Page 7 of Liberating Bells
“Hey, baby,” Mark greets me as he returns with two plates. He sets one down in front of me: chips and veggies and a hot dog with no bun. I look over at his plate, and it’s exactly the same. No sign of a single hamburger. I press my lips together, fighting back an amused chuckle.
I quickly demolish my food and do my best to chat with Juliet. She’s not fully engaged with Mark sitting next to me, and she’s too eager to run off when someone calls her name. When she excuses herself, I scoot over into her chair to play with Ashton.
I feel Mark’s eyes on me and turn around to face him. He’s grinning at me with a dopey look on his face. His chocolate brown eyes are warm and gentle.
“What?” I ask, unable to keep myself from smiling back at him.
“Nothing,” he says, and his lips twitch. “You just look good with a baby.
I flush and turn back to Ashton, who’s now smacking his hands in a small puddle of applesauce on his highchair tray. Mark scoots closer to me and rests a gentle hand on my shoulder. He leans in close and presses a kiss against my hair. I can’t help the shiver that shoots down my back.
“Maybe we’ll have one or two of our own someday, hm?” he whispers in my ear before pressing another kiss to the side of my head. My lower belly clenches.
I turn to meet his eyes and give him an unsure smile. Babies?
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” I say softly. “But yeah, maybe someday.”
“Well, I think we’re closer than you think,” he says with a wink.
I’m suddenly immensely glad that I still have my IUD. I decide then to double-check my calendar when I get home to confirm when I need to get it replaced. I am definitely not ready for a baby with Mark, no matter how close he thinks we are.
I love Mark. We’ve been together for years now. The first year was a little rocky, as we went through a lot of petty arguments and breakups, but we made it. We’ve been happy ever since.
I have mixed feelings about being Mark’s fiancée. Mark and I have been together so long, it’s the obvious next step. I should be excited about that prospect, looking forward to the moment Mark finally gets down on one knee and pops the big question, but something is holding me back from feeling that full-blown enthusiasm toward wearing his ring on my finger. Though the idea makes my heart race, I’m not entirely convinced it’s from excitement.
Juliet finally comes back in, holding a single-serve chocolate cake. Liam is hot on her trail, holding his phone up to record. She plops it down on Ashton’s tray and lights a candle shaped like a number one. A small crowd of party guests has gathered, and we all sing “Happy Birthday”to Ashton, who has no idea what’s going on. Juliet and Liam help him blow out the candle, and then they set the little boy loose.
Ashton looks at his parents as though asking permission, and then goes for it. Icing and cake crumbs are everywhere as the kid takes giant handfuls, pressing them into his mouth greedily. The crowd murmurs with laughter.
Juliet excuses herself again to go cut the real cake while we all watch her son in amusement. Ashton now has chocolate allover his face and his clothes and isn’t even close to calling it quits.
I follow my friend back into the kitchen to see if I can help with anything. She’s got the big sheet cake on the counter and a knife in hand. It’s a white-frosted cake with tie-dye icing flowers squeezed into the corners. In the middle, it saysHappy First Birthday, Ashton, in bright blue icing.
The paper plates are at the ready as she makes the first cut. We talk mindlessly, her about work and me about school, as she plates the pieces of cake. Then she has me set them out on the table in the main hall for people to grab. I take a few at a time, walking into the hall and safely setting them down with no issue.
As I turn around after my latest trip, a band of boys flies in from the living room, chasing each other with fake swords.
The kids rush around me, pushing and pressing, and I stumble back, my feet getting tangled. I can’t catch my balance soon enough, and I’m sure I’m going to wipe out on the floor. I can’t wait to hear what Mark will have to say about that. As I start to fall, I’m already dreading that conversation.
But I don’t fall.
Instead, I find myself caught in a pair of strong arms and swept up until I’m pressed against a firm chest. My heart stutters as Ryan looks down at me, giving me a wide grin.
“Gotta be careful around here,” he says, his voice rumbling low in his chest. “There are some wild creatures in these parts.”
I blink at him before common sense takes over. Quickly, I stand up and straighten my shirt. Amusement is still sketched across Ryan’s face as he watches me, his eyes twinkling.
“Thank you,” I say under my breath.
“You’re welcome, Bells,” he responds, and I think my heart goes into full cardiac arrest.
Bells.
I haven’t heard that nickname on his lips in years.
Ryan observes me for another moment or two. Both of us stand there in silence, taking each other in. Ryan, with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and me, with my arms wrapped protectively around my waist.
My chest hurts as I realize we’re practically strangers. It hurts even worse with that realization, knowing how much he meant to me once and vice versa. But I don’t know him now. I don’t know anything about him other than that he looks gorgeous standing before me.
