Summer Unplugged: The Beginning Of Forever Part 3

Chapter 6.

"I really think I should be driving," Becca says after a particularly annoying driver cut in front of me on the highway and I had to slam on the brakes.

"I'm a good driver," I say, rolling my eyes. "That idiot is just a bad driver."

"Should pregnant people be driving? I think I should drive." Becca eyes my steering wheel as if by pure will power alone, she can make it lift out of my hands and move over to her side of my car.

"I'm fine," I say for the millionth time on this car trip. I'm tempted to slam on the brakes again just to mess with her, but Jace would kill me if he saw me treating my car badly. He's always going on and on about taking care of the engine and what not. And since he is technically my mechanic, I should listen to him. I glance in my rearview mirror, hoping to see his truck behind me on the road. It's no surprise that all the cars behind me aren't him.

After Becca had made that comment about my son being her future ring bearer, I realized that I would need a ring bearer as well. So as soon as I called my mom to tell her about my plan to ask my ten year old brother Bentley to be in my wedding, she insisted that we meet up so I can ask him in person.

It sounds legitimate enough, but I'm not fooled. I think she's just trying to look for any excuse to hang out with me. She doesn't really admit it, but I know she misses me since I moved out. And although we used to b.u.t.t heads all time, now things are different. I've gotten older and she's become more laid back. She and David eloped recently and she's never been happier. She's cool. I never ever thought I would say that about my mom, but it's true. My mother is cool.

We agreed to meet up at the Woodberry Mall which is the halfway point between Lawson and Mixon and home of the awesome smoothie place. Since Jace was at work, he said he'd meet us there as soon as he gets finished. So he's probably an hour away for all I know, but I can't stop looking into my mirror, hoping I'll see him on the road.

Gosh, I'm a freaking love sick lunatic.

"Do you think it's natural to be so in love with someone that all you do is think about them constantly?"

"Where'd that come from?" Becca asks, looking up from her cell phone.

I shrug. "Just wondering if I'm crazy for missing Jace all the d.a.m.n time. Seriously, I miss him every time he's gone. Sometimes I miss him when he's getting ready for work because it means he's about to be gone. Something is wrong with me. I should be an independent woman and all that..."

Becca shakes her head. "Nothing is wrong with you, Bay. You're in love. That's a good thing. Now, are you trying to get a speeding ticket, or are you so in love with Jace that you can't realize you're going ten over the limit?"

Mom waves her smoothie at us as we approach the smoothie shop. Bentley is deeply involved with his Nintendo DS so he doesn't even notice us arrive. Mom hugs me, squeezing me so close to her that I can smell her shampoo. It's a different brand than the kind we used when I lived there. Probably because Mom never cared about that kind of thing and always grabbed the cheapest stuff on the shelf, whereas I have to have the silky and sleek shampoo, otherwise my hair is an awful fuzz ball.

Becca and I order smoothies. Green tea for her and angel food cake for me. Hey, I'm pregnant, okay? I deserve this. Mom slides over closer to the wall when I approach so I sit by her and Becca takes a spot near Bentley, who, for all I know, still hasn't noticed our arrival.

"How was the drive?" she asks, leaning forward in her seat. We're in a corner booth at the front of the shop. It has an excellent view of the sidewalk so I should be able to see Jace the second he gets here.

"Mom, you act like it's some kind of three day road trip or something. It's just an hour."

She rolls her eyes. "That's still a long drive. I'm just making sure you're okay."

It is so weird how things are between us now. It's almost like we're...friends. Becca sips on her smoothie and nudges Bentley in the shoulder. He looks up from his game and his expression goes from mildly annoyed to bashful in about two seconds. He's only ten years old, but it's obvious he has a crush on Becca.

"Bayleigh has something to ask you," Becca says, winking at him. He looks at me expectantly. I shake my head. "No, I can't ask until Jace gets here. I don't want him to miss out."

