Sweet Carolina Read online

  Sweet Carolina

  Debbie White

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 by Debbie White

  All Rights Reserved

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

  The information provided within this eBook is for general informational purposes only. While we try to keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability concerning the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this book for any purpose. Any use of this information is at your own risk.

  Acknowledgments

  Cover design by Dana Lamothe from Designs by Dana

  http://www.facebook.com/designsbydana1

  * * *

  Editing by Daniela Prima from Prima Editing & Proofreading Services

  http://www.primaeditingproofreading.weebly.com/

  Chapter One

  Jack carried the baby car seat carrier by the handle, holding Ashton with a tight grip while the nurse wheeled Annie out to the car. Annie watched as Jack carefully snapped the car seat in place. With half of his body in and the other half out of the car, Annie had a great view of his backside. She widened her eyes as she heard some grunting noises coming from inside the car. “Everything all right in there, Jack?”

  “I’m making sure this car seat is secured,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Why don’t you come out and let me take a look?”

  Jack slowly pulled back, and then not quite clearing the open car door, banged his head. “Ouch.” He rubbed the top of his head.

  Annie looked over her shoulder at the nurse, and then nodding, rose from the wheelchair. She took a few steps toward the car and peeked inside. “Looks good. I’ll just slide in here next to the baby,” she said, taking her place.

  Jack waved goodbye to the nurse, and Annie flashed a broad smile. Once the nurse had turned away, Annie went to work fixing the car seat.

  Jack hopped into the front seat and started the motor. He glanced back at Annie. “I knew it. I did something wrong,” he said, palming the dashboard.

  “No, you did a good job, really. It’s just the one strap you missed. It can be tricky. We’ll work on it together,” she said, trying to soothe his ego.

  Jack put the car in gear, checking his mirror three times before pulling out of the pickup zone. “Is the music too loud?” He peered at her from the rearview mirror.

  “No, it’s lovely. Jack, we aren’t going to tiptoe around Ashton. We want him used to sounds.” She chortled at his exaggerated attentiveness.

  “I’m not used to having a baby around.”

  “I’m not either, but I think we’ll be fine. I hope our families and friends will give us a few days before they come to visit.”

  “I told mine to wait until they were invited,” Jack said boldly.

  Annie twisted her mouth to the left and nodded. “I hope you didn’t come across as angry.”

  “No, I just told them that my lovely wife, who just gave birth to my son, needs her rest.”

  Annie took in a deep breath. “Oh, I see,” she said, turning her eyes to the view outside her window.

  “I made sure the house is clean. I put clean sheets on the bed, all the laundry is folded and put away, and I even gave the dogs a bath,” Jack said, interrupting her silent time.

  “Oh, how very thoughtful of you, thanks. I need to get into a routine with breastfeeding and pumping and all of that.”

  “Don’t you worry about a thing, Annie. I’m here to help.” He looked at her again through the rearview mirror.

  “Help? How are you going to help with breastfeeding?” she said, giggling again.

  “I’ll help by changing diapers, fetching things, warming up bottles—that sort of thing. I’m here for you,” he said, sounding almost rehearsed.

  “Okay, where is Jack and what have you done with him? And more importantly, which one has transformed you from the man I love to the man who will drive me crazy if he keeps up this talk? Grandmother or Auntie? Or wait—was it my sister, Mary?”

  Jack hung his head low, and then quickly raised it again, staring at the road in front. “Grandmother,” he said shyly.

  “Well, don’t listen to her. I’ll be happy for your help, Jack. I really will, but let’s not get crazy. We need a plan.”

  Annie began to tell Jack her solution, and he listened carefully on the drive home. Once inside, Annie sat on the couch and played with the dogs for a minute. “Let them sniff Ashton,” she said to Jack.

  Jack held the seat by the handle and lowered it to Buffy and Isla’s level. Their noses wiggled and snorted, and their tails wagged a mile a minute. Before he could pull up the car seat, Buffy licked Ashton across the face, and Isla put her big paw on the side of the carrier.

  “Whoa, dogs!” Jack said, yanking the carrier up. Baby Ashton stirred.

  “Let’s get him settled into his new cradle,” Annie said, leading the way to Ashton’s bedroom.

  “I love the paint color; it’s so …”Jack stopped without finishing his sentence.

  “Boyish?” Annie suggested, finishing his sentence.

  The room had been painted blue. Keeping with the jungle theme they’d chosen, there was also a large mural on one wall depicting a tree and animals that seemed to come to life, matching his comforter and bumper pad in the crib. Jack carefully lifted Ashton out of the carrier and gently lay him into the new cradle.

