Chapter Twenty-One
“Why are we walking again? We could have just driven the car over here.” Graham eyed Annabelle’s heeled boots on the wet road, prepared to assist her if needed. “As much as I loved seeing you butt-naked in those boots, right now, I’m wishing you would have changed into more sensible shoes.”
“Sensible shoes? Bite your tongue, sir! The reason we’re walking is that I love the smell of the fresh country air. I missed all of this!” she explained, exuberantly flinging her arms wide open. “I can’t wait to hear the rooster’s crowing in the morning.”
It was good to be back, Annabelle mused as she held Graham’s hand and they walked the short distance to Cinnamon Farms. It was fifty degrees outside, and while some cities in Maryland still had snow, here in Baymoor, the snow was gone while the damp, icy air lingered, mixing with this morning’s early rain. Annabelle burrowed her face in the hot pink wool scarf and wrapped both arms around Graham’s waist, huddling against him. “I can’t believe how cold it is, and these boots are killing me. I might need you to warm me up again, Mr. Carlton.”
“You’re killing me in them boots, Doc.” Graham swung her into his arms as she giggled and kissed his cheek. He looked down into her pretty face, eyes twinkling with happiness underneath her hot pink beret with the rhinestone and pearl broach pinned to the front and her gorgeous, wide pretty smile.
“How about I leave them on, and we can pick up where we left off later tonight after you’re done at the inn?” Annabelle cooed.
Graham shook his head. “Nope. If you want some of the ‘good-good’, then you can move all your stuff in with me. The only thing you and I are doing later tonight is Skyping with babygirl.”
Annabelle laughed until she realized he wasn’t laughing along with her. Her expression turned incredulous. “Wait. You’re seriously cutting me off?”
“I’m dead-ass serious, Doc,” Graham answered grimly. “I’m not about to be anybody’s booty call. What I am about to be is forty. I know what I want. I want to take a walk. One that will lead us both down the aisle into a lifetime commitment. I want to wake up to your smile every morning, doing Rory’s hair, and answering any more questions she may have about why I shave my head.” He glanced down to make sure that he had her full, undivided attention. “I also wouldn’t mind hearing more little feet running around in our home as well. I think our kid needs some siblings to boss around.”
“Do you mean all of it?” He was giving her all the feels with his vision and claiming Rory as his as well.
Graham deliberately relaxed his grip and feeling herself slipping down his body, Annabelle squealed, tightening her clasp around his neck for fear of falling. Scowling fiercely, she yelled, “The hell, Graham?!”
“See? You wanna play; I can play too,” Graham replied with a disapproving frown. “Of course, I mean all of it! Where exactly did you think this was going between you and me?”
“I wasn’t just going to assume anything!” Annabelle informed him crossly. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head back to the bleak gray sky, struggling to find the right words to make Graham comprehend where she was coming from. “I’ve never been in a real relationship where I loved someone wholly and the feeling was reciprocated. A relationship where there was a mutual respect and kindness with no strings attached or I wasn’t being manipulated! I love this between us, and I do want the ending you want…just not right now.”
“I’m gonna need you to elaborate, Doc.” Graham’s stoic expression and calm voice made Annabelle’s stomach churn with anxiety.
Her brown eyes pleaded with Graham to understand her point of view. “I need time to work on myself. I want to be the best version of myself for me, Rory, you, and Edith. The time we spent together was the best I’ve ever had aside from the time I’ve spent being Rory’s mother.” She shrugged helplessly. “But it’s all I know. Since leaving Baymoor, I’ve been on autopilot. Focused on laying low, Rory, and work. Any free time I’ve had hasn’t been spent constructively. I’ve been torn between fantasizing on how I could exact revenge unscathed and hoping no one found us. You’ve given me and Edith hope for something more. I want more with you, but I need this first because I’d hate to be a disappointment to you and everyone else I love.”
Graham stopped at the end of the pathway to the barn, lowered her to the ground, and kissed her tenderly. “You’re incapable of disappointing me, but I get it. Growing up, I was angry about our lifestyle. Angry, frustrated, and helpless. That shit ain’t a good combination. I wasn’t the best student either, choosing to be a smart-ass knucklehead instead of buckling down and applying myself. I was bored out of my mind and wished I could be anywhere else. Only reason I went was because Eliza insisted on it.
My freshman year, she was a student aid during third period. Eliza came to deliver a message to my P.E. class in the gym. I heard these slick-mouthed dudes talking mad shit about her, making lewd gestures, and catcalling to her. Then some other ones joined in. She ignored them, but I didn’t.”
