Cowboy Town (22 page)
“I don’t think you’ll be having any more issues with her, that’s for sure,” Ava chuckles.
It is karaoke night at The Cow & Calf and the bar is packed. I’m behind the bar with Doreen and Bear and we’re run off our feet. Actually, I’m not so much “run off my feet” as I am “
waddled
off my feet”.
Jackson is sitting on a stool at the end of the bar, next to him is Jeremy and it reminds me of the first time I saw him. It was my first ever shift at the pub. He was sitting in that exact spot with his brother next to him. I still get that zap of electricity every time he touches me.
Throughout the night the microphone is popular and we’re subjected to screeching, droning, high pitched, off-key renditions of
Mustang Sally, The Gambler, Achy Breaky Heart, Bringing Sexy Back, Summer of ’69
, a really funny but totally un-sexy version of
Genie In A Bottle
and a god-awful, slur-riddled but hilariously funny duet performance of
Paradise By The Dashboard Lights
.
Suddenly a genius idea springs to mind. I glance around the bar during a lull in service to make sure no one is waiting to be served and then quickly waddle to the other side of the bar to put my plan in action. Once I’ve organized it on that side, I come back behind the bar and run it by Doreen.
“Knock yourself out, love. Can’t be any worse than what I’ve already heard tonight,” she chuckles.
“Thanks.” I get back to serving and await my signal.
Not too long later, I get the signal so I make my way to the microphone. I go unnoticed as I take my seat on the hard plastic stool. Grabbing the microphone, I try to control the shaking in my hands as I wait for the music to start. I hear the strum of the guitar and then I start to sing
Alanis Morissette’s Head Over Feet
.
I lock my eyes on Jackson’s back, waiting for him to realize it’s me. It doesn’t take him long. He turns in his stool, his mouth agape as he listens to the words I hope will reach his soul, as they come straight from mine.
I had no choice but to hear you.
You stated your case time and again,
I thought about it.
You treat me like I'm a princess,
I'm not used to liking that,
You ask how my day was.
You've already won me over in spite of me,
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet,
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are,
I couldn't help it,
It's all your fault.
When I finish singing Jackson is right there, sweeping me into his arms he dips me right back and kisses me deep. He has to stand off to the side to accommodate my swollen stomach, but he holds me securely and supports my weight. Sliding his tongue into my mouth, he tastes every inch of mine. My lips meld perfectly into his as our mouths make love. He pulls back slightly, but his lips are still touching mine as he murmurs, “I love you, Ace.”
“I love you, too,” I reply. I vaguely hear the patrons cheering, clapping and hollering things like, “Get a room,” but I don’t care. I’m right where I want to be. In the arms of a man I truly love, who loves me back just the same.
We arrive home from the karaoke night just after one a.m. I decide to have a nice hot bath to soothe my aching feet. Every piece of my body from my big toe to my head looks swollen slightly and being on my feet all night doesn’t help. So while I’m sad that tonight was my last shift, I’m also relieved.
“You alright in there, Ace?” Jackson calls from our bedroom.
“Yeah, just going to take a bath,” I shout my reply.
“Right-o, darlin’. I’ll meet you in bed.”
I lie back and close my eyes, enjoying the soothing heat as it relaxes my muscles. I feel the tension ebb from my body.
Suddenly, I feel something ‘
pop
’ immediately before an excruciating pain tears through my abdomen. A noise escapes my throat as I turn in the bath, clutching my stomach. Tears spring to my eyes and flow over. Another pain rips through. The water has turned a dull pink colour and I realize my waters must have broken.
“Jackson,” I groan.
“Jackson!”
I shriek.
“What? What? What’s wrong?” He yells as he comes running from the bedroom. Entering the bathroom, he takes one look at me and curses, “Oh fuck! Are you in labour? Oh fucking fucking
fuck
.” He starts pacing, back and forward in front of me. “We have to get you to hospital,” he shouts, like
‘Eureka!’
“Help me out,” I pant, then I cry out as yet another pain shoots through. There’s no break in between pains. They are coming thick and fast. Constant.
Relentless.
Fuck, it hurts.
“Oh god, baby. I know it hurts, I know,” Jackson tries to soothe me, but his words are laced with panic. He helps me stand up, but as soon as I do gravity takes over and I feel the urge to bear down.
I double over and make a weird growling noise.
“C’mon, darlin’, we got to get you to hospital,” Jackson encourages.
“We don’t have time. Ring the ambulance,” I rush out before another pain hits.
“What do you mean, we don’t have time?” Jackson looks pale.
“
Ring an ambulance!”
