Sarah Hudson / Bailey Beckett (Yes, they're supposed to be the same person!)

Jackson Hudson / Carter Beckett (Again, supposed to be the same person)

Bailey's father, Red Hudson

Justin Timberlake

Amelia Robinson

Travis Williams.

“Ms. Hudson, you need to come with me.”  The social worker tugged on Sarah’s arm and the young woman moved slowly, her eyes void of emotions.  “We’re taking you to your son now, and the two of you will be getting on a plane shortly.”

Sarah nodded, her mind numb and her heart heavy. 

The only emotion that showed on her face happened when she was brought into a small back room of the police station, her eyes landing on her son.  Tears fell down her cheeks as the boy ran into her arms, fiercely clinging to his mother.

“It’s over, Ma,”  He spoke into her hair.  The social worker watched the two together, noting that the twelve-year-old was offering comfort that Sarah seemed incapable of at the moment.  “It’s over.  He’s gone.  We’re fine.”  The words tumbled from the boy’s mouth over and over.  A mantra.

“I love you.”  Sarah finally spoke, allowing some distance to come between her and her son.  She was afraid to let him go for fear of losing him.  “I love you so much.”  She kissed his temple and rested her chin on his head.

“I know, Ma.  I love you too.” 

“Ms. Hudson, we have to get going.”  The social worker broke into their moment and reminded them that it wasn’t really over, not yet.  “Your father is here.  You have five minutes to say goodbye and then we have to leave.”

Sarah noticed her father for the first time since entering the room.  He was standing in the corner, waiting for his moment.  Her eyes filled with tears again and she nodded, understanding the words but refusing to believe the meaning.

“Buck up, Kiddo.”  He opened his arms and she stepped into the warmth of their circle.  “You’ve got great things ahead of you.  You and that boy of yours.” 

“Oh God, Dad.  I can’t do this without you.”  The tears fell harder and hiccups shook Sarah’s body.  “I can’t.”

Red’s fingers found Sarah’s chin and he lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes.  “I raised you better than that, SJ.  You’re strong.  I raised you to be strong.  You’re it now, baby.  You’re all that your little boy has and you’ve got to be strong for him.  He needs you.”  He wiped the moisture from her cheeks.  “No more tears.  You hear me?”  He waited for Sarah to nod her understanding.  “You’re not going to cry about this anymore.  You are going to take that boy of yours and bring him up the way I taught you and together you’ll do great things.”

“Ma’am, we have to go.”  A new officer had stepped into the room, interrupting the moment. 

“Come here, Jackson.”  Red called his grandson over, smiling in spite of the ache in his chest.  “You take care of your mother, you hear?  You respect her word and you watch out for her.  You’re the man now, J.”  Taking the tattered hat out of his pocket, Red settled it on the blond hair of his grandson.  “I love you.”

Jackson’s eyes widened, looking up at the hat on his head.  “Gramps, your Beckett hat.”  The Red Sox ball cap had been signed by Josh Beckett, the famous pitcher.  Red had worn it daily for the past five years and Jackson had known that the hat was sacred.  “You’ll need it to watch the games.”  Superstition said that Red couldn’t miss a game and he had to keep the hat on for every inning.  To remove the hat meant a loss. 

Red took a new cap out of his pocket and settled it on his head, grinning.  “I’ve got a new one.  And Joe down at the park says he can get Beckett to sign this one, too.  Don’t you worry, kid.  We’re safe.”

“Ms. Hudson, we have to go.”  The officer stepped in and gently tugged Sarah and Jackson away from Red.  “The car is waiting.”

“I love you.”  Sarah whispered, holding back the tears because she had been told to.

There wasn’t time for anymore words as the small family was ushered from the small room and out toward the back of the building.  Red watched them leave, his heart heavy.  He knew that he would never see those two again, and suddenly his life felt void of purpose.

Sarah and Jackson followed the officers out to the back and they piled into a waiting SUV.  The world blurred past the widows as they headed toward the airport, and one of the officers spoke, reminding them they their life was now going to be separated into old and new.

“Have you decided on your name?”  The man with the stiff, black mustache asked, flipping through paper work and not looking up.

Sarah turned to Jackson and nodded, letting her son make the choice.  “Beckett.”  He answered, his voice shaky and thick with emotion.

“And your first names?”  More papers flipped, a pen made notes.

“Bailey,” Sarah spoke.  It was her mother’s maiden name.  “And Carter,” she answered for her son.  It was her father’s real name, even though he’d been called Red as long as she could remember.

“Well, Bailey and Carter Beckett,” The mustache finally looked up and smiled.  It didn’t reach his eyes.  “You’re heading to a beautiful little town called Shelby Forest, Tennessee.  You’ll love it.”

And in an instant, Sarah and Jackson Hudson cease to exist.

The southern heat was oppressive.  Thick, hot, humid air surrounded her, causing her clothes to stick uncomfortably.  She was a city girl; born and raised in Boston and this place was as far from Boston as it got.  No skyscrapers, no street vendors, and hardly any people.  She missed the smells, the sounds, and the less blood-boiling temperatures.  But now, she was here and she was trying to make the best of it. 

“Bailey.” 

Sifting through papers, she found her mind wandering over the laundry list of things she needed to get done before she had to pick Carter up from school.

“Bailey.” 

She had to get some groceries, and she had to get to the post office so she could pick up a money order for rent.  She also had to get to the poster board and paints that Carter needed for his science fair project.

“Bailey!”  A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, throwing the stack of papers that had been in her hands.  “Sorry!  I called your name but you didn’t answer.”  The thick drawl of her boss sounded in her ears and she felt the heat rise to her hair line.

“Sorry.  I guess I was spacing.”  She felt like she was using that excuse a lot lately, but she had no other answer to give.  At least, not one that she could share openly.

“I noticed.  Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?  You look like you need it.”  Amelia straightened up, watching Bailey carefully.  The girl was extremely jumpy and Amelia was afraid that she was going to shake herself to pieces.  She had never met someone that scared so easily.

“Are you sure?  I don’t want to leave you short handed.”  Both Bailey and Amelia’s eyes glanced around the empty office space, noting the distinct lack of customers.

“You know, I think I’ll manage.”  She watched as the young woman’s face fell slightly, “you can come in earlier in the morning, though, and get the rest of those papers filed.”  That seemed to bring a little more life back into her face.  Although Bailey never mentioned it, Amelia knew that she struggled with making ends meet and money was tight.  She tried to give Bailey as many hours as possible, but it seemed ridiculous to keep her there if it was completely dead.

“Okay.”  Bailey organized the papers that had scattered around the floor, setting them in a neat pile on her desk.  “I have to run some errands before I pick up Carter, anyway.”

“Great.  How is he settling in?”  Amelia had just recently hired Bailey as her secretary.  She and her son had moved into town only a month earlier and Bailey had been desperate for work.  Amelia ran a small legal office that mostly dealt with divorce and land disputes, but that’s what happened when you lived in a town like Shelby Forest.  Bailey had seemed like a capable, intelligent young woman and Amelia hadn’t been able to turn her down when she showed up, pleading for a job.  Steady paying jobs were rare in Shelby forest and Amelia wasn’t hurting for money.  She took Bailey on and so far it had been a great fit.

She just wished the girl would learn to relax.

“He seems to be doing okay.  He misses his old school, which I figured would happen, but he’s excited that baseball season is starting.  He’s pretty sure he’ll be able to pitch some this year.”

Amelia laughed.  “If he’s got any arm at all, they’ll be lucky to have him.  I love our school, but we don’t have the best talent pool anymore.  Carter will be a breath of fresh air.”

A few more pleasantries were exchanged before Bailey was slipping on her sunglasses and heading outside to her car.  The heat was worse when she stepped through the door.  She wasn’t sure if it was possible to melt, but she was certain she would find out soon enough.

It took her close to an hour to get all of her errands done, but she managed to do it all before Carter’s practice was over.  Catching a glimpse of her gangly twelve-year-old, Bailey couldn’t help but smile.  His flaxen hair hung into his eyes and she reminded herself to make him an appointment to get it cut.  She watched as he ran drills with the other boys, his athletic prowess standing out above the rest of the group.  He was tall for his age, both a gift and a curse left to him by his father.  Carter had never enjoyed how much he stood out, almost eight inches above the rest of the kids his age.  Hopefully they would catch up with him soon enough.

“Mrs. Beckett?”  The voice startled her and caused her to turn quickly to meet whoever was calling her name.

“It’s Miss.”  She amended, reaching her hand out to the man that had spoken to her.  “But you can call me Sa-Bailey.”  She caught her almost slip, hoping that he hadn’t noticed.  “What can I do for you?”

“I’m Justin, Carter’s English teacher.”  He stood beside her, his own eyes watching the boys run laps around the baseball diamond.  “He’s a great kid.”

She felt herself blush.  “Thank you.  I can’t take any credit, though, he’s always been incredible.”

They watched the practice a little longer before Justin broke the silence again.  Bailey had almost forgotten he was there.  “I’m glad I caught you.  I wanted to talk with you about something Carter wrote in class today.”

Bailey frowned.  She’d never had anything but glowing reviews from teachers, but Justin’s tone was far from reassuring.  “What did he do?”

Justin chuckled, quick to assuage her fears.  “Oh, it wasn’t inappropriate or anything.  In fact, he’s a phenomenal writer.  It’s rare to see boys his age capable of expressing themselves like Carter does.  It’s rather refreshing.”

“Oh, good.”  She let out a nervous laugh.  “You had me worried there.”

His smile faded some.  “Well, I am concerned, but not because he’s done anything wrong.”  He took a breath, hating to have a conversation like this with any parent, but it was part of his job.  “He wrote a journal entry today and it was rather…intense.”

“Oh god…”  Bailey groaned, her head falling back and her eyes closing.  She had hoped to escape this, but she couldn’t expect Carter to forget everything, even though she wished he could.  “What was it?”

Justin pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, handing it over silently.

            What is a hero?

            I don’t think there are such things as heroes.  Really.  How can there be?  How can people have heroes when there are wars going on, families falling apart, kids being beaten, women being raped and killed?  Whenever you turn on the news it’s all bad stuff.  No one talks about anything good in the world.  It’s all about disasters, death, and all the horrible shit the rest of the world can’t get enough of.  Where have all those heroes gone?  Where are the good guys?  Why can’t my mom find a good guy instead of all the scum bags that keep breaking her heart? 

            We like to call those douche bags in tights and stupid cars our heroes.  But what good is web slinging when the hurt happens inside?  What good is the ability to fly when they bad guys always find you anyway?  And what good is superhuman strength when someone always busts out the kryptonite? 

            There is no such thing as a hero.  Just bad people who always seem to win and stupid people who always seem to think it’s going to change.

Bailey folded the paper carefully, handing it back to the teacher with shaking hands.  She took a deep breath, blinking back the tears before they managed to fall down her cheeks.  She was happy to have her sunglasses on.

“Wow.”  She said, not sure what this man wanted to hear from her.  She couldn’t explain where her son was writing from, even though she knew.  She couldn’t explain that she’d caused all of his hurt and cynicism, even though she had tried her hardest to protect him from it all.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.”  He licked his lips, watching the woman carefully from the corner of his eye.  She was younger than he’d expected.  He’d bet she was his age, maybe even a year or two younger, which meant that Carter had been born when she was still a teenager or in her early twenties.  He wasn’t sure why he was thinking about it, either.  “Ms. Beckett, you can understand why I’m concerned, can’t you?” 

She nodded her head, not able to find the right words yet.

“Your son has done a great job of fitting in here, and I think he’s doing really well.  His grades are incredible, he’s polite and respectful, but this concerns me.”

“I know.”  Her voice broke and she cringed.  She sounded like a terrible mother right now.  “Carter and I have been through a lot together.  He’s seeing a counselor and he’s been doing a lot better lately, but I think he still harbors a lot of resentment for his father.  It’s…it’s a really touchy subject for the both of us.”  And a topic that can’t ever be discussed, she thought.  Her secrets had to be closely guarded and she knew it was going to make her look like a terrible, insensitive mother, but so be it.  It was for the best.

“I just wanted to make you aware of what he was writing.”  Justin’s voice had a funny tone and Bailey turned to look at him full on for the first time since their conversation had started.

“I’m not insensitive, Mr…”

“Timberlake.”  He provided.

“Mr. Timberlake.  I love my son very much and it kills me to know that these are the things he thinks about.  I wish I could shelter him from that, but it’s too late.  You might think I’m a horrible mother because my son has faced some really fucked up things, but I love that little boy more than my own life.  I’m sorry it disturbs you, but I can’t change his writing.  I won’t ask him to stop expressing himself because it makes you uncomfortable.”

Justin took a step back, not expecting an outburst like that to come from such a small, petite woman.  “Ms. Beckett…I’m not…”

Just as he was about to explain that he wasn’t accusing her of anything, Carter came trotting over.

“Hey Ma.”  He panted, sweat dripping down his face and into the collar of his t-shirt.  “You’re here early.”

“Hey Baby.  It was dead at work.  I got let out for good behavior.”  She kissed him despite the sweat, sending a scathing glare over toward Justin.

“Oh, hey Mr. T.”  Carter gave a small wave to his teacher, noticing him for the first time.  “What are you doing here?”

Justin managed to make his mouth smile and his shoulders relax.  “I was just telling your mother how great you’re doing in class.  You’re the best writer I’ve had in years.”  The young boy blushed at the compliment and looked down at the ground, scuffing the toe of his cleat into the dirt. 

“Carter, don’t do that.  You’ll ruin your shoes.”  Bailey nudged her son’s foot with her own, stopping his motions.  “Grab your stuff.  I’ll meet you at the car.”  She and Justin watched him walk back toward the gymnasium, both of them uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.

“Ms. Beckett…”

“Bailey, please.”  It was the only white flag she could offer, even though she hated to do it.  She didn’t want Carter to suffer because she was a bitch to his teacher.

“Bailey, I’m sorry you think I’m accusing you of being a bad mother.  I’m not.”  He took a deep breath.  “I really like Carter and I was just worried when I saw that writing.  I wanted to make sure you knew, too, so you could talk with him if you didn’t.  I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Bailey inwardly cursed southern charm, because she felt her resolve to hate him started to melt in the May heat.  She had overreacted, but it was because of years of having to defend herself and her mothering.  Her whole life with Carter had been a battle and she had learned to keep her defenses up permanently.

“No, I’m sorry.”  She reluctantly apologized.  Her pride didn’t like it.  “Thank you for showing me, and I’ll make sure to talk to Carter about it.”

A gentle hand was placed on Bailey’s arm but she jumped back.  Justin pulled his hand away quickly, realizing he’d probably crossed the line.  “I don’t want him to stop writing, especially if it’s a release for him.  I just wanted to make sure he had someone to talk to.”

Bailey eyed him skeptically.  No man cared about her son for innocent reasons.  Every man took a liking to her son just to get to her.  But this man seemed different.  Her guard went up even higher.  Those that seemed different were usually worse than the rest.

“Thank you for telling me.”  She fished her keys out of her purse.  “I’ll talk to Carter.  Have a good evening, Mr. Timberlake.”  She walked hurriedly to her car, meeting her son at the door and speeding off moments later.

Justin watched them go, unsure of what just happened.  His meetings with parents usually weren’t so…cold.  Usually he had a great rapport with the parents of his students, even if the student had troubles.  He prided himself on being able to get on the student’s level, which all of his parents appreciated immensely.  He usually had insight where they didn’t.  At least…until Bailey and Carter Beckett came along.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and scuffed his feet as he walked toward his own car.  He had been on his way home for the night when he spotted the young woman.  It was a parent he didn’t know, so he could only assume it was Carter’s mom.  He knew everyone in this town.  It wasn’t hard to spot the newbie.  He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but Bailey Beckett certainly wasn’t it.  She was tiny, a good head shorter than her son.  She was young, too, and he caught himself wondering again if she was around his age.  He’d expected a middle aged soccer mom, but he got a spit-fire in high heels.  That wasn’t something often found in Shelby Forest.

Despite all of his teacher-ly knowledge about the dangers of it, he was intrigued by Bailey Beckett. 

Climbing into his truck, he rid his head of the young woman, choosing instead to turn on the radio and loose himself in the sorrows of Country music.

~*~

“How was practice, Bub?”  Bailey ruffled Carter’s hair, cringing at the sweat that soaked her hand.

“It was good.  Coach says I’ll get to work on pitching tomorrow.  I think he’s going to start me in our first game.”

“That’s awesome, Carter!” A smile stretched her features.  “I’m so proud of you.”

Carter ducked his head, not fond of the attention or praise.  He was a quite boy, introverted and focused beyond his years.  Bailey wasn’t sure where he got it from, because she was scattered and passionately driven while Carter was methodical and precise.  He reminded her of her father, and a pang of guilt washed through her whenever she thought about breaking the two of them apart.

“What were you and Mr. Timberlake talking about?”  Carter hadn’t missed the heated debate his mother was having with his teacher and he frowned, worrying his lip with this teeth.  “It looked pretty intense.”

Bailey took a deep breath.  “He showed me your writing from today.  He was concerned and he wanted to make sure I was aware.”

Carter’s frown lessened slightly, “Oh.”  He let out a puff of air.  “What did you tell him?”

“To mind his own damn business.” 

“Mom!”  Carter blushed, embarrassed.

Bailey laughed slightly, even though the situation wasn’t very comical.  “I didn’t actually say that.  I told him I was aware of what was going and that we were handling it together.  I think he was just worried because you seemed really pissed off in your journal entry today.”

“Yeah, well, he asked about heroes and he’s always telling us to be honest.  So, I was honest.  Heroes are a load of bull shit created by comic book writers so that they can make money.”

“Language.”  Bailey scolded, but the look her son sent her told her she was being a hypocrite.  If Carter had inherited anything from her, it was her trucker’s mouth.

“Was he mad at me?”  The worry was back on his brow.  Bailey settled a comforting hand on his knee, glancing at him to give him her best smile.

“Not at all.  He couldn’t tell me enough how talented and bright you are.  He was just doing his job, that’s all, baby.”  She hated to defend the man, but she had no reason not to.  If she could let go of her pessimism long enough she might have to praise him for being on top of things, but she wasn’t about to be that forgiving.  It felt like he was prying, even though he was just doing his job.

“What’s for dinner?”  Carter’s voice broke through Bailey’s thoughts and back to the present.

“I was thinking burgers and fries?  We’ll bust the grill out and eat outside?”  They had no air conditioning and the heat in the house was intense.  Lately she and Carter had found ways to be outside as much as possible, which included dinner on the porch.

“Yeah, that’s good.”  He fell silent again, lost in his own thoughts.  Bailey watched him carefully, looking for signs that he was cracking under the pressure of the move or the life they were forced to lead, but all she could see was her little boy.  Granted, a much older and tired looking version, but he was still her little boy none-the-less.

The move to Shelby Forest, Tennessee had been a difficult transition for both Bailey and Carter.  Both of them loved the city.  There was a pulse, a life force that emanated from cities and made a person feel alive with electricity.  Shelby Forest, on the other hand, was a sleepy as it gets.  It was a small, southern town that ran on gossip and church sermons.  Something that Carter and Bailey were having trouble adjusting to.  To his credit, Carter was taking the move much better than his mother was, but sometimes she wondered if he was putting on a brave face on her behalf.

Bailey had been barely twenty when she had Carter.  She had fallen in love with the local bad boy, been swayed by his charm and his danger, and had gotten burned beyond repair in the end.  What hurt her the most, though, was that Carter had suffered for her mistakes.

He was the light of her life and he proudest accomplishment.  Despite the circumstances that had brought them here, she was happy to have him by her side.  This was their fresh start.  This was their chance to be a family, even though there were pieces and parts missing.  Bailey worried that not having a father was a detriment to Carter.  Even though he vehemently denied wanted a man in his life, she could tell he envied those boys who’s fathers coached them from the sidelines and stayed after practice or games to work on their batting stance.  Bailey knew very little about baseball and she tried her best to help but she knew it wasn’t the same.  Carter needed structure and dependability, and while she did her best to give that to him, she knew that he needed a man in his life, too.

Of course, the few failed attempts at relationships she’d had had left them both with bad tastes in their mouths.  Carter had witnessed men use Bailey and she hated that he was aware of those things.  Her son was incredibly in tune with her emotions, and he always knew when her heart had been broken again.

“They’re assholes, Mom.  You deserve better than that.”  He’d told her once, and she was shocked to hear those words come out of an eight-year-old’s mouth.  He was right, though, and from then on she tried her best to shield him from any of her own hurts.

Her father had been a huge influence in both of their lives.  Carter adored the older man and looked up to him in so many ways.  Together they had learned wood working, and Carter had made his first baseball bat when he was seven.  They shared an unrivaled passion for the Boston Red Sox, celebrating every win and picking apart every loss.  They talked cars, books, and when the time came, girls.  Bailey had once tried to join with him so she could connect too, but it soon became apparent that it was a Boys Only club and she was just a silly girl.

Now, though, Carter only had her and she was afraid he was suffering for it.

“Penny for your thoughts?”  Amelia’s voice startled Bailey but she kept herself from jumping.

“Oh, just…worrying about Carter, that’s all.”  Bailey was a terrible liar and she knew that Amelia would spot a cover up from a mile away.  Honesty was the best policy, but it was also out of the question.  A half-truth would have to suffice.  “His teacher talked with me yesterday and shared some concerns about his writing.”

“Nothing too bad, I hope.”  Amelia had a strong affection for this young woman, and she knew she was running from a terrible past.  There had been no details shared, but it was obvious that this beautiful girl had demons and she was doing her best to keep them at bay.  Why else would she end up in Shelby Forest?

“No, he wasn’t in trouble.”  Bailey let out a sigh.  The pressure in her chest was getting heavier by the day and she knew she would have to break sooner or later.  She would have to find someone to talk to, some way to relieve the stress of keeping her secret.  “He’s just so young and he’s so…aware.  He has seen too much hurt in his life and I wish I could protect him from it all.  I feel like a terrible mother.  My boy shouldn’t feel that there are no such things as heroes and I can’t help but think that’s my fault.”

Amelia sat down and placed a gentle hand on Bailey’s arm.  “I don’t know what you’re running from, darling, but you’re not a bad mother by any means.”

Bailey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “Running?”  She swallowed hard, not know how Amelia had figured her out so easily.  Could everyone else see it, too?

“It’s not hard to notice, Bailey.”  She noted the fear on the other woman’s face, so Amelia was quick to dispel Bailey’s fears.  “I’ve been a lawyer for a long time and I’ve seen my share of women who come from bad pasts and are looking for a fresh start.  Plus, I’m certain you didn’t move your son from Boston to Shelby Forest for the school district.”

Bailey sat silently, conflicting emotions playing across her face.  She knew that there would come a time when she would need to open up to someone.  A counselor had been offered when she moved, and she did it so Carter wouldn’t feel so awkward, but it wasn’t the right kind of release.  Bailey needed to confess to someone that wasn’t paid to listen.  Of course, her hands were tied and telling would mean the dissolution of everything she was trying to build here in Tennessee.  She would keep silent if it meant providing a life that was good for Carter.  So, no matter how tempting it was to want to spill her guts, she kept her mouth shut.

“Thanks for listening.”  She shut down the conversation with a tight smile.  “I think I’ll get back to those files and get them done before I go for the day.”

Amelia knew it was time to back off, “Sure thing.  I’ll be in my office if you need me.  I have an appointment coming it at two.  Just send him on back.”

Bailey settled into the routine of alphabetizing and organizing; stuffing files into manila folders; setting said files into gray metal cabinets.  It was mundane, but it was therapeutic.  There was no emotion in this job.  There was no question of ethics, right or wrong; there were files and papers and meaningless names.  Bailey missed being intellectually challenged, but she enjoyed the relief of not having to think too hard to do this job.  She would find other ways to stretch her brain.  Right now, she just wanted to lose herself somewhere between the S’s and the Z’s. 

The music hummed softly in the back ground, spilling from the stereo in the corner.  Bailey hummed along as she methodically filed the stack of forms.  So lost in her own word, it wasn’t until the “Excuse me,” sounded over her head that she noticed someone else was in the room.

“Justin?”  Her eyes squinted in confusion, as if she couldn’t believe he was standing there in the office.

“Hello, Bailey.”  Justin was uncomfortable, even though he knew that Bailey worked here.  When someone new moved into town, news spread quickly.  Besides that, Carter was his students and Bailey’s job was common knowledge amongst him and his colleagues.  “How are you, today?”

Bailey noticed the jeans a t-shirt that adorned his body.  He looked out of place in those clothes.  She expected him to be in khakis and a tie, like when they first met.  She had to remind herself that teachers were people, too.  “I’m fine, thank you.  Uh…is everything okay?”

Justin gave her a quizzical look.  “Great, thanks.”

Bailey shook her head, trying to snap out of her strange daze.  “I meant with Carter.  Is that why you’re here?”  Justin’s laughter caught her off guard and she started to frown.  She couldn’t figure out what was so funny but she had a feeling it was going to be at her expense.

“No, I have a two o’clock appointment with Amelia.”  Bailey’s eyes rose in shock and her face instantly darkened with redness.

“Right, Amelia.  Sorry.”  She ducked, fully embarrassed.

“It’s okay.  Most people think that teachers never leave the school building.  You should see the looks my students give me when they catch me around town.”  Despite his jovial tone, Bailey didn’t feel any better about her slip up.

“Amelia is in her office.  She said to go on back.”

“Great, thanks.”  He sauntered down the hallway and Bailey caught herself watching him walk. 

She shook her head again, cursing herself for being such a moron.  “Way to be blond.”  She mumbled, turning back to her filing.  It was more difficult than she thought to get back into the swing of her project.  What was Justin doing here?  Amelia was mainly a divorce lawyer.  Was he getting a divorce?  Although it was ethically wrong, she couldn’t help but skip to the T’s, searching for ‘Timberlake’ amongst the stacks of papers.

It didn’t take her long to find it, settled between Thomas and Trask.  It was a copy of his initial paperwork detailing his inheritance from a William Bomar.  The will stated that Justin was being left Mr. Bomar’s land, house, and all of his belongings. 

A noise sounded behind her and she quickly covered the paper in her hands, looking up to see Justin and Amelia leaving her office as they chatted and laughed.  Bailey felt guilty for snooping and she hoped the shame didn’t show on her face.

“I’ll see you later, Bailey.”  Justin called, waiving to both women and leaving the building with the jingling of the bells above the door.

“Do you know him?”  Amelia asked, surprised at Justin’s familiarity with her secretary.  She really shouldn’t have been.  Bailey was a very attractive young, single woman and Justin was an equally attractive young man.  It was only natural they’d seek each other out in a town filled with children, married couples, and senior citizens.

“He’s Carter’s English teacher.”

“Oh, right.  That makes sense.”  Perhaps Amelia was too quick to hope for a love connection.  She had known Justin his entire life and it amazed her that the boy still hadn’t settled down.  Amelia didn’t know Bailey very well, but she didn’t think it would hurt for the two of them to get to know one another.  “He’s a fantastic teacher.  All the kids love him.”

“Carter seems to like him a lot.  He tells me they talk sports all the time.  I’m glad that Carter has a male figure in his life.”

“Well, Justin’s the best.”  Amelia stood from her spot on Bailey’s desk and started to head back toward her office.  “When you get that filing finished up, you can take off for the day.  I don’t have any more appointments.”  She calls as she walks down the hallway.

“Okay.”  Bailey turns back to the papers on her desk, still slightly caught up in thoughts about Justin.  She wasn’t entirely sure why she kept thinking about it, but it was bothering her.  She had a lot more important things to worry about than a man, especially her son’s teacher.  It was a bad idea for her to get too distracted.  Besides, she and Carter were a team.  No other boys allowed.

She fell back into the rhythm of filing, letting her mind shut down and her emotions burrow their way back inside where they couldn’t be touched.  It was safer that way.

~*~

Middle school was like a three ring circus of hormones, secrets, and never ending drama.  The social circles shifted and changed on an hourly basis.  It was hard enough to keep track of names and faces never, mind keeping track of who was dating whom or who was mad at whom.

For Carter, it was all a little too reality tv for his liking.  He thought that Boston had been bad, but E.E Jeter was a hundred times worse.  At least in Boston it was possible to fade into the brick work and pretend you didn’t exist.  At least in Boston the crowds were capable of swallowing a boy whole, tossing him from class to class and spiting him out into the sunshine when the day was over.  His teachers over looked him; the other students ignored him; he was the invisible boy.  That was, until his world had blown apart and everything had changed.

Now he was here in Shelby Forest, Tennessee.  Everyone knew the business of everyone else; secrets never stayed that way for long.  Carter found his head swimming with the sudden spotlight he’d been thrust into.  Moving here was supposed to put Carter and his mother out of everyone’s sights.  Leaving Boston and ending up in this Podunk down was supposed to give them a fresh start so they could build a new life. 

But here, Carter couldn’t fade into the background.  The girls giggled when he opened his mouth and he often heard people mocking his accent.  He couldn’t seem to get his words to fit the slow, sweet drawl of the other kids.  Instead, his vowels dipped and clipped when theirs melted and molded to fit their mouths.  He couldn’t stop the blush that crept up his neck and stained his cheeks when the teachers had to ask him to repeat himself, their ears not used to the Boston attached to his words.

He hated it.  Every goddamn second of it.

Baseball was his refuge, and he’d managed to gain the respect of many of the other boys with his pitching.  He was good and they respected that, which helped, but he was still an outsider.  He was an outsider that couldn’t seem to get away from the stares or the whispers or the rumors.

His mom had coached him on the story they would tell.  Every word was foreign on his tongue and he hated the taste of them.  They were lies, all of them.  His whole life he’d been told that lying was the worst thing a person could do, and here they were, inventing a lifetime of fabricated facts that were ill-fitting and uncomfortable.  They made his skin itch and crawl every time another lie would fall from his lips. 

So, to save them from being spoken, Carter kept silent. 

He opened his mouth only when spoken to by an adult.  He tucked his words into his cheek and let them sit there, getting bitter and hard until he could swallow them and make them disappear.  It was easier for people to make up their own truths about him.  Their lies didn’t hurt and sting.  Their lies floated around like pesky bugs, but eventually, when the sun faded past the horizon, those lies faded too. 

“Ready for the big game?”  Carter’s eyes flicked to the boy next to him and he remembered that he was supposed to be working on his English essay.

“Yeah, I am.”  Word had spread like wild fire that the new kid in town had a rocket for an arm and the discipline to make that arm lethal.  He had become a hero to the other boys on the team, and something of a legend around the school. 

“Eastwood usually kicks our ass every year,” the boy continued, leaning into Carter and attempting a whisper that wasn’t very successful.  “The whole school is depending on you to give ‘em a run for their money.”

“Carter and Brian, you’re not supposed to be talking.”  The teacher’s voice snapped Brian back into his seat.  “Why don’t you two stay after for a minute.  Everyone else, class is over; you can stack your notebooks and head off to lunch.”

Carter dropped his chin to his chest and took a deep breath.  He had promised his mother that he wasn’t going to get in trouble here.  He had sworn an oath that he would keep his head down and work hard and fly under the radar.  So far, he’d failed miserably.  Mr. Timberlake had already spoken to his mother once, and now Carter was getting in trouble for talking.

“Brian, I know how excited you are about the baseball game, but you’ve still got to make it through the school day before you can worry about Carter’s pitching abilities.  So, next time, wait until class is over.”  Mr. Timberlake gave the boy a knowing look and sent him off to lunch.  Next, he turned to Carter.  “So, Mr. Beckett.  Did you bring your lunch today?”

