Chapter 34:

Glancing around the first class cabin of his Virgin Atlantic flight to Scotland, Jay wished they had taken another airline. Not that the plane lacked the amenities of other planes or did not have enough space; this plane, in fact, had too much space. Instead of the traditional seat pairs, Virgin Atlantic had individual chairs that extended in a fully horizontal fashion, like plush leather cots instead of chairs. Rivers appeared to enjoy this feature, as her sleeping form was stretched happily on the fancy chair. Her breathing came slow and even, and she smiled a little in her sleep as her hand rested on the nonexistent bump of her belly. The only time Rivers seemed okay with the pregnancy was in slumber. Though Jay appreciated that Rivers could sleep in comfort on the plane, he hated the distance between them. He wanted Rivers’ head to rest on his shoulder, not on the ridiculously convenient bed-chair Virgin Atlantic provided for its first class customers.

Furthermore, Jay envied the ease with which Rivers appeared to be sleeping. The fact that their destination would put them in the judgment of Malcolm Mackenzie seemed not to have occurred to his bride. Of course, Rivers had never been subject to his judgment before. If she made a mistake, they cleaned up the mess behind her back. She might get the slightest admonishment, but even those came rarely. So if Malcolm and Johnny blamed anyone, it would be Jay. He had faced Malcolm’s ire before and had no desire to do so again. Worrying about what he might say when the time came, Jay asked the stewardess for a double scotch; he didn’t drink often because of football, but if there was ever a time for it, it had come.

D

“I’m not sure that’s the right rock,” Rivers said, leaning out of the car window to get a closer look. Jay peered past Rivers to examine the rock too, though he had no idea what to look for. For the past twenty minutes, Rivers had made him stop to examine large rocks at the side of the road. Apparently, one of them marked the entrance to Malcolm’s house, but each one looked the same to him.

“Damn Scots, not having proper sign posts,” Jay muttered. “I thought you knew how to get to your granddaddy’s house.”

“I do know,” Rivers insisted, still looking at the rock. “It’s just tricky. But now I think we’ve found the right rock, so turn left.”

Rolling his eyes, Jay obliged, turning carefully onto the next road. While renting the car, Jay had been thrilled to select a brand new sports car that had not be released in the United States; however, driving on the opposite side of the road challenged him more than he had anticipated. Grumpy and tired of getting lost, Jay hoped in silence that this would be the last road. After a few minutes, a grey blur appeared on the horizon.

“That’s it!” Rivers cried, scooting forward in her seat.

“Baby, would you please sit back and put your seatbelt on,” Jay said, keeping his eyes on the narrow, twisting road.

“Don’t be so fussy,” Rivers teased, though she obliged him. Overnight he had become more protective than ever, worrying about everything Rivers did.

“You’re pregnant, you need to be more careful,” Jay said as they turned into the long gravel driveway. Certain that the pictures he had seen of the Mackenzie mansion in Scotland looked nothing like the sight in front of him, Jay hoped inwardly that they had the right place. He parked the car before the impressive front steps and Rivers flung herself out of the car, running inside. Jay jumped out of the car to follow her as she disappeared down the dark hallway, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, a kilted older man materialized in front of him.

“Your keys, sir, I’ll move the car for you,” The man said, but it took Jay a few moments to puzzle out his words. Though Scots spoke English, their accents were so thick Jay had trouble understanding them. But when he realized what the man had said, Jay tossed him the keys and looked around for Rivers. The kilted man called, “Miss Rivers went down to the drawing room, just walk to the left and you’ll see it.”

“Thanks,” Jay muttered, turning down the hall. Stone walls made the hallway dark and gloomy as Jay walked along the threadbare carpet in the direction of the drawing room. After turning a corner onto a longer hallway, Jay caught sight of Rivers, her long white trench coat flowing out behind her. In the dim light, Jay felt like he was following a ghost, and the thought made him shiver. Who could know how many spirits roamed these ancient halls, searching for a way to finish what they had left behind in life? So old and grand was the house, Jay felt sure it had seen its share of death and decay. Jay pushed those thoughs from his mind as he heard the muffled sounds of voices down the hall. Finally, he reached to door to an impressive sitting room, outfitted with traditional floral wallpapers and Persian rugs. Inside sat Malcolm, surrounded by several large, shaggy dogs. On the other side of the room, much to the surprise of both Rivers and Jay, sat Johnny, tossing little slips of paper into the roaring fire.

Both older men looked up as the couple appeared in the doorway. Malcolm sprang from his seat, engulfing his granddaughter in an embrace. “Rivers…and Jay, what are the two of you doing here?”

