Ginger had spoken with Evan every day, and on Friday finally confessed that she hadn’t felt well. She thought she’d caught the stomach bug from the lady at the airport and promised she’d call the doctor’s office if she didn’t feel better soon.

It was Monday morning, and she still felt sick. When she finally spoke with the nurse, she knew what she had to do. Once the queasiness lessened, she took a shower and dressed. Although her eyes were puffy, she didn’t bother putting on makeup since the store was right at the bottom of the mountain.

Once she got to the drug store, she walked toward the feminine products section and looked for pregnancy tests. How appropriate, they were right beside the condoms. Even as poorly as she felt, that made her smile. Which one to buy? She wanted the easiest to understand. Positive or negative? Yes or no? She grabbed both, and an extra just in case one was faulty. With her three tests she walked to the pharmacy counter, hoping the pharmacist she knew wasn’t working this morning.

“May I help you?” the young man behind the counter asked.

“Can I pay for these here?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The young man rang her up and Ginger paid, then turned to leave. She hadn’t quite made it to the store’s exit when she heard Evan’s ring tone. Ginger frantically searched her pockets for her phone, then realized she had left it at the pharmacy counter when she pulled out her debit card. Shit. Shit. Shit. She hurried back, but as soon as she turned the corner she saw a man with her phone.

Ginger froze. She’d seen that man before, but not in her town. She was sure he was the man from Riverton Crossing. The man across the street from the café. Ginger approached slowly. She couldn’t make out the words he was saying, but he was speaking into her phone. Be strong. Look at his features. Scratch him if he touches you. All the things her dad had ever taught her ran through her head. Evan needs an identifying mark. She was staring at him when he faced her. He had on sunglasses inside and he never cracked a smile. She finally found her voice.

“That’s my phone,” she said as she held out her hand.

The man hesitated before he gave it to her. She grabbed it and practically ran out of the store.

“Evan,” she said through a sob.

“Ginger! What the fuck? Where are you?”

“I had to run to the drug store. It was him, Evan! It was him!”

“Get in the car and lock the doors.”

Ginger did as he said and cranked her car’s engine. As she waited for a break in traffic so she could turn left, she saw the man come out of the store and get on a motorcycle. “Oh God! Evan, he’s getting on a black and silver bike.”

“Have you ever seen it before?”

“No.”

“Darlin’, once you turn out, I want you to take your first four rights. It’ll take you in a circle, but we’ll know if he’s following you.”

“Okay.” Her voice was shaky.

“Dammit, GPS says I’m an hour out!”

Ginger made the left, but so did the motorcycle. “He’s turning left, too! Evan!”

“Ginger, calm down and take your first right.” She did and looked in the rearview mirror.

“Evan, he turned right, too. Oh God!”

“Take your next right.”

She did, with the same result. “He did, too!”

“Fuck! Darlin’, I’m trying to get there. If he continues to follow you, do not go home! Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She made the next right. “He stayed straight!” Her breathe was uneven as she whispered again, “He went straight.”

“Oh, thank God. Gin, drive around for a few more minutes to make sure he doesn’t show back up. Do not hang up the phone.”

“He was on the road heading toward the interstate. Do you think he just looked like the other guy?”

“No, darlin’, he gave me a warning. I thought he had taken you.”

“What did he say?”

“He hoped I wasn’t the reason you looked upset. We’re gonna need to see if we can lift some fingerprints off your phone.”

“Do I need to go to the police station?”

“No, I have my kit with me. I’ll do it when I get there. Do you see the motorcycle?”

“No.”

“I think you can go home, but lock the doors. Don’t open them for anyone but me.”

“How far out are you?”

“About a half hour.”

Ginger drove home and locked herself inside the house. She went to the back deck since the only way up to it was through the house. She bundled up with a light summer blanket and replayed the whole scene in her head. She was deep in thought when the front doorbell rang. The ring tone hadn’t stopped before she heard banging on the door. As she walked toward the door she heard, “Ginger, open the damn door or I’ll break it down!”

Evan. He was finally here.

* * *

The door swung open and there she was. Relief rushed over him as he wrapped his arms around her. She was here, right in front of him. He pulled back and looked her up and down. Her eyes were red and puffy so he knew she’d been crying. He ran his fingers in her hair and cupped her face while he peppered her with kisses. “Ginger,” he whispered. He couldn’t get her close enough.

“Evan,” she said through a sob.

He picked her up, kicked the door closed, and carried her to the sofa in the living room. When he sat them down, his hand moved up and down her leg as he asked, “Darlin’, are you all right?”

“I’m better now that you’re home. I froze when I saw him up close. I thought I’d recognize something about him, but he was wearing sunglasses.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t make out his words, but his voice was a whisper. It wasn’t familiar. His beard was fuller than the last time.”

“We’ll get to all of that. Right now I just need to hold you,” he said as he pulled her closer. She’s safe. She is safe. He slowly started to relax. He kissed her temple and waited for her to turn her head. When she did, he kissed her thoroughly, plundering her mouth with his tongue. He needed this connection. Apparently, she did too as she matched his fervor. By the time he broke the kiss, their hearts were racing for a different reason. “God, when I heard his voice, I got pissed. I didn’t know why some man was answering your phone, then his words told me who he was. I was in a damned car an hour away from you! I couldn’t do anything!” He squeezed her tight as his anger was returning. When he continued, he voice was quiet, “I was at his mercy because he had you. The more he spoke the harder my foot pressed the accelerator. Then I heard your voice and I could breathe. At least I knew you were alive.” He rested his forehead on hers. “You’re safe. I’m not leaving you again.”

