-1-

 

“Oh!” a voice shouts

My eyes pop open and from under the covers I hear a pan crash on the stove and an excited yelp, followed by a shrill short scream and then laughter and then...a chorus  of shouts and footsteps.

“Oh my goodness!,” she laughs. “Oh my goodness!”

I hear a deep voice laughing. Then I hear footsteps with that familiar long gait.  

No.

It can’t be.

No.

Damn it.

The footsteps are coming closer to my closed bedroom door. I frantically sit up in bed and pull out the bright orange hot rollers I’d slept in, the cooled  curls falling down my neck

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

I’d spent hours at the outlets looking for a dress that fit and comfortable shoes, countless hours in Walgreens finding the perfect shade of lipstick. I  wanted to be a knockout when he saw me again.

Not like this.

The doors handle turns and for some reason I decide to just curl up in the bed and hide under the poppy patterned comforter.

“Sur-prise…” he says cautiously, the door slowly creaking open.

At the sound of his voice, I get an uncontrollable stupid smile, but I don’t move from under the covers.

I feel the mattress sink as he sits on it, and then he is on top of me, his legs straddling my body as he detangles me from the sheets.  

“Hi,” I say, breathless from laughing  when we finally make eye contact.

“Hey, baby,” he laughs, still carefully straddling my body.

He must have had a long night because there is faint stubble on his chin. He’s smiling so wide I can see the slightly pointed teeth he has in the back of his mouth.  He takes of his cover and puts it on my head.

“We were supposed to meet you at the airport this afternoon,” I tell him.

“I know, but I got an earlier flight and I decided to surprise ya’ll.”

I sit up and he crawls around behind me until he is spooning me. He presses one hand to my waist and I can feel his other hand traveling up my leg.

“Rhett,” I breathe. “Your family is right outside.”

“Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn,” he laughs

“Excuse me ?,” I frown. My Dear was a new one.

“Really ?,” he laughs. “I can’t believe I never made that joke before. If you were anyone else you’d really appreciate that.” 

The bedroom door swings open and Savannah and Mason stand on the other side. Without missing a beat, Rhett’s hand casually moves from my thigh to my knee. Savannah  throws herself on to her brother asking the same questions I had been about why he was here so early.

“Watch out,” he says pushing her. “You almost kicked Juliana in the face.”

Within seconds of Savannah opening the door the bedroom is crowded and chaotic with the Sullivan and Clark family, peeking in to speak to Rhett. He’s kicked off his shoes, but he’s still spooning me—still in uniform.

Most of them want to know what he wants to eat, when he says he wants a slice of the pumpkin pie for breakfast Grandma Sullivan actually goes to cut it. Jocelyn walks absently around the bedroom, putting things away, going over her last minute Thanksgiving grocery list.

“Okay, ya’ll can I please have one minute alone with my family ?” Rhett finally says, kissing the  baby bump that had grown since I last saw him 5 months ago.

They leave slowly, Uncle Deacon making a inappropriate comment that makes Jocelyn snap at him. When the door closes Rhett makes a move to kiss my lips, but I turn away so he only grazes my cheek. I didn’t really feel like being kissed right now.

Rhett sits up in the bed to face me and taking my hand he looks me in the eye.

“So…are you going to do it ?,” he asks me darkly.

He’d gone straight to the point. He doesn’t’ even have to say it and I know what he is talking about.

I prayed this wouldn’t be a fight.

Or atleast not a loud one.

“Yes,” I say and he frowns. “I…I want to do it, Rhett.”

“J--,”

“I love you, but I don’t care what you say about this,” I say, my voice shaking. “I made a decision.”

“Damn it,” he says running his hands over his head in frustration.

“Your acting like an entitled little bitch, Juliana.You’re going to fuck up our entire lives,”  he says in an  icy  tone. “Those people in there will never look at me the same way.”

I roll my eyes at him like his name calling doesn’t bother me, but it hurt like hell.

We’re both silent and there is a soft whimper under the bed.

“Oh no,” I sigh.

I look down under the bed to see Mason, his thumb in his mouth.

Rhett  smiles and reaches under the bed for him.

“Hey, little man.” Rhett says picking him up and kissing him . “Are you ready to be a big brother ? Huh ?”

Mason’s gone unusually quiet and his bright green eyes look close to tears but they don't fall. Mason whines and reaches for my arms instantly.

“Did Daddy said a bad word ? ” I say taking him and rubbing his back, attempting to soothe him.

“I did,” Rhett says, not looking me in the eye. “I’m sorry, Mama. Do you accept my apology ?,”

“Yes,” I say and Rhett kisses my cheek. His lips still feel so sweet.

“Get out.” I mouth to him over Mason's head.

 And he does.

 ----

A/N

So, this was originally conceived as a flash fiction, but I've made it a prologue for this serial. From this point on we will be working backwards.