His voice chilled her more than the winter weather did. It was ruthless and unforgiving, and hating the change in him, Annabelle reached up to touch Graham’s face. It didn’t relax into the soft lines she’d come to expect whenever she touched him. “What did you do?”
“I made an example out of them.” It was a simple statement that spoke volumes to what Graham was capable of. “I needed everyone in that gym to understand what would happen to them if they ever thought to disrespect her again. I like to think they learned their lesson.”
“Them is plural,” Annabelle spoke carefully. “How many kids did you fight?”
“Three altogether,” he replied dismissively. “Anyways, the point—”
“Three! You took on three guys?!”
“The point is I was angry enough to do it. They were bigger and should have been stronger, but that’s how volatile I was,” Graham patiently explained to her. “I was supposed to be suspended from school but instead, my guidance counselor recommended a place for me to channel my emotions. It was a boxing gym run by a former Marine counselor named Cornelius Dalvin.” Graham smiled with fondness.
“I thought I was there to get in the ring, but Mr. D put me to work cleaning the gym. He insisted that I needed to watch and learn, but I was still too hotheaded to listen. Mr. D kept refusing me, saying I wasn’t ready, insisting that I couldn’t see the bigger picture. I was pissed and wanted to quit a few times but knew he’d never let me come back if I did. ‘Watch and learn, Carlton. Watch and learn.’ That’s all he’d ever say to me. I watched others get their shot in the ring and finally, I’d had it and quit. I told him that if I wasn’t going to get a shot then I didn’t need to keep coming.
Two months later, Ingrid brought home Arthur Watts. He was a big man, dressed in a flashy suit and telling us he was going to ‘do right’ by Ingrid. In other words, he was there to stay. I watched the way he studied Eliza and Georgie.” His voice, dripping with disgust and abhorrence, made Annabelle shiver with dread at where this story was going. “The next afternoon, I was back at Mr. D’s place. Until that day, I’d never begged for a damn thing in my life. I promised him I’d make an effort to control my emotions, so he relented and allowed me to come back. I absorbed everything he told me and listened to the other boxers’ advice as well. I wanted to learn everything they could teach me because I knew the day would come when I would have to utilize it all.
I was sixteen when Watts attempted to rape Eliza. I blame myself that he had the opportunity because I should have been there with her and Georgie. Instead, I stayed out celebrating because I’d finally paid my dues, and Mr. D, rewarded me with a match at the gym with an undefeated contender,” Graham confessed with a bleak expression.
“The assault was in progress when I arrived home. By the time I made it to her, he was on top of Eliza about to…,” Graham paused to regain control of his emotions. Annabelle watched the uncontrollable twitch of his eyes and the fury brewing in them, feeling the violence seething through his tightly wound body. “All of my training went out the window and I rushed in blindly, again being led by my emotions. That was my second mistake. He got in a solid lick, but Eliza distracted him and gave me the advantage. It was all I needed to make sure he’d never get the chance to harm anyone else.”
“You killed him?” Annabelle whispered, staring at his hands as in a trance. “Just like you killed Brenton and Jessie?”
“Add Sherman to that list too,” Graham said tonelessly as he held his hands out for her. “These hands are coated in blood, Doc. I’m sorry if you feel some type of way about it, but I’m not tossing and turning at night, losing sleep with regret. I do what needs to be done.”
Annabelle grabbed his large hands, curled hers around them, and locking her eyes with his, she brought his hands to her lips to kiss each knuckle. “Don’t ever apologize for doing what is necessary. You choose to make the world a better place by ridding it of monsters. What happened to you then?”
“Judge gave me a break, but I fucked it up again over Ingrid’s ass and wound up in a group home where I fucked up some more. It was the only thing I was good at...well, that and computers. There was a kid named Lance in the home who was cold with technology. It was also the reason he was there. A high school dropout, he’d hacked into the school district system and changed his attendance record and added grades. Once he saw I was into it, Lance taught me everything he knew about cracking security codes and firewalls. I was hooked, and we’d get on a computer whenever we could. That’s how we discovered the group home owner’s son was into kiddie porn. We turned it over to the cops, and he was arrested.
The owner retaliated by allowing us to take his car to the car wash and called the cops, insisting we’d stolen it and went joyriding. It was back to court, and I was basically invited to either the military or jail. The military set me straight, but so did Mr. D, who fought with my lawyer to have my record expunged. We stayed in touch, and he counseled me for years. He also recommended me to some of his buddies in the government after I left the Marines.