She placed her hand on his cheek. “Promise?”

“Promise.” He took a deep breath. “Why were you there anyway? Did the doctor prescribe some medicine?” He still needed to move, so his fingers ran through the ends of her hair.

“No, the nurse asked if my period had started. It’s due today, but it hasn’t come yet.” She hesitated before she said, “I was getting a pregnancy test…or three for in the morning. She said to take one when I first get out of bed.”

“That fine, but shouldn’t you get a blood test?”

“The first appointment I could get is Wednesday. If the test is positive, they’ll confirm. If it’s negative, they can see what’s going on. Will you go with me?”

“Of course I’m going with you. That’s not even an option.”

They’d calmed down tremendously, but the adrenaline hadn’t completely worn off.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m good right now.”

He stood and kissed her all the way to their bed. When he laid her down, he removed her clothes. “I’ve got five days of loving I wanna make up for, but I need to take the edge off, then I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“I need that, too. Make me fly.”

He rolled her over and pulled her ass into the air. “My sweet girl. It isn’t gonna take that long, but in this position I’ll get you there quickly.”

Evan entered her from behind and feeling her for the first time in a while made him want to blow immediately. With a couple more strokes, she was right there with him. Her moans and pleas drove him faster, and within minutes they were calling out each other’s names.

Talk about a quickie. The edge was gone, but the need was still there. He lingered a few minutes before leaving to get a wash cloth, but when he returned she wasn’t moving. He couldn’t see any blood, but his heart raced all the same. As he reached for her, he heard her take a heavy breath. She was asleep.

He breathed a sigh of relief before he cleaned her up and covered her with a quilt. If she could sleep, he needed to let her, so he closed the door and cleaned the house. When it was back to normal, he unloaded the stuff from his car, leaving the little bag in the console for last. How was he going to present it to her? Since she’d been nauseous, he didn’t think food was a good idea. She’d already said yes, so did he need to do anything special? She was giving him the most precious gift in the world. Not only herself, but possibly a baby. His baby. There was nothing he could do to top that, so he stuffed the ring in his pants pocket as he started upstairs. When he reached the top step, he saw her laptop and the idea came alive.

His girl was a writer, so he’d write her a story and snagged her laptop on his way outside. He wasn’t very good at this, but didn’t all love stories begin with Once upon a time? He started typing his love story for her. It was more of an essay than a story by the time he typed The End.

When he finished, he printed the story in her office downstairs, where he found everything he needed. She even had paper that looked like the edges were burnt, so he used it. He heard the creaking of her moving around upstairs before he was done and hoped she wouldn’t mosey down the steps. He finished his task as quickly as possible and went back up. Just as he reached the landing, she came out of the bedroom and looked like she was feeling better. Her eyes weren’t as puffy.

“I heard my printer.”

“Yeah, I used it for a document. Wanna read it?”

“Sure.”

“Feel free to correct any errors you find.”

She sat on the sofa next to him as she took the paper. “Once upon a time?” She looked at him with questions in her eyes.

“Keep reading. I know that part is right.”

He watched the smile stretch her lips. “A lonely prince named Evan?” He nodded for her to keep reading. She did and the questions slowly turned to humor. “I don’t think Princess Ginger would let Prince Evan do that. I’m sure there are laws against that in this fair land,” she said through a laugh.

“My story, my laws,” he said. He had a hard time keeping a straight face.

He watched as her smile faded and tears pooled in her eyes. She gasped, and then brought a hand to her mouth as she continued to read. Her chest heaved as the flush of color moved down her body while she tried to hold back the sobs. When she looked at him, tears rolled down her cheeks so he asked, “Where are you?”

She pointed, and he began reading for her. “Before the Queen died, she told Prince Evan to pick a wife that he could confide in. A wife that would support his decisions, hold his hand in good times and bad, and would make him complete. Look for a maiden that he could live with today and grow old with tomorrow. Not just a compatible lover, but also a friend. Prince Evan knew he’d found all those qualities in Princess Ginger.” The tears streamed down her face as he leaned over and kissed her gently while he pulled out the ring. When he sat back, the ring laid in the palm of his hand. “You’ve already said ‘yes,’ so let’s make this official.”

“Let’s,” she whispered. When he slid the ring into place, he kissed her finger where it sat. He hugged her close and she finished the story with, “In the southern tradition, Prince Evan planned to keep Princess Ginger barefoot and pregnant. Once he had a bun in her oven, he knew his life would be complete. They got married very quickly and lived happily ever after. The End.”

She had come full circle, as her smile was back. “I can’t believe you wrote this.”

“Darlin’, you’ve given me everything I could ever ask for. I just wish my parents were here to meet you. They would’ve loved you. My dad would love your fire, and my mom would love how you take care of me. Mitchell is my only family, and I haven’t even told him I proposed. However, I did tell him I wasn’t waiting on him and Kayla so they better pick a date soon. I wanna tell them when we get back.”

“Yes, but I need to tell my parents everything sooner rather than later.”

“Okay, I have to be back in Riverton Crossing on Thursday. You can invite them there or we can go to Georgia soon. Whichever you want. What time is our appointment on Wednesday?”

“I made it for ten to give me time to get up and settle my stomach before we leave.”

“Sounds good.”