Signs and Signals: Riverside Chronicles, page 29
I hold out her hand to help her down the last stair, and I see her satin star dusted heels, which must be at least six inches high. She turns to the side, and I see the lavender satin ribbon lacing up her back. Jesus, she is trying to kill me tonight.
“You look breathtaking, Indy. I am actually speechless over your beauty,” I whisper, though I don’t mean to.
She just smiles and says I look like a prince, and we head into the ballroom.
After we have all ate and the speakers have spoken, my mother comes up to us and gives us both hugs.
“Where is Haven, I have barely seen her tonight,” mom says, looking around the room trying to pinpoint where Haven could be.
“She is with Silas and Zander. More than likely she is on the dance floor, shaking what her mama gave her,” I say laughing, just as Indya slaps me in the stomach.
“I was going to head out and wanted to see if she wanted to come along. I think I know the basics enough to get her into bed, without any communication issues, if you don’t mind,” mom says looking at Indya.
“I’m sure she will be passed out before you even get her back to the hotel, but no I have no problem with you taking her if she is ready to go. If you ask her and she says she isn’t ready, just let her dance a little more.” Indya tells my mom, and my mom goes on her search for Haven.
“Dance with me, Indya?”
She places her hand in mine, her head on my chest, and sighs.
“Have I ever told you that my mama knew I would find you when I was seven years old?” she asks, not moving her head from my chest.
“No, you didn’t. How did she know if I lived on the other side of the country from you?”
“When I was seven, she wanted to talk to me, this was the night she died. She told me that she wanted me to remember everything she told me at that very moment. I asked her how I would know when I found the one, and she told me that I would feel it. I would feel the current of energy between us, and I would feel whole,” she says and then brings her eyes to mine. “You make me feel whole and I feel this pull towards you that I have never felt in my entire life. You are my one. My prince. My other half.”
I lean down and kiss her lips.
“I feel and felt everything you just described since the very moment I laid eyes on you. I had never in my life felt like that with anyone, not even baseball. If your mom was here, she would be so proud of the woman you became, Indya, your dad, too. Even though you only got them for seven years of your life, I feel like they still guide you. They sent you to me, and I will thank them in every prayer that I pray for the rest of my life. Then, in the afterlife, I will find them and thank them for all eternity. Because I will love you and Haven for all of eternity,” I tell her as I catch a tear that slipped from her eye with my thumb.
“I love you, Atlas. Thank you for loving me and my daughter, for making us whole.”
“I love, Indya. Thank you for allowing me to love you both and making me whole.”
Just as I press another kiss on her lips, she does something to her dress and the damn thing lights up. Little lavender lights are scattered all over the skirt, making her look like a fairytale come true. My fairytale.
We move to the middle of the dance floor, a lot of people have left but our families are still hanging around, even Haven talked my mom into staying longer.
“One more dance before we go?” Indya nods, wrapping her arms around my neck as I pull her close to me by her waist. There is no room between us, not even air is getting between our bodies right now.
The intro to the song I requested be played, begins, The Luckiest by Ben Folds, begins as we move our way around the dance floor. When he gets to the part where he is telling her he loves her so much but never found the right words to say to her to express just how much he loved her, I release her and step back. She looks at me confused, since the song is still playing. As I sink down and get on one knee, her eyes go wide and immediately fill with tears.
“Indy, you are my entire world, you own my heart, my soul, my entire being. My life has changed for the better since meeting you and Haven and having you both in my life. I am the luckiest man to ever walk this earth, just because of the two of you. You make me feel whole, like I can take on the world. Loving you and having you love me in return is a greater high than winning the World Series. Would you put me out of my misery and be my wife?”
All she can do is nod yes, she is crying so hard she has the sniffles, just like Haven. I slip the three stone platinum engagement ring onto her finger, before I can stand, she has launched herself at me, hugging and kissing my face.
Everyone applauds and whistles, yelling their congratulations. The next thing I know, I see a tiny blur of purple and blue running across the dance floor. I bend, just like always, when she gets to my arms I toss her in the air, hearing her husky giggle gets me in the heart every time.
She looks between Indya and me and then signs, Are you going to be my daddy now?
My eyes instantly fill with tears, I look at Indya to see her reaction, she is smiling but the tears are still falling, she gives me a nod of encouragement, stating she will sign while I talk, so I don’t have to put Haven down.
“Didn’t you know, Princess Haven. Your soul and my soul are connected. We can’t have signs without signals or signals without signs in baseball or sign language. We were connected before we knew each other. I would be proud to have you as my daughter, I would love nothing more for you to call me daddy.”
Haven focuses on my words and then looks to Indya, and says, daddy said we are connected ‘cause he needs my signs and I need his signals. That makes us family. We are already connected, mama, just like your mama told you would happen. Dreams do come true!
