Erratic laughter spilled from my lips at an uncontrollable sound level; my hilarity was teetering on the verge of being a cackle. “Seriously, stop!” I yelled, trying to catch my breath but failing miserably. “I can’t breathe,” I relented, trying to think of anything that would make him stop his tickle assault. “I gotta pee!” I screamed next, but he wouldn’t take the bait, just kept ignoring me as he continued. “Oh my crap, Baylor, you’ve gotta stop! I’ll cut you off from sex!” I said next, knowing that he would immediately halt his movements and release me, which he did. I knew I had gone a bit too far, but my ribs were screaming out at me from the mixture of tickling pain and laughter. “You punk,” I shouted and launched myself into his arms, encircling his waist with my legs as I wrapped them around him, locking my ankles together. In my mind I was some superhero about to bring the evil, or in his case, sexy, villain to justice.
But the next thing I knew I was being placed on the countertop, Baylor’s hands enclosing my face, and at the last moment, right before he completely smothered me, he cupped my cheeks and initiated contact, invading my mouth in a silent but feral attack. I melted into his embrace as he caressed my tongue with his but pulled apart way sooner than I would like to have because we really needed to get a move on. Once his eyes opened he had a serious pout marring his face, and it was my turn for payback.
“Oh, is my Baylor sad?” I teased as I braced his head and brought him close enough to press my lips against his forehead. “Does he need some more lovin’?” I said in a voice usually reserved for Petunia and proceeded to softly kiss both of his cheeks. “I’m sorry, but we need to get a move on. So much to do today and first things first I have to make sure my best friend won’t kill me for moving away from her.” I took the pad of my thumb and tried smoothing away the pout from his lips when he took it into his mouth and gave it a subtle nibble, creating a rush of wetness at my core. Unfortunately it was definitely not the time to pursue that any further.
“Baby, I love you and all but if we continue to sit here we won’t get anything accomplished at all. The faster we can get things done, the sooner we can be in our house, the three of us together, well, four including Petunia.”
He released my thumb from his mouth, rested his forehead against mine and intertwined our fingers together, “I love the sound of that. But now I’m seriously going to be outnumbered, three girls in the house and me.” He brought a hand forward and rubbed my belly ever so lightly, “I’m going to have to rectify that soon.”
My heart completely melted and it would give me no greater joy than to give him a son, when the timing was right. Our relationship was all too new and we each needed to settle into our new changes. Not only was my life going to chance by being completely uprooted, I had to think of how everything would affect Norah. She seemed to be a strong young lady and an absolute trooper, so I just hoped that everything would transition smoothly for her. I decided to be a smart ass instead of melting even further with the thought of having a baby, “Oh, you mean we should get a male dog for Petunia to have her own playmate?” I joked and immediately his brows furrowed. “One thing at a time, Baylor. Let’s adjust to everything that is going on then we’ll definitely discuss having a baby, that is, if that’s what you want.”
“My heart has never been more completely full than it is right now. Bringing you into our life and home will be the best thing that has happened to Norah and me in a long time. But I do agree, when the timing is right we can discuss having a baby, and in the meantime won’t all that practicing be a thrill?”
“Julia Caldwell, if you don’t remove that scowl from your face I won’t allow you within five feet of my hair with those scissors,” I warned, almost feeling like a mother scolding her young. I had just barely stepped in through the front doors of Violet before Jules came charging my way with a menacing expression and her scissors in tow. I was officially scared for my life and I couldn’t very well leave because Baylor had dropped me off on his way to pick up Dean and check out of their hotel.
Her shoulders slumped forward and a few tears glistened in her eyes; at any moment they would spill over and then I would have to cry right along with her. In all the years that I had known Julia I’d never known her to shed one single tear. She had already gone through husband number one and was on the verge of divorcing number two when we met, so her heart was already a cold and frozen organ. It took her a while to even warm up to me, and I would like to think it was because of our friendship that her hardened exterior began to thaw.
“You can’t leave me, Eden, you’re all the family I’ve got,” she exclaimed, coming closer towards me and allowing that first initial tear to finally fall free down her cheek.
I opened my arms to allow her entrance and embraced her tight. Talk about heartbreaking, I knew our goodbye was going to be bad, but I had no idea it would become that brutal. I rubbed my palm up and down her back, “Oh, sweetheart, I know it’s so soon but I’ll only be a phone call away. And besides, there is nothing tying you to Nashville, why don’t you think about moving to Oregon too?”
She pulled away from our embrace and wiped the few signs of sadness away as she raised a brow, “Me live where it is constantly raining and gloomy? Yeah, no offense but I really don’t prefer to live someplace where my head would be a permanent frizz ball.” And she was back, her little moment of weakness was all but forgotten and she was ready to move on.
“Come on,” she waved an arm towards her stylist chair, “you owe me big and I’m thinking I’ll cash it in in the form of a new haircut.”
My eyes widened, matching those of a deer in headlights, “Now, Jules, let’s not get irrational. I’m not just going to let you have free rein on my hair.”
Feigning annoyance, she shoved her finger in the direction of the chair, “Sit down, shut up, and let me see that ring that’s weighing down your left hand.” She cracked a small smile before going back to her signature resting bitch face where no emotions would show through.
Following instructions, I did as she asked, sitting in her chair and then raising my hand so that my ring was perched beautifully on display for my best friend to admire.
“Eden, it’s absolutely beautiful. You definitely deserve it. And I suppose I could say that I’m a bit envious of you, but if you blab that to anyone else I’ll deny it to my grave.”
Blanketing a violet-colored cape around my body, she secured the Velcro on the backside and went to work. She started making little snips and cuts here and there on my dry hair, making me supremely worried it would come out looking hideous. But I hadn’t needed to worry; after she was all finished it looked as if she had only taken a little off the bottom, getting rid of all the split ends so my hair was fresh. She didn’t talk much as she was busy doing her thing with her magical scissors, but every so often I heard a sniffle come from her. She wanted everyone to think she was brave by putting up this bitchy exterior, but really on the inside she was a scared little girl and I really couldn’t tell you what made her that way.
Being her best friend I knew almost everything there ever was to know about her second husband, the rat bastard that he was. But she never once spoke about her first husband Logan and it wasn’t for my lack of trying. The only reason I knew his first name was because I basically pried it out of her one night while she was severely drunk.
I was sure that whatever had gone down between the two of them had to have been bad, especially for Julia to be so tight lipped about it. She dogged and made fun of Paul, her second husband, every single chance she got.