could get out of the truck, she crumpled to the ground. She was so close to the door he was afraid he would hit her with it so he climbed out of the passenger side and ran around the truck to get to her.

When he reached her, he gathered her up in his arms. He didn’t want to holler for help because he was afraid that, if Susan ran out and saw Beth, she would most likely pass out, too.

After a minute or so, Beth tried to regain consciousness. Jesse picked her up and carried her to their apartment through the outside entrance. When he laid her on the bed, she tried to sit up.