Carter swallowed hard, hoping to rid his throat of the knot that seemed permanent.  “Yes sir.” 

“Why don’t you go get it and join me for lunch?”

Carter hesitated at the door, turning back to face his teacher.  “Am...am I in trouble?”  He fisted his hands and shoved them deep into his pockets to stop their trembling.  He had promised his mother no trouble.

Justin’s face broke out into a smile and he shook his head.  “No, you’re not in trouble.”  He searched the young boy’s face and decided to be honest.  “I see you sneak into the library and eat in the History section.  I figured you’d be more comfortable at a desk.”

“Oh, right.”  Carter let a breath but tensed again, his bright blue eyes looking back up to his teacher.  “Am I in trouble for eating in the library?”

Justin couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth.  He clapped Carter on the shoulder and steered the boy into the hallway toward his locker.  “No, you’re not in any trouble at all.  You can eat in the library, if you’d like.  I just thought maybe we could talk baseball.”

“Oh!”  Carter’s eyes lit up at the thought of talking baseball, so he headed to his locker to grab the lunch his mother had packed for him this morning.

Ever since their move down here, his Mom had been doing everything she could to make him feel more comfortable, including cooking huge dinners every night and packing him a lunch every morning.  Back in Boston lunch would have been a five dollar bill left on the counter with a bottle of water.  Dinner would have been at Gramp’s house where they’d line up their trays around the living room and eat from the microwaveable dishes that the dinners came in.  Gramps and Carter would watch the Red Sox and his Mom would have her nose stuck in a text book or her eyes glued to the computer.

Times had certainly changed.

Bailey sat in a lawn chair, peeking out from under her baseball cap at the parents and children that surrounded her.  The bleachers were filled and the lawn behind the home bench was covered with spectators.  Apparently the first game of the season was a big deal here.  Her eyes found her son warming up with the coach.  He looked focused and loose, but she could see the nerves in his limbs and his posture.  She knew her son, and while he lived for this, he was scared, too.  His reputation at this school would be made on this game, good or bad.  For his sake, she hoped he pitched the game of his life.

“Billy says this new kid is pretty good.”  Voices ebbed and flowed around her head and all anyone seemed to talk about was Carter and his arm.  “I hope he’s right.”

“I hear he’s got a fast ball that even the coaches couldn’t touch.”  Another voice peppered into the conversation.

“Sam says the kids got a knuckle ball, too.”  The chorus of voices continued to swim around Bailey’s head and she smiled.  She didn’t know much about baseball, but she knew her son was good.  Even in Boston, at a school filled with talent, Carter had been one of the best.

“Beautiful day for a game.”  This time the voice spoke close to Bailey’s ear and she jumped, looking up to find a set of blue eyes that were beginning to become familiar.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  Justin unfolded a lawn chair and set it next to Bailey’s, taking a seat.

“It’s okay.  I was off in space, anyway.”  Bailey looked for her son again, feeling uncomfortable for reasons she couldn’t pin point.  “I didn’t realize that baseball was such a big thing here.”

“Well, it is when we’ve actually got a chance of winning this year.”  There was amusement in Justin’s voice and Bailey turned to catch him grinning at her.  “Word has it that Carter is one hell of a pitcher.”

Bailey blushed under his gaze, telling herself it was the compliment.  “Baseball is his life.  He and my father would spend hours studying pitches, plays, and statistics.  I think they know more about the Red Sox than the coaches do.”  A small pang of hurt settled in her chest when she thought about her father.  She swallowed hard, forcing the ache away.

“The whole school has been a-buzz with talks of today’s game.  Poor Carter couldn’t seem to get a second to himself.”  Justin continued to talk, oblivious to the fact that Bailey was stiff and silent.  She noticed the way his words dripped with twang, a feature she had overlooked until now.  It made sense, though.  She wasn’t in Boston anymore.

“He’s never been fond of a lot of attention.  He certainly doesn’t get the shy from me.” 

Justin settled back in his chair and Bailey took a deep breath.  She kept willing herself to relax but it just wasn’t happening.  “So, what brought you to Shelby Forest, anyway?  We don’t get many outsiders here.”  His question was innocent, but Bailey felt her heart race pick up and she had to grip her water bottle to keep from shaking.

“Uh, well, I have family in Memphis but I didn’t want to be in the city anymore. So, Carter and I just…ended up here.”  She wasn’t sure if her voice was as unsteady as it sounded to her ears, but she kept her eyes forward and held her breath.  She didn’t have many more answers to give, so she was praying he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“I’ve lived here my whole life.” 

Bailey nodded, thanking whatever deity saved her this time.  She was especially relieved when the game started and they conversation turned entirely to baseball.  The crowd on the E.E Jeter side of the benches hushed as Carter took the mound and threw a few pitches.  A murmur rippled through the people around her, and everyone was curious to see Carter throw to an actual batter.

They didn’t have to wait long. 

With hardly any effort, Carter struck out the first batter.  The young boy at bat had wide eyes as he watched the baseball fly past his body; one, two, three.  He didn’t even attempt to swing.  The crowd roared as the umpire called the last strike, and Carter allowed himself a small smirk as he heard his mother’s whistle.  He stayed focused, though, and tuned out the noise of the spectators.  He couldn’t afford to get too full of himself.  Not yet.

Batter number two retired in a similar fashion, this time swinging furiously at all three pitches and missing by seconds.  Again, the crowd went wild.

“Jesus, he’s got an arm.”  Justin’s voice was filled with awe and Bailey’s chest puffed up with pride.

“He practices for hours every day, even when it’s not baseball season.  He’s been pitching since he could stand and throw.”  She felt a bittersweet smile tug at her lips as she remembered how her father coached Carter as soon as the boy could hang onto a ball.  They had bonded over Carter’s pitching and it had given both the man and the boy something to be proud of.  Bailey wished that her father could be here now to see this.

“He’s good, Bailey.”  Justin’s words were swallowed by the wave of cheers that crashed around them.  Carter struck out the third batter in three pitches.  “If he keeps this up, he’ll throw a no-hitter.” 

“Don’t jinx him!”  She swatted at Justin’s arm, flinching when she realized that she’d actually touched the man.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Justin grinned, happy to see Bailey finally loosen up.  “Don’t worry about it.  I deserved it, I’m sure.”

Bailey blushed under his smiling gaze, but she couldn’t help taking a moment to truly look the man over.  He was wearing khakis and a button up shirt; the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and the collar unbuttoned.  While he dressed the part, Bailey had a difficult time imagining this man as a teacher.  He looked too…pretty.  And she realized how absurd that sounded.

“What made you want to be a teacher?”  She asked, surprised that she’d let the question slip.  She had no real desire to get to know this man better, especially because he was Carter’s teacher.  Somehow, though, she couldn’t stop the curiosity.

Justin glanced over at Bailey and shrugged.  “It just seemed right.  I’ve loved reading and writing, so it was a natural progression to move toward English.  The teaching thing…that’s just happened naturally.”  He licked his lips, his eyes turning back to the baseball game but his focus still entirely on the woman next to him.  “Adolescence was a rough time for me and I relied on my teachers a lot.  When I decided to teach, I knew that I wanted to be around this age.  I knew I had something to teach them.”

“Oh,” Bailey’s lips formed a tight ‘o’.  She didn’t know what to say to that.  Congratulations?  Good luck?  Better you than me?  She hadn’t made small talk in such a long time, the words escaped her.  “Cool.”  She cringed at the word that actually came out of her mouth.  She’d been spending too much time with her son.

Justin laughed.  He was amused by Bailey’s awkwardness.  It wasn’t very often that he got to meet someone new and go through the process of figuring them out.  It was kind of nice to see what made this woman tick.  “What about you?  I can’t imagine a girl like you grew up wanting to be a secretary.”  His question was posed with a smile but it fell a little when he noticed the strange look on Bailey’s face.  He immediately apologized for prying.

“No, it’s okay.”  She took a deep breath and attempted to smile back.  “It’s just…that was another life, you know?  I…Amelia is really great to me.”  She knew her response was lame and she knew that it would only lead to more questions, but she was caught off guard by his inquiry and she hadn’t thought about her answer.  Back in Boston she had gone to school for journalism.  She had been a writer for a local paper while she took night classes, working her way toward a bachelor’s degree.  It was that degree that had gotten her in trouble in the first place.  It was also a degree that had been awarded to a person that no longer existed.  She’d had to leave that part of herself behind.

“Enough said.” Even though it wasn’t.  Justin held up his hands in surrender.  He was prying and he needed to stop.  There were a lot of other people around and he knew how rumors spread here in Shelby Forest.  He didn’t want to drag Bailey and Carter into town gossip anymore than they already were.

Luckily, Carter was back up at the mound and their conversation had an excuse to die.

The twelve-year-old was on fire, and each pitch flew past the batter without coming close to the bats.  The home crowd was beside themselves with excitement and the opposing team looked beyond flustered.  Their batters were swinging wildly now, hoping to make any sort of connection with the ball they could.  Once someone got a piece of a breaking ball, but it popped foul and was caught by the third baseman, retiring the side.  Inning after inning Carter struck out all three batters with less than five pitches.  E.E. Jeter’s line up even managed to score three runs, putting them in the lead and bringing them the win.

Carter was rushed by his entire team, and the young boy’s eyes sparkled as people cheered his name.  The fathers in the crowd shook his hand and patted him on the back, commenting on how great he’d done.  Bailey was beaming as she stood back, waiting for a chance to wrap her son in the tightest hug ever.

“You kicked serious ass, baby.”  She pulled him in to her arms, squeezing him until he coughed in her ear.  “Sorry.”  She let him step back and noticed his face was crimson with embarrassment. 

“Mom…”  He scolded.  Middle school boys didn’t get hugged like that by their moms.  “I have to get my stuff in the locker room.”  Ducking his head, he disappeared into the crowd and Bailey headed back to her chair.

“You get the brush off, Mom?”  Justin’s amused voice was back, and Bailey felt as if he were following her.  She smiled politely, but she wasn’t really in the mood for any more conversations.

“Yeah, I guess he’s getting too old for that.”  A frown marred her face at the thought.

“Don’t worry, he still loves you.”  Justin packed up his own chair, walking along side Bailey toward the parking lot.  “I pretended that I was too cool for my mom, too, but I still call her twice a day and she lives ten minutes away from me.” 

Bailey was saved from answering when a group of team parents cornered her and invited her and Carter out to dinner.  She hated the idea of having to make more small talk, but she would leave the decision up to her son.  She knew that fitting in was difficult for him so she didn’t want to take away his chances of making more friends.  Plus, she should probably start getting used to these people.

“I’ll ask Carter when he comes out.”  She smiled at the mother that had asked, but as she packed her things into the trunk of her car she could feel the questioning gazes burning into her back.

~*~

Dinner was an awkward affair that had Bailey wishing she could crawl into a hole and hide.  Carter had happily trotted off to hang out with the other boys, the fathers were sequestered at their own corner of the table, and the women were chatting easily all around her.  Unfortunately, the topic of conversation wasn’t about sports or even kids, it was about Justin Timberlake and he’s apparent liking for Bailey.

“I tell you girlfriend, I’ve know Justin my whole life and he’s hardly ever looked at a woman like he was lookin’ at you today.”  The blond next to her prattled on and Bailey felt her face flush crimson.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  The defense was weak, but Bailey didn’t want to cause a scene.  She hardly knew these women, and while she hated the gossip that surrounded her, it would have been rude for her to walk away.  This was why she hated social situations.

“Pshaw.”  The brunette, Shelly or Sally, waved her hand in the air and sent a conspiratorial look toward the other girls.  “Justin has been single for a long time and we all just figured that he was going to be a bachelor forever.  I think he’s excited by the prospect of someone new.”

Another blond on Bailey’s right giggled loudly.  “Yeah, all of the good women here are already married!”  The rest of the group cackled like hens and Bailey sank lower into her chair.

“He’s my son’s teacher.”  She attempted to defend herself again.  She understood the allure of connecting her and Justin.  They were both young, single, and it was a small town.  People thrived on other people’s personal lives and created rumors like this.  “I have no desire to get into a relationship.” 

The other women gave her a knowing look that alerted Bailey to the fact that they weren’t buying it.  For some reason they had all decided that Justin was after Bailey and it was a good idea for the two of them to get together.  She was hoping that someone would speak up on Justin’s behalf, maybe remind everyone that he was a local and she was an outsider and the two just didn’t mix.  Maybe even an old flame marking him as ‘hands off.’  That wasn’t the case, though, and they all happily prattled along about how Justin really needed a good girl in his life, especially since he was getting older.  Apparently being in your mid thirties and not having spawned any offspring was a crime in Shelby Forest.

And it appeared that having a son that could out-pitch every other middle schooler in the county made her a ‘good girl.’  Small town life was way too overwhelming for Bailey.

“Well thanks for the invite, but I have to get Carter home so he can finish his science fair project.  He’s barely even started.”  The excuse was a good one, because a few of the other mothers stood to gather their sons, reprimanding the boys about not mentioning the fair.  Bailey happily grabbed Carter from the fray and escaped to their car.

“Thanks for letting me go out, Ma.”  Carter said as the slipped into the car.  “I know you don’t like hanging out with other women much.”

Bailey laughed and ruffled her son’s hair.  “Got that right, Bub.  They kept trying to get me to go out with your English teacher.”

“Mr. Timberlake?”  Carter’s face screwed up in thought for a moment and Bailey was waiting for the protest, but instead she got, “he seems like a really nice guy.”

She groaned.  “Not you, too!”  His response was an impish grin.

Carter lifted his head from where it rested on his hands, giving his mother a pitiful look.  “Mom,” he tried to keep the whine out of his voice, but it was proving to be difficult.  “I’m bored.”

Bailey looked up from her desk and gave her son a sympathetic smile.  “I’m sorry, Bub.  Just a little while longer.”  She turned back to the papers in front of her, reading quietly to herself.  Amelia had gone on a trip for the week, so Bailey had been left to handle the office while her boss was gone.  It wasn’t difficult, but Amelia had a case coming up and there was a lot of paper work to get done ahead of time.  Bailey had decided to take some of her Saturday to finish everything up.

Unfortunately for Carter, she’d dragged him along.  “You said that an hour and a half ago.”  He mumbled, flopping his head back down on his hands.  There was a small TV in the corner, but there was no cable and the only movies were for little kids.  All the books were kids’ books, too, and Carter had finished the novel he was reading within the first half hour of being there.  He was ready to start counting the ceiling tiles…again.  “This is a complete waste of a perfect Saturday.  I could be out practicing my knuckle ball.”

Bailey sent him a distracted look.  “Hang in there, Carter.”  She missed the eye roll her son sent her way.

Ever since leaving Boston, Bailey had a lot of trouble letting Carter out of her sight.  She was paranoid, but she felt that she had a right to be.  Carter had seen too much in his short life on this planet, so Bailey was going to do everything she could to protect her son.  Despite the sleepiness of Shelby Forest, she didn’t know the people or the area enough to let Carter wander around on his own.

Carter, on the other hand, had come to the conclusion that his mother was crazy.  They were in Nowhere, Tennessee with a population of old people that made the place feel like a retirement community.  He didn’t see the harm in going to the park by himself to practice his pitching.  Hell, he was certain he could’ve found one of the other boys on the team to go with him if she were that worried.  But no, he was stuck sitting in her office with absolutely nothing to do.

He let out a muffled moan and slumped further into the couch he was on.  A soft tap on the glass sent him sitting up, looking around for the source of the noise.  He spotted someone at the door, waving.  “Mr. T!”  Carter had no idea why his English teacher was at the door of his mother’s office, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Bounding over to the door, Carter opened it with a wide grin.  “Hey Carter.”  Justin had been on his way over to drop some paper work for Amelia off.  She had a slot in the door that she used for her mail services.  He hadn’t been expecting anyone to be there on a Saturday, but he was pleasantly surprised to find both Carter and Bailey in the office.  “What are you doing here on a weekend?”  His question was directed at Bailey who hadn’t looked up from her papers yet.

Carter was a little shocked that his mother was being so rude and ignoring Mr. Timberlake, but he supposed she was just ultra focused.  “She’s finishing up a project and she made me tag along.” 

Justin gave the boy a sympathetic look.  “That sounds like fun.”  His tone indicated that he knew it wasn’t any fun at all.  Glancing over at Bailey again, he watched as she continued to flip through papers and type away at a computer.  “I was just about to take my dog for a walk.  Maybe we could convince your Mom to let you come with me, and you could show me that knuckle ball everyone is so excited about.”

The excitement that lit up Carter’s face was enough to set a grin on Justin’s own mouth.  He’d taken a liking to this boy, and he could tell that Carter was eager for someone to talk to.

“Mom?  Did you hear that?”  Carter bounded over to the reception desk again, reaching out to touch his mother’s shoulder so he could get her attention.  She was acting very strangely, but she’d been that way since the move to Tennessee.  He wanted to get out of this office, though, and he was praying that his Mom would let him go with Mr. Timberlake.  “Can I go?”

Bailey finally looked away from her work.  “Oh, Carter, I couldn’t ask Mr. Timberlake to do that.  Besides, I’m just about finished.”  She watched her son’s face drop and she felt badly for making him come with her.

“Great, then you can come along too.”  It was Justin that made the suggestion and Bailey inwardly cringed.  This man kept showing up in her life and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.  He seemed nice enough, but she was too busy trying to rebuild her life to put any further thought into things, and he was Carter’s teacher.  She didn’t think it would be a good idea to get involved in any sort of relationship, even just friendship.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”  She smiled sweetly despite the whine that was coming out of her son’s mouth.  “Carter, I’m sure Mr. Timberlake has things he needs to do other than hanging out with the two of us.”

“Actually, I would love the company while I take Brennan for a walk.  She would love the company, too.”  He pointed to the Boxer who was sitting patiently outside.  “You wouldn’t be intruding at all.”  The look on Bailey’s face said she’d run out of excuses, and Justin was hoping she would give in and just say yes.  He wasn’t entirely sure where his curiosity was coming from, but he knew that she needed to find a life outside of Amelia’s office.  Since she’d moved, she’d spent most of her time working or chauffeuring Carter around.  It was the talk of the town that she wasn’t the most social of butterflies and everyone thought the poor girl needed to open up and relax.  Justin couldn’t agree more.

“If you’re sure it’s okay…”  Against her better judgment, Bailey gave in to Carter’s pleas.

“Yes!”  Her son whooped, racing to the door and bending down to pat the wagging boxer. 

“What do you say to your teacher, Carter?”  After shutting down the computer and following Justin outside, Bailey locked the door and glanced down at her son who was happily getting a bath from the dog.

“Thank you, Mr. Timberlake.” 

“You’re welcome.”  He unhooked Brennan’s leash from where he’d tied her, handing it over to Carter and watching as the two of them trotted off toward the park.  “He’s a good kid.”  Justin turned to Bailey, noticing her lack of professional attire.  Every other time he’d seen her, she was dressed in skirts and suits; something entirely suited for a city office and overkill for Shelby Forest.  Now, though, she was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a Red Sox t-shirt that was thin with years of love and wear.  She looked good.  Her blond hair was pulled away from her face and he could clearly see her bright blue eyes.

“You really didn’t have to do this.”  She felt uncomfortable and she was afraid to figure out why.  It was easier to stay closed off.  Her secrets were better kept that way, and there was no way she or Carter could get hurt if she didn’t let anyone in.

“Bailey…”  Her name was said with enough force to get her to turn and look up at him.  “Relax.  It’s Saturday and I was taking my dog for a walk.  You’re not ruining any well-laid plans by tagging along.  Relax.”  He smiled down at her and she had to turn away.  This man was too persistent.

“I guess I’m just not used to the area yet.”  She confessed, not entirely sure why she felt the need to explain herself.  “I’m not comfortable with letting Carter wander without me.” 

“Shelby Forest is probably the best place to raise a teenager.  There’s nothing to do, there are plenty of cops lingering, and everyone knows everyone’s business.  Carter won’t be able to sneeze without you finding out ten minutes before it’s happened.” 

Bailey raised an eyebrow.  “Speaking from experience?” 

Justin laughed, a blush creeping to his cheeks.  “Let’s just say the Shelby Forest PD had my momma on speed dial from the time I was eleven to…well…now.”  He let out another chuckle.  This was different for him, telling someone about his life.  He was so used to having everyone already know all there was to know about him.  Any girl he’d ever dated knew his life story because they’d grown up together.  This was all so new.

And he had no idea why the idea of dating had even crossed his mind.

“See, that’s what I miss about Boston.”  Her voice was soft, but the longing was loud and clear.  “It was so easy to just…let it swallow you whole.  And, I know that sounds like a terrible thing, but…it really wasn’t.  There were so many people, so many places…you didn’t have to worry about what people would think of you.  You could just…live.  You could find time to be alone with your thoughts if you needed it.”

It was difficult for her to put into words how much she missed her home.  Tennessee was nice, pleasant even, but it wasn’t Boston.  It wasn’t filled with asshole drivers, die hard sports fans, and millions of hard working people.  It wasn’t eclectic.  It was…safe.  Her whole life Bailey had never imagined that she would fall into the category of safe, but here she was.

“Shelby Forest isn’t so bad, you know.”  He had to remind himself that she was an outsider and she didn’t have to be attached to his home town like he was.  He couldn’t feel defensive if she didn’t feel at home, but somehow, he wanted her to love it here, too.

“I know.  Everyone has been great so far, if just a little nosey.”  She sighed, letting her head fall back so she could feel the sun on her face.  “I guess I’m just home sick.”

“School is almost over.  You could take Carter for a visit.  He talks all the time about his Gramps.”  Justin glanced over at Bailey and noticed the obvious tension that had suddenly invaded her posture.

“He’s dead.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.  I had no idea.”  Talk about putting your foot in your mouth.  Justin felt like an idiot for that comment and he had no idea how to get the conversation back again.  Bailey stayed silent for a minute, the lie leaving a terrible taste on her tongue.  She had no idea if her father was dead or not and she lived as if he was, but last she knew he was alive.  It hurt too much to think about, though, and it was easier for her to mourn his loss through death instead of the forced separation it really was.

“It’s okay.”  She let him off the hook.  “Carter and I miss him a lot, and we talk about him a lot.  I can understand how you wouldn’t know.”

“Still, I feel like a jackass…”  It wasn’t often that Justin found himself so flustered by something.  He waited for Bailey to respond, but she kept quiet.  “Here’s where you tell me that I’m not a jackass and it was a simple mistake.”

She smiled, giving him a quick glance.  “Nah, I wouldn’t want to lie to you.”

Justin’s laughter shook his shoulders and he grinned over at Bailey.  He was happy that she was joking with him.  “Ouch, B, straight to the heart.”  He pressed a hand over his chest and feigned hurt.

The use of a nickname sounded strange to Bailey; a little too familiar.  She was just getting used to responding to Bailey without hesitating.  She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it, but she kept her mouth shut, smiling tightly at him.

They walked in silence for a while, coming upon the park where Carter already had Brennan chasing a tennis ball.  He looked so happy, and Bailey found herself regretting this move, although she couldn’t take it back.  She hated seeing her son look so…out of place, and Shelby Forest made him look like an alien.  He was too serious, too aware, and too mature to fit in with the kids his age here.  Baseball seemed to be his only like to his adolescent world and Bailey hated that she’d taken away so much of his childhood.

“Brennan loves him already.”  Justin commented, grabbing a seat on a nearby bench, motioning for Bailey to join him.

“He’s always wanted a dog, we just never had the space for one.”  Their apartment in Boston hadn’t allowed pets, and Bailey didn’t have the time for one, anyway, between classes and work.  Now, though, the idea seemed to have merit.

“I know that Old Mr. Perkins wouldn’t mind at all if you got a dog.  He’s got about twenty of his own, I think.”  They chuckled, thinking of Bailey’s land lord.  She and Carter were renting a small house just outside of the main strip of town.  It was owned by an old, retired farmer who seemed to think that Bailey was his long lost daughter and he treated her as such, mowing her lawn, fixing anything that broke, and constantly checking up on her to see if she and Carter were okay.  Bailey suspected it was the loss of his wife that caused him to be so…attentive.  The old man didn’t have much to do anymore except take care of his animals and now Bailey and Carter.

“I’ve only ever counted five, but sometimes when they’re out at night it sounds like a whole pack.”  She agreed, smiling.  She liked the eccentric old man.

“He’s certainly taken a shining to you and Carter.  You’re all he talks about these days.”  Justin’s smile showed that his statement was harmless and sincere. 

Bailey settled back against the bench, watching her son laugh and roll around with the dog.  “Thank you for letting us walk with you.”  She was begrudging in her thanks, although she wasn’t entirely sure why.  Justin had been nothing but nice to both her and Carter.

“It was my pleasure.”  He smiled over at her and she had to look away, feeling strange under his intense gaze.  “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Carter.  He’s an extremely intelligent boy.  You’ve done really well with him.”

A blush brushed her cheeks and neck.  “Thank you.”

They watched Carter for a moment longer before Justin shifted on the bench and turned toward Bailey.  “Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”  The sudden rush of confidence surprised him, but he was too intrigued by this woman to not ask.  He really wanted to get to know her as someone other than Carter’s mom.

“Dinner?”  Her mouth went dry and her tongue felt heavy.

“Yeah, you know, we go to a restaurant, eat some food, talk about…whatever.”  He teased, hoping to get her to relax a little.

She licked her lips, hoping to force some moisture into her mouth.  “Is this…is this a date?”  She was scared to ask, but more afraid of what would happen if she didn’t know.

Justin thought for a moment, not sure what he wanted the answer to be.  He had no romantic inclinations toward Bailey; he was just captivated by her and he felt a strong need to break down her walls.  Finally, he shrugged.  “Only if you want it to be, I guess.”

She made a noncommittal noise in her throat, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

“Bailey, I just want to know if I can take you to dinner.”  Justin was starting to get slightly frustrated with her unwillingness to lighten up.  “I thought you might like to enjoy yourself for a night.”

She bristled, not liking his tone but knowing exactly where it came from.  “I don’t have anyone to take care of Carter.”

“My mother can do it.”  Justin offered.  “I’ve told her about Carter and she’s interested to get to meet you two.”

“I could impose.”  Bailey’s mind searched for excuses despite the fact that she was slightly curious and it had been such a long time since she’d gone out anywhere.

“You’re not imposing.  I am.”  He shifted again, gently touching her shoulder and not pulling away when she stiffened under his touch.  “My mom runs a garden center.  She would love Carter’s help, or he could just go along and hang out.  A lot of the boys from school live in the area, so he would have plenty of company.”

He seemed to have all the answers, and Bailey knew that turning him down would seem cold on her part; colder than she wanted to come across.  She was being silly and she knew it.  Taking a deep breath, she turned her head and gave him a small smile.  “Okay.  Dinner sounds nice.”

Justin’s mouth opened to protest, but then his brain registered her words.  “Really?”  She nodded, blushing again.  Justin sat back, a puff of air escaping his mouth.  “I thought that was going to be a lot harder than that.”

Bailey’s eyes widened and she gaped at him.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”  His mouth broke into a grin and a chuckle bubbled up from somewhere deep in his chest, making his shoulders shake with mirth.  Bailey caught herself smiling with him.

When he finally collected himself, he answered, a smile still evident in his voice.  “It has to be tough being new here.  I just know that you’re cautious with good reason and I expected you to fight me a little bit harder on it, that’s all.  I don’t blame you.”

Bailey huffed and faced forward, watching Carter.  “I can always refuse again.  I’d hate to make this too easy on you.”  More laughter from Justin caught Bailey laughing slightly, too.

“I’ll give you directions to the garden center.  Can you meet me there at seven?”

There was only a slight pause before Bailey answered.  “Yeah, I can do that.”

“You’re taking her to dinner?”  The tone of Lynn’s voice warned Justin that she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not, and he readied himself to be on the defense.

“Yeah, just dinner.”  He emphasized.  “I wanted to ask if you’d take her son, Carter, to the garden shop with you.  She doesn’t want to leave him alone and I know a bunch of the boys hang out in the vacant field next door.”

Lynn eyed her son, turning only to take the cookies she’d been making out of the oven.  “This is awfully short notice, Justin.”  The smell of the chocolate chip cookies negated the serious tone of her statement.  How could anyone be made when surrounded by the aroma of dessert?

“I know, Momma, I’m sorry.  It…I guess I just asked on a whim.  She and Carter took a walk with me and Brennan and I wanted to get her to come out of her shell.  She’s…she’s so guarded.  She’s intrigues me.  I want to figure her out.”

Lynn’s lips pursed together as she moved cookies to a cooling rack.  She knew what this meant and she wasn’t sure Justin was ready to face the implications of his feelings.  If she knew her son, which she did, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.  She was certain that he also had no idea what was fueling his curiosity and soon enough his attraction would slap him in the face and add complications he wasn’t ready for.  But, he was a grown man now, and her days of having a say in his choices were long gone.

“I’ll take him with me to the garden.”  She agreed.  “But you be careful.”  Justin smiled and kissed his mother on the cheek, sneaking a cookie when she turned her back.  “Don’t spoil your dinner.”  She chided and he shook his head with a smile.  He had no idea how she did that; like she had eyes in the back of her head.

“I love you, Momma.” 

“Yeah, yeah, love you too, kid.”  She shooed him toward the door.  “Now get out of here before you eat all the cookies.”

~*~

“Does this look okay?”  Bailey spun in front of the mirror hanging from the back of her door.  She smoothed down the fabric, turning to check out every angle.  “Or does it make it look like I’m going on a date?”

Carter rolled his eyes.  “You look fine, Mom.”  He flopped back on her bed, his head dizzy from watching his mother pace back and forth between the bathroom and her closet.  “It’s just dinner.”

Bailey slipped back into the bathroom with another top, this one much more casual.  She changed, moving back in front of the mirror.  “Right, which means I need to wear something that expresses that it’s just dinner.”  She explained, spinning around to face her son.  “How does this look?”

Carter gave his mother a long stare.  “It looks just as good as the first five, Mom, and I think you’re starting to lose your mind.”  He flopped back again, letting out a long sigh.

“You’re not being very helpful.”  Bailey stated, turning back to inspect herself in the mirror again.

“You should’ve had a girl if you wanted fashion advice.”  He quipped, lifting himself from the bed and moving toward the door.  He couldn’t stand much more of this and he was hungry.  It was times like these that Carter really missed his Gramps.  He would understand what it felt like to be stuck with Bailey on a regular basis.  He would have also found something witty to say that would’ve gotten his mom to relax and stop worrying about her clothing.  She usually wasn’t like this, and it was starting to freak Carter out some.

He trudged out into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge, plopping himself down into a chair.  The clock told him it was quarter of seven and he was anxious to get going.  A bunch of the boys he knew from school and baseball played in the lot next to the garden center and he’d wanted to go there for a while.  If he’d known that all he had to do was get his teacher to ask his mother to dinner, he would’ve done it a long time ago.  Of course, the thought of Mr. Timberlake and his mom hanging out was really weird and slightly uncomfortable, but it was worth it.  He just wanted to start making friends and making this place feel like home.

Carter knew that he would never be able to return to Boston, and he hated that, but he could live with it.  He could also live with being in this little town.  As long as he had baseball and friends to hang out with, he would be okay.  His mom just didn’t seem to understand that.

“All right, kiddo, I’m ready.”  Bailey emerged from the bathroom clad in a pair of jeans and sleeveless blouse.  It looked like all the other outfits she’d tried on.