Her calling me daddy, melts my entire being into a puddle of goo. Fuck, I am going soft. This little girl is making me soft and mushy, even in my own thoughts.
I honestly don’t think my life could be any more perfect. I’ve got a World Series Championship Cup under my belt, the best daughter a man could hope for, and a woman, who has been through hell in her young life, who has agreed to be my wife. Nothing can top this, nothing. Then I think to myself and grin, A baby. I will be accomplishing that dream next.
Without learning their signs, I would not be able to communicate with Haven on my own. The signals I give them on the field are my way of telling them I love them, and they are with me.
Indya has grown so much in the past couple of months, as a mother and as a person. She doesn’t see how amazing she is, not when she is used to getting no attention or affection from the people who should have showered her with those things.
She will no longer long for the hug of someone who cares about her and loves her until the end of time. She will no longer need to be scared around certain people because I will be there to protect her.
From this day forward, Indya will be loved, cherished, and appreciated for the rest of her life. I will cheer her on from the sideline while she continues to build her clientele, making her own dreams come true.
I will love her big, love her hard, love her for eternity.
I swear.
Epilogue
Indya
Three months later
“I just have to get a few more things from our bedrooms and that should be it,” I tell Amara and Atlas, standing in the middle of our apartment living room. The place looks bigger now that two out of the three people no longer have belongings here.
“I am gonna take the boxes that are ready down to the truck, then I can come help if you’d like. I can also take Haven to the condo so she can start setting up her room the way she wants. Up to you, I am down with anything that gets you under my roof,” Atlas teases, I just roll my eyes and tell him to go ahead and take Haven, that way she gets out from under my feet.
Once the I love you’s and kisses are completed, Atlas and Haven head out, now it is just me and Amara.
“You sure you are okay with this, Amara? You moved here because of us, I don’t want you to think I am abandoning you,” I tell her trying to keep the emotion from my tone.
“Girl, you know if I had a problem with anything with anyone, I would speak up, no matter who was butthurt over it. I have told you, time and time again, you deserve this, Indya. It is about damn time something great is beginning to happen for you. I am excited for you and Haven; I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you two. You are my best friend, and I am yours. I love you and only want you to be happy. Does Atlas make you happy?” Amara tilts her head, like that is an answer she needs me to be certain of.
“Of fucking course, he does, Amara, why would you even ask such an absurd question? Now, come help me finish packing up Haven’s room before Zander gets here to grab a load."
Amara stiffens at the mention of Zander’s name. I want to question it, but I know she will dodge the question. She does it every time I put hers and Zander's name in the same sentence. It’s weird. They barely speak to each other, other than general courtesy’s, they make googly eyes at each other when they think no one is watching, I just don’t understand.
We get my room and Haven’s room all packed up and the boxes in the living room, right before Zander shows up. He gives a brief hello, asks if the boxes that say Haven and Indya written in black permanent marker, taking up most of the boxes, are the ones he needs to grab. I just laugh and agree with him, then turn, doing one more walk through of the bedroom, bathroom, and living room.
We are leaving all the kitchen stuff and all the furniture; we only took our personal items. I figured Amara could rent out the other rooms to her friends or something if she wanted.
I told her I would continue to pay my half of the rent until she decided if she wanted to move or get new roommates, but she blew up that idea. Then proceeded to lecture me about I have a five-year-old daughter about to start Kindergarten, and she is going to need things.
When I tried to explain I am making really good money now with my interpreter business, she rolled her eyes and told me not to be posh. I had no clue what she was talking about.
My business is really going great, though. Thanks to Samantha, of all people, she introduced me to some people she knew who could use my services and then the word spread like wildfire. I have one client who is a dance instructor for children, who lost her hearing when she was younger from an illness she had. She doesn’t like to speak because she can’t hear if she is saying the words correctly. So, while she is teaching toddlers up to teens different styles of dancing, I am her mouth and ears.
When I walk back into the living room to see if Zander needs me to help load some boxes, the floor is clear. Amara and Zander are standing on opposite sides of the room, Zander smirking, and Amara looks like she is about to chew him up and spit him out.
“Everything okay in here, guys?” I ask carefully. There is no way I am getting in the middle of this war that is about to go down.
“Just peachy,” Amara snaps, which tells me those peaches are overripe or rotten.
“Everything’s great as usual, just waitin to see if ya needed a ride, since your car is already at the condo,” Zander says casually, Amara snorting from behind me, mumbling something about a kiss-ass.
Ohhkaay, this is not awkward at all. “That would be great, Zander, thank you. I will call you tomorrow, Amara. I love you.” I give her a tight hug. It is a lot harder to tell her goodbye now that I won’t be coming back home. We have been together for so long, since Haven was one or so. She is like a sister to me.
