Always and Forever

by Jerry Cole

  We managed to get them out of the house with promises of phone calls and mentions of the upcoming holiday, and I drove the car while Keller took them in the SUV. Evelyn came along, but my parents told us they’d stay home. Mom had Olivia, and Dad was off to work.

  We found a small diner near the airport and parked there, heading in to find a table. Jim and Jill expressed their gratitude for such a great trip and told us they had the time of their lives. I knew that Rick had set up some deal with them as far as looking and left that between them. They were good friends and would do right by each other.

  We enjoyed a quiet meal as we danced around the topic of the flight. I hated goodbyes, and so did Keller. When we paid the bill and stood to leave, tears slid down Jill’s cheeks. I let them take the van and followed in the car, feeling Keller’s pain from the short distance.

  I met them inside and hugged them both goodbye. Jim told me that he saw my eyes the night at the steakhouse at the zoo and that I was strong for walking away. He told me again tonight and that I was a good man to Keller. The three of us watched as they went to check-in luggage, and Keller wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s shoulders.

  “That was wonderful.” She looked at him. “Those two are so good together.”

  “Yeah, he’s good to her.” Keller smiled and took my hand. Once Jim and Jill were out of sight, I followed him to the car rental agency. Evelyn sat in the car with me and cried until he slipped into the back seat, “All done.”

  We took Evelyn home first, spending some time with her until the girls came home from school. She offered to make dinner, but Keller told her he was just going to go back and relax. We were starting up work again in the morning. It was time to discipline ourselves and stay home.

  We left the house, and I took his hand. “Back to reality.”

  “I was so fucking tired some of those days, but now it’s going to feel empty.” He shrugged as I opened the passenger door for him.

  “I think the twins will be over at Mallory’s every chance they get, so there is that. My family is entertaining, and I’ll find ways to distract you.” I leaned down to kiss him and made my way to the driver's seat.

  “I’ll bet.” He smiled, and I started the car.

  “Home?”

  “Yeah. Let’s just veg on the couch and go to bed early. I forgot what a work schedule feels like.” He chuckled, and I smiled.

  “We could work tonight and sleep in tomorrow. We make our hours.” I pulled out into the road and headed to our house.

  We ended up working a few hours at home and then going to bed. He was bummed out but knew they got home fine and was ready to throw himself back in. In the morning, we looked through his pictures, and Mallory offered to set him up with a great website.

  He agreed, and that became a project while we got our normal workload balanced out, spending many hours working. Rick said he would be talking to us on Sunday about a vacation home now that Jim was involved. They were working together to find homes for one another. We agreed and talked about it in bed that night.

  “Do you want to look for something here?” I asked, and Keller gazed at me.

  “Yeah. I’m not in any great rush but looking would be cool. What about Mallory? With Talon leaving, I don’t want to have her living here alone.” He stared at me, and I smiled.

  “I was thinking of maybe looking at buildings that house more than one apartment or condo. It would more than likely be older, but that’s okay. We could all still be close, particularly when he’s not home.”

  “That’s an idea. Are there a lot of those?” He asked, and I raised a brow. “Rick?”

  “Yeah. He’s looking.”

  “When does the man work?” Keller asked, and I laughed.

  “I don’t think he sleeps.” He leaned in to kiss me, and we snuggled together, too tired to move much more tonight.

  We got up in the morning and finished projects, submitting them before deciding to go for a run. We took it up a notch and went to a close park to use their hiking trails. It felt damn good to be outside and reminded me of the visit from his mom.

  We grabbed lunch on the way home, just for us. Talon was home and leaving on tour soon, so they were spending a lot of dates together. They wanted a lot to remember during their time apart and talk about that instead of being sad. They both knew it was the real thing for them, so doubt wasn’t an option.

  We took it home and ate before playing with the website. It was coming along nicely, and we just connected with a place that would print and send as things were ordered. “You’re doing it, baby. You’re starting a new business.”

  “I am.” He looked at me, and I kissed him. “Thank you, Micah.”

  He was selling a decent amount of prints two weeks later. I was proud of my man, but my sister was falling apart. Talon was gone, and she was alone and missing him worse than she imagined.

  She stayed at our house a lot, using the guest room to sleep. She managed to work, but only because it was a major distraction, and she tended to lean toward productivity. We included her on the house hunt since there was no way we were leaving her alone after seeing her so devastated.

  We found some homes with finished basements that could be used as a separate residence, and they were in good shape. If she had a bathroom and a kitchen in her space, Mallory would be happy. She just didn’t want to live in a creepy basement, which made us laugh.

  Rick pointed out an older home split up into two apartments, and the seller was including the whole building. He showed us pictures, and we took a sad Mallory with us to look. The building was fifty years old but fully renovated with two spacious three-bedroom apartments. They were separate from each other but still in the same building. One was decorated in a modern style in mostly gray, and cream and the upstairs one was more feminine with soft pink and cream.

  “This is perfect,” I said, looking around the downstairs unit. “We can add a security door to the entrance and make it that much better. These are in good shape, and I like the style.”

