Together Again (Discontinued)

Chapter One- She Has a Kid?

Copyright © 2012 by SimpleHumanBeing

Chapter One- She Has a Kid?

Beau Donahue

Five Years Later

"You ready honey?" My fiancée asked as we walked out of the small crummy airport of my hometown. We had left our luggage inside and my dad was supposed to pick it up, so we could explore the town a bit. I nodded and couldn't help the small grin that was plastered on my face at the sight of her, she had on a big floppy sun hat and sun glasses that about covered her whole face.

My grin grew as I once again familiarized myself with the town of Larelyn, Alabama. It was a small town where everybody knew everybody, and everybody went to the same church on Sunday morning. Brooke was a New York girl, but I was hoping she would adapt to the country life. In the two years that I'd known her though, she'd been pretty pliable.

I hadn't been here in five years and I was more than ready to be back. "So ready!" I told her, as I took her by the hand and dragged her to the pancake house just down the street.

Mrs. Ehler's Famous Hotcakes the old beat down sign read. It had a cartoon drawing of Mrs. Ehler holding a stack of eight pancakes that were drizzled in syrup, with a big square of butter on top.

Even the cartoon drawing could make my stomach growl. "Is this the home of the famous pancakes you always tell me about?" Brooke questioned smiling as we stood outside the door.

"Yep!" I said squeezing her fingers that were interlaced with mine, "You're going to fall in love when try them!"

"I bet I will," she said as I opened the door for us, the bell that was hooked by a piece of string ringing as we entered.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Beau Donahue," said a friendly southern voice. I looked at the girl behind the counter and smiled, she was Mrs. Ehler's grand-daughter.

"And who's this?" She asked tossing a not so friendly smile in Brooke's direction.

"This my fiancée Brooke," I told her deciding to ignore the look she gave her. "And this is Hope, she's a friend of mine," I continued smiling at Brooke.

"Oh well it's really nice to meet you!" Brooke said smiling as she extended her hand towards Hope. She took her hand and it was hard not to see the wince on Brooke's face as they shook hands.

"So, what can I get for you sweethearts?" Hope questioned with a bright smile.

"Two stacks of Mrs. Ehler's originals," I told her as my eyes traveled down to the little bar stool, that was conveniently right in front of me. My heart sped up as I spotted something carved right into the wood. B.D.+E.D.= Love.

I smiled, thinking back to the ten year old boy I was was when I carved that into the wood. I remember hoping that Estelle Desmand- my best friend that I was secretly in love with- would find it, and we would get married and live happily ever after.

I glanced around, the walls were no longer a faint pink like they had been when I left. They were now a bright yellow, although pictures of people from the town were still hung on them, just like how it was before I left.

There was only two other people in the restaurant, a man and a little girl who looked to be about three or four sat laughing and playing together.

"Will that be all for you guys?" Hope questioned as she finished writing the last of our order on her notepad.

"Yeah that's it," Brooke told her smiling.

"That will be right ou--" Hope was cut off by the swinging of the kitchen doors. Everyone's attention turned towards the doors, and there stood Estelle Desmand in all her beauty.

"I need to go," Estelle told Hope, still not realizing that I was there.

"Johnny called and said Ava's crying for me, he said she won't stop."

Before anybody could say anything else, the little girl who had been sitting with the man earlier was running toward Estelle, "Mommy!" She shouted as Estelle took her into her arms and spun her around.

That was when her gaze finally landed on me. All color drained from her face and her beautiful green eyes widened, she kept looking from mine and Brooke's interlaced fingers to Hope.

"Are you ready to go?" The man who had been sitting with the little girl questioned as he approached us.

"I thought you said--" Estelle was caught off by the guy.

"Yeah, yeah I know what I said, now come on."

"Fine," Estelle responded smiling, and the three of them headed out the door. My stomach turned uncomfortably and I suddenly didn't have an appetite anymore. Estelle had a kid? A kid who was at least four. I had only left five years ago. How could she have gotten over me so fast?

It had taken me three years to move on from her, and she had moved on in just a few months? And that guy, he was probably her husband. I was just getting myself worked up for nothing, I had Brooke, Estelle didn't matter anymore.

Although I knew she did, Estelle was my first love, she would never not matter. Brooke didn't know that though, and I planned to keep it that way. Estelle and I hadn't exactly broken up on bad terms, well we hadn't exactly broken up at all.

I looked out the window and saw Estelle, her daughter and the man who I assumed was her husband. They looked like the perfect family, all happy and laughing.

I couldn't help the jealousy that was surfacing at the sight of them. I could have been him. Estelle could have been my wife and we could have had a beautiful daughter like her.

"Baby?" Brooke questioned pulling me out of my reverie. I turned to her and immediately felt bad about my previous thoughts. Estelle was my past and Brooke was my future.

"What babe?"

"I said our food is ready," she told me with a mouth full of pancakes, "damn, these are good!"

I looked at her and smiled all of my thoughts about Estelle now gone. I looked down to my pancakes and my stomach growled at the sight of them. Without further a do, I grabbed the fork that was wrapped in a napkin in front of me, and dug in.