Curves in the Road (The Southern Devotion Series Book 2) (19 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Derrick**

Two weeks after my sixteenth birthday I got a call that no teenage boy wants to get; my girlfriend, of a little over a year, was crying and screaming on the phone about how I’d ruined her life because the stick had turned pink. I had no idea what stick she was even referring to until she finally screamed out that she was pregnant. At that moment I thought my life was over. My head was spinning, I felt sick to my stomach, and I was sure my parents were going to kick me out of the house. Instead, my parents sat me down and talked to me about being responsible and then continued to support me every step of the way; even when I made the decision to raise this child on my own. Terrified does not describe what I felt when I first held her in my arms.

Now it’s my wedding night and Mary Jane had promised me a gift. The only hints she gave is that it wasn’t something I could unwrap but it would give me a lifetime of happiness. After we consummated our marriage officially, we were lying there in bed when I remembered the present. “So, where’s my gift?” I teased.

With a mischievous grin she reached for my hand and slid it under the sheets. At first I thought she was being naughty until she placed my palm against her stomach. “Sorry, you’re going to have to wait another six months to see it.”  The fear, the devastation, and the utter turmoil I felt at hearing I’d be a dad the first time wasn’t there this time. Katelyn’s entire life passed before my eyes as I took in the news that I get to do it all over again and this time I couldn’t wait. MJ reached over to the bedside table for her purse and pulled out a small ultrasound picture to show me.

We spent our wedding night enjoying a suite at a local ritzy hotel that our friends had paid for as a wedding gift. Tristan and Angel kept Katelyn for us so that Ashton and Gracie could have a break too since they’d had her a lot during the wedding plans. Mary Jane hadn’t told anyone about the baby. She wanted me to be the first to know and then Katie. So as soon as we arrived at Angel and Tristan’s house, we asked them to leave us alone for a moment.

Mary Jane pulled the ultrasound photo out of her purse and slid it across the table. “Do you know what this is?”

Katelyn stared at it and said, “It looks like the picture Aunt Gracie showed me of Autumn when she was in her belly.” 

Mary Jane’s grin widened, “That’s
right; it is like that, but not the same picture.” 

Katelyn looked up at me, then over to Mary Jane. “Are we having a baby?” she asked innocently including herself into the mixture which I thought was great.

“Yep, we are!” Mary Jane exclaimed.

Katelyn squealed then ran to hug both of us. “Is it a boy or girl?” she asked.

“We won’t know that for a little while. All we know is that you’re going to be the best big sister ever, right?”

She rolled her eyes, “Gee, no pressure.”
 

We’d asked Tristan to call the rest of the family over, my mom, Gracie and Ashton, Cameron and Gavin, so we could relay the news to them all at once. They were all bouncing in their seats, we were pretty sure they’d figured out the news so we decided to throw them off a bit. “We’re moving to Florida for Mary Jane to work for Disney. She found out the news and after careful consideration we decided it’s the best choice for our family.”

Their faces went from excited to heartbroken in seconds. A resounding, “What?” erupted from all of them at once.

Mary Jane and I both laughed and said, “Gotchya!” She held up the ultrasound picture and the relief in the room was tangible. After a few curse words were spouted there were cheers of excitement and joy.

Standing back from the celebration, I took in my family. We were a diverse group of people. We’d made mistakes, we’d loved, lost, and loved again and we were still standing after everything that had been thrown at us. A couple of clichés are definitely true in my life. One is that everything happens for a reason. If I hadn’t become a father, I wouldn’t have needed a babysitter the day that Ashton was in the accident and I wouldn’t have met Mary Jane. And two, sometimes when you love someone you have to let them go and if they are truly yours they will come back. Giving Mary Jane up was one of the hardest things I’d done, but it paid off when she stepped back into my life. We’d been on the same path all along, by following the curves in the road we ended up right where we wanted to be in the first place.

The End…..

Look for the next installment of The Southern Devotion Series where we'll follow see who's next to find their happily-ever-after.