Smokin Gun

Chapter Thirteen: Part I

Brantley's POV

I had gone over to Alabama to the deer farm to check a few things out. Stephanie had decided to stay at the house, so I had gotten Kolby to go with me. It had been fun to spend the day hanging out with my brother. We had spent this past weekend moving Stephs stuff into the house before I had to leave the first of next week to go back out on the road.

She was starting back to school the day I left, so she had been busy packing, unpacking, and getting her classroom ready. I had told her last night she needed to take the day to rest but she had glared at me before giving me the finger and muttering she had a ton of shit to do. Damn woman.

I walked in the house and dropped my keys in the bowl on the counter and listened to pin point where in the house Steph was at. I walked out of the kitchen toward the stairs. About the time my foot hit the bottom step, Sylo appeared at the top on the landing. He barked at me before taking back off down the hall. Ok, something was up.

I took off up the stairs and ran down the hall to our room. I skidded to a stop in our doorway and took in the scene before me. Steph was sitting in the middle of our bed propped up against the headboard. She was bawling her eyes out. She had tissues scattered everywhere. I saw the jeans she'd had on earlier tossed over the chair on her side. They had been replaced with a pair of my rarely used pajama pants. Sylo was sitting on the bed by her with his head on her knee whining along with her cries.

I took a deep breath as I silently prayed for courage. Jason, Luke, Justin and Thomas all had warned me already that pregnancy hormones were a bitch. I kicked my boots off then slowly made my way towards the bed. I climbed on the bed and pulled her over to me. Steph crawled into my lap as I settled back against the headboard and stretched my legs out.

She buried her head into my neck and kept crying. I rubbed her back softly trying to figure out what to say. Stephanie could have a temper with me on a good day and now throwing in pregnancy hormones, I had dodged a flying remote several times in the last week. That was after I changed the code on the gun safe and refused to give it to her.

But I was worried because she was not a crier like this often. She usually preferred to get even. Something after twenty years, I knew alot about.After a few minutes her sobs quieted down to whimpers, so I lifted her face up to look at me. I dried the last few tears with the back of my hand as she looked at me blinking. I gave her a soft kiss on her lips. I got a small smile in return when I pulled back.

"Ok sweetheart, this is not like you at all, what's the matter?" I asked softly. She let out a shuddering sigh and she twisted her fingers in my necklace playing with the cross.

"I went to work in my classroom today. I got most of my bulletin board done and was getting ready to go grab some lunch with Amie and Mandy, when Mrs. Marks cornered me. She said she needed to see me in her office because we had some things to discuss," she said. I rolled my eyes.

"I can only imagine where this is going. That crazy old bitch hated me when we were in school and she was only the math teacher then not the principal," I grumbled.

"She's never been my greatest fan either. Guess she figured out it was us that TP'd her house our sophomore year. Anyways she sat down and explained to me that my condition was being frowned upon by the school board. I argued with her that we were engaged to be married, but with your schedule right now it was kind of hard to fit in a wedding. Then my mouth overloaded my ass a little by growling out that it was 2017 not 1950. She frowned very hard at me for that one,"Stephanie said sighing. "She said they have to discuss this and will let me know by the end of the week if I can start next week or not."

"This is such bullshit baby," I said rolling my eyes.

"I know I agree, but we do live in small town Georgia and this is the South. You know as well as I do how things can be,"she muttered before cutting her eyes and glaring at me. "Don't even think of saying what I know you are thinking Brantley Keith. If I had just listened to you at the beginning...."

I shook my head and made a zipper motion across my lips and gave her a wink. She snuggled her head back into my shoulder.

"Baby, why not just put in to take a sabbatical and go out on the road with me for the rest of the tour. We'll be done in October and you are due in January, so you are gonna miss the whole middle of the school year anyhow. I know we've talked about you and Carson traveling with me," I said resting my head on top of hers." I don't want to miss anything more than I already will."

"I know. I just wanted to take what I could of this school year to ease the students I've had into the fact I'd be gone. They have been like my babies. Yea, yea, I know," she huffed out and I couldn't help but chuckle a little. We sat there for a little bit just soaking in being together.

I kept turning thoughts over in my mind. I finally got up the nerve to say something. I picked her left hand up and played with her ring.

"Baby, I know there's been a lot going on and we really haven't discussed much about a wedding. Do you want a big one?" I asked. She snorted before mumbling into my chest.

"Hell no," she grumbled. "Since when is that the way either of us would roll. Remember the extravaganza that Jana had planned. You tucked tail and hid at my house for three days after she laid out details for you."

"Don't fucking remind me of that Steph," I growled as my stomach turned at the memory.

"I know I didn't want to be barefoot and pregnant when I finally got married, but it is what it is and there's a reason for everything," she said quietly.

I turned her in my lap to face me. I kissed her deeply before speaking.

"Baby, go pack us a bag while I go make some phone calls," I said trying the trick Kolby always used on her, puppy dog eyes. She glared at me for a minute.

"B..." she said before I placed a finger on her lips to stop her. I yanked my finger back before she could bite me.

"I'm asking this time Steph, not demanding. I don't want to wait any longer to make you my wife. I've waited a few years too many as it is. So, please?" I asked smiling at her.

She gave me a big grin before sliding off my lap and climbing off the bed. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I had just unlocked the screen when I heard her laugh.

"You know, Mama and my parents are going to kill us, right?" she said putting her hands on her hips and smiling at me. I grinned up at her in return before shrugging my shoulders.

"Baby, haven't I taught you over the years that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission."