Chapter Sixty-One
Austin drove through Little Grove in his truck, softly humming along to the music while he kept an eye on everything. Most days patrolling wasn't exciting; nothing much really happened in this town. He used to get calls when fights would break out at Bellum, but that hadn't happened since the sisters had taken over the bar. He didn't really mind being a Sheriff in such a small county, not usually. But it made avoiding the people that lived there a lot harder. He'd not had another text from Isabella since their encounter in the supermarket. He looked at the clock on his dashboard. She'd be on her non-date with Aaron now. He couldn't stop the jealousy from creeping up on him, even though he'd been the one to make the choice to step away. He owed the Millers too much. If Aaron wanted a fair shot at being with Isabella, he couldn't be the one standing in his way. The oldest Miller son had known her longer, had probably had a crush on her while they were in high school together. If Austin had known that that summer all those years ago, he wouldn't have gone near her. But he hadn't known, so he had. At least he had that time together to think about. Though memories couldn't exactly keep me warm at night, he thought bitterly.
His mouth went dry when he turned a corner and found Isabella and Aaron walking side by side. She was wearing a simple black dress that went down to her ankles, white sneakers and a baseball cap. On anyone else it would have looked too plain, but on her… she could be walking around with a paper bag as her outfit, and she would make it work. Everything just looked good on her. She was chattering along with Aaron, and even laughed, placing a hand on his arm. It wasn't fair, that should be him walking with her, not Aaron Miller. She looked like she was actually having fun. He hated it.
Tatum quietly snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen to find the tub of Ben & Jerry's Belgian chocolate fudge brownie that she'd hidden in the back of the freezer; Sean was still upstairs waiting for her, and she didn't want to wake her sister.
"You two okay again, then?" Isabella's voice from the living room made her jump.
"Izzy?" the redhead asked as she peered through the shadows. "What are you doin' up?" she asked, now turning the kitchen light on as there was no point in her sneaking anymore.
"Can't sleep," the brunette answered, squinting a little at the bright light. "Sean came to his senses then?"
"How did you know he…?" Tatum started to ask and then realised how her sister might have known, blushing profusely. "Sorry," she said embarrassed.
"No, you're not," Isabella chuckled, seeing her sister's blush deepen. "Anyways…" she prompted for her to continue.
"Anyways," the redhead gladly took her up on it, "Sean said his ma kind'a knows, and he'll tell his pa and Aaron tomorrow or the day after. Any later and he ain't comin' back in this house."
At this, her sister let out a low whistle. "You're strict," the Colombian commented.
"I'm protectin' myself and my baby. I will not be like one of those foolish women that are strung along for years by their married lover with promises to leave their wife. I will not be hidden," Tatum told her sister in no uncertain terms.
"That sounds smart," was the only judgment Isabella offered as she shifted her position in the corner of the sofa. She couldn't blame her sister for feeling that strongly and she wished she had that kind of conviction; she certainly wouldn't have stayed with David for as long as she had if she'd been that secure in herself. She tried not to huddle in herself at the thought that her life could've been very different if she had. "What did you come down here for?" she asked, figuring it was probably better not to dwell on that conversation or those thoughts for much longer.
"I can't get the taste of ice cream out of my mouth. If I don't have some, I'll be up all night with cravings," Tatum answered, fighting a chuckle and another blush; there was something to be said for being up all night, but somehow she didn't think her sister would appreciate what she'd want to do during those hours.
"Oh my god, Tatum, TMI," Isabella managed to laugh at the appalling thought. "Please, go have your ice cream. I think I'm gonna see if I can find some earplugs," she added as she forced herself off the sofa and up the stairs towards the bathroom.
"Sorry," her sister called after her, but the laughter in her voice was unmistakably a sign that perhaps she wasn't really. "How was your date?" Tatum called after her, a teasing tone still evident in her voice.
"It wasn't a date!"
Isabella succeeded in finding a set of earplugs. She settled herself in bed with a book with only the small light on by her bed, put the earplugs in and started her iPod. She needed the music to be loud enough to hear over her earplugs, but not that loud that there was a chance she would keep her sister and boyfriend up.
Determined not to think about them or what they might be doing, she tried to lose herself in her book. She was finding it hard, if she had to be honest. The description of the main protagonist's love interest made her think of a certain Sheriff, despite her best efforts. It meant Isabella was thinking of him way more than she'd set out to allow herself; if he was going to act cold towards her, then she wasn't going to waste any of her time on him either.
That thought suddenly made her realise how alike Tatum and she were after all, despite how different their lives had turned out to be and how different they felt most of the time. Isabella sank back into her pillows, her book lowered on her lap as she gave up the pretence of reading. She couldn't even pick out any particular thoughts, her mind whirring so fast. There were snippets that stood out every now and again, like wondering about her sister's baby and how that would change both their lives.
At some point she obviously must've fallen asleep, still thinking about things that infiltrated her dreams.
Isabella looked down at the baby in her arms, a gorgeous baby boy. There was something about his facial features that were so familiar, which made no sense if this was her sister's baby; she'd never met Kenny. She looked up when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and the defenceless creature laying against her chest, and she was surprised to see her favourite blue eyes gaze at her adoringly.
"Austin?" she asked softly. He broke out in a big smile and pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Bella, you did it," Austin told her proudly, and kissed her again. "I love you," he said the words she'd been waiting to hear since she was 18 years old. "What shall we call our boy?" he asked, turning his gaze to their baby. Their baby.
Isabella shot up in bed, the memory of that dream still very vivid. Her unguarded heart had used her dream to be honest about what she wanted in life, but that life was unlikely to ever happen judging by Austin's current behaviour. And that thought caused her tears to flood over.