I scream.
“What’s the number?” He shouts back, clearly panicked and stressed to the maximum. “I got it! I got it,” he heaves a breath of relief.
He stays on the line with operator as I continue to growl through the pain. “I’ve got to push,” I groan my words as my body’s natural instinct takes over.
I hear Jackson rushing around muttering things like ‘towels, warm blankets’ and other things I can’t make out. He comes back in and follows the operator’s instruction.
“Open your legs, darlin’,” he says, appearing much calmer than before.
I let me legs fall open wide. “Yep, yep, I can see it,” he answers the operator. “Okay, darlin’, the lady says you can push when you need to,” he tells me.
Like I could stop it.
With the next contraction, I push with all my might. I fear I may burst a blood vessel in my head - I pushed
that
hard. A noise escapes my throat that sounds somewhat like a strangled cat as the most painful burning sensation rips apart my vagina.
“The head! I can see the head. It’s out. The head is out,” Jackson is shouting into the phone. “Okay, okay. Yep, I’m supporting the head.” He’s got the phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder blade and his two hands are between my legs. A few seconds later, another pain forces me to push again. I feel my baby slide out with a gush of liquid and the pain is gone. Gone. G.O.N.E.
Gone.
“It’s a girl!” He yells.
I have a daughter.
I let out a sigh of relief and close my eyes briefly. They spring open again when I hear the most beautiful shrill sound I’ve ever heard.
My baby’s first cry
.
Jackson is still talking to the operator and following her instruction. He wraps our daughter and places her on my chest. She’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. With a shock of dark hair and olive skin, she’s the spitting image of her father. A sob escapes my throat as the feeling of a love I’ve never known overwhelms my body.
I hear Jackson say, “They’re here,” in to receiver just before two ambulance officers enter the open bathroom door. They take me and the baby to hospital while Jackson follows in the car.
“Isn’t she just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” I gush to Jackson as we sit ogling our new daughter in our hospital room.
“She’s as beautiful as her mum, that’s for sure. I’m the luckiest man alive.” I stop looking at our baby and focus my eyes on him when I hear him choke back a sob.
“Honey,”
“Thank you for having her. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for everything. I’m so proud of you, darlin’. You did such a good job. I’m just … I’m just so proud of you.”
“Oh, honey,” I start to cry.
“Was planning on giving you this when you came to bed, but someone decided to gatecrash my party,” a burst of laughter escapes his lips.
“Giving me what?”
“This,” he says, holding up a black velvet ring box. He opens it up and there sits a beautiful emerald cut diamond which is surrounded by smaller diamonds. Even the band is diamonds.
“Oh my god,” I whisper.
“I love you Edie. Every day you show me a love that I never knew existed. Now you’ve given me the most precious gift in the world. You are my everything. You’re the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I think of at night. You’re my every star in the sky. I want to protect and love you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?” Tears are streaming down both of our faces as he spills his words.
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you,” I sob.
“Was that romantic enough?” His voice is muffled by my hair.
I laugh, “That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever experienced. Thank you,” I kiss his lips.
“So, do you want to know her name?” Jackson asks.
“Yes. I’m dying over here,” I mutter.
“I want to call her after my great grandmother, Olive. What do you think?” He asks nervously.
“Olive,” I repeat. “I like it. We can call her Liv, Livvy or Olly for short. Olive Rose Henley. I love it.”
A short time later, I lay little Olive back in her crib after she’s had a feed. Jackson is snoring softly in the chair beside my bed and I take a moment to think of my parents. I know they’re looking down and they’d love Olive as much as we do. I’m sure they will be her guardian angels and look out for her. Then I think of Jules. She had wanted to be in the delivery room with me when I gave birth so she’s going to get a shock when she arrives in a few hours to find I’ve already had the baby.
I look back over at my handsome fiancé and I’m glad I took the chance to live again with no regrets. I know now without a doubt that the love I feel for Jackson is worth all the vulnerability and risk in the world.
When the winds of destiny blew with the fury of a hurricane, I never expected them to take this city girl to a Cowboy Town and straight into the arms of the country boy of her dreams. But, I’m so glad they did.
“There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be...” John Lennon
Look out for Ava & Jeremy’s story, coming soon in Sky Cowboy.
Add Sky Cowboy to your Want to Read shelf on Goodreads.com
www.facebook.com/authorkaseymillstead
www.twitter.com/kaseymillstead
Goodreads.com – Kasey Millstead
If you liked Cowboy Town, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT FROM SKY COWBOY
Sky
Cowboy
Ava & Jeremy
Kasey Millstead