Don't Turn Back (Coming Home Book 1) (35 page)

I mostly work days now, going in at nine every morning and getting off in time to spend a few hours with Jennifer before she goes into work at night. Even though I have told her that she doesn’t have to fix us a meal every night, she still tries to prepare something for us. She says it’s the proper thing for a wife to do.

It has been a month since we exchanged our vows, and I have to admit, it’s been nice coming home to my wife and spending as much time with her as possible. Friday finally arrives, and I decide to do something special for Jennifer tonight to celebrate our one month anniversary. I tell her not to make any plans for the evening and to make sure she gets enough sleep during the day.

I get off work a little earlier than usual and stop by the hotel to take care of one of my payments with Rebecca. I seriously think she believed I wouldn’t come through on my agreement with her. I have proven her wrong, and I actually take pride in myself that I’m able do this without the help of anyone, especially Jennifer.

I walk to the counter, where she is currently not waiting on anyone. “Hi Rebecca, I just wanted to drop off another payment for the bracelet.” I hand over a couple of bills folded up and she extends her hand to take them from me.

“Thank you Brian. I must say, I never thought I would actually receive anything from you. You’ve definitely proven me wrong.” I notice the hint of sarcasm in her voice, but choose to ignore it. Even though she and I never talked about our situation on New Year’s Eve, I know she still holds me responsible, even though she was the one who made a move on me first.

“Maybe one day you will have a better opinion of me Rebecca. I’m sorry you can’t forget the past.”

“Look, I love Jennifer and her well-being is my utmost concern, whether you are in her life or not. I’m not thrilled with some of her decisions that involve you, but I will respect my best friend always.”

I didn’t come here to argue with her or to defend myself
. “I should be able to make the final payment to you in a few weeks. Then, you won’t have to worry about me.” I start to walk to the door, ready for this conversation to end.

But Rebecca doesn’t feel the same way. Before I am able to make it out the door, she calls out to me. “Brian, why have you never taken Jennifer to meet your parents, or introduced her to your friends back home? Is there something you don’t want her to know?”

I stop immediately and turn to face her. “Why the hell should it matter to you if Jennifer ever meets my parents? Just because I left my past behind, doesn’t mean I want to drag her down that path of shame. Some things are just better left alone.” I’m trying to keep my voice calm.
What business is it of hers to say this to me?

She just doesn’t know when to stop. “Seems to me you would want your family to meet her. She is a good girl, you know.”

“You don’t get it do you? I have never taken Jennifer for granted. You think you know me, but you are wrong, Rebecca.” I tell myself to walk out the door, just leave things alone before they turn ugly, but I’m forced to take a stand and defend myself to the end. How dare this bitch put her nose in my business.

“I don’t know what she sees in you, but now you’ve trapped her. Her life will never be the same again, thanks to you getting her pregnant.”

I have taken this shit long enough
. I walk up to her and stare her directly in the eye. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you should spend more time worrying about yourself instead of me and my wife.”

She becomes deathly silent. If looks could kill, I would certainly be dead right now.

“What did you just say?”

“I said, you need to concern yourself with something other than me and my wife.” As soon as I say the last word, I realize Jennifer has yet to share our news with her. I know Jennifer has been hesitant, and was waiting for the right opportunity to tell her family, but I had no idea she kept the news from Rebecca, too. After all, it’s been a month now. Part of me wants to smile and rub it in Rebecca’s face that her best friend didn’t feel it necessary to share this major life event with her, but I remain the better person. On the other hand, I wonder why Jennifer has kept this from her employer also. If she had updated her personal information at work, surely Rebecca would have discovered it on her own.

The shock is written all over her face. 

I realize there is nothing more for me to say, so I turn to walk away once more. Rebecca reaches up and grabs ahold of my shirt collar. I attempt to pull away just as another employee walks in the room. She jerks her hand back immediately, and I reach to straighten my wrinkled shirt collar.

“Is everything okay in here, Rebecca?” The co-worker asks.

Rebecca holds back her anger and attempts to pull herself together. “We’re fine, Gail. This is Jennifer’s…husband.” She hesitates as she says the last word. “Brian was just leaving.”

This time, I’m able to safely walk out the door, without being stopped by any more derogatory comments.

I sit in the front seat of my car staring at nothing in particular. I’m furious with Rebecca about the way she treats me. If she and Jennifer were not best friends, I would have told that bitch off. I’ve had my fair dealings with girls like her, and I don’t want to put myself in a situation I’ll regret later. Funny thing is, Rebecca was not this way when we first met. I’m not sure what has happened for her to resent me this much now unless she still wants to blame me for that night. Looking back, I regret not pulling away when she first made a pass at me in the cab, but she was the instigator, not me. The only one she should be pointing fingers at, is herself.

I arrive back at the apartment later than I had planned. Thanks to Rebecca and her bullshit, I’m in a bad mood now, as well. I don’t want Jennifer to notice anything, so I try to compose myself before going inside.

I step into the doorway and see Jennifer is wearing a new outfit. While I don’t think she has started to show much of her pregnancy, she’s convinced none of her old clothes fit anymore. The oversized top and stretchy leggings look cute on her.

“Look at you, babe.” I give her a small kiss on the cheek and lift her arms out to her side. She turns around for me to take in her outfit. “Don’t you look nice.”

“So, you like it?” She asks.

I reach out to touch her belly that I still think is just as flat as it was prior to the pregnancy, and she places her hand on top of mine. We stand in silence for a moment, enjoying the feeling shared between us.