  Rick walked in with Mallory, and she was smiling. “I like it. There’s plenty of room, and it’s turnkey.” She’d been watching too much HGTV. “The backyard is great, too, for dinners out there. Do you guys like it?”

  “We do.” I looked at Rick, and he smiled.

  “Let’s put in an offer.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Keller

  We were moving. The offer was accepted somewhere between our first one and what they were asking. They put a lot of work into it, and it was manageable for us. It would give us a lot more space as well.

  We waited for it to be set in stone before giving our notice. The half plex would always hold fond memories for me, and I’d miss it, but I was buying a house.

  Mallory seemed to be doing better with the news. She planned to fix up the house for Talon, so all he’d have to do is come home and relax. There would be a master bedroom, a guest room, and maybe an office for her to work in. We were planning a bedroom, guest room, and office/studio for me.

  We worked a little harder, feeling the weight of a mortgage on our shoulders. When we weren’t working, we were packing. All three of us were living on takeout, and Irene insisted on making dinner every Sunday, like clockwork.

  Life was moving quickly.

  While we were preparing for this move, my parents were picking a house for their vacation home. It was located on a large lake and offered hiking and fishing right in the backyard. It had three bedrooms and was probably a little bigger than they initially wanted, but the price was right. They put in their offer the week we moved, and I felt like everything was right in the world.

  Mallory was going to be living alone for two months, but we’d be right there. She was handling everything well, but she’d have these crying spells that seemed to come out of nowhere sometimes. They would be gone within a few hours, and she’d be happy again. We worked on a few things before moving in, putting in a heavy security door at the entrance, and setting
up an alarm for the entire building.

  It was in a good part of town, but you never know what might happen. We were thinking of Mallory with every addition, and Rick agreed with everything. The band helped us move in, though we were shopping for some furniture. They deemed it the new place for band dinners, and we pretended to complain.

  The living room had enough room for a sectional in front of the fireplace. The TV would go above the mantel, and we could set up a work desk in the corner if we didn’t want to work in the office. It was our thing to work in the main space near the kitchen, and we decided to make the third room a studio for me.

  My parents were moving in a month once they decided to. The offer was accepted, and they could move anytime but didn’t need to.

  This was happening so fast, and Rick was still looking at vacation homes for us. He knew his stuff, and with Jim’s help, we’d end up in a nice place.

  We set up the bedroom first because we needed sleep. From there, we worked on the living room and then the guest room. We weren’t setting deadlines for ourselves and we were helping Mallory along the way as well. Despite her having an office, she still often worked with us. We had a table set up now that was comfortable for three to work at, leaving us with the option of just hiding our laptops if someone came over.

  Rick and Irene gave us a BBQ for a housewarming gift. It was a bit too cold for it now, but it went well on the deck in the backyard. It would be a good time when it warmed up, and we all appreciated the central heating in the apartment.

  Jim and Jill were coming for the holidays, and it would be the first time seeing it in person. Rick acted as their eyes just as Jim acted as his. Nobody flew anywhere to look at these places since they were both on the same wavelength. There was so much technology that they saw it that way.

  Jim was doing the same thing during his free time. We picked a few homes we liked the most, and he’d walk through with his phone, sharing his opinion. We found a great six-bedroom, two-story home that was right on the beach about five miles from Jim and Jill. It had a large open living area downstairs with a great deck and steps to the beach. One bedroom was downstairs, and we figured that would be for Olivia or Evelyn. The rest were upstairs, and all of them spacious. They were all set up like a master bedroom except for two.

  Rick told him that he loved it once he cleared it with us. He put in an offer, and we waited as we continued to set up the new place.

  “When did we become adults?” I asked over coffee one morning as we waited for Mallory.

  “Hell if I know.” Micah shook his head. “I assumed I’d rent my entire life but may own two homes in a matter of days. What the fuck?”

  “Rick has been so good through this. It’s like it wasn’t even an effort.” I marveled as Micah smiled.

  “It was because he’s so thorough. He also loves every second of it. Mom told me that all the time.” Micah laughed as I gave him a worried look. “Not like that. He enjoyed it.”

  “Good. I felt bad!” I sipped my coffee. “Did she call you?”

  Micah checked his phone. “No. Let’s go see if she slept in.”

  We got up and headed out of our front door and up the stairs. “I can’t believe that this is our place,” I murmured as he laughed behind me.

  “Wait until we have a beach house.”

  We paused in front of her door, tapping on it. “Mal? Are you okay?” Micah called out and waited. He tried the door. “I don’t have my key, so I’m going to get it. Be right back.” He kissed me and ran down the stairs as I looked around the spacious entrance to her place. It was a gorgeous building, but I looked at her door with worry. She didn’t usually do this unless she slept in or something happened.

  I thought back to the morning that we found her crying over Lance. This better not be the same thing.

  “I’m back.” Micah opened her door and pushed it open slowly. “Mallory? Are you okay?”

  A groan came through the apartment, and we looked around, impressed by her progress. We made our way to the hallway where the bedrooms were located tapping on the doors. “In here.” Her voice was soft, and we made our way into the bedroom with the en suite bathroom.

