“Deal,” I agree. Stroking my hand over my rounded waist, I add, “I’m bummed I won’t be able to drink since it’s all-inclusive. I’ve decided to make Trip drink for the both of us.”
He turns his head at his name and frowns. “Hey now.”
He should be worried, my alcohol tolerance is legendary and because of that, I won’t hold him to it. I don’t want him to die of alcohol poisoning or anything.
In fact, I’d like him to stick around forever.
“Just kidding.” I laugh.
Cecil puts on some tunes while Jake and Heath play bartender. Part of the reason they took longer to get back from the chapel was because they made a pit stop to buy stuff to make drinks and plenty of chips and dip.
We eat, we drink, we laugh, we hug, we even cry a couple of times. As time does when you don’t want it to, it moved quickly and it was time for us to go.
I’m going to see them all, well minus Cecil, Meg, and Sadie, again in a week. Why am I so sad? It’s silly really. I have crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches, and lots of naked quality time with Trip waiting on me.
Still, I’ve missed my friends and our reunion has been so short, it’s basically been a tease.
“Gimme another hug,” I order Kacey after releasing Jake from his.
“I love you,” she whispers as she slips her arms around me.
“I love you too and after your wedding, we’ll be sisters.”
“I can’t wait,” she replies with a grin.
My eyes move to my big brother and I see that his eyes are on her, and they do nothing to hide how much he loves her. He can’t wait either. I keep that thought to myself.
Trip and I split up to change again. Our friends decided it was probably for the best that we not undress in front of each other when we had a flight to catch.
Given the way he went at me in the limo, they were smart to separate us. I change into a cotton sundress. Its skirt makes me want to twirl. Trip’s hands will be itching to reach under it the moment he sees it.
Sadly, we’re hitching a ride with Walt and his wife to the airport. That means no hanky panky in the backseat.
It takes me longer to change and gather my things than Trip. He’s waiting for me, his gaze lingering on my legs the moment I open our bedroom door.
“We’ve been married for two hours, and she’s already trying to kill me,” he mutters.
“I do what I can,” I tease, pulling my suitcase behind me.
He’ll really think I’m trying to kill him when he sees the bikini Kacey bought for me to bring to Mexico. He takes my hand and squeezes it. My wedding band and engagement ring press into the fingers on either side of my ring finger.
A short time ago neither were there. I’m a married woman now. It’s surreal, the act of pledging yourself and your love to another person for the rest of your days.
We all crowd into the elevator. None of us are ready to say goodbye. Walt is pulling his rental around while our friends loudly send us off.
They wave and blow kisses until we’re out of sight. I’m still looking back, even though I can’t see any of them when Trip passes me a card.
“What’s this for?” I ask, flipping it over and seeing my name on the front.
“Open it,” he replies, giving me no clue.
I slip my finger under the seal and then pull the card out.
On the front is a simple felt heart. My finger traces its edge before I glance up at Trip. He lifts his brows, a silent, go on then.
I open the card and recognize his handwriting inside. There’s a checklist. The first three boxes are checked, the last one not. Fall in love, check. Get married, check. Start our family, check. Live happily ever after . . . Before I can look back up at him, he passes me a pen.
Check.
“Happy Birthday, Gavin.” I laugh as he sinks his chubby little fingers into the cake Sydney baked for him.
“Oh my God. Are you getting this?” I ask Trip.
Before he can answer, I peer over his shoulder to see he is recording our little man go to town on his birthday cake. Thank goodness we decided against colored frosting.
I did a segment on funny memes for the station and one of the pictures we aired was of a baby with a destroyed blue cake with a caption that he’d just killed a smurf. It was so funny because that’s exactly what it looked like.
Nope, we kept Gav’s cake simple since this is his first piece of cake ever and we didn’t want to put him in a sugar coma.
Beast sits patiently next to his highchair. He knows if he waits long enough, food will probably end up on the floor. Even without the promise of food, Beast is always close to Gavin. They bonded the moment we brought Gav home from the hospital and have been inseparable ever since. Beast even sleeps in his nursery, his thick doggy bed right next to Gavin’s crib.
“The cake is a hit,” I tell a very pregnant Sydney.
Heath moves up behind her, wrapping his arms around her chest. “I was the taste-tester. I can confirm my godson is eating the best cake ever made.”
“Good to know,” I reply, shaking my head.
“Is that yummy?” Trip asks Gavin, while he shoves another handful of cake into his mouth.
“It looks good,” Jake mutters, giving me a look.
“Shit. I have cake for the grown ups too,” I reply, moving toward the kitchen of our new place.
After our honeymoon, Trip convinced me to buy a place with him over near where Heath and Sydney had theirs built. We didn’t want to rent forever and wanted to be somewhat settled before the baby came.
We ended up falling in love with a place that needed some work. It’s a good thing my brother is a contractor. Luckily, the work the place needed was mainly cosmetic. I’m not saying it’s my dream house, but it is the perfect little starter place for us.
“I’ll get it, honey,” Meg says, moving in front of me. “Go watch your baby boy eat his cake.”
