Bri
So this is it.
I’m nervous as fuck as I wait for this little stick I peed on to tell me if I’m going to be a mother or not. So many things will be changed with the answer we get from this little piece of plastic. It seems odd that it’ll have so much of a change on our future. Because I want him to be involved, I sent a message to RJ yesterday, telling him I’m going to be taking the test and letting him know if it’s positive he’ll be getting another one from me.
Rehab is going well for him. He’s learning a lot about himself and the thoughtful letters he’s sent me while he’s been in there have given me a deeper understanding of him. Since we’ve been writing back and forth, I’ve learned a lot about my brother-in-law.
His insecurities, mental health issues, how much he loves Everett, how much he desperately wants to be a part of our lives, and how ready he is to fix things with Montgomery. Every night, I hope and pray he’ll be able to do what he wants to do.
It’ll be difficult because he’s burned bridges, but all of us have at one point or another. I was just saying the other day in my letter to him how funny it is that the injunction happened when it did and we were all worried it would be the end of our careers.
Instead, it’s been what we really needed.
We go to court about the final injunction decision in six months.
But it’s so far away and there are so many things happening between now and then. With us and the band, Bruno, and possibly a child. It’s a lot, but we’re ready for it, ready to deal with whatever life throws at us.
Now? I’m not even worried about it. Not like I was before. Like Everett said at some point, we can live the rest of our lives with the money we have. We can figure out another way to be creative, I guess. It’ll just depend on what happens.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts by the timer going off. Everett yells from the bedroom. “Is it time yet?”
“It’s time, come on! I can’t look,” I tell him, too nervous to do this without him by my side.
“I’m nervous too,” he reminds me.
Together, we look at the stick and, there it is, the word pregnant.
The Thompson name will live on. Bruno barks, almost as if he knows something big is happening, causing me to laugh.
The legacy of Reaper and Harmony has moved to EJ and Bri and, hopefully in the future, it’ll go even further.
Immediately, tears pop to my eyes and I wrap my arms around Everett’s neck. He buries his face in my neck.
“I never thought I could be this happy.” His voice is choked.
“I didn’t either, but it was you.” I smile. “You, on my twenty-first birthday, who changed it all.”
Six Months Later
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Everett asks as he and I get into his Range Rover, prepared to head to the courthouse. “You know you don’t have to. I’ll keep you informed of everything that happens.” He reaches over, putting a hand to my ever-growing stomach. “I don’t want you to get stressed.”
“I’m not stressed and I want to see this through till the end. They started this, now I want to finish it. She and I are fine.” I put my hand over his and give it a gentle squeeze. Since we found out the baby is a girl, we’ve been going back and forth with names.
It’s hard.
Worse than it was with Bruno.
This is the name our child will be saddled with forever and it has to be perfect. It’s a lot of pressure.
“You look good today.” I grin over at him, admiring the white dress shirt he’s put on, rolled up at the sleeves. It allows his strong forearms to show, along with the ink adorning his body.
“As do you, baby mama.” He winks. “Maybe later, I'll hike that skirt up and see what kinda underwear you got on under there.”
“Stop calling me that,” I grumble.
“Notice you didn’t say anything about me hiking that skirt up, huh?”
“If I can’t be a slut for my husband, who can I be?” I give him a pointed look. “Pregnancy hormones are no joke.”
“And I’ve been on the receiving end of all of them.” He whistles between his teeth. “Might keep you knocked up forever.”
“My heartburn might have a lot to say about that.”
We pull up to the courthouse and spend five minutes looking for a parking spot. “Don’t know why they don’t get a fucking parking garage,” Everett bitches as he finally finds a pay lot and reaches out to grab his ticket. “Shoulda dropped you off at the front; it’s gotta be half a mile over there.”
“I’m fine,” I assure him. “Walking is good for me and I don’t wanna be here without you. What if I see him?”
We’ve both become very aware of what Bryson looks like and what happened to cause this situation with us. The last time our attorneys contacted the record company, they assured us the injunction would be lifted, but we’ve waited a long six months to have that happen. Neither one of us will be surprised if we walk out of here today with the injunction still in place.
“If I see him, I might jack his fuckin’ jaw,” Everett mumbles as he gets out, before walking over to the passenger side and opening my door for me.
I hand him my purse as I work to get out, while not falling in the heels I’m wearing. He’s been a perfect gentleman since I got pregnant, caring for me in a way that makes me fall in love with him more every day.
“You ready?” He asks when I’m steady on my feet.
“More than.”
Holding hands, we cross the street and walk toward the courthouse. Once we get close, we see the members of Grey Skies along with Garrett and Hannah. RJ looks good this morning, eyes bright and clear. He’s been home for a month and so far so good.
“Look how cute you are.” Hannah smiles as she sees me, reaching out to touch my belly.
“Thanks, I feel a bit like I swallowed a watermelon today, but that’s probably just because I’m nervous.”
“We all are.” RJ reaches out, tapping me on the nose. “We got this, though.”
“And,” Garrett says, “I got all y’all. These are some big shoulders. I can handle it.”
Everett leads me into the courthouse and then to the room where our case will be heard. We’re the only ones on this docket and things get started quickly. I don’t understand any of it as I sit snuggled up to Everett’s side, his arm around my body.
The only thing I hear that matters?
Grey Skies and Brianna are free to make the music they want.
Finally, there’s nothing holding us back.