“You deserve this, Indya. I will be fine. I promise.” Amara squeezes a little tighter. When she releases me, I grab my purse and head to Zander’s truck.
“You want to tell me what that was all about back there, Zander?”
“I have no clue what you are talkin about, Indya,” he says with a straight face, looking slightly confused at the question, then puts his truck in drive and takes me home to my fiancé and our daughter.
That evening, when Haven is all tucked in and sleeping like the angel she is, Atlas and I are getting ready for bed in our room. I just finished showering, and apparently, he was in the kitchen getting treats for us.
“What’s all this?” I point to the bowl of ripe red strawberries and the bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice, two glasses sitting on the nightstand.
“We are celebrating. You finally moved all the way in, no more time apart. We are a real family now, Indy, I could not be happier than I am now, here, with you and Haven.”
I swear this man knows just what to say to make my heart pound and knees weak. I walk over to where he stands and kiss him gently on the cheek.
“We are happy here with you, Atlas.”
As Atlas’s arms wrap around me tightly, holding me so close, my back to his front. I think about my parents. What would they think of Atlas? How would they react about the choices I have made since becoming an adult? Would they love being grandparents? I wish I could have just a few moments with them, just to ask what I have always wanted to know, are they proud of the woman I’ve become? My eyes grow heavy, and the darkness takes me over.
My sweet girl, you have so many questions you want answered. I am so sorry daddy, and I can’t be on this journey through life with you. But just know we are always with you. We watch over you and Haven.
The man you chose, Atlas, oh, sweet girl, he is one of the good ones, no doubt. I would have loved meeting him. And handsome, lordy he is handsome. He falls into your life seamlessly, I think you have done amazing things so far in life, even if it was a little rocky there for a moment. If you didn’t make the choices you had in the past, you would not be here in the present.
Haven is a wonderful gift, cherish her always. We love being grandparents, even if we are not there with you. We have watched her grow, since she was in your belly, and we will continue to do so.
One more thing before you wake, we have never been prouder to be your parents. You have grown into the most generous, beautiful, intelligent woman, we could not be prouder.
We love you, sweet girl.
A peaceful feeling washes over me as a smile graces my face, my eyes flutter open and I whisper into the darkness of the room, “I love you, mama and daddy.”
Thank you
Thank you for reading Signs and Signals, it means a lot that you picked up the book I put my everything into. I hope you enjoyed the insta-love story of Indya and Atlas as much as I loved writing them. Did you have a favorite character, or was there one you just wanted to throat punch? Do you still have questions about certain situations? Don't worry every question will be answered in each persons own book!
If you are anything like me, I not only fall in love with the main characters, but some side characters as well. I wonder what is going on in their life, or what made them act the way they did certain times in a story. I have read thousands of books by thousands of authors, and every journey they take me on, there is always the question of what happens after the story ends.
Don’t you worry, I got you. There are some side characters who get their own adventure, which will always give you a peek back into the lives of the characters before them. Maybe one of them will be your favorite.
Come with me on a journey of the Riverside Chronicles, where each new character brings a new set of laughter, tears, and happily ever after. Each story will pick up where the previous one ends, only from a different perspective.
Be on the lookout for book two in the Riverside Chronicles. Make sure to join my reader group on Facebook, L. H. Bulmer's Beauties and follow me on TikTok and Instagram. You can also get details on my website at authorlhbulmer.com
Please take the time to consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers find new authors like me. I would love it if everyone got a chance to meet the characters of Riverside.
Thank you for giving me my happily ever after. XOXO
Acknowledgement
I would like to give a huge shout out to my mama, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader, I love you big! I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make this process possible. Thank you for sharing, liking, following, and helping with promotional things. To my daughter, Sarah Penton, I love you, you truly are a godsend and thank you for all of your help. To my aunts, Colleen and Mary, you are both rockstars in your own rights. Continue to live it up and wreak havoc on the world. I love you both. Look for Colleen to make an appearance in book two, she has been extremely excited about it.
Thank you to all of the people who encouraged me and filled me with the positivity my mind was lacking, you know who you all are. I also want to give a shout out to everyone who read the book giving me the insight to make it better, I am looking at you, Alyssa Independence.
About The Author
L.H. Bulmer
L.H. Bulmer's passion for reading led her to write and self-publish her debut novel Signs and Signals, a story that came to a finish within a month of writing. Knowing that her passion for reading began when her fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Shook, had the class read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, motivated her to write her own stories. Since then, she was hooked, going on to read all types of books. L.H. Bulmer works as a part-time editor and author. She graduated with a BA in English in 2021. When she's not reading, writing, or editing books, she works full-time for the state of Tennessee. L.H. Bulmer was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and currently lives with her husband of nineteen years in a small town in Kentucky. She and her husband have raised four children together who are now grown adults.
