by JL Hallow
“Thank you, thank you so much.” She said quietly, walking alongside Greg as they left the building.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Home Sweet Home
Grace and Gabe, present
When Greg’s car pulled up their long driveway, Grace flashed him a smile. “Thanks for everything today, I really appreciate it. I can’t wait to tell Gabe how things went.”
“Anytime, really. You’re family now. Will you be able to get the car situation settled?” He asked.
“Yeah, not a worry. Looks like Gabe’s back. We’ll probably go back to the courthouse after dinner and get my car, I’ll follow him home and swing by my step-monster’s to pick Victoria up. We’ve got it.” Grace replied.
Greg fought back a snort at her comment and shook his head. “Would you be nicer to her? Some people can’t help but be nasty but you can control how you act about it.”
“Okay, Ghandi.” Grace retorted with a dismissive wave. “I’ll do my best but no promises.” She said with a shrug before reaching for the door handle.
“Grace…”
She had the door open the moment the car stopped, out of it a mere moment later. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I know. I’ll try to be nicer to her, even if it’s only for Victoria’s sake. Promise.”
“Good, that’s better.” He grinned. “Now get in the house before you freeze to death.”
“Yeah, yeah. Call or text me when you’ve made it home – are we still on for dinner this weekend?” She asked.
“I will, and yes. Holly and I will be here at six sharp on Sunday and we’ll be bringing a pie for dessert. Apple I think she said…maybe cherry. Oh, I can’t remember.”
“Excellent, I’ll see you then.” She turned and left him back at the car.
It was amazing to her how fast their relationship changed from strangers to…almost family. Hell, she would go as far as saying Greg and Holly were family. It was strange how someone she knew for such a small amount of time was closer to her and had done more to help her than people that were blood. Greg was so much like her father, and she had a feeling the two of them would have gotten along had he still been alive.
Grace mulled the thought over as she headed up to the house and fished her keys from her coat pocket. When the door opened, she was hit with a blast of warm air and immediately her shoulders sagged with relief. With any luck, winter would be over in a few short weeks and the cold wouldn’t be an issue.
Along with the blast of heat, she was also met with the smell of fresh food. Pasta maybe? It smelled like homemade sauce. She was stripping her jacket off when Victoria bounced around the corner, grinning ear-to-ear with the dog in tow. “Hi, Mama.”
“Hey Baby, what are you doing home? You’re supposed to be at Grandma’s.” She hung her coat up on the hook and kicked her shoes off by the door.
Dipping down, she scooped Victoria up into her arms with a grunt and set her on her hip. “Oh you’re getting too big for this.” She said as she kissed her forehead. “Where’s Gabe? I have some exciting news and need to see him.” She murmured, hugging her daughter tighter. They were safe. Aaron couldn’t touch her.
“He’s in the living room waiting for you, Mama.” Her little arms wrapped around Grace’s neck as she snuggled close. “And he’s got a present.” She whispered to her mother.
“Oh? A present, you say? It’s not my birthday! Come on, let’s go see what it is.” Grace adjusted Victoria on her hip and rounded the corner to the living room. “Gabe, where are you? I’ve go-”
Grace stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening. Victoria wiggled out of her hold and bolted to Gabe’s side as soon as her feet touched the ground. Her little face was glowing, little body wiggling next to his much larger one.
“I heard.” He said with a smile.
“Why are you down on your knee?” She asked, eyes narrowed as she approached him slowly.
Her hand reached for his arm, meaning to tug him to his feet but he refused to move. Victoria moved around to Grace again, wrapping her arms around her leg as she peered up at her mother.
“Because…” He said, stopping to pull a little black box from his back pocket. “I’ve got a question to ask you.”
“Gabriel…” But the tears were already forming, choking off any protest she was going to try to come up with.
Gabe opened the box and revealed the diamond ring inside of it. It was small, something Grace appreciated. The gem was less than a carat, round, and set in a silver band laced with diamonds. Grace clasped a hand over her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. Marriage had never been in her plans for the future but then again, neither had Gabe. She didn’t want another man but here he was, in her house, with half of his things in her closet, doting over her daughter…
“I know it’s soon. I know the divorce hasn’t been finalized for long, but now that we have Victoria and he’s gone for the time being…I…I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want you to ever feel alone or unsafe again. I want to wake up to you every morning. I want to make pancakes in the kitchen while I watch Victoria tackle the dog over a toy. I want to see you come down those stairs with your messy sleep hair with those cute flannel pj pants… I want to be here. On the good days, on the bad days. I love you, Grace. And I love Victoria, too.” He sucked in a breath. “Will you marry me? It doesn’t have to be next, or even a year from now, but I want you to be my wife.”
