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As Things Change - Part XVI Rex stares at her. “What did you just say?”   “I’m pregnant, Rex. That’s why I’ve had the ‘flu’ for the last week.”   He closes the gap between them and sweeps her into his arms. “Pregnant! I can’t believe… I thought you were dumping me or you were dying or…”   She pulls back from him. “Did you hear what I said?”   He looks at her strangely. “Sure I heard you. We’re having a baby!” She just stares at him. “Wait… You are happy about this, right?”   Lauren looks at him oddly. “Are you?”   “Are you kidding? Of course I’m happy. Why would you think that I’m not?”   “Because every time I bring up having a baby, you tell me how happy you are that we don’t have to worry about kids and how you’re not ready.”   Rex stops, eyeing her cautiously. “Oh, that. Well, I guess when it wasn’t real, I could say those things, but… I don’t know how to explain this…”   She pulls away from him. “Well, you better figure it out. You’ve had me worried sick about telling you because I thought you didn’t want a baby.”   He moves closer to her again, putting his hands on her hips, wanting to maintain contact. “I’m sorry. I never would have given you that impression if I’d known you were pregnant. I… How long have you known?”   “I found out a couple weeks ago. I’ve been trying to tell you but every time I bring up the subject, you were so negative that I just chickened out.”   “I didn’t mean to make you afraid to tell me.” He takes a deep breath. “Wow, this is a lot to… But I’m happy about this. I swear.” She looks at him doubtfully so he takes her hand. “Here, come sit down. Are you supposed to be on your feet?”   She smiles as she sits beside him on the sofa. “Of course I can be on my feet, Rex.”   He resists the urge to put his hand on her belly. “So everything is okay with the baby? And you? I mean, you’ve been puking a lot lately. Is that normal?”   She nods. “Dr. Conklin said the morning sickness should be just about over. I’m just out of the first trimester.”   “Okay, so that’s good. I… Wow, I don’t know what to say here.”   She smiles. “Never thought I’d see the day you were speechless, Rex.” She looks at him closely. “You’re not sure about this, are you?”   He tries to focus. “Of course. It’s cool. I just…”   She looks down. “You feel trapped, don’t you? I want you to know I never meant for this to happen. It was an accident, I swear.”   He takes her hand again. “It’s okay, Lauren. I never thought for a second that you would try to trap me.”   “But I don’t want to be with you just because I’m pregnant. I can manage this on my own. That’s what I came to tell you. You’re free if you want to walk away.”   “Walk away? Are you kidding me?”   She shakes her head. “I know this isn’t what you bargained for. I know it was a big step for us to move in together and this is out of the ballpark huge. I’m sorry.”   “Stop apologizing! Did I say anything about walking away?”   “No, but I bet you’re figuring out right now how you can get out of this. I just want you to know, I wouldn’t blame you and…”   “Hold it right there. Stop with all this talk about me leaving.”   “I’m just being realistic, Rex.”   “No, you’re not. You’re imagining the worst and not giving me a chance.”   “But I know this isn’t…”   He puts his finger to her lips. “Just hush for one sec, will you.” He gets up from the sofa. “Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”   Matt makes his way down to the stables, peering inside, trying to find Blake. A giant of a man approaches him. Matt backs out of the barn but the man follows him. “You the Buchanan grandson?” he asks in a booming voice. Matt nods slowly. “Welcome. Name’s Sully. You need anything around these parts, you find me.”   Matt cautiously holds out his hand. “I’m Matthew. I was looking for Blake.”   Sully points to the nearby stable, ignoring Matthew’s outstretched hand. “He’s cleaning up in there. Careful with your fancy shoes so you don’t step in something odorous, if you get my drift.”   Matt looks down at his shoes. “They’re just sneakers. A little poop won’t hurt ‘em.”   Sully laughs heartily. “Ain’t that the truth! Thought you being a city boy, you might be squeamish about that kind of thing.”   Matt shakes his head. “I’ll be okay.”   “I bet you will. Maybe you’re a natural like ol’ Asa. Go on over there and tell Blake to show you the horse he picked out for you. She’s a beaut.”   “Thanks, Sully.” Matt turns and makes his way over to the other barn. He walks inside and stops, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He sees Blake at the other end of the row of stalls and makes his way toward him. “Hi, Blake.”   “Hey, Matthew. I see you’re finding your way around.”   Matt nods. “Sully told me you were in here.”   Blake grins. “So you’ve met Sully?”   “He seems nice enough.”   “Just be careful around him. If you piss him off, watch out!” He stops. “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t talk like that.”   Matt grins. “Why not? That’s how I talk – when my mom’s not around.”   Blake smiles at him. “Good to know. Just didn’t want to offend the boss’s grandson.”   “No sweat.”   “You want to meet your horse?”   Matt nods. “Which one is she?”   Blake walks toward the center of the barn. “Right down here. She’s got her own special spot.” He stops in front of a huge stall with no nameplate over the top. “There she is. We just nicknamed her Brownie because you haven’t picked a name.”   Matt peers through the gate and sees a majestic, dark brown horse in the corner. Blake holds out his hand, snapping his fingers. “Come here. Come on. Get over here and say hello.” The horse slowly makes her way to the front of the stall, her head towering above the gate. “What do you think?”   Matt stares at the horse. “She’s awesome. How old is she?”   “Three this spring. She’s been trained so she won’t give you any trouble.”   Matt reaches up to scratch her nose. The horse pulls back, avoiding his touch. She lifts up her front feet, bouncing in front of the gate. Matt smiles. “She’s a spunky one.”   “Yeah, she is. Want to take her out for a walk?”   Matt shakes his head. “Maybe she needs to get used to me first.” He puts his hand back up near the horse’s nose. She nudges it away, looking Matthew right in the eye. He grins at the horse. “I think that’s what I’m going to call her – Spunky.” He looks at Blake. “Is that okay?”   “I think that’s a perfect name for her. She has plenty of spirit but she’s gentle too.” He reaches up and pats her face. She doesn’t nudge him away. “That’s it. You’re okay.” He motions to the exit. “Why don’t we take her out to the pen. She can use the exercise.”   “If you think it’s okay.”   “Sure it is.” He picks up the bridle. “Come here, Spunky. Let’s get you out of your stall for a bit.”   Nora and Bo have made their way up to their room to relax and unpack. She walks out onto the balcony of their room. Bo comes up behind her and puts his arms around her, resting his cheek beside hers. She leans back into him. “I had forgotten how beautiful this place is. And how big.”   He nods. “It is pretty amazing. It’s good to be back down here.”   “I’m glad we’re here too.” She looks down. “The pool and hot tub look very inviting.”   “Maybe later. Would you like to take a walk down to the stables?”   She looks over toward the horse barns. “Bo, look. Is that Matthew’s horse? It’s huge!”   Bo smiles. “Looks like a beauty. Just like Pa said.”   “Do you think it’s too big for him. What if it throws him off?”   Bo pulls her close, whispering in her ear. “Relax, Red. He’ll be fine. Blake is right there. He’s not getting up on her yet, he’s just walking her – letting her get used to him.”   She sighs. “I’m just not as calm about this ranch stuff as you are. He’s never been on a ranch before and has limited experience with horses. A fall from that horse would break his arm – or worse…”   “I know it makes you uneasy but Blake will make him take it slow. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. So you can relax, Mom.”   Nora watches Matthew lead the horse around the pen, Blake standing to the side watching his every move. “I guess you’re right.”   “I am.” He takes her hand, leading her back into the room. “Why don’t we let the boys deal with the horse and we can relax a bit.”   Nora sits on the bed. “Speaking of boys, we haven’t heard from Rex. I’m dying to know what Lauren said and how he proposed.”   Bo looks at his watch. “Yeah, we should have heard by now.”   “Call him, Bo.”   He shakes his head. “He’s probably still celebrating. He’ll call us when he’s ready. He knows we want to hear.”   Nora frowns. “You’re no fun.”   Lauren is sitting on the sofa, nervously tapping her foot, waiting for Rex to return. He walks back into the room, offering her an impish grin. “This is a little late, but here goes nothing.” Before Lauren can ask what he’s up to, he drops on one knee and takes her hand. He takes a deep breath and looks her in the eye. “Lauren, I had no idea how I was going to do this. And this isn’t exactly what I had planned but… Will you marry me?”   She pulls her hand away, shaking her head. “You don’t have to do this, Rex. I was not trying to pressure you into a proposal.”   He shakes his head. “That’s not what’s happening. I…”   She starts to get up from the sofa. “Don’t. You’re just making this harder.”   He stands, grabbing her arms. “Lauren, please just listen to me. You didn’t force me into anything.” He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the ring. “Guess I should have started with this. I told you I have no idea how to do this…” He pops open the box, holding it up so she can see the diamond ring nestled inside. “I want to marry you, Lauren.”   She sinks back on the couch, stunned. He sits beside her. “An answer would be good here.”   Lauren has tears in her eyes. “Where did this come from?”   “I’ve been working on this for weeks. This is why I wanted a ‘date’ last night. The shrimp linguini, the champagne… Although now I can see why you wouldn’t be impressed by those things…”   She slowly shakes her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I can’t believe this.”   “Shaggy swears it’s a real diamond… I know it’s kinda small but…”   She leans forward and silences him with a kiss. “You are crazy!”   He gives her a curious look. “Good crazy or not on your life crazy?”   She kisses him again. “My crazy. I love you, Rex.”   “I love you too. Guess I should have mentioned that sooner. But are you going to say yes? You’re killing me here.”   She throws her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. “I’m saying yes.”   “Finally!” He pulls back and slips the ring on her finger.   She looks at the ring. “It’s beautiful, Rex.” She looks in his eyes. “We’re getting married!”   “And we’re having a baby!” He pulls her into his arms, kissing her slowly and softly.   She returns his kiss before pulling back. “You’re sure this is what you want?”   “Absolutely.” His hand moves hesitantly to her belly. “So this is real? I’m not dreaming?”   She covers his hand with hers. “It’s real, Rex. In a few months you’re going to be changing diapers and wiping drool.”   He smiles big. “I can’t wait!” He kisses her again. “One thing, though. We have to keep this kid away from Grandma Roxy.”   Lauren laughs. “You’re not kidding! But Aunt Natalie would be okay.”   “I’d like that.” He kisses her again. “I can’t believe this. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. I was so worried…”   “You were quite spacey.”   “Yeah, well, there’s a lot of pressure with this proposal business.”   She kisses him. “You did just fine. But I think there’s a part you’re missing…”   He leans back. “What’s that?”   She kisses him again. “The celebration…”   “Well, I hardly think the champagne is appropriate now. How ‘bout some apple juice…”   She shakes her head, taking his hand and pulling him off the couch, leading him into the bedroom. “I have a better idea…”   Rex grabs her around the waist as she leads him toward the bed. “You’re not going to puke again, are you?”   She laughs as she pulls him down on the bed. “I’ve never felt better…”   TBC