  Annie got a kick out of how controlled and perceptive Jack became in the mission of lifting Ashton out of the carrier. His tongue slipped out of his mouth as he concentrated on his every move. He even grunted a little as he lifted the little guy out.

  “He won’t break, Jack,” Annie said as she watched this very robot-like behavior from Jack.

  Except for one sudden moment when Ashton’s hands flew up to the face, he fell back asleep, and Jack and Annie quietly tiptoed out of the room.

  “I thought we weren’t going to tiptoe,” Jack whispered.

  Annie shrugged her shoulders and poked out her bottom lip. “I changed my mind.”

  Jack put his arm around her and pulled her close. “And anytime my baby wants to change her mind, that’s okay with me.” He nuzzled her ear with his mouth.

  “Okay, where’s my phone? I’m calling Grandmother!”

  Like most new parents, Jack and Annie had many sleepless nights. Going on as little as three hours of sleep, Annie found the comfy rocking chair in Ashton’s nursery a suitable replacement for her bed. Not really, but when you were holding a bundle of joy like Ashton, all reasonable expectations flew out the window.

  Jack poked his head inside Ashton’s room. “Good morning,” he
said, his eyes immediately moving to Ashton.

  “Good morning. Another rough night,” she said as she rocked him.

  “He was doing so well, too,” Jack said, stepping inside the space and crossing toward them both.

  “I know. He’s drinking more ounces. I do believe he’s having a growth spurt.”

  Jack nodded. “He’s our growing boy.” He slid his hand up and down the baby’s torso.

  “Can you hold him? I have to go to the bathroom,” she said, standing up and handing over Ashton.

  Jack began to rock him in his arms while Annie dashed to the bathroom. While Annie finished up, she could hear Jack singing to Ashton. She turned the water off, straining her ears so she could hear clearer. A wide smile crossed her face as she listened to some made-up song Jack sang and his substituted hums when he couldn’t think of a word quickly enough.

  Annie back stepped into the room and held out her arms. “Okay, thanks. I can take over now.”

  “No, why don’t you go get a cup of coffee, a glass of juice, take a shower, or do something for yourself? I have this,” he said, repositioning Ashton in his arms.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” she said, leaning over and kissing Ashton on the cheek then turning her warm kisses to Jack. “Love you both,” she said, moving backward.

  Annie quickly made her way to the kitchen, where she made herself a cup of coffee. It’d been the first time in a while since she’d enjoyed a hot cup of coffee without either a big belly or holding a baby. She limited how much caffeine she drank, anyway, due to the breastfeeding. She didn’t realize how much she missed the taste of a good cup of coffee.

  After her coffee, she took a fifteen-minute shower. She must have let the water run over her face and down her body a good five minutes. She washed her hair not just once, but twice, and she even let the cream rinse stay on a little longer. She took her time combing out her hair, and then she put on a pair of real pants and a shirt, not just a clean nightgown and housecoat. She even spritzed on some cologne and dabbed a little lipstick on. She actually felt human for the first time in about three weeks.

  She peered into Ashton’s room. Jack had rocked the baby to sleep in the wooden chair, and apparently, had rocked himself right to sleep as well. A soft but steady snore escaped his lips. She quietly walked over and leaned down, tapping him once before taking Ashton out of his arms.

  His eyes immediately opened. “Huh, what?” he said a bit confused.

  “It’s just me. Thanks for looking out for him. I feel like a new person,” she said, taking the baby and placing him in his cradle. “Come on,” she said, reaching her hand out to Jack.

  Jack rose from the chair and held her hand. Annie squeezed his hand as they crept out of the room. Once out in the hallway, Annie let go of his hand and hugged him.

  “What’s that for?”

  “I love you so much. We’re going to get through this. One more week and he’ll be a month old. I think it’ll be the turning point for us.”

  “Let’s take advantage of him sleeping. I have something I want to show you.”

  Annie took a few steps away from the room and then stopped.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t really know. I feel a bit of anxiety,” Annie said, knitting her brows together.

  “You’ve been spending way too much time in there and with him. You have to let me help more.”

  Annie nodded. “I know, but it’s just so hard to give up my motherhood right now.”

  “You’re not giving up your motherhood, Annie. You’d never give that up. You’re letting me … hello … the daddy, help more.” Jack lowered his head so he could focus on her eyes.

  “Okay, I’ll try. What is it you that you wanted to show me?”

  Jack showed her the diagram for the layout for his new shop. His dad had given him one of the garages they owned. It was in a perfect location, was gated for security, and the best part, there would be no rent to pay—a deal too good to pass up.

  Annie tried to focus on the schematic, but her mind kept floating to the nursery.

  “Did you hear that?” she said suddenly.

  Jack cocked his head to listen. “No, what did you hear?”

  “I thought I heard Ashton cry.”