“Thank you Mom,” I reply, hugging her.
“I’ll help,” Kacey offers, getting out of her chair.
It takes her a minute. She’s further along in her pregnancy than Sydney and is ready to pop. Good chance she’s offering to help to try a get some more steps in. Someone told her if she wants to go into labor she needs to walk.
That wasn’t true for me. My feet were so swollen before Gavin came I was doing my best to keep them up. I went into labor after eating some pineapple. I keep trying to get her to eat some, but she seems set on walking my niece out.
She and Jake decided not to wait to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Sydney and Heath are still deciding.
I make my way back over to Trip. He stops recording and slips his phone into his pocket before tucking me into his side.
“He’s getting so big,” I whisper.
Trip doesn’t miss the hitch in my voice and kisses the top of my head. “Just say when, darling.”
I’ve been hemming and hawing over giving Gavin a little brother or sister. Trip is all in, I’m stuck worrying if it’s too soon and if we’d be better waiting another year.
It’s not like he won’t have younger playmates once Kacey and Sydney have their babies. I also love the dynamic our little family has and I’m scared another baby will throw that off.
“I know,” I grumble.
He lifts my chin until I meet his smiling eyes. “We don’t have to rush.”
Then he dips his head to press his lips to mine.
Thwack! Gavin’s pudgy little hands smack the tray of his highchair as he babbles at us.
“If he keeps getting jealous every time I kiss you, he might never be a big brother.”
“Oh hush,” I reply then turn to Gavin. “Daddy was just giving mommy a kiss, honey. It’s okay.”
“Does he do that every time anyone kisses or just you two?” Heath asks.
I shrug. “It’s only started recently so I’m not sure. Kiss Syd and see.”
She turns her face back to his and waggles her eye
brows suggestively. The look Heath gives her before kissing her is so hot, I consider fanning myself.
I look away for a couple of reasons; firstly because that was hot and secondly to see if Gav reacts at all.
He tilts his head and watches them kiss with a bored expression.
“Anything?” Heath asks once he breaks their kiss.
“Nope,” Trip replies shaking his head.
“Kiss again,” Sydney orders. “I want to see if he does it again.”
We dutifully acquiesce and again Gavin voices his displeasure.
“That’s the funniest thing I ever saw,” Heath laughs, patting Trip on the back. “Good luck with that.”
Trip smirks as he moves over to Gavin’s highchair. As he unhooks the tray, he quietly talks to our son. “I hate to break it to you, son, but you’re going to have to accept me kissing your mom.” He sets the tray on our dining room table and unbuckles Gavin’s seatbelt before lifting him up and cradling him to his chest. Ignoring Gavin’s messy hands and face, he kisses his cheek. “Just like I kiss you.”
Gavin presses a hand to each of his cheeks and says, “Dada.”
Trip grins at him and my heart melts watching them together.
“Please tell me someone got a picture of that,” Meg says as she walks back into the room carrying the cake for the rest of us.
“I did,” Sadie says holding up her camera.
Meg winks at her and then turns to set the cake down while I grab some wet wipes and move to my men.
“Are you going to fuss every time daddy kisses me?” I coo as I wipe Gavin’s face.
He grins showing off his front teeth.
I lean in to kiss his cheek and blow a raspberry there while he squeals. It’s all fun and games until he grabs a fistful of my hair.
“Stinker,” I grumble as Trip helps me free myself.
Gavin is the reason I’ve stopped wearing my hair down or necklaces. He loves to wrap his meaty paws around them and twist. Ouch.
Once I’m free, Trip holds him up high above his head while Gavin squeals happily.
“Don’t forget that baby has a full belly,” Sadie warns.
Trip heeds her advice and lowers our little guy back to his chest. “When do you want to take off?”
I glance at a decorative clock that hangs in our dining room. “Things are winding down here. The only part left is cake for the grownups.”
He passes Gavin over to me and gives us both a kiss before saying; “I’ll slice it up and serve it.”
There’s no hiding he’s anxious to hit the road. It’s a miracle he hasn’t kicked all of our guests out already.
“Okay honey,” I reply.
He’s true to his word, cutting up the cake, and with Meg and Helena’s help, serving it to all of our guests. Since we opened presents before Gavin destroyed his cake, it’s not long before our friends and family, save Meg and Sadie, leave.
Then, with Gavin strapped into his rear-facing car seat, a grandmother buckled in on either side of him in the backseat, and Beast settled down in the back, we make our way out of Ferncliff.
Gavin sleeps most of the way while we quietly chat around him. Trip is silent, focused on the road and our destination. It takes us about two hours to reach Joshua Tree Park.
While Joshua lived, his mom did her best to bring his brother to this park on his birthday. She continued this tradition after he died. This place holds so many memories for Trip, both good and bad.
Due to Joshua’s developmental delays, his mental capacity was closer to that of a toddler despite his age. Still, from what Meg and Trip have shared, he was fascinated by the trees that were his namesake.
Trip reaches for Gavin once we’re all out of the car and holds him against his chest as we move away from the parking area. I hold Beast’s leash in one hold and Trip’s in my other.
