BLACKOUT

by Olivia Evans

  “Congratulations, Lonna,” Gavin said, pulling me against his chest and pressing his lips to mine. “I never doubted you for a second.”

  “Well, she nailed it,” Katherine said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as soon as Gavin released me. “May I borrow her for a moment?”

  Gavin smiled. “Sure.”

  “I’m so proud of the work you’ve done. It’s an amazing feat on its own. The fact that you made it happen after everything you’ve gone through… Well, Lonna, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a spot on our senior design team than you. You’ve been everything you were built up to be and more.” After the blowup with Ethan, Gavin and I decided to come clean to everyone. His family, my family, even Katherine. It wasn’t easy, but it was the truth they deserved.

  “Are you promoting me?” I whispered, afraid if I said the words any louder, they’d float off into space.

  “You won the contract. And when I say won, I mean you blew the clients away. They didn’t even want to see the other designs. You killed it.”

  I smiled so big, my face hurt. “Do they want to film promo?” I asked, my gaze drifting to Bill and Pearl. “Because this place was my inspiration, and I’d love it if the people who owned it were given the recognition they deserve.”

  Katherine placed her hand on my shoulder. “It’s already been taken care of. We help those who help us. We’re all looking forward to working with those two. And eating their cake. Because—are you kidding me?—that shit is amazing.”

  I laughed at Katherine’s expression and nodded because I knew exactly what she meant. Pearl’s cake would voodoo the hell out of you. “Thank you for not giving up on me. I know I wasn’t the best employee, but I really did try not to let my personal life ruin my professional.”

  “Well, you sucked at that,” Katherine said without a hint of humor in her voice. “But you worked it out, and in the end, it was worth it. I’m honored to have someone as strong as you on my team.”

  I was just about to thank her when I saw Bat speaking with Carter out of the corner of my eye. “Hey, Katherine,” I said. “How are we in the art department? Because I have someone I think would be a perfect fit for our company.”

  Katherine raised her brows. “Oh yeah? Who’s that?”

  I grinned. “Let me introduce you to someone.”

  I spent the next couple hours surrounded by the people I loved. It was everything I needed and helped push me through what was still to come. “He’s a keeper,” my mom said as she gave me a tight hug. I looked at Gavin and my dad, deep in conversation, talking about cars, no doubt.

  “He’s the one,” I said without an ounce of uncertainty.

  “Oh honey, I’ve been telling you that for months. We’ve all just been waiting for you,” Pearl said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “You raised an amazing daughter. She has brought so much light into my life. Thank you.”

  My mom placed a hand over her heart. “Thank you,” she said, her voice sincere. “With the exception of her poser goth phase, she really was a great kid.”

  I laughed and smacked my mom’s shoulder. “Don’t call me a poser!”

  My mom gave me the most pitying look ever and shook her head. “Oh baby, I love you, but you were a total poser.”

  In that moment, I decided parents were assholes, and I would never say those things to my kids. As the crowd thinned and the time on the clock approached four, Gavin, Bat, and I headed across the street. I hadn’t gone to a meeting in a while, and this would be the first time the three of us had been back to Melissa’s group since the night of Gavin’s confession. But we had news to share.

  Melissa smiled warmly when we walked through the door, while others openly gawked at us. Their faces were familiar; they’d been there when Gavin shared his story and had no doubt put two and two together. They didn’t know the whole story, unlike Melissa, whom Gavin had called after the truth came out.

  “It’s nice to see you,” Melissa said, hugging each of us. “Bat, you look…bright. I like it.”

  Bat rolled her eyes and tugged at the bottom of her T-shirt. “Thanks.”

  “Are you here with good news?” Melissa asked, looking at me.

  “Sort of. Do you mind if I share tonight?”

  “I’d love that.”

  As people filled the chairs, Gavin and Bat took the seats on either side of me. Melissa started the meeting the same as always, and when she asked if anyone would like to share, I raised my hand.

  “Hello,” I said, clearing my throat. “My name is Lonna, and a year ago, I was raped.”

  Gavin reached over and took my hand, his smile reassuring. With a final breath, I told my story. About that night, the months that followed, the lies Gavin and I were made to believe, and the fallout that ensued. Even though I’d told the story almost a dozen times, I still struggled with the reality of my betrayal. When I finished, I wanted to slump back in my chair from exhaustion, but I had one more thing to say.