“It’s about time.”  He chided, “I was about to turn twenty-seven.” 

Bailey gave Carter a wide-eyed look and swatted him with her clutch.  “Shush, you.  Let’s go.”

The ride was quick but tense.  Carter could tell his mother was really nervous and he wasn’t exactly sure why.  He liked Mr. Timberlake, and Carter was sure that Mr. T was just trying to be friendly.  His mother had pretty shitty luck when it came to men and dating, but this wasn’t a date, or so she said.

“Now, you have to be on your best behavior, please.”  Bailey turned into the parking lot of the garden center and turned toward Carter.  “I’m not really comfortable with leaving you.”

Carter stopped himself from rolling his eyes.  “Mom, relax, okay?  It’s going to be fine.  A bunch of the other boys play baseball right next door to the gardens.  I’ll hang out there and I won’t bother her at all.”

An uncertain look still sat on Bailey’s face, but a knock on the window kept her from saying anything else.  Justin stood outside her door, smiling and giving a small wave to Carter.  Bailey took a deep breath, glanced at her son, and opened the door.

“Hey,”  Justin greeted both of them.  “Come with me.”  He motioned for them to follow as he headed toward the main building of the garden center.  “My mom is inside.”  They entered the shop, finding Justin’s mother behind the counter helping a customer purchase their items.  Bailey wasn’t surprised to see the blond curls that framed the woman’s face, and the smile of her mouth was the twin of Justin’s own.

When the customer left, Justin ushered Bailey and Carter forward, introducing them.  “Momma, this is Bailey and Carter Beckett.”

Lynn smiled at them both, shaking hands with Carter as she came around the corner.  “I’ve heard a lot about your pitching arm, young man.  It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”  Carter blushed and looked down at the floor.

“Thank you, ma’am.”  He grinned up at her, a blush painting his cheeks.  “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Thank you so much for agreeing to watch him.  I’m so sorry for the short notice.”  Bailey reached out and shook Lynn’s hand, feeling guilty for imposing.  “I hope it’s not too much trouble, Mrs. Timberlake.”

Lynn smiled softly, “It’s Harless, but you can call me Ms. Lynn.”  She took in the younger woman, recognizing what her son was so captivated with.  “It’s no trouble at all.  In fact, the boys at the lot are all waiting for you.”  Lynn glanced at Carter, pointing to the group of kids watching the garden center.  “Word spread that you were coming.  You’re a local hero, you know.”

Carter shifted on his feet, wanting to leave but not knowing if politeness allowed him to escape yet.  He turned to his mother and she smiled, nodding her head.  Tucking his baseball glove under his arm, Carter waved and took off at a trot.

“If he’s any trouble, please call and I’ll come get him right away.”  Bailey felt strange letting Justin’s mother watch her son.  She didn’t like letting him out of her sight, even for a few hours.

“He won’t be any trouble,” Justin interjected, gently tugging on Bailey’s arm.  “He’ll be too preoccupied with baseball to even notice you’re not around.  We should get going.” 

Bailey looked nervous.  “Okay, sure.  Thank you again, Ms. Lynn.  I really appreciate this.”  When Lynn waved the two away and wished them a good night, Bailey let Justin lead her to his car, settling in the seat once he’d opened the door for her.

Her nerves were on edge, tensing her muscles and making her sweat.  She hadn’t been out with a man in a long time, and even though she was adamant it wasn’t a date…it felt like one.  She didn’t know how to handle herself around men anymore, always afraid that she was going to send the wrong message or lead them on.  She thought Justin had been very nice and he was great with Carter, but…but she wasn’t anywhere near ready to think about men as anything other than a pain in her ass. 

“You can relax, you know.”  Justin’s amused voice broke through her thoughts.  “Carter is going to be fine.  My mom will keep an eye on him.”

Bailey attempted a smile, knowing that she was being ridiculous.  “I know.”  She conceded.  “It’s just been a while since I’ve left him alone.  I…I guess I’m not used to the idea that we’re safe here.”  She flinched when she realized her slip. If Justin found the comment odd, he didn’t say.  Instead, he decided to move the conversation to something neutral.

“I hope you like bar-b-q.  There’s this amazing restaurant, Payne’s.  It’s in this old gas station.  They have the best pulled pork this side of the Mississippi.”  Bailey chuckled at the eagerness in his voice.

“I’ve never had pulled pork.”  She confessed, turning at Justin’s intake of breath.

“You haven’t lived.”

“Ever had a Fenway Frank?”  She asked, shifting a little so she could look at Justin.  He shook his head and she grinned.  “You haven’t lived.”

A chuckle escaped his lips as he eased the car onto the freeway.  “Touché.” 

The ride lasted a little over twenty minutes, and they filled it with small talk.  The questions centered mostly around Justin because Bailey seemed uncomfortable whenever the conversation turned toward her.  They talked about teaching, baseball, Justin’s childhood in Tennessee…anything that came to mind.  Bailey felt herself relax little by little, settling into the ease of talking with Justin.  She didn’t want to enjoy herself, because she knew that meant she might have to spend more time with Justin, but she couldn’t seem to stop the laughter that spilled when he’d make a joke, or the smile that had etched itself onto her face.  He was funny and it had been a while since Bailey had laughed like this.

When they reached the restaurant, Justin hurried around the car to open Bailey’s door for her, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked.

“Now, you can get whatever you want, but I highly recommend the pulled pork.”  He held the door open, touching her back gently as they entered.

The place was…different.  Bailey had been to some dives in her life, but this was nothing like she’d seen before.  It was tiny, filled with automotive memorabilia and black and white framed photos lining the walls.  The booths were lined with cracked leather, and the tables were stained with years of coffee rings. 

“It’s…cozy.”  She had no idea how to react to the place. 

Justin chuckled.  “Don’t judge until you’ve eaten.  I promise, it’s hiding its full potential.”

“If you say so.” 

They seated themselves, a young girl bringing them menus and taking their drink order.  Bailey let Justin point out his suggestion, not trusting anything else.  When their orders had been taken, Justin sat back in the booth and watched Bailey carefully.  She looked good, jeans and a simple blouse adorning her small frame.  Her hair was pulled back into a pony tale, accentuating her strong jaw line and bringing attention to her blue eyes.  He saw her blush under his gaze and he grinned.   “So, I don’t know if you’ve ever really told me what’s brought you to Shelby Forest.  We don’t get many transplants.”

He watched Bailey’s shoulder stiffen and he knew he’d asked the wrong question.  He wanted to know the answer, though.  Hell, everyone in town wanted to know the answer.

It took her a while to answer, and her voice was strained as she spoke.  “I…it’s a really long story.”  She started, picking at her nails.  “I had family from the area and I wanted Carter to get out of the city.  Fate found us here.”  The answer seemed odd to Justin, rehearsed almost, but he wasn’t about to question her.  He didn’t want to ruin their evening.

“Well, it’s a lot different than the city, that’s for sure.”  He picked at the napkin on the table.  “How does Carter like town so far?”

Bailey was thankful for the change in topic.  “He doesn’t mind.  He’s a pretty easy-going kid.  I think what he misses the most is being able to go to Red Sox games with his Gramps.  They had season tickets.”  She smiled at the memory.  “When he knew he could get away with it, my dad would sign Carter out of school for the day games.”

“My mom would’ve skinned my Grampa alive if she caught wind of that.”

She laughed.  “Oh, I wasn’t happy with him, but…the smile on Carter’s face was enough to get me to back off.  As long as he kept his grades up and his attendance didn’t suffer, I couldn’t deny him that.”

They were interrupted by their waitress with their food.  Conversation lagged as they settled into their meals.  Bailey was pleasantly surprised by the dinner Justin had ordered for her, enjoying the pulled pork more than she thought she would. 

“This is fantastic.”  She mumbled through a bite of food, blushing at her lack of manners.

Justin took a sip of his sweet tea and glanced at Bailey.  “It’s okay to enjoy yourself, you know.  There’s nothing wrong with relaxing.”

The blush on her cheeks deepened.  “Sorry.”  She wiped at her mouth, sitting back in her seat.  “It’s just been a long year, and moving has put me on edge.”  She paused, “Thank you for this, though.  I…I needed it.”

Tentatively, Justin reached his hand across the table and brushed the back of Bailey’s.  She stared at their touching hands but she didn’t pull away.  A thousand thoughts raced through her head, urging Bailey to run.  She ignored all of them, instead focusing on the warmth of his touch.

She could always regret this later.

The tension that hung between them was thick, but both parties ignored it and continued to eat and share conversation.  Neither mentioned Justin’s bold move.  Justin, for his part, was hoping he hadn’t crossed a line and scared Bailey off.  Bailey was pretending it didn’t happen so she wouldn’t have to think about it or deal with the consequences.  She wasn’t ready for that.

“Did you live in Boston all your life?”  He asked, pushing his plate of food away and sitting against the back of the booth.  She had tucked her hands underneath the table after he’d touched her; he didn’t know what to make of it.

She chewed slowly, thinking over her answer.  “I’m originally from New Hampshire.  When my mother died, my Dad moved us down to the Boston area so he could be closer to his parents.  He wasn’t sure how to raise a little girl without my Mom.  I was seven when we moved.”  She took a sip of her water.  “You ever left Shelby Forest?”

Justin chuckled, nodding his head.  “I went to school in Memphis, if that counts.”  He saw Bailey shake his head and grin at him.  “I’ve done a little travelling.  After I graduated from college, I spent some time on a road trip.  I’ve never actually lived anywhere else, though.”

The waitress came and cleared their plates, sliding the check on the table.

“I’ve always wanted to travel.  Unless you count the drive from Boston to Shelby Forest, I haven’t seen much of the world either.”  Bailey moved to get her purse and take out some money, but Justin stopped her.

“My treat.”  He said, setting a card on top of the bill.  “I was thinking we could make one more stop before we headed back.  I know you’re probably anxious to get to Carter.”

Bailey blushed slightly, dipping her head.  “Am I that transparent?”  When the waitress returned with Justin’s card, he signed the receipt and slid out of the booth, offering his arm to Bailey.  She hesitated, but went against the negative voices in her head and looped her arm through his.

“No, not transparent.  I understand that I asked you to leave your son with a woman you’ve never met so you could go to dinner with a man you barely know.”  His smile was warm and Bailey felt the heat creep up her neck.  She never seemed to stop blushing around this man and it was getting very frustrating.

She was thrown off by his simple smile, his calm demeanor, and his easy-going attitude about things.  He didn’t seem to be in any hurry for her to make a decision about him, and she wasn’t even sure he was looking for anything from her.  He had said that he just wanted to take her to dinner, and so far it seemed that that was really all he wanted.  Of course, the small touches and the gentleman-like behavior was throwing her off, but none of it was over the top or too forward.  She didn’t like it.

Bailey was used to men that were aggressive and single minded.  She knew their intentions and she knew how to keep them away.  Justin, though, she had no idea what he was looking for from her, and that was a scary thing.

“He’s my baby, you know?  We’ve been through a lot together and I worry.”  She let him open her door for her, holding onto his hand as she took her seat in his car.  When he’d taken his own seat, she finished her thought.  “I also feel horrible for shoving him at your mother.”

Justin waved her worry away.  “She loves it.”  He moved the car back onto the road, easing the wheel beneath his strong hands.  “She’s missed having kids around ever since I moved out.  She usually keeps an eye on the boys in the lot anyway, so asking her to watch Carter wasn’t a huge deal.”

“Still,” Bailey argued, “I’m usually a little more…prepared.”  She watched the world pass by her window, a blur of greens and yellows.  “I’ll have to bake her a cake or something.”

Knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to dissuade her, Justin let the conversation drop.  There was so much he wanted to know about this woman, but he was too scared to ask.  She seemed so skittish and gun-shy.  He didn’t want to run her off before he got the chance to get to know her and show her that he had the best of intentions.  He was intrigued by her and Carter, and he wanted to make sure they felt that Shelby Forest was their home, too.  He wasn’t entirely sure when it had happened, but he’d made it his personal mission to show her around and make sure she felt comfortable.

He would explore the reasons behind that later, if ever.

Something had been niggling at him, though, and he didn’t think he could keep the question at bay any longer.  “Would it be terribly forward of me to ask about Carter’s father?”

Bailey’s frame went rigid and Justin held his breath.  He was skating on thin ice, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He wanted to know.

“Well…I suppose not.”  She shifted in her seat, looking down at her hands as she picked at her fingers.  She knew these questions were going to happen at some point, she was just hoping it would happen a lot farther down the road.  “I was sixteen when I met Travis.  He was the resident bad boy and I feel immediately.  It was one of those high-school romances.  I used him as a way to rebel against my father, he used me in general.  I found out I was pregnant when I was eighteen.”  She stopped, remembering the night she’d discovered her predicament.  Her father had been devastated, and that broke her heart more than anything else.  “Travis didn’t stick around long enough to ever meet Carter.”  She swallowed thickly.  “I’m pretty sure he’s still in jail.”

The last part was unexpected for both of them.  Bailey hadn’t know she was going to share that much, and Justin wasn’t sure what to do with the information now that he had it.

“You’ve done a wonderful job with Carter.”  He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable.  “He’s a really great young man.”

Bailey chuckled, feeling her emotions start to tighten around her throat and bind her chest.  “I owe a lot to my Dad.  He stepped in and helped me with Carter.  While I finished school he watched the baby, teaching him and giving him the advice I couldn’t.”  Tears prickled at the back of her eyes, forcing her to blink rapidly.  She didn’t want to cry.

“I’m sorry, B.”  Justin’s hand left the knob of the shifter, settling over Bailey’s.  The warmth of his touch shocked her, and she forced herself not to pull away.  He was offering comfort that she obviously needed, why couldn’t she just accept it?

“Yeah, well, that’s all in the past now.”  With her other hand she wiped at her eyes, letting out a puff of air.  “It’s just me and Carter now.”  The tone of her voice had Justin turning to look in her direction.

“No, it’s not.”

Silence pervaded the car after that, his statement hanging between them and refusing to move.  His fingers tightened around hers when she moved to pull away, keeping her hand securely tucked into his.

When she spoke next, her voice was soft, husky with contained emotions.  “You don’t need to save me, Justin.”

Her statement struck Justin with a force he wasn’t ready for.  Steeling himself, he kept a hold on her hand and drove in silence, ignoring her comment and the emotions it stirred inside of him.  He wasn’t attempting to save her; he wasn’t.  He just wanted to be her friend and make her feel comfortable.

And even before the thoughts flickered through his mind, he knew they were lies.

“Sarah Elaine…”  His voice was strangled as he spoke her name, the breath leaving his body in one long sigh.  “How could you?”

Tears etched permanent tracks down her cheeks as she sniffled.  “Daddy…I’m sorry.”  She stood there, in the living room, her heart breaking as she watched her father fall to pieces in front of her.  “I…”

He held up a hand to stop her.  “What are you going to do?”  His blue eyes bore into hers, asking questions she didn’t have any answers to.

“I don’t know.”  Salty tears fell harder and it was all Sarah could to do keep standing upright.  “I don’t know, Daddy.”  She looked to her father, a man she adored but hadn’t been able to connect with in years.  Unfairly, she blamed him for her mother’s death.  What was worse, he blamed himself, too.

“Oh, Baby.”  He held his arms out and she fell into them, soaking his shirt with her fears and shame.  Red shushed her, “we’ll figure this out.”

She was pregnant.  Eighteen years old and she was going to have a baby.  Sarah hiccupped, falling apart and letting her father hold together the pieces.  She knew her antics worried him, and now she’d just confirmed his biggest fears.  She’d failed him, and she had no idea what she was going to do to make it right.

~*~

Bailey sat up in her bed, sweat soaking her shirt, making it cling to her skin.  Her cheeks were wet with tears, and she reached up to touch them, surprised to find that they were real.

She hadn’t had nightmares like this in a long time, and her body ached with the strain of remembering.  Dinner with Justin had stirred up a lot of things she’d hoped to keep buried, and she was faint with the effort of keeping her emotions at bay.  She tied her hair back, padding into the kitchen so she could calm herself and get a glass of water.

She jumped when she entered the kitchen, startled by the presence of her son.  “What are you doing up?”  A glace at the clock told her it was only two in the morning.  “You should be sleeping.”

He gave her a long, level look.  “You had another nightmare.”  It was a statement, not a question, and Bailey let out a long sigh.

“Sorry I woke you, Bub.”  She poured herself a glass of water, taking a long, slow drink.  “Do you want some ice cream?”  She didn’t wait for his answer, pulling the carton of chocolate out of the freezer and bringing two spoons with her to the table.

Carter took a spoon from her, scooping out a small bite.  “Which one was it this time?”  He asked, his blue eyes cool as they rested on his mother.  She squirmed under his hard gaze; it was one he’d inherited from his father without knowing it.

“When Gramps found out I was pregnant with you.”  It was useless to hide things from Carter, or to lie to him.  Bailey had essentially grown up as Carter grew; they had few secrets between them.

Another mouthful of chocolate ice cream found its way to Carter.  “You haven’t had those in a long time.”  Carter had been aware of his mother’s nightmares since they started.  Before they’d left Boston, her dreams had often been about his father and the things that had sent the two of them into hiding.  Since leaving, her dreams had been a mixture of those and dreams about his Gramps.  Lately, though, it had seemed that the nightmares might stop.  Apparently, he was wrong.

Bailey shrugged, taking a moment to respond by eating more ice cream.  “I guess I’ve just been thinking about Gramps a lot lately.”

A look that should never cross a twelve-year-olds face marred Carter’s features.  He looked too old to be her little boy, and Bailey ached for the loss of his innocence.  “Did something happen with Mr. Timberlake tonight?  You’ve been acting really strange ever since he brought you home.”

He was too astute for his own good.  “Bub, you shouldn’t worry about these things.”

Another stare was sent in her direction.  Carter stood, returning the carton of ice cream to the freezer and setting his spoon in the sink.  “Mom, I’m going to worry if I should or not.  You might as well tell me, or I’ll have to ask Mr. Timberlake.”  He was full of bravado and they both knew it, but Bailey also knew that Carter felt he had to be the man and protect her.

“We we’re just talking about things, Carter.  He asked me some questions and I guess it brought up some old memories.  I’m fine, I promise.  And you can leave your teacher alone.”  She cautioned, not wanting her son to suffer at school because of her.

Carter let out the breath he was holding, his shoulder’s slumping under the weight of everything on his mind.  “Did he ask about my father?”  Again, Bailey was startled by the insightfulness of her son.  She nodded slowly in confirmation.  “What did you tell him?”  When Carter was younger, he’d begged his mother to tell him stories about his father.  He ached to know the man that had created him, the man that his mother had loved for a time.  He hated not knowing about half of where he came from, and his mother was often tight lipped.  When he was eight, she told him that his father was in jail.  He stopped asking questions.

“I didn’t say much,” she confessed.  “I just told him that I was eighteen when I got pregnant with you, and that your father has never been a part of your life.”

Carter watched her, waiting to see if there was more but knowing there wouldn’t be.  With a sigh, he turned toward the door way to the kitchen.  “I’m heading back to bed.  Good night, Mom.”  With a wave, he was gone.

Bailey felt fresh tears pool in her eyes and she wiped at them angrily.  Her weaknesses were causing her son pain and she didn’t know how to fix his hurt.  He had been denied a father, and while Red had been as best a stand-in as possible, now he was gone too.  Bailey tried her best, but she couldn’t be the man that Carter needed in his life.  She couldn’t answer questions that growing boys had, she didn’t understand the importance of sports, and she didn’t get the nuances of pitching.  She was just his mother, and sometimes…sometimes that wasn’t enough.

She cursed the fates that had brought them here.  She cursed Travis, and all his bad boy glory.  She cursed the life she was now forced to lead. 

~*~

Sunday had passed way too quickly and Monday found Bailey with a splitting headache and a mountain of paper work to do.  Amelia was back in the office today, and she kept throwing strange glances in Bailey’s direction, which weren’t helping the headache.

“You look like shit,” was her boss’s comment when she emerged from her office after taking a phone call.  “Spending too much time with Justin?”

The question caught Bailey so off guard that she almost fell out of her chair.  “What?”

Amelia smiled, leaning against Bailey’s desk.  “It’s all over town, darlin’.  Justin Timberlake wined and dined you Saturday, and now you look like hell.  I was just curious.”  She winked and Bailey felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

“It was just dinner.”  She mumbled, knowing that fighting off people’s assumptions was going to be worthless.  “There’s nothing going on between us.”

A disbelieving sound came from Amelia’s throat.  “Right, and I’m the queen of England.”  She patted Bailey on the shoulder and stood, “It’s only a matter of time, darlin’.” 

“What does that mean?”  The younger girl asked.

Amelia gave Bailey a long look.  “Justin Timberlake has been Shelby Forest’s most wanted bachelor since he was in high school.  He keeps to himself mostly, and everyone just figured he’d spend his life just like that.  The fact that he’s taking an interest to you is a big deal, and it’s only a matter of time before there’s something going on between the two of you.”

Bailey shook her head emphatically.  “I have a son.  I’m in no hurry to be in any sort of relationship.”

“So you just wanted the free dinner?” was her boss’s retort.

“No…I…he asked.”  Her sentence ended feebly.  How could she convince people that there were no feelings between her and Justin when they’d already made up their minds?  “He asked me to dinner, as friends.  I don’t want a relationship.”

Amelia’s eyes were trained out the window as she responded to Bailey’s statement.  “You spend enough time letting that boy focus his attention on you; you’ll want everything he’s willing to give.”  With that, she stood and walked back into her office, calling over her shoulder to tell Bailey not to disturb her.

Bailey was slightly confused at Amelia’s exit, but when she turned her head to see who had just walked in the door, it all made sense.  Justin sauntered in, perching a pair of aviator’s on top of his slightly curly head.  Bailey cringed inwardly, knowing that he was only adding more fuel to the fire by visiting her at work.  She’s purposely avoided going anywhere on Sunday so she wouldn’t run into him.  She was starting to feel comfortable around him and that was dangerous; she might spill secrets.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Beckett.”  His drawl was thick and heavy as he grinned at her over the reception desk.

“Amelia is busy right now.  Did you have an appointment?”  She checked the calendar in front of her, already knowing the answer but not wanted to face it.

“No, no appointment.  I just came to see how you were doing.”  He settled his hip against the edge of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m just fine, thanks.”  Bailey had no idea what to say to this man right now.  She had enjoyed dinner, but she was afraid of his intentions.  If she spent more time with him, would he get the wrong idea?  “How was teaching?”

He shrugged.  “It’s almost the end of the year, they’ve all checked out anyway.”  He shifted his weight, leaning in a little closer.  “I was wondering if you and Carter wanted to come to the cookout my mom is having.”  He saw her hesitation and was quick to dispel her doubts.  “It’s going to be small, really just my family.  I’m bringing my brothers over, they’re Carter’s age.”

Bailey had no idea how to respond.  Saying yes meant adding to the rumors that she was already wary of.  Saying no, on the other hand, meant that sudden, awkward tension between the two of them.  “I’ll have to run in by Carter.  He’s got practice tonight, so he might not be up for it.”

Although his smile didn’t falter, Justin seemed to deflate a little.  He covered nicely, though, reaching over to grab a pen from the cup on Bailey’s desk.  “Well, when you figure it out, here’s my cell number.  Just call and let me know.  I can give you directions, too, if you need them.”

Bailey stared at the digits on the paper, forcing herself to smile through her apprehension.  “I’ll let you know.”  She gave him a wave as he stepped out of the office door, sighing when he was out of sight.  “Shit.” 

Amelia’s voice floated down the hall way.  “You know you want to go.”

Bailey wondered if it would be rude to flip her boss the finger.

Carter glanced over at his mother and watched her face as he asked her his question.  “Do you want to go to the cookout?”  Her nose twitched and her mouth scrunched.  He’d seen that face a lot, especially when it involved men.  He decided he would let her answer, though, because he was curious to hear what she would say.

“It’s up to you, Bub.”  And that’s exactly what he was expecting.

“Which is code for: I want to go but I don’t want to admit that I want to go.”  Carter slouched lower in the passenger seat, wrinkling his own nose when he caught the sweaty scent of his t-shirt.  “I need to shower first.”

“It’s really up to you, Carter.  We don’t need to go.”  Bailey steered the car onto their road, rolling up the windows as the wheels started to kick up dust.  “We can have a quiet night in.”

His head bobbed against the seat as he turned to give his mother a long stare.  “I see the way he looks at you, Mom, and I see the way you try not to look at him.”

Bailey’s eyes widened and she let out a nervous laugh.  “You are way too perceptive for a kid your age.”  The car rolled to a stop in front of their house and Bailey turned the key, killing the ignition.  Neither of them made a move to get out.

The silence stretched and the heat in the car increased until Carter couldn’t stand to sit there any longer.  “Mom, you don’t have to stop living because we moved here.”  Opening the door, he stepped out and poked his head back in.  “I’ll be out of the shower in ten.  You should probably call for directions.”

Bailey jumped when the door closed, snapping her out of her thoughts and spurring her into motion.  Trudging up the front steps, she sat on the porch swing and let the air cool her down.  Butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach and she wasn’t entirely sure why.  Carter was right, but Bailey wasn’t looking for a relationship, as interesting as Justin was.  Her main concern was her son and his happiness.  It felt selfish of her to want something when she had been the reason that Carter had to leave everything he knew behind.

The screen door slammed and Bailey squeaked, clutching her chest.  “You scared me.”

“Did you call Mr. Timberlake yet?  We should get going soon.”  Carter took a seat next to his mother, pushing off of the porch boards to get the swing moving.

“Are you sure you want to go?”  She asked again, not sure what she wanted his answer to be.  His response was a bored look.  “Okay, okay, I’ll give him a call.”  Nervously, she pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and punched the number into her cell phone, having to re-dial twice because she kept making mistakes.  The conversation was short, but Bailey couldn’t help but share the smile that was evident in Justin’s voice.  A few minutes later, they were back in the car and headed toward the cook out.

“I like Mr. Timberlake, Mom.”  Carter broke the silence.  His mother turned her head and glanced at him.

“Does that mean I should stay away because you don’t want things getting weird?”  Bailey was worried about Justin being Carter’s teacher.  It wasn’t something she wanted to come back and bite any of them in the ass.

His response was accompanied by a shrug.  “I don’t really care about all of that.”  He stated, his voice as calm as ever.  “School’s almost out and I think everyone already assumes that you two are together, anyway.”  The comment surprised Bailey, but Carter continued before she could ask about it.  “I was just saying that I think he’s a good guy and I don’t think it’s a terrible thing to hang out with him.”

Bailey wished she wasn’t driving because she really wanted to stare at the person next to her and figure out what had happened to her son.  “Are you feeling okay?  Did you get too much sun today?”  She took her hand off the wheel and placed in on his forehead, feeling to see if he was running a temperature.  Carter brushed her off.

“Mom, I’m fine.”  He settled more comfortably in his seat.  There was a pause before he decided to ask his next question.  “What is it you’re afraid of, anyway?”

Bailey’s eyes widened and her hand gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.  She wasn’t quite sure where the question was coming from and she was even less sure about how to answer.  This was her twelve-year-old son and he was asking her questions that she was too afraid to ask herself.  There was something inherently wrong with that.

“I’m not afraid of anything, Bub.”  She was careful with her tone, lest she give away more than she wanted to.  “I’m just not looking to get into anything, especially with your teacher.”  She chanced a glance at her son, but his eyes were steady on the road ahead.  “Is that okay with you, boss?” 

Carter’s mouth twitched in a grin.  His shoulder’s shrugged again, but the twinkle in his eyes told Bailey he was up to something.  “No…”  He turned to face his mother.  “I was hoping to get an easy A because you were dating my English teacher.”  This time Bailey swatted his arm and gasped in shock.

“Carter Matthew!”  She scolded, chuckling slightly.  “I can’t believe you just said that.”

A few minutes later found them pulling into Justin’s mother’s driveway.  The house was beautiful; a large wrap-around porch, and immense flower beds and landscaping.  Bailey was slightly intimidated and worried, but it was too late to turn back now.  Justin was trotting down the front steps, a grin plastered on his face.

“Hey!”  He called, stopping beside Bailey’s window and leaning on the door.  “You made it.”  He opened the door for her and helped her out of the car, smiling over at Carter as the young man closed his own door.  “Hey, Carter.”

“Hey, Mr. T.”  Carter gave the older man a wave and followed the two adults toward a gate that led into the back yard. 

There was a small group of people scattered around the yard.  Bailey waved to Ms. Lynn who was setting out food.  A man she assumed was Justin’s step-father manned the grill, giving them a grin and a wave as they made their way across the lawn toward them.  Two boys played catch off to the side, and Bailey watched as Carter eyed them carefully.

“Those are my brothers.  Jonathan is fifteen, and Stephen is twelve.”  Justin spoke to Carter, introducing the boys when they were close enough.  That was all the encouragement Carter needed, joining in the game of catch as soon as the introductions were finished.  Bailey followed Justin toward the other adults, feeling the warmth of his hand on her lower back as they walked.  She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she could help but hear her son’s words echoing in her head.

“Bailey, this is my Dad, Paul.”  Justin made the final introduction, and Bailey smiled at the older man, shaking his offered hand.

“It’s so nice to meet you, sir.” 

A hand waved away her formality.  “Please, it’s Paul.  And the pleasure is all mine, Darlin’.  I’ve heard a lot about you and your son.”  The older man grinned over at her and Justin.  Bailey’s eyes widened, but she said nothing, not sure how to respond.

“Can I help you with anything, Momma?”  Justin asked.  Lynn had just finished setting out some plates and utensils, the table set except for the meat that was grilling.

“I’m all set, but I’m sure Bailey would like something to drink.”

Justin turned toward Bailey, asking the question with his eyes.  She followed him with a nod, heading into the house where the drinks were.  Paul gave Lynn a long look that spoke volumes; his wife just smiled.  The two of them had talked quite a bit about their son’s infatuation with Bailey.  He was still denying any stronger feelings than friendship and curiosity, but Lynn and Paul knew their son well.  They knew that there was more to his interest in Bailey and Carter, and they also knew that he wasn’t ready to investigate or interpret those feelings just yet.  It said something that Bailey was here tonight, though, and they were content enough to sit back and watch what was going to happen.

“Carter and the boys seem to be getting along well.”  Paul commented, flipping the chicken on the grill.  Jonathan, Stephen and Carter were still playing catch, laughing and smiling as if they’d known each other forever.

“It’s baseball.  It must be some male language that all you boys speak.”  Lynn stated, finishing up setting the picnic table with plates and silverware.  “Carter is a good boy, though.  He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

“Got it from his mother, I gather.”  Paul’s comment caused Lynn to shrug.

“I don’t know enough about her yet, but Justin seems to think so.”  Lynn settled into a lawn chair, taking a sip of her sweet tea.  “He’s on a mission, Paul, and I’m not entirely sure he’s ready for what might happen when he gets where he’s going.”

Paul was thoughtful for a moment, deciding on how best to answer to that comment.  “He’s a smart man, Lynn, and you did well raising him.  I’m sure he’ll do what’s best and figure things out along the way.  Quite worrying and enjoy the evening.”

She grunted slightly, “It’s not him I’m worried about.”  But nothing further could be said because Justin and Bailey had come back from the kitchen, both carrying glasses of tea.  The adults sat around while the food finished cooking, chatting idly about anything that came to mind.  Bailey found herself starting to relax as the evening progressed, enjoying the company of Justin’s parents.  They were charming and endearing, including Bailey enough to make her feel welcome without prying.  Justin helped, too, steering the conversation into directions that wouldn’t make Bailey too uncomfortable.  She was thankful for that, and she found herself happy that she’d come.