He softly murmurs to our little man as we walk. “You have a very special name. You were named after two important people who we loved. Gavin was the name of our friend who passed away protecting your mommy, and Joshua was my little brother. He was the best brother a guy could have and is the reason I decided to become a police officer. I couldn’t save him, but made it my mission to save as many lives as I could. When he was alive, we would come here so he could see the Joshua trees. Now, Gavin Joshua Lowell, we’re going to come here on your birthdays to not only celebrate you, but the men we named you after.”
Our little man looks up at his daddy with nothing but adoration in his eyes, and pats his cheeks. He won’t understand the significance behind his name until his older; it’s still so sweet to listen to Trip try and explain it to him.
Through our little boy, we will keep the memories of Gavin and Joshua alive. Hopefully, in another year or so, we will give him a little brother or sister. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know we will face it together.
The Love Riddles Series
Why Now?
Why Lie?
Why Not?
The Him & Her Series
Him
Her
Them
Sawyer Says (Spin off)
Being Neighborly (Spin off)
The Carolina Days Series
The Other Side of Someday
Yesterday’s Half Truths
Chasing Daylight
Standalones
Better
Stages of Grace
Uninvolved
A Bridge of Her Own
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Her books are full of emotion, humor and steam. She is inspired by everyday fairy tales. Her leading men are guys you might bump into at the grocery store; teachers, mechanics, and website designers. Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, a mischievous black cat, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.
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Keep reading for a preview of
The Other Side of Someday, book 1 in the Carolina Days Series
Did I turn off the stove burner? The question was stuck in a loop the whole drive to work. I glance randomly at my cellphone while I sit at a red light. I could sneak a quick text to Mike. I’m trying to be good about not using my phone at all in the car, no calls, no texts, no random checking of Facebook updates. I turn back and look straight out the windshield. I’ll be at work in less than five minutes.
Mike doesn’t have to leave for another thirty minutes. I can call him and have him check, no big deal. I hate not knowing. The wondering bugs me, the unanswered question of ‘if it’s still on’. That question gives birth to another. What if Mike decided to go into work early today? Then another. If he went in to work early, is our place burning down as we speak?
When I pull into my usual spot at work, the one that sides up to the second mulch island, I grab my phone. I don’t text. I call.
He answers on the second ring. “Hey.”
Just hey. “Hi, honey. Can you check the stovetop for me? I can’t stop thinking I forgot to turn the burner off.”
“Really, Court?”
Shit, he sounds annoyed. “Please, babe.”
He doesn’t answer but I can hear him move from wherever he was in the background. After a minute, he replies, “It’s off. Happy?”
I ignore his shortness. “Did you have to turn it off or was it already off?”
“It was already off. Did you need anything else? I don’t want to be late to work.”
I roll my eyes; he works in sales, and unless he has an actual appointment, he makes his own hours. “Thank you for checking. I hope you have a good day. I love you.”
“Thanks, babe.” His tone softens, “I love you, too.”
I smile to myself after we hang up. Tomorrow is Friday, and then
it’s the weekend. Maybe we can go out to dinner or go see a movie. Mike has been so grouchy. I know his job stresses him out. He sells heavy machine equipment. He’s always been really good at it. I don’t think he’s ever not hit his monthly goals. Considering the last few years have taken a real hit on the construction industry, that’s saying a lot.
His problem is he sets his own goals beyond what is expected of him at work. His drive, his ambition is one of the things I love about him. I wish he wasn’t so hard on himself.
I’m the first one at work. I’m a secretary. No, it wasn’t my lifelong aspiration to be one. I just fell into it. There is something about being the only person in the office before anyone else arrives, a peaceful calm before the storm. I flip on the lights before I make my way to my desk, dumping my purse and umbrella into the bottom drawer before I head to the break room with my frozen lunch to make coffee.
I don’t drink coffee every day, and if I do, not in the morning. I’m more of an occasional afternoon pick me up coffee kind of girl. However, I do love the smell of brewing coffee. For this reason, I’m the self-appointed office coffee maker. This way I can sit in the break room and hog all the fresh coffee smell to myself. The sound of movement from the hall surprises me. I peek my head around the corner. No one is ever here this early.
“Hello?” I call out tentatively.
I jump when I see Elliot, another secretary. He looks surprised to see me.
“Hey. You’re here early,” I say in greeting.
“Uh. Yeah.” He looks away. “I wanted to take care of some stuff.”
We aren’t work besties or anything, but he’s acting weird. I suddenly feel bad for not making an effort to get to know him better. I make a mental note to go out of my way to do that. Now is not the time though. I head back to my desk and start my computer. My boss, Mr. Fulson, will be here any minute and he’s meeting with a potential client at nine.
Today my long, blonde hair is pulled into a low ponytail; but no matter how frequently I smooth it back, strands around my face always seem to come loose. My hair has curling tendencies, not enough for my hair to be considered curly, enough for it to frizz when it’s extra humid out. Which is April to October in North Carolina.
Why Not? (Love Riddles Book 3) Page 21