Mr. D was a good man, but unfortunately, he passed away three years ago from pneumonia. I don’t know who or where I would be if him, Uncle Nate, Aunt Val, and my sisters had given up on me. I valued those therapy sessions and have been thinking about them a lot lately.” Graham shot her a meaningful glance. “Doc, I think that you’re on the right track, and I know a therapist that comes highly recommended. She’d be good for you and Edith if you’re open to the idea.”
“I am and that was the same conclusion I’d drawn myself,” Annabelle admitted, feeling overwhelmed with relief that he did understand. “Thank you. I wish that I wasn’t in a position to need it but—”
“But then you wouldn’t have Rory. The important thing is you didn’t stay,” Graham reminded her firmly. “If you had, who knows what both of your lives might look like right now, or if you’d even be alive. Don’t let the guilt get to you, or it’ll smother you. Since meeting you, I’ve wondered what would have happened if I had straightened up my act and come here to live with Uncle Nate and Aunt Val. What if I would have known you back then? Maybe I could have stopped it?”
“Have I mentioned you’re the best, Mr. Carlton? But you can’t even think like that. Besides, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed me,” Annabelle gave a self-deprecating laugh as she tucked both hands into her wool coat. “I was a bit of a late bloomer who didn’t give a damn about jazzing up my looks or having a sense of style. Trust me; someone like you would never have noticed someone like me.”
Graham shot her an angry scowl. “Quit selling yourself short, Doc. Trust. Me. I would have noticed. You don’t move like other women; you’re the exception. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but females have been pressin’ up on me forever, but I wasn’t thinking about them back then. I was solely focused on my sisters, but once I hit the group home, I made up for lost time and then some.” Graham brushed the curly tendrils out of Annabelle’s eyes. “With you, Doc, I was especially attracted to the way that you weren’t sweatin’ me.”
Annabelle leaned into him, and Graham’s arm encircled her shoulders as they walked up the road. Dryly, she responded, “Since I’ve experienced firsthand how sprung you’ve got these women, and know why, I’ll take that as a compliment…While I keep receipts, Casanova.”
Graham cringed at the nickname. “C’mon, Doc, don’t do me like that. It’s you and only you. We both know it, so don’t even front.”
Annabelle pushed away from him, walking up ahead of Graham. “Damn straight it is. After the way I let you take advantage of me in your office, you better have my name engraved on your junk.”
“Junk?” Graham exclaimed with an affronted glare at her back. “Woman, this is grade A quality dick you’re insulting! Remember that during your self-imposed exile, sleeping all alone as the room starts closing in on you. The minutes will pass like days as your junk shrivels up from dehydration caused by your rash choices. I suggest you reconsider before the realness sets in. The ‘itis’ ain’t nothin to play with.”
“I can’t even begin to fathom the level of ridiculousness you’re on,” Annabelle called over her shoulder. “By the way, how many babies, Mr. Carlton? I always pictured having at least one child, but I’m open to the possibility of more. After marriage, of course.”
“Getting married isn’t even a question. More babies aren’t a contingency, but if you’re at least open to the idea, that’s all I could ask for,” Graham replied as he caught up to her and put his arm around her again.
Suddenly, the air was filled with the call of Cinnamon Farms guardian animal, George Jefferson, standing at the top of the hill bleating at them.
“Neeeeaaaahhh!”
“Georgie!” Annabelle broke away from Graham and ran toward the pygora goat who began to trot toward them. “Georgie, baby, it’s Dr. A!”
She dropped to her knees, uncaring of the possible damage to her tights, and the espresso-colored goat ran into them as Max appeared and followed behind at a slower pace.
“Neeeeaaahhh!” The animal’s pace increased until he was in Annabelle’s arms. She angled her head away from his small horns as he rubbed the side of his face against her neck, practically purring.
The furball had a soft spot for women, especially his, Graham thought with amusement. “Should I leave the two of you alone?”
George Jefferson opened one eye, bared his teeth at Graham before sticking his tongue out at him. “Baaaaaah!”
“That means ‘you ain’t shit’ in goat,” Max informed him helpfully as he joined them. He chuckled at the finger Graham gave him then held out his arms as Annabelle straightened up. “Hey, A.B.! Welcome home!”
“Thanks, Max. It’s good to be back. I’m looking forward to getting an early start.”
They exchanged a big hug as Tavish then Wade also joined the group with enthusiastic greetings of “Great to see ya, lass! Yer a bonnie sight for these eyes!” and “Welcome home, Annabelle!”
