A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

When lunch is finished, we stay at the table to talk and catch up. Jay begins telling us about some of his recent surgery stories, and before I can get too queasy, I decide it's the perfect time to go grab the box of coats from my old room.
"Can't handle the blood and gore?" Jay jokes.
"Something like that." I laugh. "I'll be right back." I say before kissing Rylie once and heading upstairs.
I hesitate for a moment outside my bedroom before turning the knob. I didn't need to hesitate though. It was just my old room, I had no reason to be feeling apprehensive all of the sudden, right?
As I step into the room, I wait to feel whatever brought on this sudden apprehension, and let out a sigh of relief when nothing happens.
Geez, Aspen. There's nothing to worry about.
It's not until I grab the box from my closet and set it on the bed that it hits me. I quickly sit and before I can even react, I'm pulled into the memory, one I'd tried and failed to block a long time ago.
FLASHBACK
"I don't know why you're freaking out, Aspen." Gabe calls from the bedroom. "It wasn't that hard, and it'll fade by tomorrow. You're overreacting."
I slap my wet hands onto the white countertop and take a few deep breaths to calm myself. Red water swirls down the drain and I watch it for a moment before moving my eyes back to the mirror. I wasn't overreacting.
My lip is split, and even though I'd been trying to stop the bleeding for nearly five minutes now, it wouldn't stop. Directly next to my split lip, I could already see the bruise forming on my cheek. Tears stream from my eyes, partially from the pain, but mainly from the frustration and anger I'm feeling.
How had I let this happen again? I scold myself, clenching my fists so tightly that my nails dig into my palms, threatening to draw more blood.
I'd done nothing to deserve Gabe's anger this time, but he'd still taken it out on me. And I knew the moment I went back into the bedroom, he would find a way to make it my fault.
It takes me another 15 minutes to finally stop the bleeding and clean my face up enough. I spend another 10 minutes in the bathroom, trying to think of a way to get rid of Gabe. I knew if I let him stay, he would find a way to make himself the victim. Again.
Gabe's eyes move over to me as I walk back into the bedroom, but he makes no effort to get up. It's not like I expected him to, though.
"Finally." He grumbles before focusing back on his phone. "Why were you in there for so long?"
"I couldn't stop the bleeding." I snap coldly.
His eyes flick to my face once more. "Looks fine to me."
"Because I finally stopped the bleeding." My anger was returning, but I didn't care enough to stop it from showing, which was probably a mistake. Gabe sits up then, his eyes darkening.
Yep. Definitely a mistake.
"This wasn't my fucking fault, Aspen." He growls.
"Then whose was it, Gabe? Because no one else is here, and I sure as hell didn't hit myself."
"You really want to blame this on me?" Gabe counters as he stands. "Because if I recall correctly, you were the one flirting with that asshole."
Gabe was referring to the guy at the store that was simply doing his job and helping me find the canned fruit.
"He was helping me, Gabe! That's not being an asshole, but hitting your girlfriend definitely qualifies!"
"This isn't my fault." Gabe says again, his voice low. At least he hadn't denied being an asshole.
As much as I wanted to argue, I was more done than anything. I wanted Gabe out.
"Get out." I know he can hear the anger in my voice, and I do nothing to hide it.
"You really want to tell me what to do right now?"
"Yes. I don't want to be around someone that uses his insecurities and anger as an excuse to physically abuse me!"
"I haven't fucking abused you, Aspen!" Gabe yells.
"Get the fuck out of my house before I call the fucking cops." I growl, and I watch Gabe's eyes narrow as he considers his options. Even he knew that it was a big deal if I swore.
"Fine." He says after what feels like an eternity. "Call me when you're done being a bitch."
I've never slammed a door harder behind someone in my life.
PRESENT
My face is wet with tears, but I'm not surprised since that was one of my least favorite memories of Gabe. Then again, there were a lot of memories with him that I hated.
Anger bubbles up inside me as I remember what had happened after this, when I'd finally given in and texted Gabe later that night. He'd found a way to make himself the victim like I'd expected, and even though I knew I wasn't in the wrong, he'd still managed to make me feel guilty. And now, even though it had been so long, I couldn't stop myself from feeling some of that guilt again.
I think back to the nightmares I had while on our cruise. Why was I all the sudden having nightmares of him again? And all the memories I couldn't push away? I didn't know why they were coming back. I didn't want to know, or even think about Gabe ever again.
He's dead, and he'll never be in my life again. I tell myself. And with that thought, I wipe my tears and shove down the anger and guilt before heading back downstairs to Rylie, the only one I wanted in my life and on my mind.
Rylie and I stay at my mothers house for a while before exchanging hugs and heading to see Rylie's family. The moment we're in the car, Harvey steps into the doggy bed we'd packed for his stay before immediately falling asleep.
Rylie and I laugh as she starts the car. " I wonder if it was the excitement of seeing us that wore him out, or if your mom wore him out while we were gone." Rylie grins.
"Maybe a combination of both." I reply with another glance back at Harvey's sleeping form. "He'll need the sleep for your family's house, especially if Brad brings the boys."
"Oh, they'll be there." Rylie laughs.
The triplets loved Harvey, and Harvey loved their energy. They would play and chase each other around for hours. Luckily, the boys weren't too rough with him.