“Boys!  Food is ready.”  Lynn called once the chicken had been moved off of the grill.  The three young men came trotting over, smiling and hungry.  Conversation centered around dinner as everyone got situated and filled their plates.

The evening was pleasant and both Bailey and Carter were enjoying themselves.  Carter had originally decided to come because he knew his mother wanted to, but now he found himself laughing along with Jon and Stephen, happy he’d pushed her.  He liked Mr. Timberlake, and he liked who his mother was around him.  She smiled a lot, and she seemed a lot more relaxed than she had since the move from Boston.  It was tough to let someone else into the lives, but Mr. T seemed to truly care for the both of them and that was enough for Carter.

“I have pecan pie for dessert, so you don’t need to rush to fill up.”  Lynn eyed the boys who were all steadily shoveling food into their mouths.  At her comment, they all stopped and slowly finished chewing, taking more care with their eating.

Bailey grinned.  She liked Lynn, and she liked what she knew of Paul, too.  They seemed really good together, and she enjoyed their light banter as the meal progressed.

“I can’t thank you enough for inviting us.  This was fantastic.”  Bailey set her fork down, feeling pleasantly full. 

Lynn waved her away.  “You’re welcome anytime, darling.”  The older woman smiled softly at Bailey, “we enjoying have you two around.”

“Can we be excused?”  Jonathan spoke up, looking at the adults for permission like his Momma had taught him.  “Carter said he’d show me how to throw a fast ball.”

“It’s okay with me.” Lynn said, looking for Bailey’s approval.

“Sure, just take it easy, okay?  I don’t want you getting sick so quickly after dinner, and I don’t want any wild pitches ending up breaking anything.”

“I’ll be careful, Mom.”  Carter promised as he raced away with the other two boys.  The adults watched with matching grins, happy to see everyone having so much fun.

Lynn started to collect the dishes, but Bailey stopped her, standing up.  “You cooked, the least I can do is clean.”  She grabbed the utensils and plates, stacking them together so she could bring them inside.  Silently, Justin joined her, grabbing empty dishes and cups and following Bailey into the house.

“You don’t have to do this, you know, you’re a guest.”  He placed the dirty dishes next to the sink and leaned against the counter as he watched Bailey fill the sink with soapy water.

“I want to do this.”

Justin was quiet for a moment, grabbing a towel and drying the dishes Bailey had just cleaned.  “I’m really happy you decided to come.”  He said after a while.  He wasn’t sure what he wanted from this, but he knew being around Bailey was something he was starting to crave.

Her response was a small shrug.  “It was Carter’s idea, really.  He…he likes you.”  She felt herself blush a little, not wanting to share too much.  She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing here, but she had enjoyed herself tonight, and she was starting to look forward to Justin’s company.

“Well, he’s a really good kid.”

The washed and dried in silence for a while longer, neither sure what to say next.  Justin didn’t want to ruin the moment by asking something stupid or too personal, and Bailey was uncertain about so much.  She was really beginning to like Justin, and that scared her.  It didn’t help that her son seemed to be pushing for the two of them to get together.  He never did things like that, and it had Bailey over thinking everything.

“Your parents are great.”  She finally said, settling for neutral territory.

Justin smiled.  “That they are.”  He put the final plate in the cupboard and hung the dish towel to dry, turning to face Bailey and give her a small grin.  Her face was flushed with the steam from the hot water, giving her skin a glow that was ethereal.  Justin felt his pace quicken at the sight of her, and he mental chastised himself for being such a male.  He couldn’t quite help himself, though, and his mouth opened before he could stop the thought.  “You look beautiful.”

Bailey stiffened, unsure of where that compliment came from.  “Thank you.”  She said shyly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.  She could feel her cheeks redden under his gaze.  She was afraid to look at him for fear of what she might see.  Clearing her throat, she took a step away from Justin so she could clear her head.  “Uhm, we should probably get going.  It is a school night, after all.”

Justin’s heart dropped a little and he felt foolish.  “Right.  I have to get the boys home, too.”

“Right.”  Awkwardly, they continued to stand there, neither moving. 

Finally, Justin decided that enough was enough and he had to do something.  Striding over to Bailey, he gently turned her to face him, cupping her chin in his hands.  He saw fear in her eyes, but it was mixed with a dozen other emotions that he couldn’t name, nor did he care to.  There was something about the way she looked, about the feeling of the warm air around them, about the way his heart raced when he thought about her…he couldn’t stop himself.  Slowly, so slowly, he lowered his mouth toward her own.  She didn’t move away, and he took it as a sign that he could continue.  Their mouths were millimeters apart when the back door came crashing open and the two adults jumped apart.  Both were flush with the embarrassment of being caught.

“I need to pee,” was Stephen’s call as he raced, unaware, past the two adults.  Carter and Jon stood in the doorway, eying their respective relatives with a wary look.  Carter knew what the color of his mother’s cheeks meant, and he smiled to himself.   

“We should probably get going, Ma.  It’s getting late.”

The words seemed to spur Bailey into action, and she bustled out of the kitchen and toward the back door.  “Right, we’ll just say our goodbyes to Miss Lynn and Paul and we can head home.”  Carter watched in amusement as his mother ignored the looks being sent her way by Mr. Timberlake. 

“You just startled her, that’s all.”  He offered the older man a reassuring pat on the back.  “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” 

Justin cast a sidelong glance at his student.  “Yeah, and I think I embarrassed myself in the process of startling her.”

Carter just shrugged.  He waved goodbye to his teacher and trotted to catch up with his mother, giving a quick thanks to the Harless’s.  He laughed slightly as his mom hurried to get out of there, forgetting to say goodbye to Mr. Timberlake.  Sighing contentedly, Carter settled back into his seat and closed his eyes.  That almost kiss would have his mother thinking for days, and that meant she could stop thinking about the past and start worrying about other things, like dating and all that crap. 

It was a job well done, if he said so himself.

If it were physically possible for Justin to kick his own ass, he would.  Mentally, though, he’d been kicking himself ever since the “almost kiss” with Bailey in his mother’s kitchen.  Over and over again he questioned his sanity and he worried that he’d ruined everything he’d been working toward with her.  It had been a few days since that fateful night and he’d avoided talking to her because he was so worried he’d run her off.

He was starting to admit that she was becoming more important than he’d originally intended, and he didn’t want to lose whatever it was they were building.  He liked how he felt when he was around her, and he loved figuring out how to make her smile.  It was dangerous, he knew, but at this point he didn’t really care.

His male brain had officially taken over his rational brain.

“All right, hand in whatever you’ve finished with your essay and stack your notebooks.”  Justin stood from his desk, moving to the front of the room as he directed his students.  “We’ll finish these up next week, and then we’ve only got two more weeks until schools out.”  A few cheers sounded around the room and Justin smiled.  “Have a great weekend, guys.”

Kids started to file out of the room, chatting and laughing as they went.  The room was just about empty when Justin noticed that Carter was hanging around, waiting for the rest of the group to leave before he approached his teacher.  Justin swallowed; reminding himself that here, Carter was just a student.  He couldn’t bring Bailey into his time here.

“Hey, Mr. T.” 

“What’s up, Carter?”  Justin crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against one of the desks.  “Everything okay?”

The boy’s cheeks blushed pink and Justin’s curiosity was piqued.  “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?”  The young man searched the room, making sure no one was around before he asked his question. 

“Carter…”  Justin’s pulse quickened but he forced himself to stay calm.  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”  The man inside of him was yelling that Teacher-Justin was being a pansy.

Big blue eyes bore into Justin’s, and all he could think of was Bailey.  Carter had her eyes.  “She wants to see you, Mr. T.  She told me so.”  Carter discreetly crossed his fingers behind his back and sent up an apology for his lie.  It was for a good cause.  “She’s making her lasagna tonight, and she wants you to come.” 

“Really?”  Justin was skeptical, but desperate.  “I don’t want to impose or anything.”

“You won’t be.  She wants you to bring some more of your mom’s pecan pie, too.”  Carter moved toward the door, not wanting to be late to his next class.  “Be there around six, okay?  See you then.”  He waved and slipped out the door, not leaving enough time for Justin to respond.

Carter wasn’t usually one to lie, but his mother had been moping around the house ever since the cook out at Ms. Lynn’s.  He knew it was because she couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Timberlake, and he was tired of watching her put her life aside for him.  He knew he was risking an ass kicking, but it would be worth it if he could see her happy again.  They were stuck here in Tennessee; she might as well enjoy her stay.

~*~

“What time is Billy’s mom coming to get you again?”  Bailey grabbed a few more items from Carter’s dresser drawers.  She folded them and handed them over to her son, wincing as he stuffed them roughly into the back pack.

“Five-thirty.”  He answered, searching the room for something else he wanted to bring.  “She’ll bring me home tomorrow, after we get back from the game.”  Carter was heading with his friend to baseball game in Memphis, sleeping at Billy’s tonight so they could get on the road early tomorrow.  Bailey wasn’t sure how she felt about him leaving, but she knew she couldn’t keep him with her forever.

“Mrs. Kinney has my numbers, right?  I’ll write them down again just to be sure.”  She headed out of the room, searching for something to write on.  “I’ll have my cell phone on me at all times, you can call whenever.  If you need me to come get you, I can do that, too.”  She called over her shoulder, worry evident in her voice.

Carter grabbed the backpack from his bed, moving toward the kitchen.  He watched his mother with an amused smile on his face.  “Mom, I’m not seven anymore.  I think I can handle a sleep over.”  He moved away from the door frame, dropping his back pack and stopping his mother with a tight hug.  “I’ll be fine, Ma, and so will you.” 

Bailey felt tears prickle at the back of her eyes as she tightly wrapped her arms around her son.  “I know, Bub.  I forget sometimes that you’ve grown up so much.”

“It’s okay, Ma.”  He pulled back and smiled.  “So I talked to Mr. T today.”  He felt his mother stiffen a little, so he moved back and took a seat at the kitchen table.  His face was a mask of innocence.  “He said that his mother had some pecan pie she wanted him to bring over, so he’s stopping by tonight.”

Bailey felt heat rise to her cheeks and her stomach dropped.  “He’s coming over?”  Thousands of thoughts swirled through her head and she wasn’t sure how she felt about this news.  Part of her was excited that he wanted to see her, but the other part was dreading the awkward conversation they were bound to have.

“Yeah, I was thinking you could take that lasagna you’d frozen out for dinner.  I told him about it once and he said he’s been dying to try it.”  Again, Carter felt a small pang of guilt for the lies, but his intentions were true.  He was doing this for his mother’s happiness. 

“Lasagna?”  Bailey gave her son a strange look.  Her nerves were jumping and she couldn’t quite understand what her son was getting at.

“Yeah, you made a double batch and froze one.  I already put it in the fridge to thaw, so you can put it in the oven.”  He paused, waiting a moment before adding his last bit of persuasion.  “It’s only right Ma.  He had you over for dinner, now you can return the favor and you’ll both be even.”

He saw the wheels start to turn in his mother’s mind, her eyes flitting from the refrigerator to the oven to the clock.  If she put the lasagna in the oven now, it would be done shortly after Mr. Timberlake showed up.  Carter had left himself a little wiggle room with the timing, but he didn’t want things to seem too planned out.  He had also planned it for tonight, when he was going away.  As much as he thought his mother needed this, he also knew she was going to skin him alive when she figured out what he’d done.  He was just giving her some time to cool off, so she could realize that he’d helped her out.

“Right, even.  I can do that.”  She was talking more to herself, and Carter knew she was mentally preparing for Mr. Timberlake.

The crunch of tires on gravel sounded outside, followed shortly by the honking of a car horn.  “Mrs. Kinney is here, Mom.  I’ve got to go.”  Carter headed toward the door, followed closely by his mother.

Bailey smiled at Jess Kinney, chatting with her while Carter threw his back in the back of the SUV and climbed into the passenger seat.  “Carter’s got my numbers if you need anything.  Thank you so much for taking him; he’s been talking about this game all week.”

“It’s not problem, Bailey.  He’s a great kid and Billy loves hanging out with him.  I’m hoping some of Carter’s baseball skills might rub off on my son, too!”  The women chatted for a moment longer before Jess backed out of the driveway and headed off.  Bailey stood and waved after the car until she couldn’t see them anymore.  Tears pricked at her eyes again and she inwardly chastised herself for being such a sap.  This was the first time that Carter would be away from her since they moved to Tennessee, though, and she was just being overly-motherly. 

Her heart was heavy as she started to head inside, dreading the night alone.  She didn’t realize how used to Carter’s company she’d become until now.

Stepping inside, Bailey spotted the pan of lasagna sitting on the counter with a note from Carter reminding her to put it in the over.  She laughed out loud.  She was tickled by the fact that her son liked Justin so much.  Thinking about Justin made the butterflies return full force, and she started rushing around in anticipation of his arrival.  After throwing the lasagna in the oven, she jumped in the shower.  She wasn’t sure how she felt about Justin coming over, but either way, she didn’t want to smell bad.

Just as she was toweling off in the bedroom, she heard the tell-tale crunch of tires on the gravel drive.  “Oh, shit.”  She mumbled, standing naked and unsure of what to do.  Justin’s knock came moments later.  “Just a minute!”  She called, grabbing her bathrobe, hastily tying it tightly.

Her cheeks flamed red as she opened the door and Justin’s eyes widened.  “Hey, am I too early?”

“Oh, no, I was just getting out of the shower.”  She opened the door wider, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.  “The kitchen in right in there, make yourself at home.  I’ll be just a minute.”  She scurried away, chastising herself as she went.

“Carter said dinner was around six.  I’m sorry if I’m too early.”  Justin set the plate in his hands down on the kitchen table, glancing around.  It was a small house, but it seemed perfect for Carter and Bailey.  She had done a lot of renovating and decorating to help the place seem a little less…eighties. 

“No, I guess I just underestimated how much time I had.  He told me you would be here around six.”  Bailey’s voice floated from the bedroom, and Justin had to turn away when he noticed the door was cracked a little and he caught a glimpse of flesh.  “Billy Kinney’s mom picked him up a little while ago.  He’s so excited about the baseball game.”

Justin’s eyes furrowed in confusion.  “He’s not here?”

Bailey emerged from the room in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, her hair twisted up in a clip.  Justin had to force himself to stop staring.

“No.  He’ll be gone until tomorrow.”  Bailey busied herself with getting plates and silverware set on the table.  “I’m actually happy you decided to stop over tonight.  It’s my first time being alone since we moved to Shelby Forest.”

“I’m happy to be here.”  Justin took a seat at the table, happy to watch Bailey bustle around the kitchen.  She looked beautiful and comfortable, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to spend more nights here with her.  He shook his head, erasing the thought before it could take root.  “I was surprised when Carter said you wanted me over for dinner, but I was glad he told me.  He also said you wanted some more of my mom’s pecan pie.  She didn’t have any, but she did bake you some cookies.”  He pointed to the plate he’d brought with him.

“Carter said what?”  Bailey spun around, a strange look on her face.

Justin swallowed hard, suddenly feeling as if he’d done something wrong.  “He said you wanted me to bring some more pie over.”

“No,” her hands moved as she talked.  “The part about me wanting you over for dinner.”

“You…don’t want me here for dinner?”  The air suddenly felt thick.

Bailey waved off the comment.  “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”  She took a deep breath and started at the beginning.  “Carter told me that you had some pie you wanted to bring over, and since you would be here I should offer you dinner.  Lasagna.  He said you’d wanted to try some.”

Finally catching on, Justin let out a loud laugh, clutching his belly.  Bailey eyed him strangely, hoping she would get the joke soon, too.  “Oh,” he sighed.  “I think we’ve been set up.”

“What?”

Justin stopped his laughter, clearing his throat.  A big grin was perched on his mouth.  “Carter told me you’d invited me over for dinner.  Apparently he told you I was going to stop by, and since I’d be here, you should invite me to dinner.”  He paused to let it sink it, “I think we’ve been set up.”

Realization dawned on Bailey and she grinned begrudgingly.  “That little shit.”  She mumbled, turning back to the over to pull out the lasagna.  “I’m going to kill him when he gets home.”

“I’d let him live a little while longer.  You might get lonely without him.”  Justin teased, feeling more comfortable knowing about Carter’s plan.  He was impressed with the young man’s clever thought and effort.  He pulled it off well.  He was smart to have left, too, so his mother couldn’t get her hands on him yet.

“Well, Justin, would you like to stay for dinner?  I’ve made lasagna.”  Bailey decided that she might as well go with it.  It would take too much effort to fight Carter’s plan, so it would be easier to relax and enjoy the fact that she didn’t have to be alone right now. 

“I would love to.”  Justin answered, giving her a bright smile.  Bailey felt herself blush again.  She never needed to wear makeup around this man, because her cheeks were constantly rosy.

Bailey finished setting the table, bringing over the food and pouring drinks.  Finally, she settled into her own seat next to Justin’s, dishing out lasagna to both of them.  “I think my son is trying to get us together.”  She confessed, wanting to get things out in the open once and for all.  She was getting slightly wary of dancing around things with Justin, and she needed to know his intentions and what he wanted out of this.

“I think you’re right.”  Was his reply, leaving Bailey to ask the questions she was avoiding.

“What do you want from me, Justin?”  She liked the look she received for her blunt approach.  It was nice to know he could be flustered, too.

“Uhm…”  Justin shoveled some more food into his mouth, hoping to avoid having to answer right away.

“I just…” Bailey let out a sigh, slumping against her chair.  “I like you, Justin, even though I don’t want to.  You’re fun to be around and I enjoy your company.”  Her blue eyes crashed into his.  “It’s just that I come with a lot of…baggage, I guess.  There’s a lot in my past that I’m not proud of, and I’m still trying to find myself.  I don’t want to lead you on or give you the wrong idea.  I don’t know what I can offer for a relationship right now.”  She took in a deep breath, feeling winded and slightly embarrassed after letting all of that out.

“Wow.”  Justin swallowed thickly.  He sat back in his chair, placing his fork gently on his plate.  He took a minute to collect his thoughts, making sure to say what he wanted too without putting his foot in his mouth.  “I like you, too, Bailey.  I…you’re a challenge to me; a puzzle I really want to figure out.  I don’t know what I want from you…I just know I can’t seem to get enough of being around you.”

Silence filled the small kitchen as both of them sat there and processed what had been said.  Both adults felt silly; like teenagers.  Neither knew what to say or how to go forward. 

After a while, Bailey suddenly felt the urge to confess.  “I don’t know if I would be good for you, Justin.”

Her comment surprised him, but it only made him want to figure her out even more.  “What do you mean?”

She sighed, contemplating just how much she could tell him without compromising anything.  “Carter and I had to leave Boston.  There…a lot happened there, and we were forced to come here.  I…I feel like I’m still in limbo, and I don’t know what I’ll need to do to change that.  I can’t promise that I can give you the attention you need.  There’s just…I just have a lot to figure out about myself.”

Another silence lapsed over them, Justin deep in thought while Bailey tried not to think at all.  She didn’t want to hear his rejection, so she started to clean up, collecting dishes and putting food away.  Justin watched as she moved, letting her words roll around in his brain.  He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by her confession, and he was even less sure what to do with it.  The only thought he could really process, though, was how beautiful she looked moving around that kitchen.  Before he could stop himself and change his mind, Justin stood from his seat and gently grabbed Bailey’s arm, stopping her motion.  He cupped her chin and tilted her head toward his own, capturing his lips before she could pull away. 

The kiss was slow, tentative, as both adults took a moment to taste each other.  Bailey’s lips were soft, sweet, and Justin pulled her closer in an attempt to get more of her.  Carefully, he slipped his hands around her small waist, loving the solid feel of her under his fingers.

Bailey’s mind was blissfully void of thoughts as she let Justin kiss her.  He smelled of soap and something else; something masculine and sexy; something she hadn’t experience for a long time.  She let her hands travel up his arms and over his shoulders, stopping at the nape of his neck.  His hair was soft as she twisted the short curls around her fingers.  Now that he’d started kissing her, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to ever stop.

Eventually, though, he had to pull back so he could catch his breath.  “Bailey…”  He breathed, her name tasting just as sweet as she did. 

“Justin…”  She grinned, not moving her arms from around his shoulders. 

There was so much she needed to deal with, and so much she wouldn’t be able to share with this man.  It scared her, but being like this, in his arms, was enough to push those worries out of her head.  She liked the feel of him under her fingertips.  She liked how he tasted and how he smelled.  She liked how he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.  It was probably a huge mistake, but she couldn’t ignore the butterflies he created anymore.  She didn’t want to.

“Can I do that again?”  He asked, smiling in spite of his embarrassment.  He gripped her hips tighter and pulled her body flush against his own.  His eyes closed at the contact, opening just in time to see her nod, grinning up at him.  He didn’t waste any more time staring, he just let his mouth explore hers, taking his time and savoring the moment.

The night air was thick and heavy, pressing down on Sarah’s skin like a wet coat.  She was slick with summer sweat, her skin glistening under the street lamps.  Travis’s car slowly rolled down the street, pushing the muggy night air into the car and over their heated bodies.

“I fucking hate summer.”  He growled, fiddling with the knobs on his console, hoping that the AC might decide to work.  When nothing happened, he let out another curse and slammed a hand against the wheel.

Sarah chose to ignore his outburst.  “Where are we headed, anyway?”  Her body was stretched out as much as the car seat allowed, her swelling belly protruding into the night air.  She was close to reminding Travis that the heat was so much worse when you were pregnant, but she knew better.

“A buddy of Mark’s.  He said he’s got a job opportunity for me.”  Travis steered the car down a side street tucked between massive apartment buildings.

Sarah’s face lit up with hope.  “A job?  What kind of job?  Construction, like the one Tammy’s brother found?”  Her Boston accent heavily laced her excitement.

Travis just shrugged.  “I dunno, but Mark said to see this guy, that he could get me some money.”  He glanced over at his girlfriend and her growing stomach.  “I gotta support this kid somehow.”  His face looked haggard.

“Hey,” Sarah laid a comforting hand on Travis’s arm, giving him her best smile.  “We’ll figure something out.  It’ll be okay.”

“I sure as fuck hope so,” came his reply.  A moment later he was parking the car, his eyes staring up at the decrepit looking building.  “Here it is.”

Sarah wrinkled her nose.  “I think I’ll just wait here.”  She stated, settling further into her seat. 

Travis glanced at her and nodded, thinking her idea a good one.  “Okay.  I’ll just be upstairs if you need me, but I don’t think I’ll be too long.  Mark said the guy’s place is on the second floor, apartment B212.”

“Hurry up.”  She leaned over and kissed him thoroughly on the lips, smiling as he exited the car and made his way into the building.

After the initial shock of hearing that she was pregnant, Travis managed to step up and vow to take care of Sarah and the baby.  Red was suspicious and he warned Sarah not to get too comfortable, but she had faith in Trav.  They were in love, really, and she knew that they could make this work.  Of course, having a baby was huge and she was scared shitless, but everything would work out, she knew.  Travis was looking for better jobs, and Sarah planned to finish school this year and look at her GED for next year.  If Red could help, she might even be able to get her diploma.  She only had one more year left of high school.  It was a possibility, and Sarah wasn’t going to worry.  Not yet, at least.

A wave of butterflies hit her as the baby inside of her moved, causing Sarah to squirm in her seat.  Suddenly, the urge to pee hit her like a brick wall.  “Shit.”  She cursed.

Fumbling with the door, Sarah stepped out of the car and into the night, looking up at the huge building.  The intercom was broken, so she couldn’t buzz upstairs for Travis, but a quick glance told her the front door was already open. 

“Great,” she mumbled, liking this situation less and less.  Her bladder protested her hesitancy, so Sarah hurried inside and searched for a bathroom.  The longer she walked, the more urgent her situation became, but she couldn’t find a public bathroom anywhere.  “Fuck it.”

She climbed the stairs as fast as possible, searching the second floor until she spotted B212.  Knocking lightly, Sarah winced as the door swung open and a large, angry looking man stared down at her.

“What the fuck do you want?”  His voice was deep, commanding, and Sarah shivered slightly.

“Hey, I’m a…I’m Travis’s girl.  I was…” she glanced down at her belly, giving the man a weak smile.  “I really have to pee.”  Her eyes pleaded with him.

The man gave her the once over, finally opening the door enough so she could step through.  “Hey, fuck head, I thought I told you to come alone?”  His voice carried throughout the apartment, startling the other occupants in the room.  Travis looked up to spot Sarah and he ran to her side.

“What are you doing here?”  His question was frantic.  “I thought you were going to stay in the car?” 

Sarah shrugged, looking around for the bathroom.  “I really have to pee, Trav.  I couldn’t hold it anymore.”  She spotted the desired room, moving around Travis and further into the apartment.

There were three other men in the living room, all staring up as she walked toward the bathroom.  Sarah didn’t even attempt to smile at them, and she hurried toward her destination so she could get out as fast as possible.  Her heart thudded in her chest when she spotted the piles of money stacked on the table, along with an assortment of pills and powders being divided into piles and placed into bags.  Quickly, she shut the door to the bathroom, shaking with anger and fear.

Sarah hurried to finish her business, wanting to be out of this place as fast as possible.  How could Travis even consider working with drugs?  How could he think that getting into something like this was good for them and their baby?  Her muscles were humming with rage, her heart palpitating with fear.

Carefully, she left the bathroom and hurried through the living room, her eyes trained on Travis the whole way.  He looked stressed, but when she tried to pull him out of the apartment, he resisted.

“Travis!”  Her voice was a fierce whisper.  “Let’s go.”

His eyes pleaded with her, and he shook his head.  “I know it looks bad, Sarah, but it’ll make us more money than anything else I can get.”  He licked his lips in a nervous gesture, glancing around the room.  “Jimmy,” he nodded with his head in the direction of the man who’d opened the door, “he promised me that I wouldn’t have to get in too deep.  This is just temporary, baby.  I’ll make us some money and I’ll be out before the baby is born, I swear.”

Sarah shook her head, pulling her arm from Travis’s grasp.  “No way, Travis.  I ain’t putting up with this.  I won’t have drug money around our baby!”  She was fighting to keep her voice controlled.  Her nerves were tangled, sweat pouring down her back and between her breasts.  She could feel her pulse racing under her skin, and it made her itch with worry.  “You leave with me right now or it’s over.”

Her ultimatum hung between them, making the already heavy air thick with nerves.  When Travis hesitated, Sarah felt her stomach drop to her toes.

“We need the money…” He pleaded, forcing himself to keep calm.  “I already told him I would help, Sarah, I can’t back out now.”  His shaking voice betrayed his fear of the situation, but he was doing this for their baby.

“I’m out, Travis.  Don’t you dare bring this shit around me or my baby, you hear me?  I won’t put up with it.  You’re either with me, or you’re not.”  She stared him down, her hand on the knob of the door.

After a moment, Travis took a step back into the room, his eyes wide.  “Don’t make me choose, Sarah.  I’m doing this for us.”

Her heart dropped and Sarah felt tears prickle her eyes.  “Fuck you, Travis.  You shouldn’t even have to think about this.”  She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, forcing herself to turn and look at him one last time.  “Don’t come near me.”  And she let the door slam between them.

Forcing back a sob, Sarah ran toward the exit, her eyes glassed over with unshed tears. 

Sitting up with a gasp, Bailey clutched at her throat, struggling for air.

“Hey, it’s okay.  You’re all right.”  Justin’s soothing voice sounded in her ear, causing Bailey to search the room for something to tell her where she was.  Her living room came into focus, the TV casting a blue glow over everything.

“What happened?”  She questioned, still unsure of what was real and what was dream.

“You we’re having a nightmare.”  Justin answered, his hands smoothing over Bailey’s hair in an attempt to calm her down.  “You…you kept yelling out ‘Travis’.”  His voice was low with concern and something else that Bailey couldn’t identify.

“I…I was dreaming.”  She licked her dry lips, suddenly parched and claustrophobic.  She stood from the couch, moving away from Justin so she could clear her head and gain some balance.  She filled a glass with water, taking a long gulp while she collected herself.

“Are you all right?”  Justin’s voice came from the door way, causing Bailey to jump.  “Sorry,” he hadn’t meant to startle her.

Bailey waived off his apology.  “No, I’m sorry.”  She took another sip of her water and attempted to smile.  “It was just a nightmare.  I’ll be fine.”

Justin paused, not sure how far he should push.  “You don’t seem fine, Bailey.”  He moved toward her, stopping when she tensed.  “I’m not trying to pry, but…you’ve got me worried.  I…you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Bailey sighed, taking a seat at the table and motioning for Justin to do the same.  “I guess it was a ghost, in a way.”  She tried to give him a comforting look.  “When everything went down with Carter’s father…I…well it’s something I’m still trying to deal with.  Sometimes I have nightmares about it all.  I’m fine, though, really.  You don’t have to worry.”

“Why is Carter’s father in jail?”  The question had been plaguing Justin for a while now, and he figured he might as well ask.  Bailey paused, but she answered anyway.

“Drugs.”  She took another sip of water to avoid elaborating.  She didn’t want to reveal too much, but she knew that Justin would have questions and she would have to give him answers.  It was a difficult situation, one that had Bailey questioning her attempt at this relationship with Justin.  It would only bring heartache, she knew, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

Justin wasn’t sure what to do with the information now that he had it, so he decided to change the subject.  “Are you going to be okay?”

Bailey’s smile was genuine this time.  “I’m already okay.  It was just a bad dream.”  She watched his face, waiting for him to relax.  “I feel asleep right in the middle of the movie, didn’t I?”

Justin cracked a small smile.  “Yeah, you did.  It was the best part, too.”

“Would you want to rewind, and this time I promise I’ll stay awake?”  Bailey wasn’t sure where her desire was coming from, but she didn’t want to be alone.  More specifically, she didn’t want Justin to leave.

He glanced at the clock, “it’s getting pretty late.”  Bailey couldn’t read the emotions on his face.  “I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

Taking a deep breath, she decided that honesty was a good way to go.  “I don’t want you to leave, Justin.  I’m really enjoying this night, and I hate to think about being alone.  I would really like it if you stayed.”

Justin felt relieved at her words, not wanting to leave, either.  “As long as you promise not to fall asleep during the good parts.”

Bailey grinned, “scout’s honor.”  She stood from her seat, leaving her glass in the sink and offering a hand to Justin.  They moved back into the living room, settling into the couch.  Bailey leaned into Justin’s side, letting him wrap and arm around her shoulders.  She liked the solid feel of him.  He was warm and comfortable, and he smelled really good, too.  He reminded her of what it felt like to be a woman, not just a mother.  While the feelings were slightly overwhelming, they weren’t unwelcome in the least.

“What part do you remember seeing last?”  Justin pointed the remote at the DVD player, rewinding the film so she could catch up. 

“Andy had just found a way to get more books for the prison, and Brooks had been made the librarian.”  Shawshank Redemption flashed across her tv set, everything moving backwards.  This was her favorite movie, and she had been delighted when Justin suggest they watch it. 

Once the right scene was found, Justin set the remote down and lounged back into the couch, bringing Bailey closer to him.  She fit perfectly in his arms, and he was trying not to think about it too much.  He watched the movie with only half of his mind, the other half going over what Bailey had told him.  The more he knew about this woman, the more she surprised him.  He couldn’t imagine what her life had been like, and he gave her a lot of credit for how well she held things together.  He was curious, though, and he wanted to know everything he could about Bailey. 

