Country Lovin': Chapter Twenty-One

As the alarm blared, Valene groaned and rolled over in bed and turned it off. With this now pounding headache and her stomach giving her slight stomach pains, she was tempted to heave the alarm out the window. She groaned again and rolled out of bed.

Walking out into the kitchen, she grabbed her medication and popped two pills into her palm and then downed it with orange juice straight from the carton. There wasn't much left, so she just finished off the carton and placed it on the counter. She was slowly waking up as she moved slowly towards the hallway to go to the bathroom.

She stopped when there was a loud knock on her door. She turned around and headed for the door. When she didn’t open the door immediately after the first knock, two more loud knocks followed. Who in God's name could be at my door this early? She glanced through the peephole and what she saw nearly stopped her heart, drained all of the blood from her face and any moisture left in her mouth. It's him. Oh god, it’s him.

Standing just outside her door was Jessie. She undid the deadbolt and unlocked the door as he pounded again on the door. She opened the door and there he stood, staring at her. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she could even speak. She sort of leaned against the door, looking down at her bare feet.

"Hello Valene." He said after sometime. To her, it felt almost like a century.

"Hello Jessie." She replied, thinking her voice sounded dry..

"Can I come in?" He asked, his voice soft.

With that question, she felt herself coming out of a daze and moved back, allowing him entry. She walked into the kitchen and over to the counter where she fumbled with her medication container.

"How have you been?" He asked.

She turned around, taking the container in her hand and faced him. "I...oh, dammit Jessie, I have something to tell you."

His eyes narrowed. "Maybe the reason why you left?"

She looked down at the floor, then looked back up at him. "Do you want to know the reason why I left?"

He didn't respond, just kept his gaze on her. His body was stiff and rigid she noticed, which made her all the more uncomfortable. She shifted her feet and looked back down to her hands. "I was scared," She sighed and looked back up at him. "I was scared that I'd fallen in love and I was scared I was going to get hurt again. I was afraid...afraid of the love I felt for you because in the short time I knew you, I was deeply in love with you....and...I didn't know what to do.

"I thought I was doing the right thing by getting away, but when I got home, I noticed I had done just the opposite and I feared calling you or going back because I thought you'd hate me and that no matter what I'd say or what I'd do, it wouldn't mean anything and you'd just slam the door in my face," She pointed to the table in the kitchen. "I was going to come and visit you today. There was something I wanted...er I needed to tell you."

She didn't miss a beat. She knew if she did, everything would've gone down the hole for nothing, and she'd hide back in the shell she had created for backup. She took a deep breath and began, "Yesterday, I woke up feeling like crap. I had stomach problems and I got sick. My sister took me to the doctors...and..."

Jessie shifted his position and he glared at her. "What did the doctor say?"

God help her, but she couldn't say the word. Not yet, oh Lord not yet. She took another deep breath. "Well, my doctor," She released it slowly. "My doctor told me that my uterus was...well that my uterus was blue."

Jessie's eyes widened and his body just seemed to look limp. "You're uterus was what color?" He took a step forward and took the pills from her hand. "And what are these for?"

Her eyes started to fill up with tears. "My uterus was...it was blue. She told me...Oh God Jessie, I'm pregnant. And...and those pills are for the symptoms of morning sickness. It's safe for the...for..for the baby." That was when she broke down. "Oh Jessie, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to end up pregnant...I just...I thought I was making your life easier." She felt her knees start to give out and she thought she was going to fall, but he grabbed her and held her close to him.

"Oh Valene, shhh" He wrapped his arms tightly around her and laid his cheek on her head. "Don't cry sweetie, please don't. I forgive you for leaving. I really do. Yes, I admit I was hurt at first, but I was determined to find you, to tell you how much I love you. How much I want to be with you. I think this baby helped me out in the I want to be with you for the rest of my life department."

Valene almost choked on a sob. She looked up at him, her eyes still filled with tears, but instead of sadness, there was shock in her eyes. "Wha..what did you say?"

A smile spread to Jessie's face. "I came here, Valene, to ask you if you wouldn't mind coming back to Texas with me and maybe becoming Mrs Jessie Taylor."

Valene's eyes grew wide with disbelief. Could this truly be happening? Oh dear God, please wake me up before I believe this is real. She backed away from him. "This can't be real. No. Not to me. This...this is just a dream. This is—"

Jessie took another long stride to her and placed a finger in front of her lips. "You scared me when you left, Valene. I was so scared because when you left, it made me realize that I loved you more than anything in the world. I've never fallen in love with anyone before. You showed me what love is. I knew, when I went to your Aunt's house and saw that you weren't there, I knew that I had no other choice but to find you, to let you know how badly I'm in love with you.

"I knew that once I found you, I'd never let you go, and I'd be damned persistant to bring you back to Texas with me. Damn it Valene, I want you. I want this baby that we both created. I want this baby to have a mommy and a daddy, and I sure as hell want our baby to have its parents living underneath the same roof, and down the road have some brothers and sisters."

Stunned beyond any words which could come near to explain how she was feeling, she stood there, staring up at him. He removed his finger from her lips and his right hand found his way into her hair and before she could blink, he had lowered his mouth onto hers and stole what breath she had left. It was soft and passionate. It expressed the depth of the love they shared which couldn't be explained by spoken language. His arms found his way around her and pulled her close to him. His tongue softly forced his way through her limp lips and met and danced with hers sharing and giving, no longer one sided.

When he pulled away, Valene found she was almost on the brink of tears a second time. She took a few steps away and backed herself into the fridge. She held up a hand when he started to come forward. She struggled to not choke on another sob. “I don’t know.. I don’t know how to respond..or what to say. Everything is happening so fast.” She looked up at him and softly nibbled her bottom lip.

A soft smile spread to his face. “All you have to do is say yes, and we can go as slow as you want.”

“So, you’re not mad at me for being pregnant?” She ran a hand raggedly through her hair. A lost tear ran down her face.

“No. It takes two people to get into that situation, you know.”

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Valene grinned and she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face against his chest. “I can’t believe my dreams are coming true. I can’t believe that I found a guy who I thought could never exist in this day-in-age. I definitely can’t believe that you’re not angry and hate me. And my god, I can’t believe I’m about to say this and it not be a dream, but..” She took a soft breath. “Yes.. I do.. Whatever it is that I’m supposed to say.”

Jessie’s face broke into a grin and placed his hands at her waist and lifted her into the air, high enough so he could place a kiss on her lips. “I was hoping that would be your answer. Not sure what I would’ve done with myself if you’d said no.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that.” She sniffled and snuggled closer.

“No, definitely not.” Jessie smiled and placed random, soft kisses all over her face.

"I'm going to have to call up Nadine and Derek. I have to let them know the news!"

As she hurried off to get the phone in the living room, Jessie smiled softly, placing his hands on his hips and watched as she picked up the phone, nearly dropped it, and dialed the numbers. He couldn't believe it. His life was beginning again. His life was complete now. He had a family, he had something he never thought he'd have a chance to have. As a laugh escaped from his lips as he heard the happy screams coming from Nadine on the other end, he was so thankful for everything that happened. So thankful that he had Valene and now this new baby that was on the way. Life couldn't get any perfect than this.