Johnny came over from the fireplace, taking his turn to hug Rivers as Malcolm shook Jay hand. “And unannounced too.” Johnny led his daughter to the couch, where Malcolm eagerly took her other side. Jay settled himself, with some timidity, in a leather armchair adjacent to the sofa on which the Mackenzie’s sat. For a moment, Jay observed his surroundings while Malcolm plied Rivers with information about their trip. She avoided all of their questions as best as she could, looking pointedly at Jay each time the queries provided an opportunity for him to speak. This had been his idea, his doing, and she intended to let him speak for it.

Nervousness made Jay reluctant to speak. Over the past two years, he had wondered what it would be like to ask Malcolm and Johnny for permission to marry Rivers. He had played the situation over and over in his head and in his mental version, they agreed with whole hearts. But in that vision, they had both graduated from college and were settled and ready to start an adult life. Rivers was only eighteen and the issue of college was up in the air, and Jay was entering his second year – not the best time to start a marriage. The circumstances, of course, warranted a speedy marriage and Jay feared most telling the Mackenzie men that he had gotten Rivers pregnant. How do you tell a father that his precious daughter, the apple of his eye, was not only far more experienced that he had ever imagined but also carrying a child? But these were men who would do anything for Jay, one of their own. If he murdered, they would bury the body, they would hide him. But Rivers was holy ground to the Mackenzie’s and the Outlaws, and though she had been held up as the ideal for every member of her generation, no one knew what would happen once she was taken.

Clearing his throat, Jay sat forward in his chair. “Mr. Malcolm, Mr. Johnny, I have something to ask…no, to tell you.” As he spoke, both men turned their attention from Rivers to look at Jay. Then they watched as Rivers rose from her seat between them, crossed the frayed patch of Persian rug, and perched herself on the arm of Jay’s chair. She rested her arm across his shoulders, which gave Jay a rush of confidence. At the very least, they would not attack him with Rivers so close. “Rivers and I, that is to say, we have…well, we want to ask for your blessing.”

“Our blessing?” Malcolm repeated, switching his glance from Jay to Rivers and back again.

“Yes, your blessing…on our marriage,” Jay said. “We should have asked you before, but we didn’t have time.”

“We hope y’all aren’t angry,” Rivers added. “But like Jay said, we didn’t have time to ask your permission. We sort of just…ran off and did it.”

Johnny’s face appeared blank, and Malcolm remained silent for a long moment. Then after the conspicuous pause, Malcolm slapped Johnny on the knee with paternal enthusiasm and shot up from his seat. “Well, that it just wonderful! Married!” He pulled Rivers into his embrace, followed by Johnny who was spurred into action by his father’s warm response. “Let’s see the rings.”

Rivers extended her left hand to her grandfather. “Ah, I recognize these. They belonged to your great grandmother, didn’t they Jay?”

“Yes sir, they did,” Jay replied, thankful that Johnny’s handshake was not bone crushing.

“Well, it’s a little surprising, but not entirely unexpected,” Malcolm said, his eyes flicking to the kilted butler as he came into the room with a whiskey decanter. “Hamish! Go fetch a bottle of champagne and decant one of those 1938 burgundies, Rivers likes it so much!”

“Oh, granddaddy,” Rivers sputtered. “That won’t be necessary…”

“Yes it is! This is a matter to celebrate!” Malcolm retorted, going over to the drinks tray and pouring whiskies. He came back, pressing a drink into every hand. Jay seemed unable to speak further, and Johnny merely shot back his portion.

“No granddaddy, it really won’t be necessary,” Rivers began. “I cannot drink alcohol.”

“Why not?” Malcolm asked without even the slightest drop in happiness.

“Because I’m pregnant,” Rivers cried, immediately shrinking back into the comfort of Jay’s large body. A crash sounded throughout the room, as Johnny lost grip on his glass of whiskey. The glass shattered on the floor, causing everyone to stare the broken pieces juxtaposed against the rich color of the carpet. Malcolm closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head as if to clear it.

“I beg your pardon?” Malcolm asked in a whisper. He face appeared totally blank – no anger, no emotion.

“I’m pregnant,” Rivers repeated. She held her breath, waiting for the yelling and the anger. After all the stupid things she had done in her life – driving drunk, excessive speeding, fighting at parties – none of the men in her life had ever raised their voice to her. She possessed a singular immunity to their anger, for everyone else certainly experienced it if deserved. So Rivers wondered if this would be the breaking point, if they would finally express emotion beyond adoration and affection.

