Safe Zone

{Matt’s Point of View}

Katy stood there and I wanted to pull her out from under the balcony cover and kiss her like we were in a movie, but this was reality.

“I guess it was a bad day to wear a white shirt?” I laughed looking down at my shirt, seeing my tattoos through it.

“I would say,” She chuckled her arms folded across her chest. We shared a brief eye contact and she broke it as she turned around towards the door, “I don’t know what we’re going to see behind this door.”

Since being on tours, nothing surprised me anymore. So I really didn’t brace myself, but I should have. Katy walked in and immediately her sister and her boyfriend, I assumed, caught our attention as they moaned and groaned from the couch.

“Woah,” I gasped, they were ballsy.

“Ignore them. Follow me,” Katy motioned putting one hand on the side of her face blocking them out like a horse blind, while grabbing my hand and pulling me behind her. I would do it all again for her to reach for my hand.

“Nice set up,” I grinned sitting in the desk chair that was rolled near a desk covered in papers. She sat across from me on her bed.

“Thanks, trying to get on my feet so I can move into my own place. Just so expensive. I haven’t lived on my own in like ten years,” She sighed. There was a long break of silence, so I figured it was better than never to bring up the reason that brought me here.

“So we’re having a baby, huh?” Katy looked down and twiddle her fingers so I got up and walked over to where she was then sat next to her on the bed.

Swiftly, I took my hand and slid it between her waist and arm intertwining my fingers into hers then resting it on her leg.

“You don’t have to be afraid. I am going to be here for every single thing. Every doctor appointment, every class, every ultrasound. Everything, Kate. This is my child just as much as River and Cash,” I could tell that was what she wanted to hear because she started to have tears drop down and began to inhale and exhale loudly.

“Thank you,” she cried as she looked over at me. My heart always locked up and would be accompanied by a lump in my throat, when she truly smiled.

“How pregnant are you?” It was random, but I could feel my heart running to it’s safe zone, running straight to her heart.

“I’ll be five weeks Friday. I’m like barely pregnant,” she smiled, while wiping her eyes with her free hand since ours were still connected.

“Makes sense,” I nodded my head then took my free hand and ran it through my hair. My body involuntarily shivered because my shirt was still wet and now I was directly under her ceiling fan.

“You want me to throw your shirt in the dryer for a minute. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked or anything?” She laughed finally letting go of my hand and standing up.

“I guess,” Any reason is a good reason to take your shirt off. I pulled the damp t-shirt off of my body, while I noticed Katy watched. Or at least I like to think she was.

“I have some shorts too. They were yours actually but I liked to sleep in them so I kept them. If you want me to dry your pants too?” I reached my hands down to feel my jeans that had trudged me through the water.

“Alright,” I nodded, stripping them down and catching the shorts Katy threw my way. Sure enough they were my favorite ones too, I had been looking for them for a couple weeks now, “So that’s where these have been.”

Katy laughed and grabbed the articles of clothing that I had placed on the desk chair. She walked out of the room leaving the door ajar. She came back a minute after I heard the dryer slam and start.

“Sorry for interrupting your movie. I can’t believe you’re not tired of it yet,” Katy scoffed and climbed into her bed under the comforter. I kept my distance but scooted to the top of her bed leaning up against the wall while she laid down.

“I will never get tired of this movie,” She chuckled pointing the remote and playing it. Katy had to have least seen the beauty and the beast a million times. I’m pretty sure she was Belle almost every Halloween since it came out.

“Promise me if we end up having a girl you will not dress her up as Belle for Halloween,” I chuckled pulling her comforter over my lap, blocking the ceiling fan from my cold, now, bare legs.

“I can’t commit to that kind of negativity in my life. I wanted to name her Belle,” She grinned and looked up at me.

“Absolutely not. Besides we’re going to have a boy. I obviously don’t make girls,” I matter-of-factly told Kate while scooting down to where we were face to face talking. From my chest down was now under the comforter matching Katy’s position.

“Uh, third time’s a charm. But really I wanted to name her Savannah Ann,” Katy suggested. I liked it. Savannah Ann Sanders. Ann was in both of our mother’s names, so it worked.

“Savannah Ann Sanders, sounds cool. Rolls off of the tongue,” I agreed. Both of us were now on our sides facing each other.

Our eyes locked for a second and we both shyly smiled. Katy was the first to look away, while she rolled on to her back.

“I miss you a lot,” she sighed with a smile on her lips.

“I know. I just have to figure things out. I mean I left the hospital that day because I knew I had to be there for my kids. Well now we’re having a kid. So I’m playing like a whole other sport now. I just don’t know what to do about everything,” I started to play with her hair that was spread all over the pillow in my view.

“You need to do what makes you happy, because in the end your boys need the best you that you can be and being unhappy is not the best you. So what makes you happy?” she asked rolling back over to her side making eye contact with me.

Time felt like it was moving in slow motion as I lifted my arm and wrapped it around her waist pulling her body close to mine. She nuzzled her face into my chest and tucked her arms in so I was caressing her with one arm and the other under her head. My lips met her forehead, then she looked up at me. Our lips collided but it was soft and tender, it wasn’t a lustful kiss.

“Give me time,” I softly mumbled. My heart was pounding for Katy and so was my body. But flashes of the boys and Val kept blocking my view of our future.