Grace nodded, holding her hand out to him as he stood with the biggest smile she had ever seen. “Yes. Yes, I will.” She could barely get the words out above a whisper.
His hand shook slightly as he guided the ring onto her finger before pulling her close to kiss her. “Thank God. I was terrified you’d say no and I was about to make an absolute fool out of myself.” Gabe said with a soft laugh.
Breaking apart from Grace, he smiled down at Victoria. “But I have one more present for someone else…” Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out a small velvet bag.
He unknotted the strings and dumped the contents into his hand. It took him a minute to untangle it but when he did, he held up a platinum chain with a much smaller ring hanging from it. The ring had a small diamond set in the center of it. “This is for you, Victoria. You get one just like your mama’s.”
“For me?” She lit up looking at the shiny piece of jewelry.
Her tiny hand reached out for it, clutching the ring as she stared down at it.
“Yes, Victoria, for you. But until you’re a little older, we’re going to keep it on this necklace so it doesn’t get lost, okay? Here, let me put it on you.” He took the necklace and moved behind her, unclasping the necklace and looping it around her neck before hooking the clasp closed. “There you go.”
When he looked back at Grace again, the tears had stopped and a huge smile had formed. “I love you.” She said, this time there was no hesitation whatsoever.
This was what she wanted. All of those things he wanted? She wanted it too. “Going to be a crowded house in here now, huh?” Her, Gabe, Victoria, and the three dogs.
“Does this mean Stella and Jake are going to live here with Gabe too?” Victoria asked from her spot on the floor.
“Yes, Baby. It does.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
Epilogue
Two years later – Fourth of July
Gabe stood by the grill with a beer in his hand. He was listening to Greg talk while keeping his eyes on Victoria and Grace across the yard. His protective instincts had gotten even worse over the last few months. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Gabe asked.
“No, no. I’ve got it. I think I can manage grilling up some burgers and hotdogs. Grace and Holly are setting up the rest of the food on the table, the drinks are already out in the coolers. Everything is fine. Just…relax.”
“It’s hard…”
Greg glanced over at him with a knowing smirk. “I know. And I know it’s not setting up the party that’s got you so on edge…”
Gabe let out a
frustrated huff. “I keep telling her to take it easy but she just won’t listen to me. When will she ever listen to what I’m saying? That woman is just…so damned stubborn! She’s going all day long with the dogs and Victoria, cooking, cleaning, working. She never sits and just…rests!”
“Of course she’s stubborn. Did you expect her to listen? She’s used to doing things on her own. She’s very independent and you’re going to have to suck it up and get used to it. Especially now that you’re married.”
“No but that is not my point.” He said through gritted teeth. “She’s going to make herself pop. Like if she doesn’t stop and sit down for more than two seconds she’s going to put herself into early labor.”
Greg barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Listen, this might be your first baby, but it isn’t hers. She knows what she’s doing. She knows what is too much and what isn’t. She still has a few more days until the baby is due and really, you think she’s bad? You should have seen Holly. She got progressively worse with each pregnancy and by the third, I gave up trying to put my two cents into what she should and shouldn’t be doing. Surprised she didn’t beat me over the head with a cast iron skillet. If you’re not careful, Grace might do the same to you!”
Gabe shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. He only made it less than a quarter of the way through before he put it on the edge of the grill. He was watching Grace like a hawk, an overly-protective hawk. “I just…feel like I need to…”
“She’ll tell you if she needs you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know she will.”
“In other news, the wedding was beautiful. She looked stunning in that dress. It fit her so well, and little Victoria in that purple flower girl gown? Holly hasn’t stopped talking about it.”
“It was perfect. I’m glad we decided to keep it small and I’m glad my old man let us use the farm for the ceremony and the reception. It was perfect. Just the people that meant the most to us. That’s really all we wanted.”
“Well that’s what you got. Thank you for letting us be a part of it.”
For the first time that day, Gabe offered up a genuine smile, one that was truly happy and not edged with lines of stress. “Thank you for walking her down the aisle. Not having her dad there for the wedding was incredibly hard on her. She doesn’t talk about it but she misses him a lot. Especially with the new baby on the way.”
“I’m sure it’s hard for her and I don’t want to take his place by any means but I’m glad she allows me to have such a special spot in her life. Grace is…a special person. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t.”
Across the yard, Grace placed the last tray of deviled eggs on the table and said something to Holly. A moment later she was heading toward he and Greg. With her being so tiny, that pregnant belly looked even larger. And if he hadn’t been there for every ultrasound, he would have sworn she was carrying twins and not one baby. “Hey, beautiful.” He reached for her and quickly pulled her against his side before leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
She lasted about five seconds before she squirmed out of his hold, cheeks tinged red from the heat. Her long, thick hair had been twisted up into a bun that rested high on the top of her head, and apparently the long, flower printed sundress was doing little to keep her cool in the early July heat. “Hey.” She replied. “You guys almost done?”