Our favorite thing though, was how Harvey was with the baby. He was gentle with Harper, seeming to know that she wasn't old enough to really play. It was so cute to watch Harvey snuggle up next to Harper, or watch his patience as she tugged on his tail over and over, giggling each time Harvey licked her chubby little hands.
I loved watching Harper in general. She was still pretty small at nearly six months old, but the adorable rolls on her arms and legs showed that she was very healthy. It had only been a week since we'd last seen her, but it felt like so much longer.
"I miss your sister." I tell Rylie with a laugh.
Rylie grins at me. "I do too. You know, she's technically your sister, too."
"Oh my gosh, I hadn't thought of that! That's kind of weird, my sister-in-law is a baby." I laugh, and Rylie instantly joins me.
"Maybe you can just call her your baby sister too, if you want." Rylie tells me after a moment.
"You're okay with sharing your baby sister with me?"
"Aspen, I'm more than okay with sharing anything with you, especially my baby sister." The smile on her face and the love in her eyes leaves me nearly breathless. "Harper deserves all the love in the world, and you have more love in your heart than anyone else I know. She will be incredibly lucky to have you in her life at all, just like I am." Rylie slips her free hand into mine as tears threaten to fall.
"You deserve all the love in the world too, Ry." I say once the tightness in my throat disappears. "I'm determined to give it to you."
"You already do, baby. More than you know." Rylie responds softly. She brings my hand to her lips, kissing it gently. Her hand squeezes mine three times, a silent 'I love you', and suddenly, the tightness in my throat returns as if it had never left. This time, I don't shove it down and I let the tears fall as I squeeze her hand back.
Rylie's jaw drops open as we pull up in front of her moms house. "My mother has never once in my life decorated the house for Christmas. Besides the tree and a few other small things, I guess. I always figured it was because all of her preppy friends did the same, and she didn't want to stand out."
"This looks to be the opposite of that..." I say, fighting a laugh.
"Yeah. Exactly that." Rylie replies, still wide eyed as we take everything in.
The house, normally void of any decorations of any kind, has colorful Christmas lights hung everywhere possible. Large, green wreaths with huge red bows hang on the wooden front door, the door leading into the garage, and the main garage doors.
Several reindeer are scattered around the yard, each looking to be three feet tall. Every single tree in the yard is wrapped with lights so intricately that I wonder how many days it took to wrap each one.
Before we can stare for any longer, we hear little shouts coming from the front porch. Three small boys stand in the doorway, waving wildly. Rylie and I grin at each other before opening our doors. Our smiles only grow as we hear what the triplets are yelling at us.
"What are you guys doing?" Aiden shouts. "We've been waiting forever!"
"Yeah! Mom and Dad and Dillon said we couldn't eat until you got here so we're starving!" Asher adds in. Rylie and I had reached them at this point and glance expectantly at August, waiting for what he had to say about our apparent tardiness.
"Aiden and Asher are right, I thought I was gonna die because I'm so hungry!" He finally says, and Rylie and I laugh.
"I see you guys slipped into your dramatic phase while we were gone." Rylie grins before taking a slow step towards Asher. "You know what happens to dramatic boys?" She asks.
"Run guys!" August yells, already knowing what Rylie was planning. The three boys take off back into the house, letting out shrieks of laughter as Harvey chases excitedly after them.
"I'm glad Harvey chased them, that would've taken the last of my energy." Rylie laughs.
"Awe, I'm sorry baby. I can drive us home tonight so you can sleep." I tell her with a smile.
"I love you." Rylie responds before kissing me.
"I know." I reply smugly. The look on Rylie's face following my words isn't a happy one, so I hurry on. "Kidding! I love you, Ry." I finish, and her smile returns.
"I know." She says before skipping into the house. I let out a laugh and shake my head as I follow her.
"Oh, hello there!" I say excitedly as I see baby Harper looking up at me from the carpet. "Did they leave you here just for me?" Even though she can't understand me, an adorable grin takes over her face and her legs kick excitedly. I scoop her up into my arms before moving to stand next to Rylie as she talks to Kristen, Dillon and Brad. The boys chase Harvey around the kitchen, forgetting all about their hunger.
"We wondered who would pick her up first." Kristen says with a laugh as she sees me.
"I figured I'd let Aspen grab her first so that I can have a longer turn later." Rylie smirks.
"In your dreams." I reply before gently bouncing Harper on my hip, grinning when she giggles. "She loves me, I can make her laugh."
"Oh, so it's a competition now?" Rylie jokes before kissing my cheek.
Everyone moves to take a seat at the table as Kristen finishes putting everything out, and I hand Harper over to Rylie so I can quickly pour Harvey some food. The boys whine as soon as Harvey's attention is off of them, but their pouts disappear the moment they see the food on the table, which makes me giggle.
Dinner is great, and Rylie and I take turns talking about our trip and holding Harper. I couldn't deny that I really loved watching Rylie hold her sister, so I was more than okay with her keeping the baby for as long as she wanted.
I couldn't help but imagine Rylie holding a baby of our own, and this thought brings a smile to my face that only grows when her eyes meet mine. She gives me a curious look before winking at me and turning back to Harper.
I was suddenly certain for the hundredth time that I would never stop falling for Rylie, and I would never get over the happiness of the life we were building together.