“Hamish,” Malcolm said, his tone even and calm. “Come get these pieces of glass up before one of the dogs steps on them. But still bring up the champagne and something fizzy for Rivers – she can pretend for the toast.” The servant scooped up the broken glass with amazing speed for someone so old and disappeared from the room. Malcolm stepped closer to Rivers, taking her hand and pulling her to him. “A baby?” He asked, stroking her face tenderly.

“Yes,” Rivers whispered, relieved but more shocked at his calm reaction.

“This is incredible,” Malcolm said. “You’ll have to forgive your father and I, it’s just quite a bit to take in at once. But we are happy for you, for both of you, just thrilled, aren’t we Johnny?”

Rivers’ father snapped his gaze to Malcolm, a weak smile adorning his face. He moved to hug Rivers again, holding her in his embrace for a long minute. “Of course,” Johnny said, looking at his daughter with misty eyes. “I’m going to be a grandfather.”

“Who else knows?” Malcolm said as Hamish returned with the champagne and flutes.

“No one,” Jay said, regaining his power of speech for the first time in several minutes. He could not believe, no he refused to believe, that Malcolm and Johnny were taking the news so well. They looked shocked, but were slowly melting to a state of elation, unable to take their hands off Rivers, as so many men are when a woman first announces her pregnancy, so amazed are they at the manifestation of new life. “Well, except for our immediate friends who came to the wedding. We thought that y’all deserved to know first.”

Malcolm opened the champagne with a loud pop, shooting the cork across the room. At once, the little pack of terriers bounded across the room to chase it. He poured three flutes full, and handed the fourth, filled with a non-alcoholic cider, to Rivers. After Malcolm proposed a toast, the four raised their glasses to celebrate a shotgun wedding and an unplanned pregnancy. Rivers could not believe that her grandfather and father, the two people who should care most about her success, didn’t seem to care that her future had been ripped apart in less then a week. Once the initial shock had passed, they seemed delighted at the prospect of such excitement and activity. Malcolm even proposed an engagement party after the couple finished they brief honeymoon, so that Caroline and Rivers’ maternal grandparents, as well as all of Malcolm’s European friends, could celebrate with the happy couple. Jay could hardly believe his luck at getting off so easy, but the favorable reaction made Rivers nauseous and tired.

While she retired to her bedroom to nap before supper, and Johnny went to town for a previous engagement, Malcolm and Jay moved to the billiard room for some celebratory cigars. The billiard room looked like something out of an old movie, with dark wood paneling and a remnant haze of smoke. It was a room for men, a room for discussion of subjects not traditionally in the woman’s sphere. Malcolm cut two Cubans from his private store, and lit them, puffing a mouthful of smoke into the air as he and Jay settled into the worn leather armchairs.

“I know I don’t have to lecture you about taking care of Rivers properly,” Malcolm began in a casual tone, taking yet another puff from his cigar. “You seem to love really love her, and so I am happy for the both of you. But marriage is difficult at any age and raising children adds to the strain. When I envisioned Rivers’ future, I did not have her marrying so young. You’re old enough now that I can speak freely with you, without worry of you carting my words back to your father or anyone else in the group, aren’t you?”

Jay’s eyes widened – Malcolm Mackenzie was confiding exclusively in him. “Of course, sir,” Jay managed to say, still grappling with the rarity of Malcolm’s actions. He did not speak candidly to his friends about the difficulties within his own family.

“Caroline is inept as a mother and Johnny never got behind his role as a father, at least not in the realm of discipline. I’ve tried over the years to steer Rivers in the proper direction, but found that her happiness is my weakness, leaving me incapable of correcting her behavior. No one really knows this, but I held Rivers before even Johnny did, and I named her. The moment that her eyes opened and she looked at me, I knew I would never love anyone more than her. I wanted to raise her myself when her parents proved worthless, but Caroline always got in the way. So Rivers, as you know, has always been somewhat lost - until she met you. I need to know if you really love her, enough to be a real husband to her, to shelter her and guide her through the difficult walks of life. Can you be for her what she needs, can you be the companion I have desired for her?”

Nodding his head, Jay said, “Yes. I love her; I love her more than anything. She means more to me than…well, more than anything ever could. And I’ve seen her hurt too much to ever cause her more pain. That’s why I wanted to marry her now and raise the baby together, because I know that it’s what she needs, and what she wants, even if she’s a little confused right now.”

“She’ll always be a little confused, a little lost, forever in need to guidance and support.” Malcolm’s voice picked up a sense of distress. “I loved that girl the instant she came into the world and I will love her until the moment I go out of it. I need to know that you will take care of her after I pass from this life, that you will love her forever.”