“Was it difficult, raising Carter alone?”  He couldn’t contain the questions anymore.  He felt Bailey shift underneath him; hear head turning to look up at him.  She shrugged.

“I had my dad with me the whole time, until we moved here.  He was the best influence Carter could’ve had in his life.”  Her eyes moved away from him and he knew she was in a different time.  “The hardest part was school.  I lost all of my friends and my teachers lost their respect for me.  I became an outcast.”

“Did you finish? High school, I mean.”

“Yeah, I did.  I wanted my diploma so badly, and Dad offered to watch Carter during the day.  I guess losing all of my friends made it easier, because I only had work to focus on.”  She sighed, giving Justin a tired smile.  “I try not to think about it too much.”

“I’m sorry.”  He felt badly for bringing up so much, but he wanted to know everything about her.  “I’m being nosey.”

Bailey patted his leg.  “Don’t worry, next time I’ll ask all the questions and you’ll have to spill your guts.”

“Next time?”  Justin cursed himself for sounding like such a teenager, and Bailey laughed, tilting her head back to rest on his shoulder.

“Yeah…next time.” 

Justin couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her.  Movie and information be damned, he would spend the rest of his night happily doing this.

And that’s exactly what they did.

“I should ground you for lying.”  Bailey stated, watching as her son dropped his back pack onto the floor.  He sent her a sheepish grin, ducking his head.

“Technically, I didn’t lie.  He wanted to come over for dinner, he just didn’t know it until I asked him.  And you wanted him over for dinner, you just didn’t know it until he showed up here.”  He was satisfied with his logic, but the look on his mother’s face told him otherwise. 

“Carter…”  Bailey let out a sigh.  She was torn.  “You really shouldn’t have done that.”

“Did something happen?  Was he an asshole or something?”  Carter could feel his temper rising, sure that Mr. Timberlake had done something to upset his mother.

Bailey’s mouth turned up in a small smile.  “Watch your language, young man.”  Slowly, Carter sat down at the kitchen table across from his mother.  He apologized meekly, suddenly not so sure that his plan was a good idea.  “Everything is fine, but that’s not my point.”

“But…”  He started to defend his meddling, but Bailey held up a hand to stop him. 

“Carter, I understand why you did what you did.  I know you we’re trying to help and you’re first concern is my happiness.  You can’t do things like that, though.”  She gave him a comforting smile, seeing his disappointment.  “I’m a big girl, Carter.  I can handle my own love life.  Yes, I like Justin, but whatever is going to happen between us is going to happen in our time.  Do you understand me?”

“Yes ma’am.”  Carter felt the heat in his cheeks.  “I just hate seeing you so lonely, Ma.  I hate knowing you’re here by yourself…and Mr. T is a really good guy.  I like him a lot, and I know he likes you, too.”  His head dropped again as he confessed his next secret.  “I overheard him talking to one of the other teachers.  That’s why I told him to come for dinner.”

“Carter!  You really shouldn’t have done that.  And even if you’re hearing his conversation was an accident, you shouldn’t have used that information against him!”  Bailey was shocked that her son would do something so devious.  He was an honest, intelligent boy.  This wasn’t his normal behavior.

“I’m sorry, Ma.  I really am.”   His embarrassment was palpable, and he truly felt badly for upsetting his mother.  He just wanted her to be happy.

“I’m going to have to punish you, you know.”  She watched her son’s eyes widen.  This was the first time he’d been in enough trouble to warrant a grounding.  “I’ve talked with Miss Lynn.  You’re going to help her at the garden center after school and the first week of summer vacation.  They need help harvesting the vegetables for their farm stand.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

“And you need to promise me that you’re not going to meddle in my love life again, okay Bub?”

“Yes ma’am.”  For the first time in a long time, Carter felt like a little boy.  He chanced a glance at his mother, relieved to see a small smile on her face.

“Now, tell me all about the baseball game.  Was it amazing?”

Happily, Carter let his mother change the subject.  He launched into a detailed description of his trip with Billy, excitedly sharing every moment.

~*~

Carter was sweating and miserable.  His back hurt, his hands were sore, and his pride was currently curled into a ball, licking the wounds of punishment.  He’d never been grounded before.  He’d never even gotten a “go to your room” from his mother, and now he was Miss Lynn’s indentured servant for the first week of summer.  The worst part was that he could hear the boys in the vacant lot next door, laughing, playing ball, and enjoying the freedom he’d been denied.

Needless to say, he was grumpy.

He wasn’t entirely sure why he’d been grounded, either.  His mother and Mr. T had been spending at least three nights a week together, and they were happy.  So, what exactly had he done wrong?  Nothing, at least in his mind.

“If you’re almost done with those peas, there’s a crop of green beans that need to be picked next.”  Miss Lynn’s voice floated over on the Tennessee Heat, causing Carter to roll his eyes and curse under his breath.  “I heard that!”

He cringed.  “Sorry, Miss Lynn.”  The woman had ears and eyes all over the place.  She seemed to know things without anyone having to tell her.  It scared Carter, to be honest.  He didn’t want to do anything to upset her, because that might mean another week of this torture.

He stood for a moment, stretching his back and arms.  Bending over for hours on end was the most uncomfortable Carter had ever been.  Even compared to pitching one hundred plus pitches, this took the cake.  Glancing out over the fields, he was happy to see that his was almost finished with the peas, purposely avoiding looking at the rows and rows of green beans that needed his attention next.

Holding in a groan, Carter bent back down and got back to work, steadily picking peas and dropping them into the basket next to him.  When he finished, he stood again, picking up the large basket and slowly making his way toward the garden center and farm stand.

“Good job, Carter.”  Miss Lynn gave him an encouraging smile.

“Miss Lynn, I think I need a break.”  His voice was timid, and he was happy that his buddies couldn’t hear him from their vacant lot.  He’d never live it down.

She gave him a once over, noting his dirty face, tired eyes, and defeated look.  “You do, do ya?”  She watched as he wearily nodded his head.  “Well, I was just about ready to stop for lunch.  You’re timing is great.”  She motioned for him to follow her, and they made their way out to a picnic table set in the shade behind the farm stand.  “Here, I brought some sandwiches and salads.”

Carter’s eyes widened as Miss Lynn opened a small cooler and started setting out wrapped sandwiches, tubs of potato salads, macaroni salads, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.  Suddenly, he wasn’t feeling so grumpy.

“This looks great, ma’am, thank you.”  Eagerly, he tucked into a grilled chicken sandwich.  He had to force himself not to inhale the food, he was that hungry and it was that good.

“I want to thank you for helping me out, Carter.”  Miss Lynn took a bite of her own sandwich, watching the boy carefully.  “I know you’re here on punishment, but I do appreciate the extra hands.”  She was quiet for a second, chewing thoughtfully.  “I will say, though, that I don’t know why you’re here.  I mean, the two of them needed to be pushed together.  You were just helping.”  There was a gleam in her eyes as she spoke.

Carter’s eyebrows rose in shock.  “Uh…thank you?”  He had no idea what to say, but he was starting to like this woman more and more.

Her laughter filled the air around him, and Carter was suddenly happy to be here.  “You finish up this food.  And then I think those boys over there need a pitcher for their game.”  She motioned to the vacant lot, and Carter gave her a questioning look.

“But…what about my Ma?”

She grinned.  “I won’t tell if you don’t.” 

That was all the encouragement Carter needed.  He savored the food she’d brought, sipping on some fresh lemonade.  He didn’t linger too long, though, because the call of friends and baseball beat even a chocolate chip cookie.

As soon as he’d eaten his fill and made sure to eat as many cookies as he thought he could without puking, Carter waved to Miss Lynn and trotted over to the lot, grinning at the reception he received from his friends.  He grabbed an extra mitt, gladly stepping up to the pitchers mound to get warmed up.  He had to work through the kinks in his back from picking, but the feeling of the ball in his hands put the aches and pains out of his mind.

It was good to be with his friends, and even better to be playing baseball.  There were enough boys there to make teams, which suited Carter just fine.  Pitching was his passion, but sometimes he wanted to take a swing and contribute in other ways, too.  And, of course, he loved retiring a side and watching as the other team struggled to get runs while his team wracked them up.  Cocky, he knew, but he could afford a little of that.

“Yo, C, there’s a guy over there that’s been watching you for a while now.”  Billy, Carter’s friend, pointed out a man standing by the fence of the lot, obviously focused on the boys playing.  Particularly, he was watching Carter.  “Do you know him?”

Carter stared a little, feeling as if he should know the man, but he couldn’t place a name to the face.  “Nah, I don’t think so.”

“He seems to know you.”  Billy’s comment sent a chill down Carter’s back, but he ignored it and went back to the game, waiting his turn to bat.  For the rest of the afternoon, though, he could feel the eyes of that man on his back.  It was unnerving, and he couldn’t shake the chills.

~*~

Travis couldn’t help but stare at the boy as he played, pitching a perfect game and having fun with his friends.  He wasn’t trying to be creepy, but seeing his own flesh and blood for the first time in twelve years…he couldn’t stop staring.  He saw a lot of Sarah in the boy, her laughter, her eyes, her mannerisms.  But there was a lot of Travis there, too.  The sandy blond hair, the tall, lanky frame.  Even his gawky stride was reminiscent of Travis.

It was the strangest feeling he’d ever known.

That was his son.  That was his little boy, and he wasn’t so little anymore.  It hurt to know he hadn’t been a part of the boy’s life at all.  Of course, his choices had made that decision for him, but he swore to himself he was going to make it up to both his son and Sarah.

It had taken him all of his resources and efforts to find the two of the, and he had no idea how they ended up in this shithole southern town, but here they were.  His boy looked happy, and he was glad for that.  He hadn’t seen Sarah yet, but she was his next stop.  He’d asked around, finding out that she worked at a lawyer’s office, which surprised him.  He’d kept tabs on her while he was in jail, knowing that she’d gotten her degree in journalism.  Why she was wasting her talents as a secretary, he had no idea, but he would find out.

Of course, the happy bubble he was starting to create in his mind popped as soon as the car drove up, revealing a slightly different version of his Sarah, along with a man that was way too comfortable in his touches and glances.  The air deflated faster when his son ran up to the both of them, talking and laughing in their own little version of a happy family.

Travis didn’t like this at all, and he was damned sure going to do something about it.

“Are you still selling drugs?”  Sarah’s voice was thick with emotion and she clutched her growing belly with shaking hands.  Travis’s look was imploring, but when he hesitated in answering her, her rage grew.  “Jesus, Travis.  I told you.  I won’t let you be around our baby if you’re still doing that shit.”

“Baby…I’m sorry.  I’ll get out as soon as I can.  But I’ve made us so much money…”  He was practically on his knees begging, not wanting Sarah to push him out of her life.  He would never forgive himself if he lost her and his baby.

“No, you’ll get out now or it’s over.  I’m serious, Travis.  I won’t have our kid around that stuff.  The longer you stay, the more likely you’ll get caught, too.  Make your choice.”  She kept the fear out of her voice by focusing on the anger.  She was scared shitless of raising a baby by herself, but she was serious when she told Travis that she didn’t want him dealing drugs anymore.  In fact, she was fairly certain he’d started taking some of those drugs, but that was one battle she wasn’t ready to fight.

“Give me time, baby.  It’s not easy.  These guys…they’re tough.  But I’ll get out, I promise.”  His eyes pleaded for her to understand, and she had to turn away.  It was those eyes that had trapped her in the first place.  “How…how are you and the baby doing?”

She gave him a level stare.  “We’d be fantastic if you’d get your head on straight.”  It was snarky and she knew that, but she was scared for him.  He was in dangerous territory and she didn’t want to see him get hurt, or worse.

“Baby…”

Sarah held up a hand to stop his pleas.  “No, I don’t want to hear it.  Come back to me when you’ve straightened out, Trav.  Until then, leave me and my baby alone.  You’re not welcome here anymore.”  She turned her back on him, letting silent tears paint her hot cheeks.  She wouldn’t let him see her break down.  He needed to know she was serious and not about to change her mind.

She could feel his presence behind her, so she opened the door to her father’s house, closing it with a loud thud, cutting off Travis’s promises and protestations.  She couldn’t handle this stress, not like this.  She was six months pregnant and he still hadn’t stopped selling.  She knew; she’d kept tabs on him.  It was hard enough raising a baby at her age; she wasn’t going to add drugs into the mix, too.  That wasn’t the life she wanted.

“You’ve done the right thing, Sarah.”  Her father’s voice was soft, comforting.  She glanced up to see him standing in the door way, looking at her with sad eyes.

“Then why does it hurt so much?”  She asked quietly.  The tears fell more freely, dripping onto her swollen belly and propelling Red forward to catch his daughter in a fierce hug.

“Because the right thing isn’t always easy, and you love him.  But if he really loves you, Sarah, he’ll do what he needs to.”  He kissed her forehead, moving her further into the house.  “Now, have a seat, and I’ll get you some ice cream.”

“With extra peanut butter?”

Red smiled.  “You got it, baby.”

~*~

“Are you sure you’re okay taking Carter?”  Bailey balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder, clicking away on the computer as she worked.  It was a Saturday, and she was supposed to be taking Carter into Memphis, but something had come up and Amelia needed her help.  Her boss never asked for favors like this, so Bailey accepted.  The only downfall was that she needed to get someone else to take Carter for her.

“Bailey, we will be just fine, and I don’t mind at all.  Besides, I needed to go into the city to pick up a few things anyway.  Stop worrying.”  Justin’s voice was filled with amusement as he assured Bailey that he was okay taking Carter to Memphis.  Even after being together for a little over a month now, she still worried that she was putting him out.  Carter was a fantastic kid, and Justin liked spending time with him.  “I’ll call you when we get back, maybe we can all get dinner tonight.”

Bailey couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her face.  “Okay, that sounds good.  Call if you need anything.”  Saying their goodbyes, Bailey hung up the phone still grinning.

“I told you his charm was deadly.”  Amelia’s voice broke through Bailey’s dreamy daze, causing the younger girl to jump at the sudden intrusion.

“Jeeze, you scared me.”

Amelia laughed, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you’re day dreaming about lover boy.”  She watched the color rise up Bailey’s neck and over her cheeks.  “I’m glad things are going well with you two.  I’m sorry I had to call you in today.”

Bailey gave her a small shrug.  “Justin is taking Carter into Memphis for me, so I didn’t mind coming in at all.”  She gave her boss a smile.  “Besides, it’s not often you ask me for anything.  This must be big.”

“It might just be the biggest divorce Shelby Forest has ever seen, and Mrs. Higgins is making sure I have every piece of information about her soon-to-be-ex that I can find.  She’s coming in Monday, so I wanted to be prepared.”

“Got it.”  Bailey pointed to a stack of files she’d pulled, per Amelia’s request.  “That’s what we have so far.” 

“Good, start doing some searching on the computer, and I’ll call some of my contacts and see what we can dig up.”

She disappeared into her office, leaving Bailey at the front to start her own searching.  Working at a lawyer’s office gave Bailey access to some information that would help in divorce cases.  Normally their clients weren’t very cut-throat, but every now and then a client would come in and want all the dirt possible.  It seemed that Mrs. Higgins had discovered her husband in bed with the nanny, so now she wanted to know everything about his finances, spending, and any other floosies that might be hiding.  Bailey’s journalistic side loved this.  She felt like a reporter again.

A solid two hours were spent by the two women, taking notes, printing reports, and collecting information that might help their client.  It was tedious, but together they accomplished quite a bit.

“Well, darling, until we actually speak with Mrs. Higgins and hear from her husband’s lawyers, I don’t think there’s too much more we can do today.  Lunch?”

Bailey’s stomach growled, answering for her.  She grinned at Amelia.  “Yeah, I think we deserve a good lunch.  Burgers from the General Store?”  Justin had introduced her and Carter to the General Store a few weeks back, and Bailey had become addicted to their burgers.  They were incredible.

“Sounds perfect.”  As she went to grab her bag, a phone rang in Amelia’s office.  “Shoot.  You go on without me.  I’ll be right behind you.  Order me the usual.”

Bailey waved after her boss, collecting her purse and settling her sun glasses on her face.  Stepping into the Southern heat caused her to inhale a deep breath, the air thick around her.  Summer in the South was oppressive, and Bailey could feel the sweat forming already.  She idly wondered if she should call Justin, just to make sure everything was okay, but decided against it.  She trusted Justin, and she figured that Carter really needed a boys’ day out.  He wouldn’t want to be bothered by his overly worried Mother.

The General Store was quiet, lunch time not quite here yet.  She waved to Ben, the older gentleman that owned and ran the store, grinning as he called out to her.  His wife, Sam, met her at the counter.

“Now Ms. Bailey, what a pleasant surprise.”  Sam’s voice was thick with accent, heavier than anyone else Bailey knew. 

She smiled at the older woman.  “Hey, Sam.  How’re you today?”

“Happier than a pig in shit, Darlin’.”  Sam always had colorful sayings, today being no different.  Bailey found herself laughing, happy to feel a part of this town a little more every day.  “No Justin today?  And where’s that little man of yours?”  Sam adored Carter, slipping him free pickles whenever they came in.

“Justin and Carter took a trip into Memphis.  Boys’ day out.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to stop in.  What can I get for ya?”

Bailey gave her order, making sure to get Amelia’s burger, too.  While she waited for her food, Ben wandered over, giving Bailey a big smile.  He was an adorable old man, but his eyes never stopped roaming.  Ben joked that he was just waiting for some young thing to steal him away from Sam, which always rewarded him with a slap on the head.  He loved it.

“So you’ve become quite popular around here, Ms. Bailey.” Ben grabbed a stool next to Bailey.

“Is that so?”  Bailey knew that being with Justin had put her name on the map.  Everyone knew who she was now, and she couldn’t avoid their gossip even if she’d tried.  “I guess I’ll have to thank Justin for that.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talkin’ bout Justin.”  Ben noticed the questioning look Bailey sent his way.  “You two are old news, now.  I was meanin’ that young man that came is asking around about you.  Of course, he called you Sarah.  I think he’s a little touched in the head, if you ask me.”  Chills skittered down Bailey’s spine, and the color drained from her face.  Ben noticed her stiffen, so he laid a comforting hand over her arm.   “Don’t worry, Ms. Bailey, I didn’t tell him a damn thing.  I don’t take to kindly to outsiders poking around about my pretty ladies.”

Bailey had to lick her lips several times to get the moisture back into her mouth.  It took her a moment before she could speak, her voice thick in her throat.  “Did…did he have a name?”

Ben looked at Sam who had just joined them at the counter, both burgers wrapped and ready to go.  “Sammy, who was that fellow that came in askin’ about Bailey?”

Sam gave her husband a long look, thinking hard.  “Was in Tommy?”

“No, no that’s not it.  It started with a T, though.”

Bailey’s heart skipped, thudding heavily in her chest.  “Travis.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah! That’s it.  Travis.”  Ben looked proud to have solved the mystery so he failed to notice how exceptionally pale Bailey had suddenly become.  Sam, on the other hand, noticed the fear in the young girl immediately.

“Do you know this Travis, Bailey?”  Sam started to move around the counter, noting that Bailey looked like she’d seen a very unpleasant ghost.  Before she could get an answer from her, however, Bailey fainted off of her stool, falling heavily to the floor with a resounding thud.

“Jesus!”  Ben was startled out of his seat.  “Bailey, darlin’, you okay?”

Sam waved her husband away, reaching Bailey and checking the young girl over.  She was slowly coming to, her eyes fluttering open.  “Ben, go call Justin.  Tell him to come home now.  Then call Lynn and tell her to get over here, fast.”

Ben did as he was told.

“Bailey, Bailey can you hear me?”  Sam gently rubbed at the young girl’s face, hoping to coax her awake.  “How’s your head?”

Bailey tried to sit up, but Sam held her down.  “I…what happened?”

“Well, you fainted.”  Sam said, gently running her fingers over Bailey’s head, checking for bumps or sore spots.  “You hit your head pretty hard on that floor.  Are you okay?”

Bailey winced when Sam’s fingers touched the back of her head, bright lights blooming in her vision.  “Ouch,”  she panted, bringing her own hand up to check the damage.  “That hurts.”

“I’ll bet.  I’m thinkin’ you might have a concussion.”  She helped Bailey into a sitting position, moving her slowly so she didn’t faint again.  “Now, you mind tellin’ me why the name Travis brought you to your knees like that?”

Bailey paled again, avoiding any eye contact with Sam as long as she could.  Her hesitance said a lot to Sam, but she waited for Bailey to answer.  “He’s…he’s a ghost from my past that I thought I was rid of for good, and he shouldn’t have found me here.”  The tears pooled in her wide eyes as the realization of the situation hit her again.  Sam pulled the girl into her, hugging tightly while Bailey cried.

“You’ve got to calm down, honey.  I don’t want you hurting yourself even more.”  Sam soothed, patting the un-bruised parts of Bailey’s head.  “Ms. Lynn is here, now, baby.  Let’s go.”

Lynn sank down on her knees, eyeing both women on the floor.  “She okay?”

“She fainted and fell right off her stool.  She hit her head on the floor, and I’m afraid she might have a concussion or something.  I thought we should take her to your place.”  Sam’s eyes met Lynn’s and they shared a knowing look.  “She’s a little spooked right now.”

“Justin is on his way home.  He insists that Bailey call him as soon as she can.”  Ben’s voice floated over from the other side of the counter, and he looked worried.  He didn’t know how to handle serious situations like this, and he felt like it was all his fault.  He had no idea that telling Bailey about that Travis guy poking around would cause such a reaction.

“Let’s just focus on getting her to my house first.”  Lynn took charge, she and Sam helping Bailey to her feet.  The young girl swooned unsteadily for a moment, finding her balance after a few shaky steps.  When the group made it to the front porch, they were met with a rather confused Amelia, questions in her eyes. 

“Your lunch is on the counter, Melia.  Why don’t you grab it and join us at Lynn’s.  I think Bailey might need to eat, too.”  Another meaningful look was shared amongst the older adults, and Amelia nodded wordlessly.  She knew that something serious was up with her secretary and she wanted to know every detail.

“I think I’ve got her from here, Sam.  I’ll call you later to let you know she’s okay.”  Lynn shut the passenger door quietly, glancing at Bailey who was sitting with her eyes closed.  Her hands were shaking.  “What happened?”

Sam gave Lynn a brief run down, making sure to give as many details about this Travis boy as she could remember.  “He kept calling her Sarah, but he was definitely looking for Bailey.  Newbie in town, working at a law office, son about twelve years old.  It was pretty strange.  Ben didn’t tell him anything, of course, but as soon as he mentioned it to Bailey, she passed out.”

Lynn was thoughtful for a minute.  “Fill Amelia in.  See if she can dig anything up about this Travis character, or maybe even Bailey.  I’d like to know why we have someone snooping in our sleepy little town.”  Sam nodded, heading back inside to intercept Amelia as Lynn got into her car and headed toward her house.  “How’s your head, Darlin’?” 

Bailey grunted slightly as she turned to look over at Lynn.  “Like it met a hard wooden floor unexpectedly.”  Her chuckle turned into a deep groan.  It was good that she was joking, though.

“Well, we’ll get you to my place and comfortable so you can rest.  I’ll call the doc over and he’ll check you out.  Justin is on his way home; Ben called him.”

This time Bailey’s groan wasn’t from the pain.  “He’s probably freaking out, which means Carter is freaking, too.”

Lynn patted her leg comfortably.  “Don’t worry; you can call him as soon as we get home.  We’re almost there.”  She steered the car down the road, quiet filling the car.  She glanced over at Bailey, questions swimming in her head.  “You want to tell me what happened back there?” 

Bailey sighed, wishing like hell that she’d gone to Memphis.  Maybe all of this could have been avoided.  She licked her still-dry lips, “Can I tell you when Justin and Carter get back.  I think this is something that everyone should hear, and I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”

“Of course, Darlin’.”  Lynn pulled the car into her driveway, waiving Paul over so he could help escort Bailey inside.  “You just get some rest.  Everything will be just fine.”

Bailey nodded, her eyes closed tightly.  For the first time in a long time, she was praying.

“What do you mean she’s sleeping?  She had a concussion, she shouldn’t be sleeping.”  Justin was straining to keep his voice low, but his nerves were taught wires, humming with anxiety and fear.  He knew who Travis was; Bailey had told him that he was Carter’s father.  Justin also knew that Travis had been in jail, should still be in jail.  He was worried, to say the least, and he wanted to talk to Bailey.

“The Doc came and checked her out.  It’s not a concussion, just a bad bump.  She’s fine, but she had a killer headache, so Doc gave her something and now she’s sleeping.  You’ll have to wait until she wakes up to talk with her.”  Lynn gently pushed her son away from the spare bedroom, ushering him toward the living room.  “Now, you should probably go talk to Carter.  He looked pretty shaken up.”

Justin cursed softly.  He had nearly forgotten Carter.  In his haste to get home, he’d put the young boy out of his mind, focusing only on getting to Bailey and making sure she was okay.  Clearing his head, he found Carter sitting rigidly in the living room, his eyes glued to the floor.  “Hey, you all right?”

Carter looked up when Justin spoke, and the he looked much younger than his twelve years.  He looked like a scared little boy, and Justin’s heart went out to him.   Gently, he took a seat next to Carter.

“How’s my Ma?”  His voice was thick and rough, as if he’d been holding back tears.  “Can I see her?”

Justin tried to give him a reassuring smile.  “She’s sleeping now.  She’s fine.  The doctor said it’s a pretty bad bump, but she’ll be okay.  He gave her something for the headache.”

Carter nodded, although the news didn’t do anything to ease the tension in the young boy’s body.  “What happened?  Why did she pass out?”  He’d caught pieces of the phone conversation when Justin got the call, and the older man had briefly explained why their trip was being cut short.

Justin wasn’t sure how much Carter knew about his father, but he was sure that the name would cause a reaction.  He didn’t want to scare the boy even more, but he didn’t want to lie, either.  He was stuck.

“I know it’s about my dad, Mr. T.  I heard his name.”  Carter solved Justin’s problem for him.  “Is he here?  Did he hurt her?”  The bravado he was showing was endearing, and Justin found himself smiling in spite of the seriousness of this conversation.  Carter was a good kid.

“No, he didn’t hurt her.”  Justin took a deep breath, not sure how to go about this.

“Boys, dinner is ready.  You best get in here and eat before it gets cold.”  Lynn’s voice broke into their quiet conversation, saving Justin from having to say anymore.  Reluctantly, Carter stood, and Justin urged the boy into the dining room.

“We’ll let your mom sleep for a while, okay?  As soon as she’s awake you can go see her, I promise.”  Justin patted Carter on the shoulder, hoping to ease the boy’s fears.  Carter just nodded, trudging slowly into the dining room.

He was scared and worried, and he couldn’t get the taste of fear out of his mouth. 

It took all of his will power and politeness to choke down some food instead of rushing into his mom’s room and crawling into bed with her.  He was sure the food tasted fantastically; Ms. Lynn was the best cook he knew.  But he couldn’t taste anything through his anxiety.  His tongue was heavy, his jaw was tight, and his head was pounding. 

What was his dad doing here?  How had he found them, and if he could find them, could other people?  Did this mean they had to move again?  What about Gramps, did he know where they were?  Could they go back to Boston?  Was his mother in danger?  Was he in danger?...

The questions were rolling through his head so furiously that he didn’t notice he was being spoken to until Mr. Timberlake put a hand on his shoulder.  Startled, Carter looked up to see the table had been cleared and no one was sitting with him anymore.

“Your mom is awake now.  She’s asking for you.”  Carter stood stiffly, heading into the spare bedroom and, even with Mr. T watching, he crawled into the bed with his mother and wrapped her into the tightest hug he dared.

“Hey, Bub.”  Bailey’s voice was heavy with sleep, but she ran her hands through Carter’s hair, kissing him on the forehead.  “I’m fine, Carter, it’s okay.”

He hadn’t realized he was crying until his mother wiped a tear off of his cheek.  He looked up at her, memorizing her features before burying his face into her shoulder.  “Is he here, Mom?  Is he going to hurt us?”

Bailey felt her own tears building at the fear in her son’s voice.  She soothed him with soft words and gently touches, rubbing his back until he calmed and stopped crying.  She didn’t really have answers for him, and she knew she was going to have to explain things to Justin and Lynn, too.  With a heavy sigh, she let Carter rest his head on her shoulder, and she lifted her eyes to meet Justin’s. He gave her a soft smile, encouraging her with his eyes because he didn’t have the words.

“Where’s your mom?”  Bailey asked, knowing she wanted Lynn to hear everything, too.  She was serious when she said she didn’t want to repeat herself.

“I’m right here, Darlin’.  How are you feeling?”

Bailey shrugged as best she could with Carter wrapped around her side.  “The ache isn’t as bad.  I’ll be fine, thank you.”  She smiled genuinely at the older woman, happy to have her in her life.  “I guess you all will want some answers.”

Neither Justin nor his mother said anything, instead choosing to let Bailey talk at her own pace.  Justin did walk to the other side of the bed where he sat in a nearby chair and took her small hand into his own.  She looked frail and he wanted to protect her.

“Travis is Carter’s father.”  She started, licking her lips.  “He went to jail for drug possession and distribution before Carter was born.  I hadn’t seen or heard from him since I was six months pregnant.  He’d sent me some letters, but I didn’t open them and I don’t know what my dad did with them.  I think he threw them away.”  She took a deep breath, pausing.  She wasn’t sure how much more she should share, but she was getting to the point where the secrets were too difficult to keep anymore.

“He called you Sarah.”  Lynn stated softly, watching the young girl carefully.

Bailey nodded.  “When I lived in Boston, my name was Sarah.  Sarah Hudson.”  She felt Justin’s grip start to loosen, but she held on tighter and turned to face him fully.  “I was a journalism major, and I worked for a small newspaper in Boston.  They put me onto a story about a local gang that was known for peddling a lot of drugs.  I knew some of the people involved, only because of Travis, so I found an in, and I started spying on them and keeping records for the paper.  The plan was to expose the guy in charge of the whole thing.  The police were often involved and I sent them my reports a lot.”

The air felt thick as she took a deep breath.  It was so strange to hear these words spoken out loud.

“I witness a murder.  Two, actually.  This guy, Jimmy, the one that got Travis into the whole mess, he killed two guys that he found out were stealing money from him.  He didn’t know I was in the room; I’d been in the bathroom when it happened and I watched from behind the shower curtain.  I had to testify against him in court, and because of the fact that they couldn’t guarantee my or Carter’s safety, we were given new identities and shipped away from Boston.  We ended up here.”

A silence pervaded the room and Bailey was unsure of what everyone was thinking.  Carter was still awake, but holding on tightly to her torso.  Justin’s hand was still in her’s, and he hadn’t tried to pull away again, but she didn’t know what that meant.  Lynn just looked thoughtful, moving from the door way to sit in an arm chair in the corner.

It was Justin who finally broke the silence, and he directed his question at his mother.  “Is Ben sure that it was a guy named Travis that came in? And he was asking about Bailey?”

Lynn nodded.  “Ben said he was asking for Sarah, he said she would be new to town, he was pretty sure she worked at a lawyer’s office, and she had a boy that would be twelve years old.” 

“How did he find us?”  Bailey wondered, clutching her son a little tighter.  “Even my father wasn’t told of our location or our new names.  I can’t contact him, either.”

