Fifty-One
"Why howdy, Sheriff," Sue's voice caught her attention. Isabella was getting the bar ready to open up in a little bit, while Tatum had a day off.
"Mornin' ladies," Austin smiled, almost exclusively at the bar's owner. The blonde waitress wasn't born yesterday and knew he wasn't here to see her, so headed out into the back to get more napkins, stirrers and straws. "How've you been?" he asked, stepping closer towards the bar, his hat in his hands.
"Fine," Isabella couldn't help smiling at him. He definitely was a big reason for that.
"Good," he smiled back. His blue eyes sparkled at her, and it was hard to think of anything else but him and their summer together. "When is your next day off?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Oh…" Isabella snapped out of it. "I'm not sure actually. I've only just started back, and it depends on how Tatum's feeling," she answered, feeling like she had a lot to make up for, even if she knew her sister wouldn't see it that way; of course, Tatum understood that she'd needed that time off after David had left, to let the bruises and emotional scars heal.
"Could you get some time off tomorrow afternoon?" Austin asked, winking when she glanced up at his determination to get to spend some more time with her.
"I'll let you know," was all Isabella was willing to promise in that moment.
"Make sure you do," he smiled. "Can't wait," he winked again before he stepped away to leave. He had to get back to the station, but he'd had to come see her to ask.
"You're so lucky," Sue's voice made her jump out of her daydreams. She turned to her employee, about to protest. "Own it," the blonde advised her simply, giving her a friendly nudge, and they both started laughing.
Tatum had had to go to an appointment at the clinic that morning, in the next town over, to check that the baby was doing okay and to start doing some of the tests to check for Down's syndrome and other physical abnormalities. From the echo they could tell her that the baby seemed physically fine and healthy. They also took a few vials of blood to run genetic tests, for both her and the baby. She wouldn't know the results for a couple of weeks, so she spent the entire drive home praying that her baby would be okay.
As she pulled into the road up to her house, she turned her thoughts to lunch and what she could do around the house. There was still so much to sort out and arrange, and she started getting the feeling that she was falling behind. She stopped her truck when she saw Sean's truck parked in front of the house.
Oh god, Tatum thought nervously, her hunger forgotten. She quickly brushed her fingers through her hair, her mouth suddenly dry, before she rolled her truck those last few metres and came to a stop next to his truck, in front of the garage. She hadn't actually seen where Sean was yet, until she got out of her truck and he got up off the porch swing. The redhead took a couple of deep breaths as she made her way towards the house and onto the porch. "Hey," she said softly, not daring to let herself hope that he was here to tell her he wanted to be in a relationship with her.
"Hey," he gave her a small smile.
"Have you been here long?" Tatum asked, knowing she was making small talk.
Sean gave a shrug, only an hour. "Not really," he answered out loud. "Can we talk inside?" he asked her now.
Oh god, she couldn't help thinking again. "Yeah, sure," she nodded, unlocking the door now and leading the way in, feeling his eyes on her back. "Drink?" she offered, unable to stop herself. He shook his head as he made his way into the living room, looking around curiously. The redhead watched him, curious, nervous, nauseous.
"Come sit with me?" he asked her as he sat down on the sofa.
He's being too nice, he's totally gonna say he can't handle this, Tatum thought to herself as she forced her feet to move and headed over to join him. Don't look at him, play cool, she instructed firmly. There was no way she was going to react outwardly.
"Why do you look like you're stood in front of a firin' squad?" Sean asked, managing a soft chuckle as he took hold of her hand.
"Aren't I?" she asked softly, still not looking at him. She knew if she saw those blue eyes she'd be lost.
"Tatum," he admonished her as if she'd said something silly, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand. "Look at me," he asked after a second. Her green eyes flitted to his face for the briefest second, ending up fixing on her hand in his. He gently lifted her chin with his hand, bringing her gaze up to meet his. "I'm not gonna lie and say this ain't a little scary," he started, and he saw her shoulders sag a little. "But…" he continued quickly. "I want you to be my girlfriend," he told her, smiling when she looked a little stunned.
"Seriously?" she asked, her voice breaking a little, leaving her cursing her stupid hormones. "And…?" Tatum asked, her free hand dropping to her bump, scarcely daring to ask.
"I can't promise to be any good," Sean warned her, "but I'll try my hardest." It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. She let out a relieved laugh and he knew he'd made the right decision. His fingers left her chin to go through her hair, gently pulling her in closer. He surprised her when he stopped just short of kissing her, his lips tantalisingly close to hers. She could feel his breath tickle her cheek lightly, her hormones protesting this was torture. She was just about to ask him why he'd stopped, when his lips finally softly brushed hers.