"Jace is coming?" His wide eyes sparkle with antic.i.p.ation at this news. I nod and he bursts into a grin. "Awesome."

My brother is one of the only people I know who loves Jace just because he's a great guy and not because he's a famous motocross racer. There are a ton of cool things about my fiance's fame, but a major downside is that he can't really know who is his friend because they truly like him or if they just want to rub elbows with someone who makes them look cool. Jace always says he has three people he can trust: his mom, me and Park. Then last Christmas when he spent the entire holiday break with my family, he added Bentley to that short list of trustworthy people after, on the fifth day of Bentley being completely obsessed with how cool Jace is, somebody asked Jace for his autograph at the mall and my brother asked why.

Once Jace realized Bentley knew nothing about professional motocross and only liked him because of who he was as a person, my adorable little brother got added to the list.

Sometimes I wonder if Jace would have still dated me or even been friends with me if I had known who he was when we first met. Somehow, I doubt it. But the feeling makes me ache in all sorts of ways so I put the idea out of my mind and focus on my family.

"So what's been up, Mom? Where's David?"

"He's working," she says with a sigh that doesn't sound like she's upset about it. She still smiles when she talks about him which lets me know that their love is still running strong. "But enough about us, Bayleigh. How's the wedding planning?"

I shrug and Becca's jaw drops to the floor. "Bay! Don't just shrug like it's nothing! We've put a lot of work into this wedding already," she says to my mom. "Bayleigh has her dress and we have the engagement photos scheduled for tomorrow and she's pretty sure she wants a cupcake cake, and"

"Cupcake cake?" Mom asks, lifting an eyebrow. "Like a cake that's shaped like a cupcake?"

Becca and I exchange glances. Mom is clearly not on Pinterest, or even remotely in touch with modern times. I try to explain it to her while Becca jumps on her phone to pull up her Pinterest app.

"It's like a bunch of cupcakes that are arranged on a tiered stand to look like the shape of a regular wedding cake. We can't decide on square or circular, but I think I like square the best."

"Are they all squished together to make a cake?" Mom asks. It's all I can do not to laugh. Luckily, Becca has the image pulled up on her phone now. She shows it to my mom. "Ahh," she says, nodding. "That looks awesome! Are you going to do pink icing like that?"

"No, I was thinking purple and turquoise as the wedding colors," I say. "Like maybe alternating each cupcake with a different color."

"Or swirling the icing colors together!" Becca says.

"That would look awesome!" I say, imagining fluffy icing in deep purple and turquoise colors swirled together.

"What would look awesome?" We all look up to see Jace standing at our booth, double chocolate smoothie in his hand. I stand up so hard I b.u.mp my knees on the table and promptly collapse back into the booth.

"When did you get here?" I ask. Mom quickly follows my question with one of her own. "How on earth did you have time to get a smoothie without us noticing?"

He slides into the booth next to me and Mom, placing a quick kiss on my cheek before answering. "Ya'll were pretty involved in whatever you're talking about. I waved but no one saw me."

"We're talking about cakes shaped like cupcakes," Bentley says.

Jace nods as if that doesn't sound completely weird. "I don't see why we can't just have a wedding cake shaped like a life sized dirt bike."

"Jace Adams," I say with a pretend sigh. "Everything is not about dirt bikes!"

"Uh, yeah it is," he says, sticking out his tongue at me. Bentley lifts his hand and Jace fists b.u.mps it as if they're a part of this secret boy world that only the two of them understand. All the women at the table roll their eyes.

"Boys..." Becca says.

"So I have a question to ask my favorite little brother," I say.

"I'm your only little brother," Bentley shoots back.

"And that means you're the one who gets this great honor," I say, holding my hand to my chest. "Will you be my ring bearer?"

