Page 94 of The Beat of My Heart

“That’s right, you lil’ hussy, that’s a daddy’s right ya know. Dex, you best be takin’ notes,” GG says.

“I’m back to being a lil’ hussy?” I ask.

“Oh, I’m no prude, young lady, you’ve got that glow ‘bout ya.’ You got yourself some man meat last night, I can see it written all over your face,” she tells the group.

We all stand in silence for a minute. I’ve decided I will never get used to the shit that comes out of this old bat’s mouth.

Preston’s the first to break, “God, you're crazy, GG. I love you.”

“Come here and give me a hug, broken heart,” she tells him.

We all watch as he stiffens but follows orders.

“Remember, I didn’t say heartbroken, I said broken heart. You go about getting that fixed, you hear me?” GG commands.

“Yes, ma’am,” Preston replies with none of the playfulness I’ve grown accustomed to with him.

Looking at Dex, he just shrugs his shoulders. He doesn’t know what that was about either.

“Alright, Dexter. You take care of my Lanie girl, you hear me? Mimi and Pete said they’ll bring me down to see her once those babies are born,” she says.

“You got it, GG,” Dex replies as Trevor and my dad come walking around the corner.

“Everything alright?” I ask.

“Oh, yes, Babycakes. Trevor and I just had to come to an understanding is all,” my dad says.

Trevor just nods, looking a little shell-shocked.

“Alright, guys, let's get going! My brothers have the moving truck handled so the plane will be a lot less crowded on the way home,” Preston says.

“Awe, the poor little rich boy had to share his private plane,” Lexi says in disgust as she waves to us over her shoulder.

“Ugh, that girl is so stuck up, she’d drown in a rainstorm,” Preston mutters as he climbs into the car.

“What the hell is it with the two of them?” Dexter asks. “I haven’t heard Preston use terms like those since we were fifteen.”

“No clue,” Trevor says. “But, it is fun to see him riled up for a change.”

Laughing, Dex claps him on the shoulder, “Come on, let’s go calm our pretty boy down.”

Turning to my mom and dad, I give them another hug. Eventually, I’ll have to explain everything in more detail, but for now, it’s nice to see them happy for me.

“I’ll see you at Lanie’s in a few weeks, right?” I ask them.

“You know it, sweetie,” my mom says with tears in her eyes.

“We love you, honey,” my dad chimes in. “We’ll need to spend more time with Trevor, but from what we have seen and what Dex has told us, well, I’m just happy you found your way back to each other.”

“It’s a little crazy how this all worked out, isn’t it? You two must have a guardian angel out there somewhere,” my mom says.

“Yeah, I think his name is Loki,” I mutter. Giving them both another hug, I pile into the packed car next to Trevor, who insists on sitting in the middle so he can be near both Charlie and me.

Resting my head on his shoulder as the car starts to move, I savor the end of our beginning.

Part III

The Beginning of Our Forever