“Uncle Jack,” Michelle began, nervously tapping her fingers on the arm rest of the chair she was sitting in. “I need to talk to you.”
He uncle walked into his study and sat in the chair opposite her, “About what sweetie?”
She was trembling slightly as she answered, “Me and Nick.”
“Are you having second thoughts? Wishing you would have eloped?”
“Heavens no, although now that I think about it, eloping sounds like a good idea…”
“Michelle Miley, just tell me what’s wrong.”
“You always said that you would never marry a couple who had a baby before marriage or if the woman was pregnant before they got married. But it’s too lat to find someone else to perform the ceremony if you don’t do it,” she stopped rambling to catch her breath.
“Honey what are you trying to say?”
“I’m…I’m…pregnant,” she whispered the last word.
“You’re what?”
“Pregnant”
“But you can’t be.”
“Oh yes I can.”
“But you always said you would never…at least not until you were married.”
“Things change Uncle Jack. I changed and I gave Nick what I never gave anyone else because I love him.”
She stood and began pacing, “I’m three months along now and my due date is September twenty third. I had to tell you why Nick and I moved the date of the ceremony up before it actually happened. I didn’t want to be lying to you any more. If you don’t perform the ceremony we’ll just have to find someone who will, but I’d rather have you do it.”
“Of course I’ll do it.”
“You will? But you said…”
“Nick told me about the baby before you two moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to make sure I’d still do it.”
“That rat! He didn’t tell me! And now I made an ass of myself.”
“No you didn’t, you did what you thought you should do. You came and told me the truth. You’ve always known what you stated about me, but if I didn’t perform weddings for people like that I wouldn’t do many marriages. Thank you for coming to me, it means more than you know,” he smiled. “And congratulations.”
“Thanks Uncle Jack,” Michelle said hugging the man. “Thanks so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
Michelle left the room in search of Nick.
She finally found him in “Hobbit Hollow,” the tree house her Uncle Jack had built for her and Billy two summers before he died.
“I see the magic of “Hobbit Hollow” has sucked you in too,” she said as she stepped into the first room of the four room tree house, lightly slapping the wall. “Man I missed this place.”
“‘Hobbit Hollow’? You miss it? What is this place?”
It’s mine and Billy’s tree house. Uncle Jack built it for us when we were in the third grade. After the accident I didn’t come here much.”
“Accident?”
Michelle strode to the window on the wall opposite where she was standing and reached up to pull a framed picture down from the shelf above it. “God, I miss Billy.”
The picture was of her, her cousin Billy, her and Billy’s fathers horseback riding a few months before the accident.
“This picture,” she held it out and waited for him to take it before continuing. “Was taken three months before the accident. It was June twenty first and Daddy, Uncle Jack, Billy and I went out on our weekly ‘Daddy and me’ horseback riding trip. Usually we only did the short trail but this day our guide decided to take us on the long trail. Billy’s horse somehow got ahead of the guide’s. The next thing I hear is Billy screaming at the top of his lungs and then there was a thud. Daddy held on to my horse’s reins and kept it under control while Uncle Jack and the guide dismounted and ran to Billy. By the time they got him to the hospital it was too late. The horse, Blaze Runner, had trampled a few of Billy’s vital organs and the doctors couldn’t do anything. To this day, Daddy, Uncle Jack and I have not been back on a horse. Back to missing the tree house, after Billy died I came back a few times but without my best friend here with me there was a feeling of great emptiness and loneliness that I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t play in the tree house without thinking of him and being sad so I stayed away.”
“That’s tragic.”
“It was.”
She grinned and Nick knew something was up so he asked, “What’s going on?”
“How come you didn’t tell me that you told Uncle Jack that I’m pregnant?”
“Right after I told him we shipped everything and moved to LA and we were so busy that it just slipped my mind.”
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“That’s it? You’re not mad? I’m not in trouble?”
“Yes, no, no. Just don’t let it happen again,” she grinned maniacally as she stood to leave, “You’ll pay for it later.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm terribly sorry if this doesn't make any sense. I wrote it really late last night and I was having some problems with arrangements for a trip I'm taking but I hope you like it anyway.