He's silent for a beat and then he looks from me to Jace. His bottom lip slips under his teeth and he sits there, looking a little confused. "A ring bearer is the boy who brings the ring down the aisle in a wedding," I explain. "You'll get to hold the rings on a pillow or something and bring them to us. You'll be a part of the wedding."

Jace drums his fingers on the table. "What's wrong, little dude?"

Bentley stares at the table. "I thought the ring bearer was for babies. Aren't I too old for it?"

My heart sinks. My brother doesn't want to be in my wedding. And worse, he's insulted that I offered him a so-called baby role. It takes me a minute to realize that not only is Jace talking, but he doesn't even sound concerned. "Nah, dude," he says. "Ring bearers just have to be younger than the bride, but there's no age limit for it. Besides, the rings are very expensive and I don't trust anyone but you to carry them, so I was really hoping you could do me this favor."

Bentley's demeanor changes instantly. He looks up from the table and looks at Jace. "Okay. I can do it."

"Really?" I say, feeling a little less anxious. "Are you sure? It would mean a lot to me."

He nods. "Yeah, I'll do it. Do I get to wear a suit?"

"Totally," Jace says before I can answer. "You can come pick one out when I get mine."

My brother's little eyes light up. "Cool! Mom, will you take me?"

Mom's eyes sweep to the left and she stares into the distance as if she's trying to visualize her schedule to see when she can take him. Jace shakes his head. "I'll come get you. You can ride with me and my best man. We'll get matching suits and we'll look bada.s.s." He holds up a hand and Bentley slaps him a high five.

I sip my angel food smoothie and stare up at Jace as he smiles and chats with my brother. He is the greatest man on earth and for some crazy reason, he's mine. I love how he can turn any situation into a good one without even batting an eye. It's like his brain never developed the part that makes you freak out. I hope our kid inherits his ability to stay calm and solve problems logically. I hope our kid inherits everything about him.

Chapter 7.

Becca, in her ever growing fears of having some kind of gluten allergy, spends the rest of the day lying on my couch complaining of stomach pains. It really puts a damper on our shopping and wedding prep plans, but I don't complain because I know she feels bad enough and she doesn't need to feel even worse about it.

"So what exactly is wrong with you?" I tilt my head and look at her from my place on the couch's arm rest. "You don't look sick."

She grabs her stomach. "My stomach hurts. It's hard to explain...it's like it just hurts but it's a different type of hurt than a regular stomach ache."

"Can I do anything for you?"

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry for ruining our day. I'll be better in like five hours so maybe we can do something tonight?"

"Sure," I say, tossing a couch pillow at her. The sound of Jace's house key shoving into the lock startles me. He's not normally home so early. I rush over and pull open the door for him. He's smiling and practically bouncing on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet.

I poke him in the stomach. "What's going on with you, mister happy face?"

"I had two clients cancel," he says. "I'm glad you're home. I was thinking I could take all of us out for dinner? Becca?" His eyebrows furrow when he sees her clenching her stomach and wincing in pain.

"I'm sick," she says. "Ya'll go without me."

"Are you sure?" Jace asks at the same time I say, "No way. I'm not leaving you."

She waves her hand at me. "No, ya'll go. Have fun. Seriously!" She smiles. "You have prime cable here, so I'm all set."

I roll my eyes, hand her the remote control and give her a hug. "Alright, Jace. Where are we going?"

Perry's Steakhouse is an upscale restaurant that was probably designed for entertaining celebrities and not normal people like us. Of course, one person in my relationship can actually be considered a celebrity, and he's standing next to me acting as if this isn't scary.

We're waiting in line at the hostess station behind two middle-aged couples. Their outfits alone probably cost more than my car. And here I am in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, flats I bought from Payless and a navy blue sweater. Jace wears jeans too, but he makes them look fancy just by being himself. He's wearing a black b.u.t.ton up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, showing off his muscular forearms. Only they can't be seen right now because he's also wearing his black leather jacket, which I am completely and totally in love with.