“He’s not dead?”  Justin asked, remembering a previous conversation where he’d felt like an ass for mention that Bailey visit home.

She cringed.  “No.”  She was quick to atone for her lies, though, not wanting to hurt Justin any more than she had to.  “Well, I don’t know if he’s dead or not.  I haven’t spoken to him since the night we moved.  It was easier to assume he was dead.  It made missing him hurt a little less.”

Justin nodded, feeling shocked and numb to learn all of this information.  He wanted to ask Bailey who she was; he wanted to get angry.  But he couldn’t.  He watched her hold Carter tightly, and all he could think about was protecting her.  Obviously he wanted answers, but he couldn’t find the anger anywhere within him.  He was scared of losing her, and he was worried for her and Carter’s safety, but the only person he was angry at was Travis.

“I couldn’t tell you.  I wanted to, I hated lying about who I was and why I came here, but if was for Carter’s safety.  If one of Jimmy’s guys found out where we were…” she trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought.

“But now Travis is here.”

Bailey felt the tears start to form, and she had to let them fall because it hurt too much to hold them back.  Her head was pounding from her fall, and she was so overwhelmed with emotions that it was difficult to think straight.  “I don’t know how he found us.  He was in jail when everything happened.”

“Well, he’s here.”  Lynn was trying to take a little of the fear out of the room and put some practicality in it’s place, but even she was shaken up.  “So you think he’s a threat?”

Bailey thought on it for a moment.  Did she?  Was he here to cause trouble?  “I don’t know.  It’s been twelve years, Ms. Lynn.”  Taking a deep breath, Bailey steeled her nerves.  “I can’t imagine it’s good, though.  If he knows we’re here, other people might, too.”

All of the adults in the room sat in heavy thought.  No one wanted to mention the possibility of Bailey and Carter moving again, but the idea crossed all of their minds.  Lynn was wondering what this girl had gotten herself into and how she was going to help; Justin wanted to find Travis and get information out of him, and Bailey was numbly trying to think through her headache and fear.  She didn’t want to see Travis again.  It had been too long, and she didn’t think he was here for good reasons.  She was so worried about the affect of this entire situation on Carter, too.

His soft snore stole everyone’s attention.  “I should get him home so he can go to sleep.”

Justin looked at his mother, noting her soft nod.  “I think it’s best if you two stay here.”  He spoke quietly, clearing his throat as he continued.  “We don’t know how much Travis knows about where you live, so you’re safest here, until we know more.”

Bailey was about to protest, not wanting to impose on these people any more than she already had, but Lynn’s voice stopped her.  “He’s right, darlin’.  I’ve got plenty of space, and I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe here.”  The older woman gently roused Carter from his sleep, guiding him to the den where he could sleep on the pull out couch. 

When she was gone, Bailey turned to look at Justin, unsure of what was going on in his head.  “Justin…”

He held up a hand.  “It’s okay, Bailey…or Sarah…”  He didn’t know what to call her anymore.  He didn’t know who she was.  Bailey sensed this and she was desperate to keep him with her.

“I’m not that girl anymore, Justin.  I may have held why I was here from you, but everything else was me.  I’m Bailey Beckett.  I haven’t been Sarah Hudson for a long time, even before I had to change my name.”  She took a shaky breath.  “Everything we’ve had is real.  I…you make me really happy, Justin.  That’s the truth.”

His blue eyes bore into her with an intensity that sent chills down her spine.  “I want to be upset with you.  I feel…I just can’t believe all of this is happening.  I want to ask you a million questions and call you out for lying.”  He hated himself for it, but the tears flowed down his cheeks before he could stop them.  “But I’m so scared of losing you.”

Despite the fact that it was killing her to move, Bailey sat up against the pillows, taking Justin’s hand and pulling him over to her.  When he was seated on the bed facing her, she grabbed his cheeks between her hands and forced him to look at her.

“I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.  I swear.  Travis being here is a good thing, really, because now I don’t have to lie anymore.”  She pulled him to her and kissed him deeply, trying to express just how she felt.  When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. 

He had a small feeling that it wasn’t the time to be doing this, but he couldn’t stop himself.  He pressed his lips to hers again, pulling his body the rest of the way onto the bed so he could settle over hers.  Their relationship hadn’t progress to this physical stage yet, but right now he had to have her; all of her.  He wanted to feel her heart beating erratically against his own.  He wanted the heat of her skin to sear his, branding him with her touch.  He wanted to blaze a trail across her body, making her as his own.  He wanted to show her how fast he was falling in love with her.  Being an English teacher meant he had all forms of words readily available to him, but this moment, he had no words at all.  Just touches.

He had the sense to pull away long enough to shut and lock the door, but that was the only time away from her he could spare.  Shutting off the overhead light, he shed his shirt and dropped his jeans to the floor, the light from the night flitting softly against his skin.

Bailey couldn’t get herself to move as Justin made his way closer to her.  A tiny gasp left her mouth as he stripped himself of his boxers, too, standing completely naked in front of her.

She was putty in his hands as he gently undressed her, taking care not to aggravate her headache.  All thoughts of pain were gone, however, when the heat of his hands touched her bare skin.  She was on fire.  Her body was responding to his caresses in ways she didn’t know possible.  It had been so long since a man had touched her like this; with such passion, and care, and desire.  She could taste the want on his tongue, feel the urgency in the hands that were roaming her now bare body.  His arousal pressed against her thigh and she could feel her own body flooding with the need to be filled by this man.

“Justin…”  It was more of a breath than a word, but he heard her loud and clear.  Sinking them into the blankets, Justin settled his body over Bailey’s.  Both were heavily panting; sweat starting to speckle their heated skin.  Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his body until there wasn’t any skin left untouched.  Carefully adjusting himself between her legs, Justin waited for her approval before pressing into her warm, wet heat.  She spread her legs a little more, allowing him to sink deeper inside of her.  They both moaned, stilling as he settled all the way in her depths.

“Jesus Bailey…”  He panted in her ear.  He couldn’t stay still any longer, and his hips started to move of their own accord.  He wasn’t a virgin by any standards, but it had been a while since he had felt this desperate for a woman.  He couldn’t get close enough, deep enough.  He could kiss her enough, or get enough of her hands exploring his body.

No more words were spoken between the two of them.  The touches said it all.  Justin sank deeper and deeper into Bailey, pulling as much of her into his arms and embrace as he possibly could, hoping to keep her with him forever.  Bailey, clouded by an erotically euphoric haze, clung to Justin as he moved within and around her.  He filled all of her senses completely, and she felt herself fall with finality over the edge.  She was in love with him.

She was in love with him, and in that moment, that love was enough

Bailey was swimming between sleep and consciousness.  Her body was resisting the slow slide to the waking world, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was a bad idea to be awake.  Some niggling thought told her she should stay blissfully unaware, but it was too far away for her to truly take notice.  Instead, her senses started to focus on the lips that were gently making their way across her bare shoulder.  There were warm, strong hands cupping her hips and rolling her toward the assailant.  Slowly, she let her eyes slide open.  Finding a grinning pair of blue eyes looking up at her, Bailey let out a small giggle.  Images from last night came pouring into her mind, and heat flooded her cheeks as she remembered what had happened between her and Justin.

“Don’t get shy on me now,” Justin stopped his ministrations on her shoulder and scooted up in the bed, pulling Bailey into his arms.  “It’s too late for shy, darling’.” 

Her grin stretched.  “Well, I did hit my head pretty hard. I don’t think it was in my right mind.”  She got the desired response, as Justin looked mildly offended before rolling over her and tickling her sides mercilessly.  She put up a weak fight, loving the attention and the physical contact.  She had no idea how she had waited to be with this man.

When they were both breathless, Justin flopped back down next to Bailey, grinning over at her.

She happened to peek at the clock, and her eyes widened.  “I’m going to be late for work.”  If possible her eyes widened again as the next thoughts came flitting in.  “Carter!”

Justin shushed her, placing a calming hand on her arm.  “It’s okay.  Mom has Carter.  And you’re not going to work until we figure this Travis thing out, okay?”

Bailey sat back against the pillows, her previous mirth slowly fizzling out as Travis clouded her brain.  “Shit, I’d almost forgotten about him.”  Yesterday played in her mind, and she knew why she should have stayed asleep.  She turned to Justin, watching him watch her.  “I don’t want to run and hide again, Justin.”

He let out a sigh, running his hands over his shaved head.  After a moment, he answered her.  “Why don’t we shower, get dressed, and eat some breakfast.  Then we can figure something out.”

“Okay.”  Bailey decided that rushing out the door wasn’t going to solve any problems.  Plus, taking a shower with Justin sounded just shy of heaven. 

When they emerged from the bedroom and made their way into the kitchen, Carter was seated at the table, shoveling into a large plate of waffles.  “Hi Mom.”  His voice was muffled by the food and Bailey shot him a look.

“Not with your mouth full.”  He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.  “Thank you for feeding my son.”  Bailey turned to greet Lynn, taking a seat next to Justin at the counter.

Lynn waved her thanks away.  “It’s my pleasure, Darlin’.”  She set a plate of waffles and bacon in front of Bailey and Justin.  “I have to make enough for an army just to feed this one; Carter was no problem at all.”

“I do not eat as much as an army.”  Justin protested, piling waffles on his plate and smothering them with syrup.  The looks he was getting from both his mother and Bailey caused him to pause with the fork almost at his mouth.  “Okay, maybe a small platoon.”

Both women laughed, and Bailey made her own plate.  The food was fantastic, and she could almost pretend that things were normal as they chatted, ate, and laughed together.  She could almost pretend that she didn’t have a past chasing her, haunting her.  Almost.

“Do you know what you’re going to do today?”  When the plates were cleared and Carter had been lured off by Paul’s promise of a 4 wheeler, Lynn brought up the elephant in the room.  “Amelia said she’ll be okay in the office for a few days, but she’ll need you back at the end of the week.”

Bailey let out a long sigh.  “I don’t want to run.  I’m really tired of always looking over my shoulder and feeling like I can’t be myself.”  She glanced at Justin.  He gave her a small smile.

“But we don’t know why he’s here, or who else knows.”

“Running from him won’t erase the fact that he knows I’m here.  He’s seen me, and Carter.  I’m sure he’s figured it out.  If he’s going to tell someone else, I won’t be able top stop him if I run away.”

Justin didn’t like it, but he kept his mouth shut.  He would support and protect Bailey in any decision she made.  He would be right there next to her to make sure nothing happened to her or Carter.  That much he knew.  “So, what do we do?”

Taking a deep breath, Bailey looked at Justin.  “We find Travis.  We find him, and we figure out why he’s here, and hopefully we get him to leave us alone.”

~*~

Their plan had them sitting at the General Store, where Travis had been last looking for her.  Sam and Ben weren’t sure they liked the idea of Bailey meeting up with this guy, but they knew Justin wouldn’t let anything happen.  Slowly, Bailey picked at a plate of sweet potato fries, watching the door.  It didn’t take long.

Travis stepped through the door, bells ringing above his head as he looked around.  A few steps into the store, he stopped, his eyes crashing into Bailey’s.  He stood there, unmoving, unable to believe that she was sitting there in front of him.  He had spent twelve years sitting in a jail cell imagining this moment.  The man sitting next to his Sarah wasn’t part of that dream.

“Sarah.”  He called her name, and her face contorted painfully.  He took a few steps closer to her, watching the man warily. 

“My name is Bailey.”  She sat up straighter, setting her shoulders back and looking him square in the face.  “I’m not Sarah anymore.”

Travis licked his lips, suddenly feeling nervous.  “So I’ve noticed.”  He took another tentative step forward, checking to make sure everyone was okay with that.  He wasn’t here to cause trouble.  He just wanted to see Sarah – Bailey and his son.  “Can I sit?”

It unnerved him that Bailey looked to the other man before nodding her head yes.  Travis decided he should introduce himself.  “Hey,” he held his hand, “I’m Travis.”

Justin looked at his hand for a second before his manners took over and he shook hands.  “Justin.  Bailey’s boyfriend.”  So, the territory was marked and the battle lines were drawn.  Travis could see how this was going to go. 

He held up his hands, stepping to the side and taking a stool next to Bailey.  “I’m not here to cause trouble.”  He turned toward Bailey.  “I just want to meet my son.”

Silence settled over the group, and Ben broke it by asking if he could make food.  Travis ordered a drink, staring down at the counter top and tracing the veins in the laminate.  He had said what he wanted; the ball was in Bailey’s court now.

“How did you find us?”  She finally asked, afraid of his intentions and who else might know where she was.

“Red.”

The word sent a shock through Bailey’s body, and chills erupted over her skin.  “My dad?  Is he alive?”

Travis turned away, not wanting to see the look on her face when he shook his head.  “No.  No, he wrote me while I was in jail.  I met up with him the day I was released, but he passed away a little while later.”  He had to say something to ease her pain.  “He loved you so much, Sarah.  He truly did.”

“How…”  She choked on her words.  The tears were brimming, but she refused to let them fall.  “How did he know where I was.”

Travis shrugged.  “He didn’t say.  I think he was keeping some pretty big secrets for people, including you.”  He sipped at the soda in front of him.  This was going how he’d imagined it.

“I had to get out, Travis.  I had to save myself and my son.  You…you weren’t there.  I…there are some bad people that would love to know where we are.”  Her eyes pleaded with him, wide and scared.  “Have you told anyone where we are?”

Travis shook his head.  “I’m the only one who knows, and Red made sure of that.”

The relief that flowed from Bailey was palpable.  “What do you want from me, Travis?  Why are you here?”

He took a deep breath to calm himself down.  “I just want to know my son, Sarah.”  He turned to her, thinking over his words before he spoke them.  He wanted to make sure he got this right, because he knew he only had one chance.  “I…I thought about you every day I was in that cell.  I hated myself for not listening to you, for not being there for you.  I didn’t know the baby was a boy until he was probably three.  My sister came to visit me once, and she told me that you’d had a boy.  I…I can’t take it back, Sarah…Bailey.  I can’t make up for the things I should have done, but I want a chance to show my son the man his father has become.”

“How do I know you’ve changed?”

“Twelve years in prison is enough to change even the worst people, Bailey.”  He twisted his fingers together, feeling relieved to be getting all of his off of his chest.  “I’m not the kid I was when we were together.”

“I’ve tried so hard to raise him right, Travis.  He’s a good kid.  He doesn’t need to have his world turned upside down again.”  She looked sad, “moving here was hard enough on him.”

“I just…I need to tell him who I am.  I need him to see that I love him.  I always have.”  He was begging now, but he had nothing left. 

“I don’t know…”  She was so conflicted.  Seeing Travis brought it all back; who she was, where she came from…and the boy she fell in love with.  She liked the woman she had turned into.  She liked being Bailey.  She loved Justin.  She didn’t want to run the risk of shaking up this new world she’d built by letting Travis in, but she didn’t see a way around it.  He was here, and he had a right to meet his son, at least once.

“Please, Sarah.” 

She took a deep breath.  “My name is Bailey.”

A million thoughts and questions should have been whirring through his head.  His curiosity should have been peaked, and he should have been anticipating and dreading this moment all at the same time.

But Carter was strangely numb.  When his mother had told him that his father, a man he had never even met, wanted to meet him and talk with him, Carter felt nothing.  Not excitement or dread or fear or anything of the like.  He felt an emptiness that was a hole in the shape of a father, but he had come to terms with that hole a long time ago.  He didn’t really care to have it filled by anyone, especially someone who would expect him to treat them like a father.

Justin had slipped so easily into his life.  He was funny, he was really good to Carter’s mom, and he knew where the lines were drawn.  This man, though…this man was biologically his father, and Carter didn’t know what he was supposed to do with that.

“You don’t have to meet him if you don’t want to, Bub.  I can tell him to go home.”  His mother was concerned.  She kept checking to make sure he was okay with it.

“It’s fine, Mom.”  He assured her for the hundredth time.  He did want to meet his father, just so he could put a face to the missing memories.  Truth be told, he knew that he and his mother were far better off without Travis in their lives.

“You just let me know when you want to leave, okay?  It’s up to you.”  She pulled into the parking lot of a small diner.  They had decided that someplace neutral was best, and Bailey would sit somewhere else while Travis and Carter talked.  Bailey put her arms around Carter’s shoulders as they started toward the door, kissing the crown of his head.  “I love you, Bub.  More than life.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”  As they stepped into the small, retro diner, Carter spotted his father immediately.  It was a strange thing, to be seeing a man he looked so much like. Bailey walked him over to the booth where Travis was sitting, exchanging a few words before kissing Carter again and heading to her own spot at the counter.

“Hey, Carter.”  Travis smiled nervously, his hand shoved deep into his pockets.

“Hi.”

Awkwardness settled over the two of them like a blanket, smothering the both of them.  Carter watched as Travis shuffled from one foot to the other.  There were lines around his blue eyes, deep, as if he had spent a lifetime looking at the world through half – opened eyes.  His mouth, while attempting a smile, was tight and looked as if the only emotion it was comfortable showing was a grimace.  The man was lanky, like Carter.  He had height, but Carter was only a few inches shy of being taller.  He looked nothing like Carter had pictured.

“We can sit.”  Travis pointed to the booth he’d been occupying a moment before.  “I brought you something.”  As they sat, he handed Carter a shoe box.  “It’s letters.  I wrote to you, you know, a letter a week.  I just didn’t know where you were living, so I kept them until I could give them to you.  There are a few birthday cards in there, too.”

Carter took the box, looking at the creased cardboard.  “Thanks.”  He didn’t care to read the letters.  He didn’t care to know this man at all.

Apparently the anger he thought he’d gotten rid of was still there, and it was brewing.

“Are you hungry?  We can order anything you’d like.”  It was painful how hard Travis was trying, and Carter just wanted to tell the man to stop.

“No, it’s okay.  I’m not hungry.”

“Oh,” he looked deflated, as if this entire meeting hinged on Carter eating lunch.  “Well, that’s okay.”  Another smile.  Carter realized that Travis’ eyes were too sad, and that’s why the smile didn’t fit on his face.  “I hear you play baseball.”

“Yeah, I do.”  Was it wrong of him to not want to elaborate?  Was it wrong that he wanted to leave right now and forget that this man existed? 

“I’m not surprised.  Red loved baseball.”  The mention of Carter’s grandfather had his heart hitching in his chest.

“Loved?”  He had noticed the use of past tense.  “You mean he really is dead?”

Travis looked as if he wished he’d never spoken, but it was too late to take it back now.  “Yeah, he is.  He told me all about your pitching, though.  He said you were the best he’d ever seen, especially for someone so young.”

Carter stared down at the table top.  He didn’t want to think about this man having a conversation with Gramps.  It felt like an intrusion into a life that wasn’t Travis’.  “I didn’t know you and Gramps talked.”

“I went to see him when I got…” Travis paused, “when I wanted to find you and your mom.”

Carter took a deep breath and looked Travis square in the eyes.  “You should have stayed away.”  It was said quietly, without malice.  He wasn’t trying to be rude, but he felt strongly that he and his mother were better off without Travis in their lives.  Carter couldn’t picture his world with this man in it, and he didn’t want to.  He didn’t want to get to know him.  What he already knew was enough.

“Carter…”  The tone held a strange warning.  It was a fatherly tone.  It made Carter’s stomach clench, like his fists were clenching the fabric of his jeans.

“What makes you think you can waltz in here after twelve year, my entire life, and expect me to want you around?”  The twelve-year-old sounded aged and weary.  “My mom has spent so much time and energy making up for the mistakes you made.  She’s been a mother and a father and a best friend.  You can’t replace that.  You can’t come in here and change the fact that you were gone.”  He spotted the box on the seat next to him.  “A box of letters isn’t going to make up for missing my entire life.”  Carter was about to get up and tell his mother it was time to go, but Travis reached out a hand to stop him.

“Carter, please…”  The man was begging, and it made Carter even madder.  “I’m not…I don’t want…shit.”  The words were sticking, twisting and confused.  Travis couldn’t seem to make his mouth work the way he wanted.  “I just wanted to see you, to meet you.”

Carter’s blue eyes bore into the older man’s.  “Now you’ve seen me, and I’ve met you.  Goodbye, Travis.”

Bailey met Carter at the door, wrapping her arms around his shoulder.  “Are you okay?”  He looked up at her and smiled, nodding his head and leaning into his mother’s warmth.

“Yeah, Mom, I’m good.”

“How did it go?  What did he say?”  Her questions started as they buckled into the car.  Carter wasn’t sure he could put into words how he was feeling, but he knew his mom would want to know what was going on in his head.  This meeting affected her life just as much as it affected his.

“Not much.”  He said with a shrug.  “He just wanted to meet me, I guess.  He gave me a box of letters…”  Carter looked around, realizing he’d left the letters on the seat of the booth. 

“We can go back and get them.”  Bailey was about to turn the car around, but Carter stopped her.

“No, Ma, it’s okay.  I don’t want them.”  He took a deep breath.  “We’ve been fine without him forever.  I don’t need a Dad.  I’ve got you.”

Bailey tousled his hair.  “Love you too, Bub.”  She steered the car down the road toward their house.  “He’s not a bad guy, though, Carter.  He made some stupid decisions and he got himself into trouble, but he was never a bad guy.”

Carter said nothing; instead he focused his eyes out the window and let the world fly by without really seeing it. 

When they pulled into their driveway, Justin’s car was parked there, a thought that Carter found oddly comforting.  Justin he knew.  There were unspoken rules that existed between them, and it worked well for everyone.  Justin didn’t try and be Carter’s father, and Carter didn’t try (anymore) to get in the way of Justin’s relationship with Bailey.  They were a good team, and Carter liked it that way.

Travis brought too many unknowns into the equation.  He would expect Carter to act like his son; something Carter didn’t know how to do.  Travis would want to be a father; something he had no experience doing.  It would take time and effort and it would change the dynamic Carter and Bailey had fought so hard to build together. 

No, Carter decided, they were all better off without Travis in their lives.

“Hey you two, how did it go?”  Justin had made burgers on the grill, and he was just setting some chips out on the table when Bailey and Carter entered the kitchen.

“It was fine.”  The answer was short.  Carter didn’t want to talk about it, really.  “I’m really hungry.” 

Justin and Bailey exchanged a knowing glance, and the topic of Travis was dropped for the time being.  They all knew it wasn’t over yet, and the situation was more complicated than they wanted it to be.  But for now, they could all pretend it was finished and neatly tied up.

~*~

The Tennessee air was thick tonight, alive with the buzzing of insects and tadpoles.  Carter sat on the steps of the porch, flipping a baseball into the air and catching it, the slap of the ball hitting his palm the only sound to be heard from the young boy.

Justin stepped onto the porch and sat down next to Carter, peering into the dimming light of dusk.  They sat together like this for a while, letting the sun sink lower and lower until the porch light came on and the sky was velvety black.

“When I was two, my parents got a divorce and my Dad moved into Memphis.  It was just my Mom and me for a while, until she married Paul.  Paul was the only Dad I’d known for a long time.  It was really awkward when my real father wanted to be a part of my life again.”  Justin snatched the baseball out of the air, gently tossing it back to Carter when he had the boy’s attention.  “It took me a long time to accept the fact that I had two fathers, and I love them both very much, but for very different reasons.”

Carter let the words run through his head, trying to listen to the lesson he knew was embedded in them, but he was too tired of thinking.  “But you’re not my father, and Travis hasn’t been in my life at all; ever.  He was in jail when I was born.”

Justin let out a sigh, leaning back against the steps and staring up into the night sky.  “I know it’s not the same, Carter.  I just want you to know that it’s okay if you’re uncertain about things.  I understand if you’re confused and hurt and scared about all of this.  I’ve felt the same way.”

The silence sat between them for a while.  Eventually, Carter set the baseball in his lap and looked over at Justin.  “I don’t know how to talk to him.  He’s a stranger.  It doesn’t matter that he’s biologically my father…I don’t know him at all.”  He took a deep breath, surprised to feel tears on his hot cheeks.  He wiped at them angrily.  “I don’t need a Dad.  I have my Mom, and she has you.  That’s enough.”

Justin settled a comforting hand on Carter’s back.  “Maybe that’s enough for you, and that’s your decision to make, but Travis probably has a lot he wants to make up for.  Don’t make up your mind just yet, Carter.  Don’t shut things off before you truly know what you want.”

A fresh set of tears cascaded down Carter’s face.  “I don’t want to have to move again.  We’ll have to, though, won’t we?  Since Travis knows where we are, we’ll have to move so we can stay hidden.”  He hiccupped, not feeling at all like his twelve-year-old self.  “If I get to know Travis, he’s going to ruin everything.”

The older man’s heart hurt for this little boy.  Scooting over on the steps, Justin pulled Carter into his arms and soothed him the best he knew how.  He had never been in a situation like this before, and he didn’t know what to do.  He knew that he wouldn’t, he couldn’t let Bailey and Carter go.  Not now, not after he’d fallen so deeply in love with both of them.  The little boy sobbed into Justin’s shoulder, letting out the anguish and fear he’d managed to bottle up for the last twelve years. 

“He won’t ruin anything, C, I promise.”  Justin rubbed his back slowly.  “I won’t let it happen.”

They stayed like that until Carter fell asleep and Justin had to carry him into the house, setting him gently in bed.

“I was supposed to leave all of this drama behind when I moved out here.”  Bailey sipped her tea, resting her head on Justin’s shoulder as they sat on the porch swing.  It was early, not quite seven in the morning.  Carter was still sleeping, and the two adults were discussing the Travis situation.

“What do you think Travis is going to do?” Justin was worried about Carter’s sudden brush off and what that might do to Travis. 

Bailey shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I mean, the Travis I knew years ago would’ve done whatever he could to avoid confrontation.  This guy, though…I don’t know who he is anymore.”

Justin emptied the last of his coffee cup, setting in down on the table next to the swing.  He didn’t want to get in the middle of things with Bailey, Carter and Travis.  It wasn’t his place to tell them what to decide and what to do.  He was concerned and he would do whatever he could, but he was apprehensive.  A lot could go wrong with all of this, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to handle it all.

“Do you want me to take Carter for the day, so you can talk to Travis?”

Bailey studied Justin closely.  She was happy to have him with her; he’d been a huge support through all of this.  She worried, though.  She knew that Travis being around was going to put a strain on her relationship with Justin, and she worried about that.  Right now, though, she didn’t have the energy to devote to sorting through everything.  “Yeah, actually, that would be great.  Maybe you guys could just spend the day hanging out here?  I think Travis needs to relax a little.”

“Sure.  There are some things I wanted to do around the house, anyway.”  Justin kissed Bailey briefly, smiling over at her.  “It’s a good thing you have me around to do the man chores.”

Bailey raised an eyebrow, grinning.  “Man chores?”

“Right,” he puffed up his chest, taking a deep breath.  “All the manly things, like, fixing that leak in the bathroom, and mowing the lawn, and installing the air conditioner.  Man chores.”  His smiled widened as Bailey’s grin turned into a chuckle.

“You are very manly.”  She teased, placing a kiss on his jaw line.

Justin grunted, “don’t you forget it, woman.”

~*~

“What do you want me to do, Travis?  I can’t force him to want to spend time with you.”  The tone of Bailey’s voice should have been a warning, but it had been so long since Travis had been around her, he was missing the signs.

“Well…yeah.”  His head fell back in exasperation.  “He’s my son, Sarah.  I deserve to be a part of his life.”  It was probably better that Travis couldn’t see the look that Bailey was sending in his direction.  Her eyes were narrow slits, and her pulse was racing.

She cleared her throat, doing her best to reign in her temper.  “My name is Bailey.”  She said through clenched teeth.  “And you are not part of Carter’s life because of the decisions you made, not me.  You got yourself thrown in jail.  You spent his entire existence behind bars.  I have been there for every single moment of this boy’s life.  And I told you, Travis, I begged you to get out and clean up.  This is all on you.”

While the truth of her words stung a lot, Travis was too proud to admit it.  He’d done his time and he’d paid for his sins.  Now he just wanted to get to know his son.  “I’m sorry, I should rephrase that.”  He took a deep breath and looked over at the woman he was once so madly in love with.  She looked so different, but he could still see Sarah in there, somewhere.  “I have a lot to make up for, Bailey.”  He emphasized her name, making sure to get it right.  It would always feel foreign, though.  “I want to know Carter and I want him to know me.”

Another deep breath in, “I understand that, Travis.  But I will not force my son to do something he doesn’t want to.  I can try to talk to him about it, but the decision is his and his alone.”  She glanced over at the man next to her.  “Did you really expect him to be happy to see you?”

Travis shrugged.  “I don’t know what I expected.”  He licked his lips, resting his arms across the back of the park bench they were seated on.  The sun was warm on his face, but there was enough of a breeze to make it a pleasant day.  “I think I was hoping that time had stopped and you would still be in Boston, waiting for me with our baby.”  His face grew hot with shame.  “I didn’t expect to have to chase you across the country, find you with another man, and find that my son had all but grown up without me.”

Bailey let out a humorless laugh.  “You say that like all of this is my fault.”  She stood from the bench, pacing slightly on the dirt path in front of Travis.  “I made some bad decisions in my life, too, but I’ve made up for those and then some.  Everything I did, I did it with my son’s best interest in mind.”

“And this guy…this, Justin?”

Bailey stopped walking and turned slowly, her blue eyes piercing.  “He is non of your business.”

Travis held up his hands, surrendering.  “Sorry.”

Bailey let out a long, ragged sigh.  “I will talk to Carter.  I will see if I can get him to agree to meet you one more time.”  When a smile started to light his face, Bailey held up a hand to stop him.  “I make absolutely no promises, though.  And if he says no, Travis…you have to leave us alone.  You have to…” she trailed off.  Suddenly she wasn’t sure if she could let him leave, because he knew where they lived now, and he could certainly use that information against her.

“Bailey?”

She cleared her throat, shaking the negative thoughts away.  “I’ll talk to him.  Okay?  I’ll call you when he’s made his decision, and then we’ll figure the rest out.”

Travis felt his heart leap hopefully in his chest.  “That’s all I ask.”

~*~

Carter watched Justin climb the ladder onto the roof.  When the older man was up, he followed, carefully stepping from one rung to the next.  He wasn’t a huge fan of heights, but when Justin asked for his help replacing some of the roof shingled, he’d said yes.

“You all right?”  Justin asked, offering a hand to Carter as he took the final step onto the roof.

“Yeah, I’m good.”  The two of them slowly made their way toward the chimney, finding the spot where the leak had been coming into the living room. 

“Here’s the spot.  This shouldn’t take too long.”  Justin knelt down, ripping off the few rotten shingles before starting to affix the new ones.  “Can you hand me those nails?”

Carter took a seat next to Justin, careful not to look down too much.  He held out the nails Justin had asked for, watching as the older man started nailing down sections of shingles.  “Can I ask you a question?”  Carter’s voice was small, and Justin glanced over briefly to make sure he was okay.

“Of course you can.”

Carter took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “What should I do about Travis?”

Justin stopped nailing.  He set his hammer down and carefully turned himself around so he could take a seat next to Carter.  “Well, that’s not really a question I can answer for you, buddy.”

“I know, it’s just…”  Carter trailed off, feeling the swell of emotions inside his chest start to choke him.  Justin’s warm hand came to rest comfortingly on his shoulder, and Carter blinked back tears.

“Take a deep breath.  It’s okay.”  Justin patted the boy’s back, watching as he attempted to calm down.

