Loving Cassie

Die A Happy Man

Cassie

He didn't want to be friends anymore?

My whole body froze as the words fell from his lips and I could feel the tears beginning to gather in my eyes. What was he saying? He'd seemed so happy today at the party. So relaxed, like he was enjoying himself. Had it all become too much? He'd been active in mine and Walker's lives in the last few months and I knew that being around a child was stressful sometimes, but had it become more than he could handle? Had I allowed him to take on too much? I hadn't pushed him to do anything he hadn't wanted to with Walker, he'd taken it on without being asked. What was I supposed to say? 

"I can't just be friends anymore, Cassidy. I want to take you out on dates, just the two of us, and then turn around and take both you and Walker out. I want to introduce you to my friends as more than the woman next door, and take you to Nana and Papaw's for family dinner where they invite all of my aunts, uncles and cousins to see what beauty I brought home. I want them to see what a wonder Walker is and spoil him rotten while he's there, and send us home with a mountain of gifts that make too much noise. I don't want this undefined thing between us anymore. I want more and I want  it with you." My heart raced and I became suddenly aware of our surroundings. The heat of the night, the light breeze from the wind, the chirp of cicadas in the trees combined with the crickets in the grass - they were creating a symphony. And of course, there was Ward, standing so close to me now that I could move only millimeters and our bodies would brush. 

He wanted me? Us? He wasn't tired or overwhelmed with all that was being thrown at him? He wasn't backing out? The relief that I felt was almost debilitating. He wanted to stay. 

I let go of the bag in my hands, not even caring that all of the contents had likely fallen out and turned to him with one thing in mind. His hat was in his hands, twisted between the thick tanned hands that had a habit of brushing my hair out of my face or cupping my cheek as he kissed me softly. He was nervous. Did he honestly expect me to say no?  Ward was all I'd thought about since the moment he'd walked into my home, and the more time I spent with him, the simpler it was to me. I tangled my right hand in the fabric of his shirt before yanking him to me and connecting our lips. 

Hopefully he took the kiss for what it was. A resounding yes.

*Two months later* 

The scent of cinnamon hung heavily in the air and I couldn't tell if it was the apple pie scentsy in Donnie's office or the pan of cinnamon rolls in the oven. I was pretty sure it was his scentsy though, considering you could smell it even when the door was closed. 

"Cassie? How close to being done are the rolls?" Texas Dixon's sweet voice called through the swinging door. Texas, or X, was the newest addition to the Delish! family and I absolutely adored  her. X , her twin Tennessee, and their sister Arizona, along with cousins December, October and August had all frequented the bakery a million times before they encouraged her to apply for our open assistant baker position. I was pretty pleased that Donnie had chosen her to fill the spot. She was a total sweetheart who was a fantastic in the kitchen. She knew there was a difference between butter and margarine and the necessity of buttermilk in certain cakes, didn't mind getting her hands dirty and loved helping me when it came to decorating special order cakes. She was all I could've asked for and despite the fact that she was only nineteen, she was my closest female friend. We spent every other Saturday doing a Girl's Night with Donnie, which had caused her to giggle at first, where we sipped on Virgin Margaritas and dished about the men in our lives. Donnie had Jack, and were discussing adoption and surrogacy at the moment, I had Ward and Walker, my two favorite men in town, but sadly, Texas' love life was a bit of a mess.

Texas had been half in love with the same guy since she'd moved to Red Mire and had done everything in her power to get him to notice her -- not that she did anything over the top, X wasn't really a flashy person. But her attempts were foiled when she caught her twin sneaking her beloved, Yates, out of her room one morning. Now Texas was trying to grin and bare it while Tennessee and Yates flaunted their love all over town, and Red Mire wasn't large by any means. This was likely why I felt so close to her, because I knew first hand what happened when your sister was the one who hurt you.

"Give it five minutes, doll."

She nodded at me with a smile before disappearing to let our customers know about the wait time. 

I went about putting the finishing touches on the pumpkin and buttermilk pies so I could snag the rolls from the oven. It was nearly time to go, but these pies were actually going home with Donnie and Jack, well, to Nana and Papaw Montgomery's where we'd meet them at seven. While I had met the elder Ward Montgomery and Nana Presley before, I was nervous because tonight I was meeting the rest of the family.

I hoped it went well.

An hour later I was home and scrambling to get a shower in before we left. It would do no good to show up covered in flour, dough and cocoa powder. 

"Your dad's on the phone, baby." Ward called through the closed bathroom door. I hissed through my teeth when I opened my eyes and soap slid in. Between rinsing out my eyes and my hair I asked what he needed. 

"Carrie went into labor and she's askin' for you, Cass." 

Just my luck, I thought sourly. 

* 

She was sickly pale, thin and covered in sweat when I darted into her room with nurses yelling at me to slow down. Ward had Walker and they were in the waiting room with the other men in the family, since birthing was a messy process. I wondered briefly where Dalton was, but figured he was off taking a break since it was all he'd done when I'd given birth to Walker.  I closed the door behind me, eyeing her as I stepped closer. There were machines littering the room, monitoring both baby and mother, and my concern for the well being of the baby skyrocketed. Had she been taking care of herself? Had the doctor done anything for her? Was my nephew okay? 

I knew I should be worried about Carrie, but I had a sinking feeling that she was at fault for the sick quality she'd taken on. 

"He's underweight" Her voice was raspy as she spoke.  "Four pounds and ten ounces." This shocked me. He was that little? Carrie was huge by no means but she could have a healthy baby without issue. What was I supposed to say to her? I settled for staying quiet and watching as a contraction hit her. She grunted loudly and gripped her belly, but I made no effort to move.

"The," She breathed, "doctor said that I -- his weight was due to my refusal to eat. If he has no physical deficits it will be a miracle." Tears glittered in her dull hazel eyes but I could feel no sympathy for her, only anger. She had done this because she was selfish. She had risked the life of a child because she was too self-absorbed to take care of herself properly. It was the weight she'd gained in pregnancy, I knew this. Carrie had always been weight conscious and ate like a bird through her teenage years. She was silent for a while, saying nothing 

"Cassie-" she groaned again but this time a tear fell down her cheek "I am so sorry. For all of it." Suddenly, as she was talking her eyes widened and she let out a silent scream. Her machines let out a loud beep and a team of people in scrubs came bursting through the doors and I was pushed out. 

* * *

An hour later I was pacing the waiting room, still no sight of any of the doctors, or Dalton. Daddy and Walker had crashed out on a really uncomfortable looking chair and I'm pretty sure they were both drooling. Dalton's parents hadn't shown up yet either, but that didn't surprise me too much, they'd been absent in his life for years. Uncle Irv and Aunt Tilly wouldn't be here for another hour. Ward was off grabbing us coffee since it was nearly midnight. 

I had a sinking feeling in my gut but I didn't want to go there. I would continue to wait for news without jumping to conclusions no matter how much I suspected the worst. Just as Ward walked in and handed me a steaming cup of coffee, the sound of a door opening alerted us to another presences and a doctor came in. 

"Family of CarrieAnn Malcolm?"