  “Last week, I received a call from the DA’s office. Ethan decided not to fight the charges and placed himself at the mercy of the DA. He was sentenced to eighteen months in jail and given five years’ probation. Was that enough? Is that justice?” I shrugged and looked at Bat, who had tears in her eyes. “It’s better than what most of us are given. And it will follow him for the rest of his life. He’ll have to live with the fact that his decisions will haunt him, just like they’ve haunted me. And that’s going to have to be enough for me.”

  When we walked out of the meeting that night, there was a feeling of electricity in the air. Gavin’s name had been cleared to those who thought he’d done the unthinkable, and a sliver of hope had been given to those who feared their attackers would never be brought to justice. For Gavin and me, it was the end of our nightmare. It was time for the next chapter of our story to begin.

  “Only sparklers for you,” Gavin said, holding a package of fireworks above his head so Wren couldn’t reach them, no matter how hard she tried.

  “Lonna,” she whined, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do something.”

  “Stop harassing your sister,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Lonna, this is your first Fourth with us. Trust me, you don’t want Wren anywhere near the fireworks. Last time she had a Roman candle, she pointed it at us like a weapon. I’ve never seen my dad move that fast in my life.

  “Wren, you didn’t!”

  She shrugged, a sheepish smile on her face. “In my defense, I’d had a wee bit too much to drink.”

  “Are you saying you plan on not drinking this year?” Gavin asked, his brow raised in challenge. Wren opened and closed her mouth a few times before letting out a huff.

  “Fine. You can have all the fun. I’m going to get a beer.”

  Gavin fell next to me on the blanket and shook his head. “She’ll forget this entire conversation in a couple hours. Don’t let her distract you. She’s sneaky.”

  I leaned into his side and dug my bare feet into the sand. The waves lapped at the beach, and a warm breeze blew against our sun-kissed skin. My eyes began to droop, and I was seconds away from drifting off to sleep when Gavin nudged my shoulder.

  “Lonna?”

  “Hmm?”

  He let out a soft chuckle and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Have you decided what you plan to do when your lease is up next month?”

  I sighed and opened my eyes. Before Gavin and I had left for Savannah, Krista let me know that when our lease was up at the end of August, she planned to move in with Brett. As happy as I was for her, I was also sad. “As much as I would like to stay where I am, I can’t afford the place by myself. And there’s no way in hell I’m looking for new roommates. I guess I’ll need to start looking for a place when we get back.”

  “Or…” he said, clearing his throat. “You could move in with me.”

  Suddenly, I wasn’t tired anymore. “Oh?” I asked, my voice shaking a bit.

  “Here’s the thing,” he whispered,
dropping his arm and turning so we faced each other. “You’re my best friend. You’re the love of my life. Every time I picture my future, you’re always right there by my side. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep next to you every night. I want to start a family with you. I want it all, and I want it forever.”

  “Gavin,” I choked, tears swimming in my eyes.

  “Marry me, Lonna.”

  He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it, the diamond a prism of colors from the bright summer sun. My hands flew to my mouth as I stared at it, wide-eyed. Gavin wanted to marry me. He’d just asked me to marry him.

  “Lonna,” he said again, his voice a little more unsure than it had been a moment ago.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. Yes. Oh my God, yes!” I threw my arms around his neck and tackled him. “Yes, yes, yes!” I said just in case there was any confusion. He let out a small laugh and flipped us over so he hovered above me.

  His smile was blinding, and in that moment, I didn’t think it was possible to love another person more. “I love you.”

  “Ugh. Same. Now, kiss me.”

  I didn’t have to tell him twice. He kissed me in a way that sent flares of heat through my body. I pushed my hands into his hair and held him in place until my need to breathe became greater than my desire to have his body pressed against mine. He let out a breathless laugh and rested his forehead against mine.

  “You said yes.”

  I nodded, my smile matching his. “I said yes. Now, give me my ring.”

  He pushed off me and helped me sit up before pulling the ring from the box and sliding it onto my finger. It was perfect. “I love it.”

  “She said yes! She said yes!”

  Gavin and I jumped and turned to where Wren stood in the middle of the front yard. She was jumping up and down, waving her arms wildly in our direction as she shouted to their parents, who stood on the second-story balcony with bright smiles on their faces.

  “Did they know?” I asked, a little surprised.

  “I might have mentioned to them last month that we might have a little more than the Fourth to celebrate.”

  “A month? You’ve been planning this a month?”