“I don’t think I need a dad, Justin.  And I don’t think my mom needs Travis around, either.  He really hurt her, you know.”  Carter’s eyes looked off into the distance, seeing another lifetime.  “My Gramps told me about my mom and dad.  Mom didn’t like to talk about Travis, so Gramps told me what happened and how Travis had really messed everything up.  I know why he went to jail.”

Justin waited, keeping quiet as Carter get everything off his chest.

“I don’t think he’s a good man, Justin, even though Mom says that he’s just made some stupid mistakes.”  Carter looked over at Justin, licking his lips to get some moisture back into his dry mouth.  “But I’m afraid that if I don’t spend time with him like he wants, he’s going to tell someone about where we are and we’ll have to move again, or…”  he trailed off, not wanting to finish his last thought.

“Carter,” Justin wiped his hands on his pants.  “I think you just need to focus on you, and what you want.  I can take care of your mom, I promise.”  He smiled over at the boy, hoping to ease some of his fears.  “You need to decide if getting to know Travis, your father, is something you want or something you might want later in life.  We’ll figure everything else out when the time comes, okay?”  Justin watched Carter, waiting for his answer.

“Yeah, okay.”  Carter nodded and his shoulders relaxed for the first time in the past few days.

“Now, how about we finish up with these shingles, and then I take you over to the lot and we work on your fast ball?”

Carter’s grin reached his eyes as he smiled up at Justin.  “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Stop that.”  Justin pulled Bailey’s hand away from her mouth.  She had been furiously chewing on her nails all morning.  “You’re going to make yourself bleed.”  He chided softly.

“Sorry.”  She slipped her fingers through Justin’s to keep her hands busy.  She was nervous, though, because she’d let her son go off with her ex who happened to be an ex-con, as well.  It wasn’t the easiest moment of her life.

“He’s going to be okay, Bailey.  You made the right decision, letting him have this day.”  Justin used his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.  He smiled at her, his eyes warm and comforting.  They were snuggled up next to one another on Justin’s couch, while Carter and Travis spent the day together at Bailey’s house.  It was her only stipulation to their visit, because she didn’t want Travis taking Carter anywhere.  She didn’t trust this stranger.

“I know.”  Her words escaped on a sigh.

Earlier that week, Carter had come to her with a list of Pros and Cons, and he’d sat his mother down at the kitchen table.  “Mom, tell me about your dad.” 

“Gramps?  What do you want to know?”  She was surprised by his comment, only because he already knew a lot about Red.

“I want to know why he was a good dad.  I want to know what he did for you.”  He pointed to his paper.  “I’m making a list, so I can figure out if I should see Travis again.”

Bailey swallowed thickly, trying to clear the lump from her throat.  “Well, I think this situation is a little different than my relationship with your Gramps.”

Carter took a patient breath, causing his mother to smile slightly.  He was obviously not getting what he wanted out of his mother.  “I know that.  I mean…” he glanced down at his list.  “Why do I need a dad?  I’ve got you.  Isn’t that enough?”  Suddenly his twelve-year-old face was that of a little boy, not a teenager.  His blue eyes implored her, begging for an easy answer to a question he’d been asking his entire life.

“Bub…”  She reached out to him, grabbing his hand.  Tears were threatening to spill, but she blinked them back.  “You and me, we’ll always have each other.  You are enough for me, Carter, always.  I love you more than anything, and we will always make things work out the best we can, just like we’ve always done.”  She took a deep breath, unable to believe she was about to give her son this piece of advice.  “But having a dad is very different that just having a mom.  There are a lot of things that a dad can give you that a mom can’t.”

“But, I have Justin for all of that.”

Bailey’s smile was watery.  “Yes, you do.  And he loves you very much, too.” 

“So, I don’t need to get to know Travis.”  He pushed the pad of paper away from him, his decision made.

“Carter,” Bailey sighed, still having trouble forming words.  She wracked her brain, hoping to find a way to express her thoughts and still make sense.  “When I was a little girl, my mom died.  And my dad, Gramps, he did the best job he could raising me.  And most of the time, I was absolutely fine without a mother.  I had my grandparents around, and I had aunts that were constantly checking on me.  But there are certain things that I could only learn from my Mom.  Like…like, the traits I’d inherited from her, or my family history, or advice that moms give their little girls.  I know you have Justin and he adores you, but…I don’t want you to ever regret not getting a chance to talk with your father.”

Carter watched his mother carefully, sliding the pad of paper back over and penciling in a few new notes.  “What if I don’t like him?  Or…or what if he doesn’t like me?”  His voice was small and Bailey’s heart went out to him.

“You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, Carter.  I’ll support any decision you make.  Don’t worry about anyone else but you.  Okay?”  She gently pinched his cheek.  “And everyone loves you.  It’s just a known fact.”

Her son smiled ruefully.  “Okay.”

A day later, Carter told Bailey his decision to give Travis another chance.  He said he thought that talking with his dad was probably a good idea, and he had some questions to ask, anyway.  So, Bailey set up a meeting, making sure that Travis knew he couldn’t take Carter anywhere without her being present.

So here she sat, in Justin’s living room, worry keeping her from truly enjoying his company.

“Okay, you were more animated when you were biting your nails.”  Justin’s voice brought Bailey back to the present.  “You’re making me feel like I’m a really boring boyfriend.”

Bailey shook her head slightly, turning to give Justin an apologetic smile.  “Sorry, I’m just worried about my little boy.”

“Do you want to call and check on him?”  He reached to the table beside him and grabbed the phone.  “It’ll probably make you feel better, and then maybe I can get some attention.”  His grin said he was joking.

“Yeah, actually, I do want to call.”  Bailey grabbed the phone, dialing her home number and finally relaxing when she heard her son’s voice on the other end of the line.  “Hey, Bub.”

Justin watched as Bailey talked to her son, the worry melting off of her features as Carter assured her that everything was going just fine and that he was okay.  Justin still had to wonder how he’d gotten here, to this point in his life, but he knew he wouldn’t change anything.  Even though things were awkward because of everything with Travis, Justin was still happy to be with Bailey.  She was interesting and fun to be around, and she was such an independent woman.  It was refreshing to be with someone that didn’t constantly need Justin around for entertainment.

Most of the women he’d dated were looking for him to take care of them so they could get married, have babies, and be stay-at-home Moms.  That wasn’t what Justin wanted.  In fact, he’d stopped dating all together because the women around town scared him too much.  It was a little strange to be with someone who already had a son, but Carter was an incredible kid and Bailey had her shit together.

Well, other than having to leave her home town because she was threatened by drug dealers, and having her ex-boyfriend baby-daddy track her down after spending over ten years in prison. 

Other than those things, Bailey had her life together and Justin liked that about her.

She made him happy.  She kept him on his toes and made him feel completely comfortable at the same time.  He was falling into this relationship easier than he’d expected too, and he was okay with that.

If only he could get her to pay him a little attention today.  She was nervous, he knew, and she was obviously concerned for her son.  But still, she was here with him, and he could think of a hundred other ways that they could be spending their day together.  He watched her as she said goodbye to Carter, smiling over at him.

“He’s good.  He said it’s going well.”  She handed Justin the phone.  “Thank you. I needed that.”

Justin grinned over at her, cupping her cheek in his hands and kissing her softly.  “I know.”  He kissed her again, this time deepening it.  He scooted forward on the couch, pulling Bailey into him with his other arm.  She responded, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling at his curls.  Gently, he teased her mouth open with his tongue.  She let him in, letting out a soft whimper when he nipped at her lips with his teeth.  “Maybe we can take this somewhere else?”  His breath fanned across her face.  He couldn’t stand to have his lips away from hers for long.

As an answer to his question, Bailey stood from the couch and headed toward Justin’s bedroom, giving him a coy look over her shoulder.

Yes, Justin could think of hundreds of different ways to be spending their day together.  .

~*~

His mother had always told him to be polite.  She heavily enforced the rule that rudeness was unacceptable, and Carter tried his best to stick to her rules.  He didn’t want to disappoint her.

But, he was bored out of his mind.

Travis was so nervous and anxious; he couldn’t seem to get out of his own way.  They were in the back yard, playing ball, and Travis sucked.  Really, Carter was trying to be nice, but it looked like the guy had never picked up a baseball in his life.  Carter obviously didn’t get his athletic ability from his dad.  The older man had no idea what to talk about, he couldn’t seem to relax, and he kept staring at Carter as if the boy might disappear.  It was really awkward.

Carter had weighed the pros and cons of knowing his father.  It was still a difficult decision, but he ended up deciding to give Travis a chance.  Carter wasn’t in the market for someone to step in a play Daddy; he had his mother and he was content with their small family.  He did, however, know that he would someday regret not giving the man a chance. 

There was also the small worry in the back of Carter’s mind that wondered if Travis would cause trouble for them if Carter said no.  He didn’t want to leave Shelby Forest, not now.  Travis was holding their future in his hands, and Carter was hoping he could convince the man to leave them in peace.

“I think I need a break, kid.  I’m too old for this.”  Travis took of the glove and shook out his hands, searching them over to check for bruises.  Carter removed his own glove, trotting over to fall in step beside Travis.

“You’re not even forty yet.”  Carter commented, looking the man over.  He looked a lot older than he should; now that Carter thought about it.

“Yeah, well, twelve years in prison will do that to a person.”

There was a slight pause, but Carter couldn’t hold his question.  “What was it like?”

Travis cleared his throat uncomfortably, climbing the porch and taking a seat in one of the chairs.  He looked at his son, gauging how much he should share.  The kid was so much bigger than Travis had anticipated.  He was really expecting a little boy, a toddler.  Even though he knew that Carter was almost a teenager, he still had trouble believing that he had been away for that long.  His son was a stranger, not a little kid.

“It wasn’t an experience I want to wish on anyone, Carter.”  He settled further into his chair and closed his eyes.  “It’s something I wish I could take back every day of my life.”

“Why?  Why did you leave mom?  She told me that she asked you to quit, and that you left her alone.”  There was anger in the boy’s voice and Travis knew he deserved it.

“I was selfish.  I thought I could make a lot of money and get out whenever I wanted.”  Travis settled his eyes on his son, seeing the life he missed.  “I loved her, Carter.  I loved her so much, but I was young, stupid, and selfish.  It’s not something I’m proud of.”

Awkward silence hung over the porch like a heavy rain cloud.  Both Carter and Travis were lost in thoughts that they didn’t have the words to verbalize.  Travis wanted to apologize and find the right way to take it all back.  He wanted to relive the years they all lost while he was away, and he wanted to show his son that he wasn’t a bad person.  He felt lost and helpless.  It wasn’t how he’d envisioned his life going at all.

Carter was just unsure of everything.  He wanted to protect his mother.  She was obviously upset by Travis’ unexpected arrival in their lives, and Carter was worried about what it all meant.  He didn’t want to move again.  He liked where he was; he liked Justin, too.  If Travis wanted to, he could make all of their lives a living hell.  It was unsettling.

“Are we going to have to move again?”  Finally, the boy voiced his thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

Carter took a deep breath.  “If people back in Boston find out where Mom is there could be a lot of trouble.  Are we going to have to move again because you know where we live?”  Blue eyes crashed together as the young man stared the older one down.  “Are you going to tell people where we are?”

The question took Travis by surprise, and he really didn’t know how to answer.

“Well, I…”  He stopped, not sure how to answer the boy’s question because he didn’t know why he was here. 

Carter stood up from the porch, wiping his hands down his jeans.  “I’m going to call my mom now.”  He left Travis sitting alone on the porch, heavy with thoughts.

The sun was warm on Bailey’s skin.  The heat felt nice to her, because she felt rather cold inside.  She and Justin were setting their food down, grabbing a picnic table outside so they could enjoy the sunshine.

“How did Carter’s visit go with Travis?”  Justin had been away at a conference and unable to find out how things had gone between father and son.  A lot was riding on Travis now, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

“Okay, I guess.  Carter said Travis was really awkward.”  Her smiled was rueful.  “He said it was apparent that Travis had never been around kids before.”

Justin took a swig of his drink, watching Bailey carefully.  He was almost afraid to ask his next question.  “What does this mean for the two of you?”

Bailey set down her fork, letting out a long sigh.  “I don’t know.  Carter told me he’d asked Travis if he was going to tell anyone where we are…”

“What did he say?”  Justin’s protective side had him wanting to shield both Bailey and Carter from all of this.  If Travis wanted to hurt them, he very easily could.

A shrug was Bailey’s response.  “He didn’t answer.”  She poked at her salad, a million thoughts running through her head.  “I think we should move, Justin.”  She couldn’t look him in the eyes when she said it, and there was a bitter taste in her mouth.

Bailey had been perseverating on moving since Travis first showed up.  It didn’t matter if he promised to never speak to anyone; he still knew where they were.  He could let something slip or he could get upset and decide to share their secret.  It scared Bailey to know someone had power over her like that.  She could never live comfortably knowing Travis was out there and he could easily give away their location to the wrong person.

“Move?  Where?”  Justin’s heart dropped into his stomach and he pushed away his sandwich.  This was what he’d been dreading.  He was attached to Bailey and Carter, and he knew a move would mean they disappeared from his life.  It would be the only way Bailey would feel safe, he knew.

“I don’t know…” emotions were thick in her throat, making it difficult to swallow.  She didn’t want to leave Justin.  She didn’t know if she could.  He had become a driving force in her life, giving her a happiness she hadn’t known since she was a little girl.  “I…think this is for the best, Justin…”  The words were weak, forced.  She didn’t believe what she was saying, but she couldn’t put herself first.  She had to think of Carter.

Justin was silent.  He wanted to get down on his knees and beg.  He wanted to tell her not to leave him, and that he was in love with her.  But he knew she was right.  He knew she needed to take care of her son, no matter how much Justin hated the idea of losing the both of them.

“I’m sorry…”  Bailey stood from the bench, tears pooling in her eyes.  “I need to go home.”  She grabbed her purse and headed toward the car, not able to look Justin in the eyes.  Quietly, he picked up their food and packed it away, following Bailey to the car.  He didn’t question her or make any comments as he drove her home.  Instead, he grabbed her hand and held on as tightly as he could. 

Maybe he could hold her to him and stop her from leaving.

~*~

Bailey had faced depression in her life.  She had known the emptiness, the desperation and the numbness that came with heavy sadness.  Before she had given birth to Carter, she sank into a dark hole and hid from the world.  She was a teenager about to have a baby, and her boyfriend had just gotten himself sent to jail.  It was the lowest point in Bailey’s short life.

But this…this felt so much worse.  She didn’t want to move and undo everything she had Carter had accomplished since they’d moved to Shelby Forest.  She had already started over; she didn’t want to do it again.  And then there was Justin.  She didn’t think she could break his heart, and she didn’t want to break her own.  She needed help.

“Bailey!  What are you doing here?  It’s a Saturday.”  Amelia was in the office, working overtime since Bailey had cut back some.

“I came to ask you for some help.”  She twisted her hands together, feeling like a little girl.  Amelia smiled, ushering Bailey into the office.

“I had a feeling you would…so I’ve been doing a little research.”  The grin on Amelia’s face gave Bailey the lightest feeling she had had in days.  “Come on back.”

It was strange to be on the other side of Amelia’s desk, as a client and not an employee.  It was nerve wracking, but for some reason she was filled with hope.  Seeing Amelia reminded Bailey that she wasn’t helpless anymore; she wasn’t a teenager.  Something could be done about this situation, and Bailey might get out with her heart intact.

“I’ve been doing a little looking into the life of our Travis since he was released from prison.”  Amelia settled into her office chair, pulling a file from the cabinet behind her.  “I couldn’t find much.  It seems he kept pretty low key when he got out.”  Bailey’s hope fell a little.  “But…I got this in the mail yesterday.”

A manila envelope was pushed across the desk, and Bailey felt her pulse rise when she recognized the handwriting.  “Dad…”  Gently, she brushed her fingers across the paper.  Taking her eyes off of the package, Bailey looked up at Amelia with confusion written all over her face.  “I thought…Travis said he was dead.”

A sad smile settled on Amelia’s face.  “I’m sorry, Bailey.  Your father did pass away.  I checked into that, too.”

Bailey sniffled, brushing the tear from her eye lashes.  “What’s this, then?”

The grin returned.  “It seems that your father was a very savvy man.”  She picked up the envelope and gently dumped the contents on her desk.  “He had this sent to me through a friend of his.  I think he knew you’d be needing it.”

“What is it?” 

Amelia slid a letter across the desk into Bailey’s hands.  Shakily, she opened it, her father’s handwriting stealing her breath.

Ms. Robinson,

I am writing to you on behalf of my daughter, Sarah Hudson.  You will know her as Bailey Beckett.

She was placed in a protection program after she testified against a known murderer and drug dealer in Boston.  Her protection and anonymity is of the utmost importance to me, so I’m asking that you do everything you can to help her.

I was recently contacted by a young man, Travis Williams.  He is the father of Bailey’s son, Carter, and I fear that he might hurt my little girl and my grandson.  I believe his intentions are innocent, that he just wants to meet his son.  But, I am concerned that he might inadvertently share information that could hurt Bailey and Carter.  I have enclosed some papers that will help ensure my daughter’s safety.  Please, take care of my baby.

And if you could, please tell my little girl that I am so proud of her.  She is the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever known and I know she is doing everything she can to take care of herself and her son.  I wish I could be there to tell you this in person, my Baby, but know I am always with you and I will watch over you.  I love you, Sarah Elaine.  Stay strong.

Yours,

Red Hudson

Bailey set the letter down, her entire body shaking with sobs. 

Amelia handed Bailey a box of tissues and let the girl have a moment.  She was shocked to get the package and the letter; she could only imagine what Bailey was feeling right now.

“What’s…what’s in the package?”  It took a while for Bailey to collect herself, but she knew there was business to be done.  She could mourn her father later, in private.

“Well…” Amelia pulled out a few things, showing them to the younger woman.  “It seems your father was expecting Mr. Williams to come looking for you, so he did a little research in preparation for their meeting.”  Bailey wasn’t sure what she was looking at, giving Amelia a confused look.  “Your father had friends in the police force, and in this package are copies of pictures and witness reports that all have Mr. Williams selling and buying illegal substances on numerous occasions.”

“Right, that’s what he went to prison for.”

Amelia’s grin widened.  “These were taken three weeks after Travis was released from jail.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand.”

“Bailey, your dad has enough dirt on Travis to send him back to jail for the rest of his life.  If these pictures got out, Travis would be breaking parole, which means automatic 25 to life.”  She gave Bailey a moment to let it all sink in.  “He can’t tell anyone where you are, Bailey, because there’s a police officer in Boston that Travis has to check in with daily or else this same package is going to his parole officer.”

The information rolled through her like electricity.  She was numb, but she could feel her pulse racing at the same time.

“We don’t have to move?”  It was whispered, as if Bailey were afraid of jinxing the moment if she spoke it too loud.

“You don’t have to move.”  Amelia stood from her chair and rounded the desk, pulling Bailey up into a tight hug.  “And if you want that asshole out of here, I’ll go rub this in his face right now.”

For the first time in weeks, Bailey laughed.

Justin paced back and forth, ringing his hands together.  Bailey was supposed to be over shortly and he wanted to make sure he said everything he needed to say.  He didn’t want to mess this up.

It had taken a lot of thinking, a lot more pacing, and some aspirin, but he’d managed to come to a decision.

Justin has spent his entire life in Tennessee.  In fact, he’d never really left Shelby Forest.  He liked his little town, and he was content with his life.  But, was he happy?  He’d thought so, until Bailey and Carter Beckett walked into his life and turned everything upside down.  He found something he didn’t know existed, and he was terrified that he was going to lose it.

Justin was under no illusion that Bailey’s situation was simple.  He knew that she carried more baggage than he’d expected, but he admired her for being able to handle it all.  She was an amazing mother in spite of all the shit she and her son and been through, and even now, when her world was teetering on the edge of corruption (again), she was still able to keep a level head. 

So, he’d made his decision.  Wherever she needed to go, he was going to go with her.  If this meant running off and hiding somewhere else, he would do it.  It was crazy and probably irrational, but he felt that this was something he needed to do.  His life was simple and uncomplicated, but that also meant it was missing the passion and happiness that he’d found with Bailey.  So, where she was headed, he wanted to be right there with her.

Now, he just needed to figure out how to tell her.

Knowing Bailey, she probably wasn’t going to take this in the best way.  She was stubborn as all hell, and she was determined to keep Justin away from her drama.  He was going to have to convince her that he was not acting on a whim.  He was serious. 

What the fuck was he thinking?

~*~

With lightness in her heart that she hadn’t felt in a very long time, Bailey made her way up the steps to Justin’s house.  Carter was out with his friends and she wanted some time alone with Justin so she could tell him her news.  She hadn’t told her son yet, but there would be plenty of time for that.  They now had lots of time.

The main door was open, so Bailey knocked on the screen door and peeked inside.  “Justin?”

She could see him down the hall in the kitchen, and he turned to usher her inside.  “In here!”

She stepped into the house, kicking off her shoes and padding down the hallway.  Justin was mixing something up in a bowl.  “Hey!  I’m glad you’re here.  I’ve made some lunch, if you’re hungry.”  He kissed her on the cheek quickly, moving around the room in almost a frantic pace.

Bailey eyed him carefully, grabbing a seat at the table.  “Are you okay?”  He was pacing as he mixed, moving from one task to the next without stopping.  “You seem…agitated or something.”

He turned, pink in his cheeks.  He was blushing slightly.  “No, no.  I’m fine.  Just…you k now…fixing lunch.”  He stopped in the middle of the kitchen, looking around sheepishly.

“Is something the matter?”  Bailey was suddenly worried, and Justin’s strange behavior wasn’t doing anything to quell her fears.

Justin put the bowl down, wiping his hands down his jeans and taking deep breath.  “No, everything is fine.”  He made his way over to Bailey, sitting down at the table and reaching across to take her hands.  “I’m glad you’re here because I wanted to tell you something.”

Bailey made a face, attempting to pull back.  “Is this like one of those, ‘we need to talk’ kind of conversations?  The ones that never end well?”

Justin shook his head, tightening his grip on her hands.  He took another deep breath, steeling himself.  “I know…you…what we have…” he stopped, looking down at the table in frustration.  “Shit, it wasn’t supposed to be this hard.”

“What’s going on?”  She was really worried now.

He licked his lips.  “I want to be with you, Bailey.  I love you.”  He saw her eyes widen with his confession, but he couldn’t stop now.  “I love you and Carter so much, it makes me sick to think of you leaving.  Without you, my life would feel so empty.  I didn’t…I didn’t even know I was missing anything until you showed up here, and now that I know you...I can’t stand to let you go.”  His eyes held her gaze steadily.  “So, wherever you go, I want to go to.”

Now that the admission was out, Justin felt relieved.  The ball was in her court, and he was praying that she wouldn’t turn him down.

Bailey smiled, tears filling her eyes.  She attempted to speak, but the emotions she’d been choking down for months suddenly surged up inside of her and she couldn’t hold them back anymore.  She sobbed and laughed at the same time, feeling slightly maniacal. 

“Bailey?”  Justin moved from his side of the table, lifting her slightly so he could sit in the chair and place her on his lap.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tightly that he shook with her.  “Shhh,” he soothed, “it’s going to be okay.  I’ll take care of you and Carter.  It’s going to be okay.”

Bailey hiccupped, trying to get a hold of all her emotions so she could share her news, but it was difficult to rein all of this in.  She had left Boston in fear, and had spent her entire stay in Shelby Forest looking over her shoulder.  Now…now she knew she could move on.  It was a lot to take in.

Slowly, her sobs quieted and she was able to breath normally again.  She sat back, wiping at her cheeks and laughing slightly.  “I’m such a mess.”

Justin swiped his thumb under her eye and smiled at her.  “It’ll be okay.”

She nodded.  “I know.  I know, because I just got through talking with Amelia…”

“Is she going to help you relocated?”  Justin cut her off, going through all of the scenarios in his head about where they might need to go.

Bailey laughed, “Justin…stop.  Listen.”  She reached into her purse that was hanging on the chair and took out the letter from her father.  “Amelia got this sent to her, from my dad.”  She shook her head at his unasked question.  “No…he’s gone.  But, before he left, he put together some incredible things.”  She handed him the letter and waited for him to finish.

“I don’t understand.”  He gave her a questioning look.

“Travis has to check in with a police officer in Boston, a friend of my dad’s.  If he fails to check in for even one day, a stack of photos will be sent to his parole officer showing Travis in the midst of drug deals.  Which means he’s broken his parole.”

It took Justin a few minutes to process everything he had just heard.  “So…”

“So?  We’re staying, Justin.  Right here.”

He let the words sink in, savoring the sound of them.  When he had fully understood he implication of her statement, he stood with her still in his arms, spinning her around the kitchen.  Together they laughed; giddy with the sudden release of tension they’d both been under for a while now.

When he was almost to dizzy to stand, Justin stopped spinning, holding Bailey tightly to his chest.  “Staying?”  She bit her lip, smiling and nodding.  “Are you sure?  I mean…Shelby Forest isn’t Boston…”

“No…but it’s you.”

Unable to stop himself, Justin capture Bailey’s lips in a kissed filled with happiness and promise and all of the things he wanted to give to her.  When he needed a breath, he pulled back and rested his forehead against her own.  “I was so scared that I was going to lose you.”

“Me, too.”

“Does Carter know?” 

Bailey shook her head, “no, I wanted to tell you first.”  She pulled back slightly, hesitant to let Justin go.  She wanted to hold onto the joy of this moment for as long as possible.

The pair stood for a while, enjoying the feeling of being together without the strain of worry.  Finally, Bailey’s stomach grumbled loud enough to make them both laugh, and Justin finally finished the lunch he’d been making when she showed up.

“So…what are you going to tell Carter?”

Bailey slowly chewed her food, thinking over her response.  “I guess I’m just going to tell him that we’re staying.  I don’t think he needs to know the details.”

“And what about Travis?”

Bailey sighed.  This was the part she didn’t really want to think about right away.  “I don’t know.  I’m obviously going to tell him what I know.  But…I can’t tell him to leave, at least not know.  He doesn’t seem to want anything except to know Carter…and…well, I think I should give him that chance.”

Justin was uncomfortable with that idea, but he knew that Bailey was only trying to do what was best for her son.  He would let her make whatever decisions she needed to, as long as he knew she would stay.

“Well…I think we should finish up here, and then go grab Carter.  I’d like to take you two out to dinner.” 

Bailey’s smile lit up her face.  “I’d like that.”

Justin sat back on his hands, a grin stretched from one ear to the other.  Bailey sat next to him, her legs tucked under her; her head resting against his shoulder.  They were sprawled on a blanket on the third base line of the ball field.  Carter and his buddies had put together a scrimmage game, and some of the parents had come out to watch their kids play.  After the game, Bailey and Justin planned to take Cater out to dinner so they could tell him about the news and offer the kid some relief.  He had been pretty worked up over the idea of leaving, too, and Justin really wanted to put his mind at ease.

It felt like the perfect summer day, really.  Justin was so content to sit here and watch Cater pitch, and lay next to Bailey.  The only thing that was slightly marring the perfection of his afternoon would be the man watching from across the field.  Travis had shown up not long after the game had started.  He hadn’t said anything to either Justin or Bailey, instead, he’d moved to the fence along the first base side and stayed there, occasionally cheering on his son.  Even with the distance between them, Justin could feel the man’s eyes.  Even though he’d learned that Travis couldn’t make Bailey and Carter relocate, Justin still didn’t like the man being around. 

Purposely, he leaned over and kissed Bailey on the forehead, shifting his weight so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder.  He smiled when she snuggled in closer to him.

“Are you marking your territory?”  She asked, a grin in her voice.

Justin smiled, kissing her again.  “Absolutely.  If he wants a show, I’ll give him one.”

“I think he’s just here for Carter, J.  You don’t have to worry.”

“Oh, I’m not worried.”  Justin’s tone was confident, but inside he was a little uncomfortable with the idea of Travis.  It was easier to deal with the man when he was a memory.  He could make Bailey forget those memories for a while, replace them with new, better ones.  In person, it was hard for Bailey and Carter to ignore Travis’s presence, and Justin didn’t like it.  He would never begrudge Carter his father, but he didn’t think that Travis deserved the title.  Getting a girl pregnant did not a father make, and Justin was worried that Carter was going to suffer because of Travis’s past. 

So, if that meant ‘marking his territory,’ he would do it until Travis got the hint.  He wanted the man to go away, and fast.

“Hey Mom, Mr. T.”  Carter trotted over, grabbing a bottle of water from his mother’s outstretched hands, wiping sweat from his face.

“You know, Carter, you’re not my student anymore.  You can call me Justin.  Mr. T makes me sound like a member of the A-Team.”

Carter gave him a mischievous look.  “You’re not cool enough to be in the A-Team, Mr…Justin.”

“Carter!”  Bailey scolded, but Justin let out a loud laugh, appreciating the jibe. 

“It’s okay.  That was a good one.”  Carter grinned at Justin’s praise.  “You look good out there, C.  Your curve ball is untouchable.”  If possible, the smile on the boy’s face widened even farther.

“Thanks!  We’re just taking a break for a minute.  I need to get back over there.”  He waved goodbye to his mother and Justin, trotting back over to the field and entering the huddle that was forming.

Bailey bumped her shoulder into Justin’s.  “He likes you, J.  A lot.  You’re really good with him.”

“I like him, too.  He’s a great kid.  You’ve done an incredible job raising him.”  He leaned into her a little, liking the feel of her bare arm pressed against his.

“Thank you.”

Her voice was small, quiet, and Justin knew she was thinking about the past, remembering.  He let her get lost in though, content to just sit here with her and enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air. 

The game was over not long after, the boys grinning and high-fiving each other as they collected their gear and walked off the field.  Justin bent to pick up the blanket and Bailey’s small bag, grimacing as he caught stood and caught sight of Travis making his way over to the group.

“Hey, Carter, great job.”  Travis reached out to ruffle Carter’s hair, but the boy ducked away and sidled closer to his mother.

“Thanks.”  It was obvious that Carter was still uncomfortable around the man, and Justin just wanted to tell him to leave them alone.

Travis scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.  “I was wondering if you wanted to get a bite to eat.  You know, celebrate the game.”  He looked at his son hopefully, but those hopes slipped a little when Carter turned to look questioningly at his mother.

Bailey shook her head.  “Actually, Justin and I were going to take you out to dinner, if you’re hungry.”  She gave Justin a small look before continuing, “but if you’d like to go with Travis, that’s your choice.”

Carter seemed to be choking back a groan.  He had wanted his mother to give him an easy out.  Now he was going to have to make a decision, although, it was an easy one.  “Maybe another night, Travis.  I’d like to spend this one with my mom.”

Justin cheered silently inside, reaching over to grab Carter’s baseball bag and giving the boy a smile.  “I’m going to take our stuff to the car.  I’ll meet you both over there.”  He gave Travis a curt nod because his manners dictated that he acknowledge the man, but he also made it a point to kiss Bailey’s cheek and touch Carter lightly on the shoulder.  They were his family now, and he really didn’t think that Travis deserved to be around them, not after everything he’d put them through.

Bailey watched Justin walk away, a small smile perched on her face.  She was still feeling light, untouchable almost, and she couldn’t help but see Travis as a different person now.  Gone was the threat of exposure.  Now, he was just a tired, worn out man with no life and no family and a past that would forever haunt him.  She almost felt badly for him, but she knew better than that.  Travis has made his own bed.

“You look great out there, Carter.  You’re such an unbelievable pitcher.  I’m amazed.”  Travis was trying really hard to connect with his son, Bailey could see it.  If Carter realized it, though, he did a great job of ignoring it.

