Ready When You Are

"I missed you." Jake murmured. His voice was scratchy and tired.

Cheyenne smiled lightly to herself to seem sympathetic and sat down next to him on the bed.

"How was the wedding?" He asked, looking up at her and holding her hand.

"We haven't had it yet." She answered gently and rubbed her thumb across the top of his hand.

"When is it?"

"We're not sure yet." She lied and looked out the window.

"Do you have a dress?"

"No- not yet. I'm getting one sometime this week though."

Jake nodded. There was kindness in his words, but there was also sadness. "Can I see the ring?"

Cheyenne nodded hesitantly and held up her other hand. Jake gently released her other one to examine her ring finger and gave a small, sad smile.

"It's pretty."

"Thank you." She nodded and awkwardly pulled her hand away. This calm behavior actually made her quite nervous.

The day went by painfully slow for Cheyenne. Bam hadn't called all day, Jake's parents didn't come back until around 5 that night, and everyone at the hospital kept assuming she was Jake's wife or fiance, due to the sparkling ring on her finger and the fact that she had been there all day long with no rest of her own.

"Hi honey, you can go home now." Jake's mom smiled softly after apologizing up and down for their over sleeping.

"Thank you Cheyenne." Jake murmured.

"Of course." She nodded and turned to his mom. "Please just let me know in a few days how he's doing?"

"I will." She nodded and both of his parents hugged her and thanked her again for allowing them to go home, sleep, and eat.

Cheyenne got in the car and started it up, turning the volume up. Since Bam had left, she had been driving both the Hummer and Lambo. She knew Bam wouldn't mind, and she actually preferred it more than the car he had bought her awhile back. Just as she went to put the car into reverse, her phone went off with a text so she quickly answered.

"I have a surprise for you when I get home (; " Bam had texted her.

Cheyenne raised an eyebrow and texted back. "What is it?"

"Well that's a surprise, duh!"

Just as she went to answer him, another text popped up.

"I gotta go babe, filming. i love you, bye."

Cheyenne sighed and put her phone back in her purse. It was so stressful not having any of the boys home. The huge house was so empty, lonely, and boring. Cheyenne didn't know how to play pool, it was way too chilly out to swim, she couldn't play video games, and not much else had been left for her to do.

Instead of staying at the house, she went back just to pick up Peaches and then drove to Ape and Phil's house for dinner.

When she got there she walked into the house and set Peaches down. Ape had already fallen in love with Peaches, although at first she was opposed to the idea. Bam was too rough to have a small dog, but all was fine so far.

"Hi honey!" April smiled and hugged Cheyenne.

"Hi!" She smiled and hugged back.

"Hey Chey!" Phil called from the other room.

"Hi Phil!" She called back and smiled at Ape. "Smells good."

"Thanks, it's just some pasta. Did you eat?"

"No, I've been at the hospital all day, I haven't eaten much of anything."

"How is he?" Ape asked cautiously.

"Well, he's alive." Cheyenne sighed. She had told Ape a little while back when she was having trouble with Jake texting her. April was like her second mom when her mom couldn't be there for her.

"Well, theres some italian bread in the mircowave, it should be warm. Help yourself." She smiled.

"Thanks!"

After about a half hour, the three of them sat down at the table to eat dinner. Phil was watching the football game on TV absentmindedly while Cheyenne and Ape talked.

"Oh, Ape, I talked to Vera and she's going to come up on Friday so I'm flying my family up on Thursday so they can come watch me try on dresses."

"Are you doing it at the house?"

"No, Vera found a place for us to go. She's emailing me the directions tomorrow I think."

"Well that's nice." Ape smiled. She looked almost disappointed.

"If you're not busy Friday, I really want you to come." Cheyenne smiled.

Ape looked up and her whole face lit up and it looked as it tears were forming in her eyes. "Oh honey! I'd love to go!" She smiled.

"I would love to have you there." She smiled back.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Ape smiled.

"I'm having my mom, grandma, aunt Becca, my cousin's girlfriend Danielle, and my best friend Mollie come."

Ape frowned slightly. "Angie's not going?"

"I really wanted her to, but she went with the boys to LA so she's not going to be able to make it."

"That sucks."

Cheyenne sighed. "Yeah, it does but, I'm going to send her pictures of the dresses so she can still see how they look."

"That sounds like a good idea." She nodded.

"I went with Missy one of the times to get the dress. But she tried on two, didn't like them, and we left. She went again with her family and I wasn't invited."

"Well, you are my family and you have been since the day I met you, so you're going whether you want to or not. I'm making you go."

Ape smiled across the table at her. "Sounds like a plan."