Graham couldn’t help but press closer as the Scottish bastard lifted her in a bear hug. As soon as he released Annabelle, Wade took his turn as well while Graham pinned him with a death glare and Max and Tavish swallowed their laughter.
“Think we’re all good here,” Graham snarled as he grabbed her hand and eased her to the other side of him.
“Bleeeehhh!” He was promptly pushed aside as George Jefferson shoved his way between them and gave him a mulish glare before batting his eyes at Annabelle adoringly and shoving his head at her palm.
“Ach, Georgie boy! Dinna worry the lass! Come and let’s get ye fed,” Tavish motioned to the goat who trotted off with him after one last adoring look at Annabelle.
“Looks like G’s got some stiff competition,” Wade remarked to Max behind the couple as they reached the top of the hill as a red Cherokee jeep pulled up then screeched to a halt. The group watched as Kenya and Chelsea jumped out screaming.
“Annaaaabellllee!”
They ran toward her, and Annabelle did the same. The trio came together, tear-streaked faces pressed against each other as they laughed, cried, and rejoiced at being reunited.
***
“I can’t believe you’ve been in Furla!” Kenya shrieked at Annabelle. “Wait until I tell Rodney!”
“I needed to get as far away as possible, and I remembered when the two of you started dating and he was describing the place to Chelsea when we were hanging out at the Rockin’ Rooster,” Annabelle explained. “After leaving Baymoor, I visited a couple of other cities but finally decided to go for it.”
She left out the fact that she had to go before giving birth so she wouldn’t have to obtain documents for Rory to travel. Contritely, Annabelle confessed, “I was also there when Bailey visited the island and spent her entire vacation hiding at home for fear of running into her.”
Chelsea reached out and squeezed Annabelle’s arm comfortingly as she passed by her on the way to retrieve ice for the margaritas. “You should come by my office so we can talk about your time away. I want to hear all about your time in Furla.”
“You know she just wants to ‘shrink’ you, right? She did the same thing to me when I moved back for good,” Georgie inputted.
“And me when she realized Wade was Camille’s father,” Eliza added as well.
“And what’s wrong with that? I think everyone could benefit from a little counseling,” Chelsea responded defensively.
“That’s funny because you’ve never even offered your services to me!” Kenya stuck her tongue out at her friend. “Why not, heffa?”
“Because there isn’t enough couch time in the world for your crazy ass,” Chelsea explained patiently. “We’ve been through this time and again. Letting you unwind would be like releasing the Kraken!”
“Biiisshh!”
“Georgie, on a scale of one to ten, how much trouble are you in with Max?” Annabelle changed the subject as she removed the sizzling pan of chili-lime steak from the stove.
Georgina grimaced as she added the fajita seasoning to the shrimp and stirred until they were coated in spices. The smell of garlic, cumin, and onion wafted tantalizingly in the air. “Thanks to you, I’m owing him big time. He said we’d discuss it later tonight in bed. The sacrifices I make for my loved ones.”
Kenya, Eliza, and Chelsea whooped and hollered with laughter. Chelsea gave her a knowing look as she scooped the pico de gallo she’d made into a serving bowl. “Sacrifice where? If y’all didn’t have to work, the two of you would never leave your bed.”
“But are you mad at them?” Kenya joked as she rimmed three margarita glasses with salt as Eliza was drinking apple juice because of the baby. “Hell, between Rodney being on the road with his pharmaceutical job and our daughter, we try to get in where we can fit it in. Except when “Power” or “Game of Thrones” comes on. That’s where I draw the line. I refuse to watch a recorded episode. Why? So everyone else will know everything before me? I don’t think so. Rodney knows better than to play with me when my shows are on. Aside from that, I’m down for whatever my boo wants to do.”
Eliza watched Annabelle flit around the kitchen, laughing and chiming in on the interaction. This was her brother’s soulmate and had tamed his wild ways before they’d even come face to face. They moved together fluidly and were constantly touching as if they couldn’t bear to be apart from each other. When Graham walked out the door after kissing her goodbye, Annabelle had stared after him as if willing him to come back. Finally, he’d turned around as if he knew she’d still be there, and Graham mouthed ‘I love you’ to her. Eliza watched Annabelle’s body relax and suspected she mouthed it back to Graham as she blew him a kiss.
The front door opened then slammed as footsteps trudged down the hallway to the kitchen. Thanks to the security heavily guarding the place, everyone knew the newcomers were friends and family. It was Val, Chandra, and Camille. “We’ve got dessert, sopapilla cheesecake, and more bridal magazines!”