  Gavin let out a small laugh and stood before helping me to my feet. “Lonna, I’ve been planning this since we stood on this very beach last Thanksgiving. I imagined us chasing our kids into the ocean. I imagined watching the sunset from the balcony with you wrapped in my arms. I saw it all, and I wanted it. Things might not have gone the way I planned, but I ended up right where I wanted. Right here. With you.”

  Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I nodded, a wide smile on my face. “Do you want to know something funny? I imagined the same thing. You’re right, things didn’t go as planned, but we both got what we wanted in the end.”

  “Oh my God, can you two stop for five seconds so I can hug my future sister-in-law?” Wren asked, bouncing on her toes. Gavin and I laughed and stepped apart. As soon as Wren had an opening, she pounced, wrapping her arms around me, much like she’d done when I met her. This time, I didn’t flinch; there was no hesitation when I returned her embrace.

  “I’m so happy you agreed to marry my stupid brother,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

  “I’m so happy your stupid brother asked me to marry him,” I said back, causing her to laugh.

  “Well, if you two are done calling me stupid, let’s go see Mom before she jumps off the balcony.”

  Hand in hand, we walked up to the house, laughing and smiling like idiots. His parents hugged me with the same fervor as Wren, and when they welcomed me to the family, I felt like I might burst from gratitude, love, and happiness.

  The month that followed was a whirlwind of excitement. Between my new assignments at work, moving, and trying to rein in Krista, Bat, and now Wren with wedding planning, I fell asleep exhausted and blissful every night.

  “Lonna, you home?”

  I smiled, warmth spreading through my chest as I took a sip from my glass of wine. “Out back!”

  I heard rustling inside, and a few minutes later, Gavin leaned over the back of my chair and placed a soft kiss against my cheek. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, taking the glass of wine I’d poured for him earlier and sitting next to me on the sofa.

  I curled into his side and let out a contented sigh. “It’s just like I imagined,” I said, thinking back to the first time I’d visited his house. We’d gone to hell and back, but even the worst kind of nightmare hadn’t been able to stop all my dreams from coming true.

  “What is?” he asked, wrapping his arm around me.

  “The fireflies.”

  The End

  I’m forever grateful to my family and friends for letting me be me, no matter how weird that gets.

  Jennifer, you are a constant in my life. I can’t thank you enough for your frank honesty, even if I don’t always want to hear it. Just kidding, I always want to hear it. I know we didn’t always see eye to eye on this one, but that’s what makes our friendship so special.

  Julie, thank you once again for dropping everything to read this for me. You were the first person I pitched this book to and while it’s not what we started with; I really love where we ended up.

  Christina, thank you so much for holding my hand through this. You have built such a great team around me and without you or them, I’d be in a very different place right now. You do so much for so little and it’s just another reminder of the generous heart you have.

  Jada, I feel like I say the same thing to you every book, but that doesn’t make it any less true. You are so talented and you just get me and my crazy brain. Honestly, I’m not sure what that says about you, but I’m happy for it nonetheless!

  Lisa, I promise that one day you won’t have to send me a doc with thousands of edits for missing commas and overused words. I can’t say when that day will be, probably when there is a program that recognizes and fixes them for me on the spot, but we can both pray for that! Lol Thank you for helping me smooth out the wrinkles in this book to make it the best it can be.

  Special shoutout to Marty, Elaine, Elizabeth, Ashley, Heather P and Heather B. Your feedback was so very helpful and I can’t tell you how much it meant to me. <3

  And last but certainly not least, to my girls, my “Chicks”. If people know about this book, it’s likely because of y’all. The tweets, the shares, the out and out balls to the wall pimping that you all do is mind blowing. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to spread the word about my books. You guys are the best ever.

  To everyone who takes the time to read my words, thank you. There are millions of books out there, thanks for choosing mine. Without you, none of this would be possible.

  Olivia Evans is a dreamer by day, writer by night. She's obsessed with music and loves discovering new bands. Traveling the world and watching the sun set in every time zone sounds like heaven to her. A true Gemini, she follows her heart blindly and lives life to the fullest with her husband, son, and friends. Her other loves include: Chuck Taylors, Doc Martens, concert tees, gangster movies, sports, wine, craft beer and her shih tzu babies.

  Connect with Olivia on Facebook, Twitter Goodreads, Instagram, or visit her website at www.oliviaevansauthor.com.

  Other Titles by Olivia Evans

  Hollywood & Vine

  Brooklyn & Beale

  Flutter

  The Wedding Party

  Practice to Deceive