All This Time

Part 3 - All This Time

Joey hung up her cell phone and placed it on the table beside her, out front of the B&B as Bessie came down the front step with a cup in each hand. Joey removed her sun glasses as Bessie sat on the chair beside her.

“Who was that?” Bessie asked as she handed Joey a cup.

“Nicola. She was just calling to tell me how things were going, but we both knew she was really calling to see if there was any news.” Joey informed Bessie before she took a sip of her tea.

“Well it has been a week.”

“You expected Dawson to have called by now?”

Bessie was quiet and Joey knew that Bessie was finding it hard to understand what the problem seemed to be.

“He said he loves you…”

“Yeah, and I’d just dropped this huge piece of news on him after telling him I’d made the decision to be with him.” Joey placed her cup on the table. “Bessie, I didn’t just ask him to date me. I was pretty much telling him we were going to have a family in the near future. To some guys that’s a big thing even when you are in a committed relationship.”

“Shouldn’t he have thought of that before you both…”

“Shouldn’t I have considered the fact that when I first went there it was with someone else’s ring on my finger?” Joey cut her off. “I think you’re just trying to hide your disappointment by being mad at someone. You’re disappointed in me, and you’re disappointed in him because he’s not here at this minute standing by me. The fact is Dawson didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to.”

“Maybe so, but…”

“I had to give him time to think. Would you have preferred Dawson to have accepted all of this and six months down the line realize he didn’t want his and my hopes to be built up for everything to fall apart?”

“No.” Bessie replied, her voice low.

Bessie drained the rest of her tea from the cup and stood up. “I have some things I need to take care of before the new guests arrive.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Joey placed her sunglasses back on as Bessie walked away and casually looked out over the creek. She allowed one of her hands to rest on her stomach as she wondered if their baby would like it there. Would Jordan always want to come to Capeside to visit Aunt Bessie or Grandma? Jordan, that was the name she’d already picked out for the baby, boy or girl.

She closed her eyes wondering if the baby would be dark haired like she was or have sandy blonde hair like Dawson, would it inherit her eyes or his? She hoped if it was a boy that he’d look just like his father, knowing he was sure to be a heartbreaker as he got older.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone walking behind her.

“Bessie did you forget something?” Joey asked not opening her eyes. When there was no reply her eyes shot open and she turned in her seat. “Bessie…” She began but stopped in her tracks.

“I could go ask her if you want.” Dawson replied standing a few feet behind her chair, wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and sunglasses.

So many thoughts raced through Joey’s mind as she tried to focus on him. He was really here; she’d blinked quite a few times behind her sunglasses. He was unshaven with a few days growth and Joey wondered if his sunglasses hid the fact he had hardly slept, because she knew hers were hiding that and the fact she’d been crying.

Joey wasn’t sure what to say, she’d been trying to get her body to obey her to stand but it wasn’t responding to her commands. “Hey.” She said as she finally managed to get to her feet and face him fully.

“Hey.” He replied and removed his sunglasses confirming what Joey had been thinking.

She saw Bessie about to step out on the porch before she caught sight of Dawson and silently retreated back inside the house.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” Joey said a part of her scared to hear what he had to say.

“Really?” He asked but not waiting for her to reply. “I thought you’d figure the worst because I wasn’t here sooner. And believe me I tried to get here sooner but I had to rearrange some things with work and I didn’t want to just call and do this over the phone because this should be done in person and…” he started to ramble.

Her heart sank as she hoped for the best but expected the worst. ‘No matter what, you can do this’ she’d told herself countless times.

“I see.” She found herself saying as she tried to fight the tears that were about to flow freely once more.

“Do you?” He asked her puzzled, how could she know? And as she moved her hand towards her face to wipe away what he presumed to be a tear, something clicked in his head and he knew she had it all wrong. “Joey…” He began but she was shaking her head.

“Don’t.” She said and took a few steps forward and around the chair towards the house.

As she was about to pass him he reached for her arm and pulled her towards him, holding her close. His touch seemed to have opened the floodgates and she found herself sobbing as she clung to him, willing him not to say it. He eased up on his hold on her and extracted her sunglasses from on top of her nose before gently trying to wipe away her tears.

“Joey…” He began again and she tried to push him away but he wouldn’t let her go, which only made her try to push him away harder.

Dawson did the only thing he thought would stop her, which was to brush her lips with his own. She continued to fight him but as he kept bringing his lips back into contact with her own she found herself weaving her arms around his neck and pulling him closer as she started to kiss him back.

He broke the kiss. “Can I say what I was going to say now?” Dawson asked but didn’t wait on her replying, he just pulled her close. “I love you and as much as it still scares me that we’re going to have a baby in less than eight months, I know this is what I want to do.”

His grip on her lessened and she looked up at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s always been you Joey.” He replied brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “Did you really think I came all the way here to tell you I didn’t want to have the baby with you?”

She nodded her head. “Jordan.”

He looked at her puzzled.

“It’s the name I picked.” She told him.

“It’s a boy?”

“No.”

“Girl then?”

“No,”

“Okay.” He replied. “Do you honestly think if I truly loved you, I‘d have been able to travel all the way here just to let you down?”

“Well...”

“And face getting my ass kicked by Bessie.”

Joey looked up at him and then turned to see Bessie standing in the doorway dabbing her eyes with a tissue and she let out a small laugh.

Dawson kissed the top of her head. “I just had to prepare myself for fatherhood a little sooner than anticipated. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Joey told him as she lay her head on his chest content to know that she’d sleep well that night. “You needed time to think, to make your decision.”

They stood there for a moment before she took his hand.

“There’s something I have to show you.” She told him as she pulled him towards the house.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” He asked as he allowed her to pull him towards the steps.

“A picture of Jordan.”

He stopped walking and she turned to face him, stepping backwards onto the first step. “I forgot I missed the first sonogram.” He said sounding dejected.

“We’ll see if we can get another one.” She assured him as she placed her hands around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He replied as his lips closed in on hers again.