Trevor stopped us as we drew closer to the room. He leaned down and placed his mouth to my ear. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt the rush of warm air. I held my breath as I waited for him to speak.
“The only thing I ever want to do from this point on is make you happy.”
I went to ask what he meant, but he guided us into the room. I was still looking up at him confused as I heard a chorus of people yell out.
“Congratulations!”
Jumping, my hand went to my mouth, and I let out a scream of surprise. I scanned the room and saw the entire Parker family, my folks, and my grandparents.
A huge, handmade sign in pink and blue hung behind them that read, “Congratulations, Trevor and Scarlett.”
Pink, yellow, and blue balloons were everywhere. Before I had a chance to let it all process, a sea of Parkers rushed me. Each one hugged and kissed me on the cheek. I tried to hold my tears back, but finally gave up when little Chloe walked up and handed me a box.
“It’s got a surprise in there for you, Ms. Scarlett!”
I bent down to get eye level with her while quickly wiping away the silly tears that had gotten loose. “I love surprises!”
Her face lit up and those Parker blue eyes beamed. “Me too! I think the baby will love the little goat toy I’m giving her! I bought it with my own money!”
Glancing at Trevor, I widened my eyes. I wasn’t sure if Chloe realized she had given the surprise away or not, but I was over the moon. He winked.
Focusing on Chloe, I pulled her in for a hug. “I can’t wait to see it! I’ll open it before you leave.”
She squeezed me, then pulled back. “Does this mean I get to call you Aunt Scarlett?”
My heart jumped to my throat. Before I had a chance to reply, Trevor intervened. “Yes, pumpkin. You can call her Aunt Scarlett.”
“Yay!”
Chloe ran off across the large room declaring she had a new aunt and couldn’t wait to tell the kids at school. Trevor watched her do a few jumps and twists, then said, “Well, that should get the rumor mill goin’.”
I groaned.
“My phone should be blowing up any minute now from the prayer chain asking for folks to pray for your quickie marriage,” Waylynn stated.
Spinning around, I stared at Waylynn. “What?”
She laughed. “Oh, man, this relationship is going to be so much fun to watch play out.”
Waylynn pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t wait too long to get back with him. I’ve got a bet going with Paxton, and I really, really need to win.”
My shocked expression made Trevor frown, but Waylynn pushed me back at arm’s length and gave me a knowing smile. “Just remember what we talked about at the pool party. Being big. You get my drift, girl.”
My cheeks felt like they could heat up the entire room.
“I bet people will forget all about Old Lady Hopkins walking in on us having…S-E-X,” Jonathon said as he cradled a sleeping Liberty.
“That spells sex!” Chloe called out from across the room. Jonathon closed his eyes and cursed under his breath as he and Waylynn moved to the table to sit down.
“Dude, they teach them to spell a lot younger these days, not like when we were in school,” Trevor reminded him.
When my grandparents walked up to me, the tears almost started to flow. My grandmother hugged me so tenderly. This was what I had wanted when everyone found out. Happiness. Not shock, not expectations of what we were going to do. Just simple happiness.
“Some words of advice, sweetie. Suck on peppermints to help with the morning sickness.”
“Thank you, Granny.”
She smiled and added, “Be sure to drink lots of water. The baby needs it.”
Granddad nodded and smiled at my grandmother. This January they were going to celebrate their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary, and I knew I wanted a love like theirs. That kind of love was very rare, a unique relationship of give and take, of love and loss. I looked around at the Parker family and knew that every couple in this room was cut from the same cloth as my grandparents. My eyes landed on Trevor and I silently hoped that he was also cut from that same cloth as his parents and siblings…someone who would fight for a love that endures every hardship. Only time would tell with me and Trevor, and we had the next seven months to figure it out.
“Lots of water and peppermint, Granny. Got it.”
Granddad shook Trevor’s hand. “You better take care of my granddaughter or I’ll kick your ass from Texas all the way to Canada.”
“Yes, sir. I promise to take care of both of them.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Granddad said, giving Trevor a firm slap on the back that caused Trevor to stumble a few steps.