I tug at the zipper of Jace's jacket. "Why did you insist on coming here again? We don't fit in here."

"Because you've never had a volcano," he whispers, leaning down so I can hear him. This volcano better be as great as he says it is, because we drove an hour to get to this place and now I'm feeling totally awkward about it. I swear people are staring at us. And besides, since when is Jace so ridiculously excited about desserts?

We move forward one place in line and it occurs me for the first time that I have no idea why Jace likes the volcano dessert at Perry's Steakhouse. He started talking about it a few days ago when I was making a bowl of ice cream and covered it with enough chocolate syrup to drown a small village. He had said that this restaurant had the greatest dessert in the world and that as soon as he had a break from work, he was going to take me.

A sick feeling climbs up into my throat as we reach the hostess stand and Jace requests a table for two. How many times has he done this before? With other girls? Is the Perry's Steakhouse volcano dessert his way to impress other dates?

And if so, why did it take him over a year to bring me here?

The hostess smiles and greets us the way she greeted everyone before us, so I guess that's a good sign. It's not like she recognized Jace and asked him what happened to his other girlfriends... I roll my eyes despite myself as she takes us to our seat. Of course that wouldn't happen. That kind of stuff only happens in movies. In all reality, this is a fancy place with respect for its guests so even if she did recognize him, even if he came in here every other week with a new woman on his arm, she probably wouldn't have said anything at all. Ugh, sometimes I really over think things.

Jace lifts an eyebrow as he sits across from me at our table. I realize he's been talking this whole time and I hadn't heard a word of it. I smile and nod, hoping that's a satisfactory answer.

"Were you even listening?"

"Mhm." I take a sip of water and look over my menu, which is flocked with gold print on a velveteen paper. Jace gives me a look that says he's not buying it. "So you're perfectly fine with postponing the wedding until next year?"

"Totally," I say as I skim the list of appetizers, not knowing what half of those fancy dishes actually are. "Wait." I look up as realization of what he just said comes to me a little later than it probably should have. "You're postponing the wedding?"

Jace bursts out laughing. He points his finger at me. "I knew you weren't listening."

I hit him with my menu, but you know, in a quiet way that doesn't draw any attention to me. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Well you're giving me a heart attack by not paying attention. What's going on in that mind of yours?"

I shake my head. "Nothing."

"It is so not nothing."

I can't tell him that I've been obsessively wondering how many other girls he's brought here. Jace is a pretty understanding guy and he's put up with my crazy fears for over a year now, but I can't possibly tell him this. So I take the easy way out and smile. "It's nothing, Jace. I'm just a little overwhelmed with all the wedding stuff."

"Well don't be. It's supposed to be fun."

I blink and take another sip of my water. Holy c.r.a.p, I can't believe he bought that. Jace's ability to read me like a book has taken a huge step backward. Or maybe I've just gotten better at hiding my insane insecurities. I'm feeling proud of myself as I look over the menu, trying to find something to order that I both know how to p.r.o.nounce and would like to eat. I know there's a smug smile on my face, but I don't care.

"I think I'll order the coconut shrimp," I say a few moments later. "With....sweet potato fries? And ranch to dip them in."

"You are the weirdest," Jace says with that little adoring smile he gets when he thinks I'm doing something weird but not so weird that it creeps him out. "Oh, you're not off the hook, by the way. I'm going to find out what's actually bothering you. I'll just wait until after dinner."

I roll my eyes, keeping my face calm and my tone serene. "You're cute, Jace. But I'm fine. You're thinking way too much here." I shake my head like I just can't believe how silly he's being and then go back to the menu. "I guess I'll stick with the coconut shrimp. It's hard to choose since I haven't been here before. I guess it's easier for you because you've been here a million times though."

If my voice had any hint of disdain in it, I didn't mean it. Or...maybe I did. Jace shakes his head. "I've only been here twice, and both times I got the steak, so I'm sticking with it this time as well."