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“I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” Annie said, doubtful. “Are you ready, Stevie?”
“Ready! Horses!”
They packed up the diaper bag and walked out to the car together, the tension thick.
“Maybe we should stay home,” Annie said, losing courage. “Or maybe I should, anyway.”
“It’s better for you to be with friends at a time like this. Stress is a killer. You’ll feel better once you’re there with your friends. You can let loose.”
She buckled Stevie into his seat, flicking an errant tear from her cheek.
“I’m going to take the back way around so we can drive by the house.”
“That’s a good idea. I want to get used to going that way. It’s actually shorter in time if not longer in miles.”
He pulled out of her driveway and headed north. They passed Creole Cottage. Dave’s truck wasn’t in the driveway. “He’ll have time to clue them in so we don’t have to give every detail,” Chris said. “We don’t have to talk about it all day.”
Rethinking getting their advice, Annie decided she’d give Katrina and Maggie every detail. It was a good example of how when it came to problems regarding Chris’s family, they could spend hours talking about it with everyone in his circle. But it wasn’t the same when it came time for issues that involved her. Hopefully, she’d have an opportunity to talk to her friends without the men lurking. It was a positive move after all, going to see her friends.
The backroads leading to Bayou Cottage reminded Annie of her youth, of hidden places and activities that were done in private, away from the prying eyes of the adults in their lives. It gave her a chance to change the conversation.
“I wonder if I like it out here just because it’s remote,” she said, grateful for something else to think about. “Did you party a lot when you were a teenager? We used to go to places that remind me of this, to drink and carouse. That hanging moss acted like a veil around the trees, giving young lovers lots of privacy.”
“We had lots of Spanish moss-covered oak trees where I come from, and yes, it provided privacy for a lot of naughty things,” Chris replied, his eyebrows working up and down.
Annie relaxed and they laughed together, sharing stories of their youth.
“Where’d you meet Cindy?” Annie asked, seeking a reprieve from thinking about her son.
“I’m sure I told you this already. We went to the same high school. Everyone paired off. It doesn’t sound very romantic, but that’s the way it was. She was attractive and was attracted to me so that was good enough. We got married right out of high school.”
“Why did you join the Air Force, then?” She already knew the story but wanted to hear him talk about his past, about his marriage.
“My folks were good people, but they didn’t see the value in higher education. I hated community college and I could see that I was going to waste my money when I skipped classes, so I signed up for the military. Cindy was livid and now that I look back at it, I can see why. I should have consulted with her first.”
“It’s so hard to be in a relationship. People have different expectations. Steve and I didn’t know each other, and when we got married and our flaws showed up, it was too much for either one of us. I think the final demise happened when he couldn’t stand my pregnant belly. It was a huge turnoff for him, and when someone thin and pretty looked in his direction, it never occurred to him that it was wrong to pursue it.”
“I’m sorry,” Chris said.
“I know you’ve heard the story already.”
“Well, not all of it. Not the part about the pregnant belly.” He reached over and smoothed his hand across her flat stomach. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant.”
“Yes, you can,” she said, grimacing.
He took her hand and kissed it, while in the back, little Stevie ran his Matchbox car up and down the sides of his car seat. Chris loved the little boy already.
“I wish I had met you before,” Chris said. “I mean before we were involved with other people. But considering I’m so much older than you, that isn’t realistic.”
“We’ll just have to adjust,” Annie said. “You have your baggage and I have mine. For some reason, the universe decided to have both sides act up now. It’s too much.”
“I wish we could just move into the new house and be done with everything else.”
“Well, that might not happen as quickly as you want because we need to work out the logistics of your boys.”
He glanced over at her. “You mean because they’re talking about moving in?”
“Yes. If they were little boys, or even teens, I’d be like, okay, this I can deal with. But they’re grown men, Chris. I don’t want to live with three grown men.”