  Mallory was sitting against the wall, looking pale. She looked like she dressed to come down but didn’t make it. “What’s wrong? The flu?” Micah sounded worried as she leaned her head back.

  “I wanted it to be, but I knew it was more.” I frowned and got a cloth wet with cool water to press to her face, leaning down.

  “More?” I asked, and then it hit me. “Shit. Have you taken a test?”

  “I have some I got last night. I’m just scared.” She admitted, and I glanced up at Micah. “I’ve been feeling more. I know that I’m different.”

  “You need to know, Mal. You need to know so we can go from here.” Micah sat down beside her, and she pointed at him.

  “Are you mad at me?” She asked, and he stroked her hair back from her face.

  “No. I’m not mad because Talon is a great guy, and he loves you. You love him. Everything else will fall into place.” Micah looked around. “Where are the tests?”

  “They’re on the kitchen counter.”

  “I’ll be back.” He headed out, and she looked at me on the other side of her.

  “What if it’s positive? How am I supposed to be a mom?”

  “You take it day by day. You lean on your parents and us. You’re not alone.” I smiled at her.

  Micah came into the room with a bag and pulled the boxes from it. He also brought some water and looked down at her. “Go for it, sis.”

  We left the bathroom, and she stood up, looking scared. Micah led me to the living room, and we sat on the couch, realizing there was no coffee made. That wasn’t possible in Mallory’s apartment. “She’s pregnant. Mal lives on coffee.”

  “What is the alternative?” I wondered, and he frowned.

  “Tea. Decaf, I suppose.” We both frowned.

  “How will she work?” I asked, and he gazed at me.

  “I don’t know.”

  We waited for what felt like hours but had to be only minutes. After a while, she walked out, looking like a ghost. We knew what the tests told her. “I’m knocked up.”

  “Pregnant. You have a stable and loving relationship.” I corrected before looking at Micah. “Sorry.”

  “I didn’t plan this. I don’t want to talk about details or anything, but we were careful. I got sick and took some antibiotics for a while. Remember?” We nodded. “That’s it. That did it.” She started to cry, and we took either side of her and hugged her. “Oh, my God. What am I going to do?”

  “It’s going to be okay, Mal. We’re all in this together as a family.” Micah told her, closing his eyes as he hugged her.

  “I’m so young. I’m just starting a business, and we bought a house. Two houses soon. Where is a baby going to fit into that?” Her voice rose to a wail, and I looked on helplessly as Micah stroked her hair. “What if Talon leaves me? What if he doesn’t want a baby?”

  “Mallory, slow down. He agreed to be a part of this house and moved in with you. I don’t think he’d do that if he weren’t all in.” Micah looked at me over her head as concern washed across his face.

  “I think you should make an appointment with a doctor, Mallory. They can tell you more than that test.” She cried harder, and I stood up, pacing the floor. “Shit.”

  “He’s right. We need to know more so you can work through this. You have options, Mal.” I knew that he didn’t like some of them, but this was her body and her baby. “Can I call and make an appointment, get a good doctor for you?”

  “I’d like that,” she sniffled as I went to hand Micah his phone from the counter. He took the time to call their insurance carrier and then spoke to someone about Mallory. They recommended a great doctor for her to see, and Micah took a deep breath as he hung up.

  “I have someone. I’m going to call. Do you have a time you prefer?” Micah calmly asked her as she looked at hi
m.

  “I guess not. Talon won’t be back for a month, so I need to do this before then. Right?” Micah nodded.

  “You need to make sure you’re healthy, and they can help you through this.” He pushed her hair from her face, and she smiled.

  “Will you come with me?”

  “I can’t imagine not being there for you,” They hugged, and I fell more in love with Micah as I watched how tenderly he handled her. He called the office and made an appointment for two days from now at eleven in the morning.

  “How did you know?” Micah asked once everything settled.

  “This hunger that I never felt before. I had nausea and stuff that was more like the flu, but I was so hungry. I knew that something was different.” She shifted in Micah’s embrace. “That started two weeks ago, and I just pretended it was nothing. My body knew, though, and I finally went to the store yesterday. I was so sick this morning that I couldn’t do anything.”

  “Do you think everything is okay?” I asked, and she looked at me.

  “I don’t know. I’m lost in this,” Mallory admitted, and I saw the defeat in her eyes. She was so confident about other parts of her life, but this threw her off balance, as it should.

  “That’s what the doctor is for. They’ll tell you everything you need to know.” I smiled, and she nodded.

  We sat for a while, and she asked if we could go down and work. “Did you make coffee?”

  “You know we did,” Micah answered, and she wrinkled her nose.

  “I don’t want it. It doesn’t make me sick or anything, but I don’t crave it. What am I going to do?” Mallory asked, and Micah sighed.

  “I don’t think caffeine is a good thing in your case, to begin with. You’ll find something you like and learn to work at a normal pace. I want you to rest through this and not push yourself too hard.” He looked at her, and I knew that the protective big brother in him was coming out.