“Are you up for a nice dinner tonight?” I ask. I was starving earlier, but after the episode with Rebecca, I lost my appetite. Maybe once we get to the restaurant, the smell of food will change my mind.

“Sure, what did you have in mind?”

“How about we go back to that really good seafood place you took me to when we first started dating? It’s a perfect place for our one month anniversary celebration.” Her face lights up at the mention of seafood.

“
Ooooh
, that sounds delicious.” Jennifer’s eating habits have definitely increased lately, but she has a reason to eat more.

“Let me change shirts and I’ll be ready to go.” I walk to the bedroom and toss my shirt into the hamper. I still can’t believe Rebecca had the nerve to grab me by the collar, like a child.

I take Jennifer’s jacket from the back of the kitchen chair and toss it over her shoulders. I shut the door behind us and walk to her car. Once again, I really hate always needing to take her car. An idea crosses my mind, and I can’t wait to bring it up to her on our ride to the restaurant.

Pulling out into traffic, I notice it’s somewhat heavier than usual. Once we get on the highway, en route to the restaurant, I reach over and grab ahold of Jennifer’s hand. I take in a deep breath and decide to make my suggestion to her.

“Babe, I’ve been thinking.” I hesitate for a moment to gauge her mood. “Since things are going pretty well for me at the shoe store, I was wondering what you thought about me getting a newer car. I know I can’t afford much, but I have saved a little bit these last few weeks with all of my overtime. Sales have picked up, and Melissa says I should still be able to have the few extra hours each week.”

She’s quiet for a second then turns to look over at me. “I have to say, I am not that car’s biggest fan.” She snickers a little, as though there is more to the story than I know.

“Maybe Sunday we can start looking around.”

“Sure, it’s not going to hurt to see what’s out there. Who knows, we might just happen to run across a good deal.” She grips my hand and we make the remainder of the drive in silence.

We arrive at the restaurant and manage to secure a table for two in the back corner. There are lines of patrons waiting for tables, but they are all in parties of four or more. And, just as I had hoped, the smell of fried food makes my mouth water. We glance at the menu and order an appetizer of crab claws to begin with.

The waitress returns with our sweet teas, and Jennifer excuses herself to go to the restroom, blaming her frequent trips on the pregnancy. I pull out my phone to play around with some stupid game to pass the time while she’s gone, and I notice I’ve missed a text. I click to see who it’s from.
Rebecca
. She just won’t let it go.

Rebecca:
 
Our discussion is not over!

I simply want this crap with Rebecca to go away. It’s apparent Jennifer has her reasons why she has yet to share our news, and I respect her choice.

I see Jennifer walking towards the table again, then stop to talk to an older couple sitting a few tables down from ours. It appears as though she knows them, since I see her smiling and chatting away with the man and woman. Before walking away, she reaches down to hug the woman, and then walks back to our table. I slip the phone back into my pocket, quickly forgetting all about the text. I’m curious to find out more about this couple.

I take a sip of my tea while she gets comfortable in the seat again. “Who are those people you were talking to?”

“Oh, that was Rebecca’s parents. We were catching up on what my parents have been up to. If they are still here when we get ready to leave, I’ll be sure to introduce you to them.”

Great!
Rebecca’s parents
. Why can’t everything involving Rebecca just go away? I think back to the text and try not to let it dampen my mood. I wonder what Jennifer would think if I told her about my meeting with Rebecca earlier and all the insulting things she said to me.

“Sure, I would love to meet them.” I put on a fake grin, and I’m relieved to be interrupted by the waitress delivering our crab claws. We both dig in as though we’ve not eaten all day. I actually skipped lunch earlier, knowing I wanted to bring Jennifer here tonight.

Jennifer and I make small talk until our meal arrives. “Oh my goodness, this looks heavenly!” I take in the look on Jennifer’s face, and I’m glad she agreed to come back here to eat tonight. This just might be my new favorite place to eat in town.

We both stuff ourselves to the point that neither of us can eat another bite. I refrain from placing both my hands on my stomach, allowing Jennifer to enjoy her moment of overeating since she is eating for two now.

“I have something for you.” I reach for her hand across the table and hold it in mine. She has no idea what I’m about to spring on her.

“Surprise huh?” She makes an attempt to put a crazy look on her face, but all this does is make me laugh out loud at her failed attempt.

I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the ring box from the jewelry store. I stopped by earlier to check on our rings, and the saleslady surprised me by having them ready. I pull Jennifer’s rings from the box and reach for her hand. While I slide the rings onto her finger, she takes her other hand to cover her mouth.

“Awww, you remembered. I’ve been so busy lately, I completely forgot to check on them.” She holds her hand up to admire them, then turns her hand for me to inspect. “They look so pretty.”

I know this is not an extravagant set, but the look on Jennifer’s face is priceless. I think I could have given her a ring made of aluminum foil and she would be just as happy. I’m glad she insisted on applying for credit.

I take care of our bill, feeling relieved to be able to do this for once without having to rely on her. I hold her hand as we walk outside. I’m thankful that Rebecca’s parents left so we didn’t have to deal with introductions. I’m not saying I purposely ate slowly, but I did feel better as I watched them walk from their table towards the front. Jennifer’s back was to them so she never noticed.

We walk to the car and I open the door for her. I’m still getting used to the idea of being married and doing the gentlemanly thing. I think back when I was still living at home and how respectable my dad was towards my mother even though his actions towards me showed differently, and I suddenly have the urge to visit. I don’t know if Rebecca mentioning my past has anything to do with it, but I’m curious to know if Jennifer would be up for a road trip. Oh how I would love to show my dad, firsthand, how I’ve changed.