The boy just shrugged.  “Gramps really helped me a lot, and I’ve been working with my coaches and Justin since we’ve been down here.  I just like to play ball.”  The mention of Justin put an obvious slump in Travis’s shoulders.

Bailey was starting to feel uncomfortable, and she really just wanted to be with her son and Justin.  “We should probably get going, Bub.  I’m sure you’re hungry.”  She ran her hands through Carter’s hair, giving him a smile.

“Sounds good.”  Carter turned to trot of, throwing a wave over his shoulder, “bye Travis.”  And that was it.  Travis looked down at the ground, rubbing at his neck and chuckling uncomfortably.

“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”  He glanced up at Bailey.  The laugh that came out of her mouth was a harsh sound.

“No, and it shouldn’t be.”  She sighed, “we’ll see you later, Travis.”  She couldn’t quite stand to be in his presence anymore.  She was resentful that he’d come here and turned their world upside down, expecting both of them to be happy to see him.  For years she’s been dealing with the aftermath of Travis’s bad decisions and she wanted to be done with all of it.  If he was going to sit here and feel badly for himself, she wasn’t going to stick around to hear it.

Without saying anything, she turned and walked toward the car, smiling widely as she saw Justin waiting for her leaned up against the car bantering with Carter.  This was her future, she was sure of it, and it felt like it was truly time to let everything else go and move forward.

“You ready?”  Justin asked when she got closer.

Bailey nodded, “I’m starving.  Let’s go.”

Justin opened the passenger door for her, giving her a grin and a kiss on the cheek before making his way to the driver’s side.  “So, Carter, you’re the man of the hour.  Where do you want to eat?”

Without hesitation, Carter answered, “I want a burger from the General Store.”

Justin chuckled, “kid after my own heart.  General Store it is.”

The drive over was quiet, talk of the game and Carter’s pitching the topic of the evening.  It didn’t take long to get there, and the group was greeted by Sam and Ben, happy to see some of their favorite customers.  “Hey y’all!  What brings you here?”

Sam ushered them to the counter, setting down menus even though no one needed them.  It was Carter who answered, “I’m starving, Miss Sam, and I really want a burger.”

“You got it, kid.  You’ve come to the right place.  The usual?”  She looked at the adults, too, checking for their orders.  “That’ll be right up.  Glad to see you back.”  She gave Bailey a pointed look, patting the girl on the hand before disappearing into the back.

The last time Bailey had been in the General Store, she’d passed out upon learning that Travis was back and looking for her.  Then, she’d been terrified and worried.  Now, though, she was content and feeling happier than she had in a long time.  “So, Bub, I have something to tell you.”

Carter looked up from the magazine he’d grabbed off of the shelf, glancing between his mother and Justin.  He groaned, “You’re not pregnant, are you?”  He gave Justin a hard stare and both adults gasped.

“Carter!”  Bailey scolded, blushing at her son’s comment.  “What’s gotten into you?”

The young boy had the good grace to look ashamed, ducking his head in embarrassment.  “Sorry.  I just…I figured that marriage or babies or something was coming next.  I mean…look at you two.”

Justin had covered his face with his hands, so he was no help to Bailey.  She looked over at her son and couldn’t help but laugh a little.  “What happened to my little boy?”

The boy grinned, happy that he wasn’t in real trouble for his comment.  Really, though, it only seemed like a matter of time before his Mom and Mr. Timberlake made it official.  Now, though, he was really curious to hear what his mom had to tell him.  “So, what’s up?”

Bailey recovered from her shock and smiled again, remembering why she was here in the first place.  “Well…Amelia received a letter from your Gramps, one he’d put together before he passed away.” She saw the hope in his eyes falter, so she moved forward quickly.  “To make a long story short, Travis can’t tell anyone where we are or he’ll end up back in jail.”  She watched Carter to see his reaction, and he seemed a little confused still.  “Bub, we don’t have to go anywhere.  We can stay.”

Even though he tried to hold it back, tears started to well up in Carter’s eyes as relief and something else flooded through him.  He’d been so scared of having to relocate again.  He was just starting to like it here in Shelby Forest, and he’d never seen his mom this happy.  He had been so pissed when Travis showed up, convinced that he was going to mess their lives up again.  Now, though, now he could finally take a breath.

“You okay?”  His mom’s arms wrapped around his shoulder and he leaned into her, letting the tears fall silently.  He didn’t trust his voice, so he just nodded, looking up to see tears in her eyes, too.  “It’s okay, Bub.  We’re safe now.”  She kissed his forehead, bringing him tightly to her.

Safe.  Carter liked the sound of that.

The sun was starting to move higher in the sky, warming the air to a slightly less than bearable temperature.  Carter used the rag in his back pocket to wipe at the sweat sliding into his eyes. He and Justin had been outside all morning trying to clean up the yard and do some repairs on the house.  It wasn’t his first choice of places to be, but it meant a lot to his Mom, and he liked getting to spend some time with Justin.

Since finding out that Travis wasn’t really a threat anymore, Carter had been thinking a lot about his father.  Really, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to get to know the man at all.  Part of him knew that giving Travis a second chance was the mature thing to do, but, then again, he was a thirteen-year-old that didn’t like the man and didn’t want to waste his time.  Travis had caused his mother a lot of problems over the years.  He had been absent for the entirety of Carter’s life.  There wasn’t much going for the man, and the more Carter thought about it, the more he knew that he didn’t have room for Travis in his life.  Not now, anyway.

“Hey, space cadet, where are you?”  Justin’s amused voice broke through Carter’s thoughts just as a paint spattered rag hit his shoulder.

Carter grinned sheepishly.  “Sorry.  Just thinking.”  He picked up the tossed rag and joined Justin by the porch that the man had been painting.  Carter had been scraping off the old paint while Justin moved behind him, adding a fresh coat to the sad looking wood.  The work allowed for thoughts to roam.

“Anything good happening in that head?”

The boy shrugged, picking up his scraper and starting to attack the porch with renewed vigor.  “Just Travis.  I’m just…I don’t really want him around anymore.”  Justin stayed silent, so Carter just kept talking.  “I mean, I know what he did to my Mom, and he spent my entire life in jail.  So…why would I want to have a part of that?  He came down here and almost ruined everything.  I guess I just don’t know how to tell him.”

He glanced over at Justin, who was slowly adding a coat of pain to the railing, thinking over what had just been shared.  “Well…I don’t know if that’s something you can tell him.  At least, if you’re trying not to hurt his feelings.”  Justin carefully set the brush down.  “Maybe you just tell him what you love about you life here, and you let him decide if there’s room for him in it.”

Carter scratched at his head, frustration sitting hard between his shoulders.  “But what if I don’t think he fits and I don’t want him around?”  He looked over at Justin.  “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“You’re the main person who gets a say in this, Carter.  This is your life.  Travis is trying to make up for a lot of wrongs he’s committed in the past, but it’s completely up to you whether or not you forgive him.  If you don’t want him to be a part of your life, that’s your choice, too.”

The two were silent for some time after that, working and thinking.  Carter’s mind kept revolving around how to tell Travis to go away without seeming like a complete ass.  Justin’s thoughts were on Bailey, and how Travis’s presence complicated her life as well as her son’s. 

It was a lot to think about, and it occupied the two workers as the finished up the porch and started to clean up their mess.  “Carter,” Justin finally broke the silence between them.  The young boy looked up at him, curious.  “If you want me to help you talk to Travis, I will.  I want you to know that I’m here for you, too, any time you need me, for whatever reason.”  An easy grin light Carter’s face as he picked up the paint cans and followed Justin to the storage shed.

“Thanks.”  He paused, his grin stretching farther across his face.  “Justin,” he waited for the man to turn and look at him.  “If you want me to help you ask my mom to marry you, I will.”

Justin’s loud guffaw echoed through the yard.  “Thanks, Carter.”

“Anytime.”

~*~

The rest of the afternoon was much more leisurely than the morning.  The rising sun had made it much too hot to keep working outside, so the boys busied themselves with indoor projects, happy to escape into the cooler, air conditioned house.  The sink in the bathroom had been leaking, so together they fixed that.  Then, Bailey had needed some furniture moved around in her bedroom to make space for a new dresser she’d purchased.  Carter had thoroughly enjoyed being around Justin and helping him around the house.  It made for a nice surprise for his mother when she got home later than evening.  She was so pleased with the work they’d done, that she released them to go play ball in the front yard while she made dinner.

This was the life Carter had yearned for.  Justin fit so easily into this role, and Carter trusted him.  He was good to his mother, respectful to Carter’s space, but he was so reliable and dependable.  Even though he’d been joking earlier, Carter would not be upset at all if his mom wanted to get married to Justin.  He thoroughly approved.

“Slow down your release.  It’s putting the ball off-speed more than you want it to.”  Justin’s instructions pulled Carter to the present.  They were on the front lawn, Carter pitching as Justin caught for him. 

“I know.  I’m not really paying attention.”  The boy confessed, putting his focus back onto the curve ball he was throwing.  The next pitch was near perfect.

“Much better.”  Justin grinned, tossing the ball back and crouching back down toward the ground.  “Try the sinking fast ball this time.” 

Carter adjusted the ball in his hands, picturing the pitch and how he wanted it to move.  With little effort, he urged the ball into Justin’s glove and cursed as it went high.  “Damn.  That’s my worst pitch.”

Justin stood, letting his legs stretch for a minute.  “It’s okay.  You’ll get there.  This time, try to take some speed off and see if that helps.”

Their practice went on a while longer, Justin coaching Carter through as Bailey watched through the kitchen window.  Their serene little bubble shrank a little, though, as Travis pulled into the driveway.  He looked at Justin with a barely suppressed frustration as he got out of the car, feigning politeness as he said hello.  Carter nodded in his direction, but continued to pitch the ball to Justin, seemingly ignoring the other man.  He didn’t want to talk to Travis.  He wanted to spend the evening with his mom and Justin and not think about trying to navigate around his father’s awkwardness.

“Hey, Carter.  How are you?”  Travis stood on the lawn, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, and Carter couldn’t help but think that he looked pathetic.  Giving up on trying to ignore him, Carter removed his glove and stuck the ball inside.

“Hey, Travis.”  He moved toward the porch, careful not to touch any of the places they’d painted earlier.  “Thanks for letting me pitch to you, Justin.”

“Anytime.  I’m going to check and see if Bailey needs any help.”  He touched Carter lightly on the shoulder and dropped his voice as he walked by.  “Let me know if you need anything.  I’ll be right here.”

Carter nodded, following Justin inside with his eyes, then sighing and turning to look back and Travis.  The man was still standing in the middle of the lawn.  “You can sit.”

“Do you want to keep pitching?  I’ll catch for you.  You know, I used to be able to throw a little when I was your age.” 

“No, thanks.  I should let my arm rest.”  Carter plopped himself down in a rocking chair and watched his father carefully.  The man seemed to deflate a little at Carter’s brush-off, leaving Carter feeling slightly guilty for being so unfriendly.  His mother would be appalled at his manners.  “Can I get you something to drink?  Water, tea?”

Travis finally budged from his spot on the lawn, shuffling over to the porch and climbing the stairs to sit next to Carter.  “I’m all set, thanks.”  He sat gingerly, like he was afraid he’d be told to go away if he made himself too comfortable.  “I just came over to see if you might want to go to a Memphis Grizzlies’ game with me next weekend.  They’re playing a scrimmage, but I hear it’ll be a good game.”

Carter squirmed in his seat, unsure of how to speak to this man.  Honesty, he’d been taught, was always the best policy.  So, he would start with that.  “I don’t know, Travis.  I mean…it’s really nice of you and everything, but I was going to go fishing with my Mom and Justin next weekend.”

“Oh…well, it’s okay.  Another time, maybe.”

 A strange tension filled the air around them, and Carter was extremely thankful when his mother came outside and told him to go wash up for dinner.

Bailey ruffled her son’s hair as he raced by.  She turned to look at Travis, noting how incredibly uncomfortable he seemed.  “Would you like to stay for dinner?”  The words tasted terribly in her mouth and she didn’t want to ask, but she also didn’t want to be rude.  “I’ve made chicken.”

“Will Justin be staying?”  The question was laced in venom that had Bailey taking a step back.

“As a matter of fact, he will be.  Do you have a problem with that?” 

Travis lifted his hands and ran them over his face, letting out a sigh.  “I can’t seem to make any headway with him, Sarah.  He’s…he hates me.”

“My name is Bailey.”  She was trying to contain her temper, but it was difficult.  It was made harder when Travis let out a derisive laugh.

“Right, I almost forgot.  You’ve made quite the life down here, haven’t you?  You and your little boyfriend, who’s probably poisoning my own son’s mind against me every chance he gets.” 

“Excuse me?”  Now it was Bailey’s turn to spit venom.  “Do you know why we’re here, Travis?  Have you forgotten what you put me through?  What you put Carter through?  It’s not Justin’s fault that Carter doesn’t want to be around you; it’s yours.  Maybe if you hadn’t had your head up your ass and been in jail for the boy’s entire life, he might feel a little differently.”  She reached for the screen door and opened it with a jerk.  “You can go now.  I don’t want you here anymore.”

She made to step inside, but Travis’s hand shot out and held the door open.  His grip was strong.  “Is that it?  You’re just kicking me out?  I’m trying like hell to make up for what I did.  Doesn’t that make any difference at all?”  He was angry and desperate and Bailey felt like she was eighteen all over again.  It scared her.

“Let go of the door, Travis.”

His grip held tightly.  “No, I’m not leaving.  I want to spend time with my son and you can’t stop me.”  He yanked on the screen door as if to make his way inside.

Justin’s voice stopped him.  “She told you to let go.  I suggest you do what she asks.” 

Travis sneered.  “Or what?”

“Or I’ll call the police.  Go somewhere and cool off, Travis.”  Justin gently guided Bailey through the door and behind him, putting his body in the way if Travis decided to do anything stupid.

The fire in his eyes was dying down, but Travis wasn’t quite ready to give up yet.  “I’m not leaving until I speak with my son again.  I’m his father, you know.”

“Carter doesn’t want to speak to you, Travis, and I’m this damn close to calling the cops.  Get off this porch, back into your car, and leave.  Don’t do something you’re going to regret.”  Justin’s voice was firm and he stepped a little closer to Travis.  For a second, he thought the other man was going to haul off and punch him, but the moment passed and Travis let go of the door, deflated.

“Whatever.  Tell Carter I love him,” he mumbled, shuffling back to his car and peeling out of the driveway, leaving a cloud of dust.

Bailey and Justin stood there a moment longer, watching as Travis’s tail lights faded into nothing.  “Does Amelia still have the number to that cop in Boston?”  He asked, finally turning to look at Bailey, who was white as a sheet.  She nodded.  “Keep it handy.  Okay?”

A second later, Carter bounded down the hallway.  He noticed first the absence of his father, then the rigid stance of Justin and the paleness of his mother.  “Is everything okay?”  He asked, looking back and forth between the two adults.

Bailey let out a breath and plastered on a smile she didn’t really feel at the moment.  “Absolutely.  Let’s eat.”  She ushered them all into the house, stopping to turn and shut the front door behind her, hearing the lock catch with a click.

Bailey’s fingers clicked over the keys of her computer as she sent off e-mails for Amelia.  It was almost the end of the day, and she was ready to go home and relax.  Justin had offered to make dinner tonight, and Carter was off at a friend’s house.  A night with Justin sounded like the perfect end to her day.

Work with Amelia was…boring.  If she were honest with herself, being a secretary wasn’t what she’d envisioned for herself at all.  It had been a great job to fall into when she’d first come to Shelby Forest, but now she was bored.  Bailey had a bachelor’s degree in journalism.  It was in Sarah Hudson’s name, but it was still Bailey’s degree.  She hadn’t been able to use it in a long time, and she really wanted to get back to writing.

“Don’t overwork yourself,” Amelia chirped, walking down the hallway from her office.  “It’s the end of the day, Bailey.  Stop working and go home to your man.”

Bailey sighed, pushing back from the desk.  “Can I ask you a question?”

Amelia grinned devilishly, “Yes, you should marry Justin.”

“Melia!  That’s not what I was asking.”  She blushed, not sure why everyone was so eager for the two of them to get married.  “What I wanted to know was if there might be a way for me to get my Journalism degree back.”

“You have a degree?”  Amelia hadn’t known that before.

“Well, technically Sarah Hudson does.  I had to give up all of that when I came here and changed my name.  I didn’t know if it would be possible to get it back, or get another one without having to go through school all over again.  I just…” She looked away from her boss, embarrassed slightly.  “I miss writing.”

Amelia’s smile turned sad.  “You are overqualified for this job.  Let me look into it, okay?  I’m not sure what we can do, but I’ll find out.”  She hitched her purse strap higher on her shoulder.  “Now, though, we should get out of here.”

Bailey shut down the computer, grabbing her own bag and following Amelia to the door.  Now that the idea of writing had made itself known, she knew wasn’t going to be able stop thinking about it.  She missed it, a lot, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to get back to it again.  She loved being able to track a story and then figure out the best way to put it into words.  She loved meeting people, discovering their character, and inking them into immortality through writing.

She missed writing.

These thoughts stayed with her as she drove to Justin’s.  She had no idea if it was possible to get her degree back, or if she’d have to start from the beginning, but she knew that she needed to get back to doing what she loved.

“Hey, you.”  Justin greeted her at the door, grinning.  Bailey’s focus returned to the present and she matched his smile with her own, reaching up to put her arms around his shoulders.  His hands grabbed her hips as he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.  As he pulled away, one hand came up to brush away a stray hair.  “I am so happy you’re here.”

Bailey could feel the blush staining her cheeks, and she laughed a little, tucking her head into Justin’s chest.  “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

“What?”

“Your compliments.”

Justin laughed, pulling her into the house and toward the kitchen.  “Well, I’ll just have to give you more, then.”  He set her down at the table, pouring her a glass of wine and grabbing his own.  “How was work?”

Bailey shrugged, sipping her drink slowly.  “Boring.”  Justin’s eyebrow raised, but he said nothing.  “I’m not cut out to be a secretary.  I just…I can’t sit still that long.”  She laughed at her own confession.  “I also didn’t think I was cut out for small town living, either.  Maybe I’m just being picky.”

Justin set his glass down on the table, leaning forward to look Bailey in the eyes.  “What would you rather be doing?”

She hesitated, not having shared much of this with him before.  It felt almost like she was stripping herself naked.  “I want to write.”  She confessed, finally, feeling the relief with each word she spoke.  “I had a journalism degree back in Boston.  I used to write for a few newspapers; freelance stuff, really.  I miss it, Justin.  I really want to get back into writing again.”

He sat back, a small smile on his face.  “Then do it.”

She was silent for a minute, not expecting his direct response.  “Well, it’s not that simple.  I mean, the degree is in Sarah Hudson’s name, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to change it.  And, I don’t know of any places around here that are looking for writers.”  She wasn’t sure why she was being so negative, but she couldn’t help it.

“You’ll probably have to look closer to Memphis, but I’m sure we can find you something.  And, as for the degree, I don’t even think you need it.  If you love writing that much, you’ll be able to convince some place to take you on.”  He sat forward again, this time reaching for her hands.  “I want you to be happy, Bailey, and I think you should go for this.  I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

His grin stretched.  “Yeah.  I do have an English degree, you know.  I’m pretty good at writing myself.”

“I thought you just took summers off because you’re rich.”

Justin’s head fell back as he laughed, letting go of Bailey to stand and grab the roast out of the oven.  “Right.  I have a secret stash of money.”

“I knew it!”  She took another swallow of wine, standing and stretching her tired back.  Moving up behind Justin, she wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head between his shoulder blades.  His heart beat steadily under her ear.  “You smell good,” she breathed into his shoulder. 

Justin turned in her arms, wrapping his own around her back and pulling her into him.  She fit into his arms like a missing piece, her head tucked just under his chin.  He would stay like this forever, if it were possible.  She made him feel so incredibly content and alive at the same time.  “I love you, Bailey.”

She looked up at him, a smile shining in her eyes.  “I love you, too, Justin.”

“The food is just about ready.  I thought we could eat outside.  Can you bring the plates and silverware out for me?”  He kissed her forehead, not really wanting to let her go but feeling rather hungry, too.

“Sure.”  She stole another kiss before turning to get the plates.

Together, they set the table and gathered everything for dinner, quiet banter between the two of them.  It was easy and comfortable and felt as if they had been doing this forever.  When everything was ready, Justin pulled out a chair for Bailey before settling in his own.

“So,” Bailey started, “Carter’s thirteenth birthday is next week.”

Justin glanced over at her, filling his plate with food.  “Any plans?”

She sighed, “I don’t know.  I want to do something special.  I mean, he’s becoming a teenager.”

Justin laughed a little, “He’s so much older than a teenager.  He’s more adult than I am, most of the time.”  He speared a potato with his fork, chewing thoughtfully.  “We could take him to a baseball game in Memphis.”

“Yeah, I’ve thought of that.  He’d love it, I know, but I want it to be special.”  She sipped her wine, wracking her brain for something to do.  She wanted to give her son the world, but that wasn’t quite possible.  Settling for an amazing birthday would be the next best thing, but she couldn’t figure out what that would be.

Justin could sense that Bailey was about to slip away into her thoughts, so he gently touched her hand, smiling as she looked over at him.  “Bailey, I think that Carter would be happy to be surrounded by friends and family.  He’s settling in so well here and he’s made some really good friends with the boys from school.  We could cook out here, or even at the ball field, and I think he would have the time of his life.”  He gave her hand a squeeze.  “Don’t stress yourself out about it.”

Bailey smiled ruefully, knowing that Justin had a point.  “You’re right.  Maybe we could ask your mom to help us out.”

“She would love that.”  He sat back again, relaxed and happy to have averted a small crisis.  “Hey, I know of a pitching clinic in Memphis, too.  It’s mostly for high school players, but my buddy knows the owner.  I could probably get Carter in there for a few sessions.”

Bailey’s jaw nearly dropped.  “You’re kidding.”  She couldn’t quite believe that Justin would offer something like this.  “Carter would be in heaven.  That’s the best gift you could ever give him.”

Justin nearly blushed under her compliments.  “I love the kid, Bailey.  He’s part of you, and he’s incredible.  I want to give him the best birthday, too.”  He scratched at his head, feeling embarrassed.  “I just know how much the clinic would mean to him.”

Bailey pushed her chair back, moving over to Justin and gently settling herself in his lap.  She kissed him a few times, holding his cheeks between her hands.  As she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder, she confessed quietly, “You must be the best thing that has ever happened to the two of us.  I couldn’t ask for any better man to be in my son’s life.”

Justin wrapped his arms around her tightly, closing his eyes and breathing in her scent.  “I think you’ve got it wrong, Bails.  I’m the lucky one.”

“The picnic tables have all been set up, the food is taken care of, and I’ve put all of the presents on that last table down there.”  Lynn pointed a finger in the direction she’s spoken of.  “Everything is all set, Bailey.  Nothing to worry about.”

Bailey’s blue eyes surveyed the scene.  Lynn was right.  Everything had been taken care of for her son’s party, and she couldn’t quite believe how many people had come together to help her.  Carter had no idea this party was going on, so one of his friends was distracting him until it was time.  A few of the baseball mothers had chipped in to pull together the food, and someone else had decorated the park with balloons and streamers.  Bailey hadn’t really needed to lift a finger.

“Thank you,” she said, slightly in shock.  How she’d suddenly become part of the Shelby Forest family, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed that she and her son were no longer outsiders.  Of course, much of that had to do with Justin, seeing as he was the town’s favorite teacher.

“Mom, it looks fantastic out here.”  Speaking of the devil, Justin came up beside Bailey, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before reaching out to hug his mother.  “You all did a great job.”

Lynn shrugged.  “When people heard that this was for Carter, they came out in droves to help.”  She gave a smiling look in Bailey’s direction.  “He’s a wonderful young man, Bailey.  You’ve done a spectacular job raising him.”

This time, Bailey blushed.  She didn’t really know what to say, so instead she gave Lynn a hug.  The woman was beginning to become something of a mother to Bailey; something she hadn’t had in a very long time.  It was nice to have another woman in her life, especially one that cared so much about Carter. 

Justin glanced at his watch, pulling his phone from his back pocket.  “They’re here.” 

“How do you know?  Can you see them?”  Bailey peered around the park, unable to spot her son. 

Justin grinned.  “I had Billy send me a text when they got here.  He’s been having the time of his life keeping this secret from Carter.”  The two of them moved toward the parking lot of the park where Carter would be coming from.  Bailey was nervous.  She wanted her son to have the best birthday ever, but she worried that he was getting too old for parties in the park.  He wasn’t her little boy anymore.  He was growing up, and way too fast, at that.

Justin pointed, “I see him.”

Bailey had to laugh when she spotted Carter walking in with a blindfold on, Billy at his elbow saying something.  Carter looked completed frustrated, but he seemed to be playing along for now.  A few moments later, the boys made their way to where Bailey and Justin were standing, Carter looking extremely agitated. 

“Seriously, Billy, this has to be the stupidest game of tag I’ve ever heard of.  I’m not about to go running around in a blindfold.  That’s just asking for a broken bone.”  He tugged at the offensive cloth, finally pulling it away from his eyes.  When he was able to get his bearings, his face turned to surprise at the sight of his mother.  “Mom, Justin, what are you guys doing here?”

Justin grinned.  “Surprise!  Happy Birthday!”

Shock slowly registered on Carter’s face as he glanced around, noting the tables set up near the ball field, with streamers and balloons.  It looked like a regular party.  “This is for me?”  He pointed to his chest, still trying to take it all in.  He turned to his best friend, Billy, grinning.  “How the heck did you keep this a secret?  I had no idea.”

Billy’s chest expanded as he grinned, proud of his accomplishment.  “Yeah, well I’m just really good at keepin’ secrets.”  His southern drawl was even more pronounced as he boasted.

Carter laughed.  “You just got lucky.”  He took another look around before moving to his mother’s side and wrapping her in a tight hug.  “Thanks, Mom.  This is awesome.” 

Bailey kissed the side of his head as the two started walking towards the party.  A lot more people had shown up, and quite the crowd was starting to gather.  “I can’t take credit for this one, Bub.  Justin had the idea, and Ms. Lynn and the other baseball moms put it together.  You should be thanking them.”

Carter let go of his mom and moved over toward Justin, no hesitation as he reached out and have the older man a tight hug.  “Thanks, Justin.  You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

Justin hugged Carter back, a little surprised by the show of affection.  He certainly wasn’t going to turn it down, though.  “You’re very welcome, Carter.  Happy Birthday.”

Once they reached the party Carter was swept into the crowd of well wishers and friends.  Bailey and Justin settled on the edges of the melee, content to chat with the other parents and watch the kids’ horse play.  It was the first time that Bailey felt like she belonged in this crowd of people; like she was part of this town and not just a visitor.  Carter looked completely at home with his friends, and Bailey couldn’t remember a time when the boy’s smile was this big.  The move to Shelby Forest had been difficult for both of them, but now…now Bailey was sure that it was worth it.  Peeking over at the man seated next to her, she grinned.  Yes, being here was completely worth it.

Justin caught her staring.  “What are you grinning at?”  He leaned over from his chair, kissing her on the cheek gently.

She blushed.  “Nothing.  Just happy.”

His eyebrow raised, “Happy?  You mean that?”

It was Bailey’s turn to lean over, this time catching his mouth in a chaste kiss.  “The happiest I’ve been since Carter was born.”  She stole another kiss.  “You make me that happy, Justin.”  This time, he was the one to blush.

~*~

“Hey, Carter, is that your dad standing over there watching you?”  Billy pointed, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the strange man’s stare.  “He’s kinda creepy, dude.”

Carter looked in the direction of Billy’s gesture, letting out a small curse as he spotted Travis standing by the fence of the ball field.  The man looked just as awkward as possible, unsure of if he was welcome here.  Well, in Carter’s opinion, he wasn’t welcome.  He looked over at his mother, who was sitting with Justin and Ms. Lynn, lost in a conversation.  As long as Travis didn’t ruin his mother’s time, Carter would be okay.

“I’m going to go see what he wants.  I’ll be right back.”  Carter waved to his friends, trotting off in Travis’s direction.  He tried to make his face look passive, but it was difficult.  Carter was starting to resent Travis’s presence in his life.  The man seemed to cause nothing but discomfort and trouble, and Carter didn’t want him around anymore.  Of course, he didn’t think he could say that without hurting some feelings, but still.  He wanted the man to just leave them alone.

“Hey, Carter.  Happy Birthday!”  Travis shuffled on his feet as Carter approached, holding out an envelope to the boy.  Carter took it reluctantly.

“Thanks.”  He kept a safe distance from the man, looking back toward the crowd to make sure no one had noticed Travis’s presence.  “What do you want?”  It was rude of him, he knew, but Travis was pretty close to ruining the best birthday party Carter had had.

“I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday.  I mean…this is the first one I’ve been around for, so…”

“Right.  Well…thanks for the card.  You can go now.”  Carter didn’t think it was a smart decision on Travis’s part to bring up his absence for the past thirteen years.  The man must be stupid.

“Hey, you don’t have to be rude.”  Travis understood Carter’s anger, but he knew that his son was much more respectful than he was being right now.

“Sorry.”  Carter sighed.  “It’s just…Travis, you make my mother miserable and you make me really uncomfortable.  I don’t know you, I don’t miss you, and I’m really tired of watching my Mom fall apart because of you.”  Taking a deep breath, Carter finally said what he’d been thinking all along.  “I don’t need you, Travis.  And I would really, really appreciate it if you would leave me and my mom alone.”

Silence surrounded the two of them as Carter’s words sank in.  Even the party noise seemed to be farther away from them. 

Travis let out a breath and nodded toward the envelope in Carter’s hand.  “I know.”  He started, clearing his throat as he searched for the words.  “I know you don’t need me, Carter.  I’ve seen that over these past couple of weeks.  Your mom raised you better alone than I could’ve ever done.  And I know you don’t want me around.  You’re a very smart kid, and I can’t blame you for not wanting me around.”  His vision went far away and Carter stood still, waiting for the rest.  “I’m heading back to Boston tonight.”

“What?”

Travis’s smile was rueful.  “I don’t fit here and I never well.  You’ve got your mom, your friends, and Justin seems to be a great guy.”  Those words were hard for him to admit.  He swallowed thickly.  “I’m going back to Boston tonight, so I wanted to come by and wish you a Happy Birthday before I left.  And I wanted to give you those,” he pointed again to the envelope, “papers.  You’ll find any information about my side of the family that I had in there.  In case you’re ever curious about where I came from.”

Carter was in shock for the second time today, but this moment had him speechless. 

Travis turned and looked Carter square in the face.  The boy was almost as tall as he was.  “I love you, Carter.  Know that much, please.”  He gently touched the Carter on the shoulder before turning and walking away, leaving Carter standing there in a slight stupor.

“Hey…Everything okay?”  Bailey’s voice broke through Carter’s trance, and he turned to see the worried look on his mother’s face.

Carter smiled and handed her the envelope.  “He’s going back to Boston tonight.  He gave me some information on his family for my birthday, but he’s leaving.”

Travis’s figure could barely be seen now in the distance, and Bailey felt a lightness lift her heart at Carter’s explanation.  She wrapped her arm around Carter’s shoulder and turned him back toward the party.  “Well, then, I think it’s time for cake.”

Mother and Son shared the same elated smile as they headed back to the crowd.