“I will, sir,” Jay said as solemn as a priest taking orders. “I will never leave her, I promise that to you.”

Malcolm cleared his throat, turning his head so to hide the misty look in his eyes. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he turned back to his young companion. He tapped the ashes from the end of his cigar into the crystal ashtray on the small table between them. “Very well,” He said. “Now tell me, did the two of you settle any legal documents before the ceremony? Any prenuptial agreements or the like?”

Frowning, Jay shook his head. After the emotional, heavy words they had just exchanged, Jay felt unprepared for a change in subject. Money had never been an issue and he didn’t expect it to become one in the future. “No, we didn’t really have time. Should we have signed something?”

“Oh, I don’t think it will be a problem,” Malcolm said. “But just in case, I’ll have the lawyers draw something up.”

While Jay nodded in agreement, Malcolm thanked the gods for Jay’s lack of knowledge about such matters. Rivers stood to inherit a multitude of wealth – estates, family companies, not to mention, lots of money. She had proven to be flighty and uncertain in the past; if for any reason she decided to back out of the marriage, Malcolm wanted to be prepared. Without any legal agreements, Jay would be entitled to half of everything. The Mackenzie fortune would stay in the Mackenzie family, and Malcolm would be prepared for any circumstances.

D

The honeymoon in France passed with exceptional speed and last far less time than both Rivers and Jay liked. But Jay had to return to Georgia to participate in summer workouts with the team and prepare for the start of fall practice. Already he had spent more time away from the structured team workouts than the coaches generally permitted, but under the circumstances exceptions were made. The couple returned to Georgia, but only after Jay switched the airline to British Airways, eliminating the annoyance of separate seats. So Rivers fell asleep, as she had become apt to do at any time since her pregnancy, against Jay’s shoulder, breathing softly into his skin. Jay even enjoyed the loss of feeling in his right arm. He wanted her next to him forever and was determined to keep things as they were now.

D

“Where are we going?” Rivers asked as Will turned her new car in the opposite direction she had instructed. “The hotel is on the other side of campus.”

“We aren’t going to a hotel, Miss Rivers,” Will said, taking another turn down a pretty, tree lined street with wide sidewalks and ordered gardens. “Or shall I say Mrs. Conrad?”

“Well, where are we going then? Jay and I have to stay somewhere while we look for houses.”

“Yeah,” Grumbled Jay from the backseat. He sat there because he did not want Rivers to have to climb over anything in her condition, including a row of seats. “And we need to get there quick so we can get started. I hate shopping and I hate hotels.”

At his best friend’s side in the backseat, Quinby laughed the sullenness of Jay’s tone. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about that…”

Rivers whipped her head around to stare at Quinby. She knew that tone – Quinby had something planned. “Why not?” She demanded, just as Will parked the car and jumped out to get Rivers’ door. Though she had not started to show, the boys acted like she needed help with everything. He offered her his hand to get out of the car, and to humor him, she accepted, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Jay hopped out of the backseat, wrapping an arm around Rivers’ shoulders.

“Well,” Will began, a smile stretching onto his handsome face. “While y’all were in Europe, we sort of…bought you a house.” He gestured to the house in front of them. For a moment, Rivers stared opened mouthed at the house: it looked like a fairy tale cottage from her childhood dreams, just larger. Built from sandy uneven stones, with a wrought iron fence surrounding the wide green lawn and vibrant flowerbeds, the house appeared too beautiful to be located in the midst of a college town like Athens. As if in a dream, Rivers stepped toward the little gate and pushed it open. The boys followed her, Jay in shock, Quinby with a smirk on his face, and Will nearly beaming with pride.

Stopping at the front door, Rivers turned back to the others. “You bought us a house? This house?”

“Yeah,” Will began.

“It was Miss Rose and Mr. James’s idea,” Quinby cut in. “After ya’ll called them from Scotland to tell them the news, they wanted us to find you a house. So we did.”

“It has big yards, perfect for Baron,” Will supplied. “And wait until you see inside.” Reaching for Rivers’ hand, he started to pull her toward the front door. Rivers resisted, hanging back to stare at the house a moment longer. Will abandoned her hand, rushing toward the door while chattering about the various amenities of the house. Quinby followed lazily. As Rivers remained fixed on the house, Jay slipped an arm around her shoulders.

“You alright, baby?” Jay whispered, kissing her on the ear.

“I jut can’t believe it,” Rivers sighed, placing a hand on her still flat stomach as she had become apt to do in the past few weeks. “A house, a husband, a baby – it’s all happening fast.”