Chandra engulfed Annabelle in a hug so tight, Annabelle could barely breathe. She was enveloped in the familiar scent of tuberose from her childhood. “You’re really here! What a blessing you are on my eyes, Annabelle! I’ve missed you too much, girl!”
“I missed you too, Auntie Cee! You look so good! Where’s Inez?”
“Oh, honey, she’s been off creating her brand, but once she hears the good news, I know your cousin will hightail it home!” They caught up for a few more minutes, and then Chandra’s eyes clouded over. “I noticed that you haven’t asked me about your parents, honey. Have you not talked to them?”
Annabelle gave her a tight smile. “No, I haven’t and don’t think I will.”
“And just why the hell not, young lady?” Chandra demanded, placing her hands on her hips. “Your parents have been so torn up since you left! The store fell on hard times again and your daddy is struggling. My sister has been a complete wreck.”
Annabelle knew that all of this meant that Brenton Fowler had retracted his money from the Gas ‘N’ Go. “Auntie Cee, I give less than a damn how they feel and so would you if you knew the part they played in manipulating me, along with Brenton.”
“Chiiiile, am I gonna have to snatch my baby sister’s edges?” Chandra demanded. She should have known from the way Samantha could never give her a straight answer about her last exchange with Annabelle. Since her daughter’s disappearance, she could be found at home chain-smoking and drinking. Even more so in the past couple of months. She hardly left the house, and she and Thomas weren’t seen together. Samantha’s immaculate appearance had taken a hit as well, and now, she usually wore a wrinkled t-shirt and her husband’s boxers, and the house was a dark, unkempt mess. “What did she and Thomas do to you?”
The kitchen was silent as the women waited for Annabelle to answer. She was startled when her eyes locked on Camille’s, whom she’d forgotten was in the room. The little girl was an exact replica of her mother with her auburn curls and hazel eyes. “Just leave them alone, Auntie Cee. We can talk later about it; I promise.”
Camille wandered over to examine the fajita station before addressing her aunt with her usual serious demeanor. “Did Mom tell you that she suffers from heartburn? That in her bag is a container of grilled chicken and couscous that she’s supposed to be eating instead of shrimp and steak fajitas?”
“Oops! I forgot the container at home,” Eliza chimed in with an innocent expression. “I guess I’ll have to eat it another time.”
“No, she didn’t tell me anything, baby.” Georgina regarded her sister with a glare. The family joked that Camille was an adult trapped in a child’s body. She loved watching The Golden Girls, knitting, and playing bridge and pinochle. She was the sweetest child who could do no wrong, and Georgina would be damned if she disappointed her niece.
“Yeah, I didn’t think she did either,” Camille replied with a reproachful look for her mother before turning to Val. “Told ya. That means I win.”
“Win what?” Eliza demanded suspiciously as Val reached into the paper bag she held.
“Your daughter, who just knows you so well, asked me to stop by your house and retrieve the container she lovingly packed for you.” Val handed it to her chagrined niece. “Bon Appetit!”
Everyone laughed as Eliza kissed Camille’s cheek and pulled her onto her lap. “What am I even going to do with your grown tail?!”
“You’re going to finish planning this wedding while I can still hopefully be considered a flower girl instead of a flower preteen. You’re also going to relax because I heard you tell Daddy that your blood pressure was slightly elevated,” Camille added matter-of-factly. “Which means no salt for you as well.”
Annabelle hid her smile and turned back to making the margaritas while Eliza grumbled and the other women teased her.
After saying grace, Annabelle looked around the table at the group gathered. She’d wanted to wait to tell them about Rory and now seemed like the perfect time. Her dearest friends, family, and future family members, God willing, were here, and Annabelle wanted to share her daughter so they could love her as well.
She picked up her fork and clinked her glass for attention. “There are no words to describe how blessed I am to have all you back in my life and to be in yours as well. We have so much to catch up on and,” Annabelle smiled warmly at Eliza and Camille, “I look forward to us getting to know each other.”
Annabelle pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it to reveal her screensaver of Rory and Graham at her daughter’s dance recital. While she’d been stuck on stupid over Rory choosing Graham over her, Edith had captured the priceless memory. He was holding Rory, and she was tapping his nose, their foreheads pressed together as they shared a laugh. “While I was gone, my life changed in a way I couldn’t even imagine.” Annabelle held her phone up for everyone to see.
“This is my daughter Rory.”