  “Annie, if he cried, we’d hear him. The nursery is just down the hall.”

  They’d made a conscious decision to use the extra room down the hall on the first floor as the nursery. Neither of them was ready to move Ashton to one of the kid rooms located upstairs. “He’s so little. I want him closer to us,” she recalled saying.

  Jack sighed. “I think you need to talk to someone, Annie. I don’t know if this is normal. You can’t even walk away a little from his room without panicking.”

  Annie averted her eyes from him, and instead, looked at the table and began to fiddle with the corner of his diagram. “I’ll be all right. Just give me a little more time. He’s so little and precious. I can’t bear to be too far from him.”

  Jack pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. Annie could feel his concern through his touch. Tears began to form. She quickly swept them away, staring off into space.

  Milly had agreed to watch Ashton. She’d taken care of Crystal, Richard and Diane’s little girl, until she’d started pre-kindergarten, and she still provided after school care for her. Annie’s only concern now was if Milly could handle taking care of a baby, since it had been a while.

  “Now, everything you need is in the diaper bag,” Annie said, pulling things out one by one.

  “Yes, dear, we’ve been over this a few times. And I have your cell number programmed as well as 9-1-1.”

  “I’m sorry, Milly. It’s just my first day back to work, and I’m feeling a bit …”

  Milly wrapped her arms around Annie. “I get it. You’re feeling a bit blue. But think about all the moms who have to take their children to strangers. Little Ashton gets to stay with Nana,” she said, gazing over at Ashton.

  Ashton kicked a few times, causing the toys attached to his carrier to move and make noise. Then he kicked some more after he realized he was the one making the movement. A small giggle escaped his mouth.

  “Look, he’s smiling. He’s happy about being here with Nana.” Milly reached down and tugged at his foot.

  “Okay, I’m leaving now,” Annie said, leaning down to kiss Ashton on the cheek.

  “Have a great day,” Milly said, walking her to the front door.

  “I’ll try. I’m only working until two o’clock. I should be here by two thirty.”

  “If you have any errands to run, do them. We’ll be right here waiting for you,” Milly said, reaching down and lifting Ashton out of his carrier.

  Annie tipped her head. “Bye,” she said, waving goodbye.

  Annie got in her car and drove to the bakery. Her thoughts kept flipping back to Milly and all the things she’d packed in the diaper bag. “Diapers, check. Bottles, check. Pacifier, check. Extra clothes, check.” Annie sighed. She pulled into the parking lot and soon entered her shop. She flipped on the lights and began heating up the ovens, gathering supplies, and filling the register with funds from the safe. Before long, she was joined by Betsy.

  “Annie!” Betsy hugged her strongly and then stepped back. “It’s so good to see you.” A smile crossed her face.

  “It’s good to be back … I think,” Annie said quietly.

  “He’s in great hands, Annie. Listen, why don’t you help me in the kitchen?” Betsy took off around the counter, tossing her purse behind the cabinet door and grabbing her apron off the hook. Annie followed her.

  Betsy picked up the clipboard and flipped the pages. “Today, we’re making holiday cupcakes. Can you believe it’s October already?” Betsy crossed over to the large metal shelves and began pulling bags of sugar, flour, and other ingredients.

  Annie watched on. “Jack’s birthday is at the end of this month,” Annie said, shaking her head.

  “Are you going t
o throw him a party?”

  “I don’t know, I really haven’t had a chance to think about it,” Annie said, lifting the mixer heads and popping in the beaters.

  “It’s my favorite time of the year. Fall.” Betsy smiled.

  “Mine, too. Well, I also love spring. And I love summer, but only when we’re in Lady Powell, or visiting the beach.”

  “Or sitting under that gorgeous magnolia tree,” Betsy said, nodding.

  “Yes, that, too.” Annie walked around the counter and gazed at the recipes Betsy would be preparing. “Pumpkin Swirl, one of the customers’ favorites.”

  “Everything pumpkin,” they both said at the same time, and then laughed loudly.

  “You know, I think I will have a little party for Jack. He’s been working so hard, and he’s been such a help with Ashton. He deserves recognition on his special day.”

  “There you go. I can make a cake,” Betsy said, looking up.

  “I haven’t planned a real party since …”Annie said, trailing off.

  “Your housewarming, September last year.”

  “He loves Halloween parties, and since his birthday is on the thirty-first, why not?”

  “Sounds great. He’ll love it. And Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so it’s a perfect time for a party.”

  Annie began to dump the flour and sugar mixture in the large stainless steel bowls. “By the way, how are Grandmother and Auntie? I’ve meant to visit, but I’ve been so exhausted.”

  “They’re doing okay, but since Mary moved out, I see them becoming a bit more reclusive, a bit down in the dumps.”