Her face scrunched, hand moving to her stomach as she sucked in a breath. Gabe was already on high alert, and the second her hand moved to her stomach his body tensed and he inched a step closer. “Grace…”
She waved him away. “Will you stop it. I’m fine. It’s just Braxton Hicks. I’m fine. Seriously, I’m fi-” She stopped talking and swallowed nervously. “Hey babe, can you do me a favor and get the truck please?”
“Baby time?” He lit up, hand already digging around in his pocket.
“Yeah…baby time.” She confirmed, her water had definitely broke.
Gabe tore off across the yard and Grace stood there with her lips pressed into a firm line. “I swear to everything holy, I don’t know how he didn’t put me into premature labor already.” She grit out through a contraction.
“We’ll take Victoria and meet you guys up at the hospital? The kids can host the party, not a big deal.”
“Are you sure? We can take her and I can call…”
“Your step-monster?” Greg joked, giving in to the ridiculous nickname Grace had given Eileen. “Not a chance. I can watch her and Holly can help wherever she’s needed.”
“Thank you.” She said.
Greg turned off the grill and took Grace’s arm, leading her toward the driveway. When he passed Holly he paused slightly. “Can you get Victoria packed up and grab our keys? I’m going to get Grace into the truck and then we’ll follow behind? The boys are in the house, just let them…”
Holly held up a hand. “I got it, already on it. Just help her into the truck and I’ve got the rest.”
Greg eased her toward the vehicle. He took pity on her, having watched his own wife go through the very same thing five times.
“I forgot how much this sucks.” She ground out.
“The miracle of birth.” He shot back. “Up you go.”
Once she was settled into her seat, he closed the door and took a step back. Gabe pulled away from the curb the second the door was closed. “Are you okay?” He asked, glancing at her as he put his foot down on the accelerator.
“I’d be better if you stopped asking me that.” She snapped back. “I’m having a baby, Gabe. I’m fine!” She hollered, squirming in her seat.
God, she forgot about this part. Forgot the suck factor. “Just hurry the hell up and get me to a hospital because if I have this baby on the side of the road…so help me God.” She barked.
“Alright, alright.” He finally relented and focused on driving.
~
Six hours and forty-three minutes later, Grace was snuggled into the hospital bed with her son nestled close to her chest. His soft baby cheek rested on her bare chest as she clung to him. Beside her, Gabe stood as close to the bed as he could; one hand resting on Grace, the other stroking his hand over his new son’s head.
“He’s so little.” He observed absently.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, he’ll grow so fast.” She said quietly. “Victoria did but I remember when she was this small. So precious, so tiny.” She held the baby closer and smiled.
After a moment of silence, she peered up at Gabe. “Alright, I think I’m ready. Do you want to go get the three of them so they can meet him?”
Gabe grinned. “Absolutely.”
Reluctantly, he left her side and headed out into the hallway. A few minutes later, he returned with Greg, Holly, and Victoria in his arms. “You have to be reaaaalllly quiet, he’s sleeping, okay?” Gabe was saying to Victoria as they piled into the room.
“Oh guys, he’s beautiful.” Holly said teary-eyed.
Grace smiled and nodded, shifting him slightly. “I’d like to introduce you all to Elijah Gregory Berra.”
Greg beamed with pride.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Help
United States Domestic Abuse Resources:
https://www.thehotline.org/ - National Domestic Violence website
National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233
^ The Nation Domestic Violence Hotline is a resource for both men and women.
https://www.thehotline.org/resources/victims-and-survivors/ - National resources broken down by state, teen abuse victims, and LBGT victims.
https://www.thehotline.org/help/tech-social-media-safety/ - Check your technology to confirm you’re not being monitored.
https://www.thehotline.org/help/help-for-friends-and-family/ - If you’re worried for friends or family members.
https://www.thehotline.org/help/help-for-survivors/ - Survivor help
https://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/ - Spot the signs of abuse
https://www.womensla
w.org – Woman’s Law, legal information blog
https://www.domesticshelters.org/
https://cssnv.org/
https://www.crisistextline.org/abuse || Connect to a crisis counselor || Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States.
https://www.aa.org/ - Alcoholics Anonymous help
https://www.na.org/ Narcotics Anonymous help
About the Author
JL Hallow resides in a quiet New England town where she was born and raised. As an animal lover, she has a horse, a German Shepherd, a twenty-four year old black cat, and three fish tanks. While her main passion is the first response work she does, writing is a close second.
Work aside, JL Hallow is a lover of coffee, chocolate, murder mysteries, and is often referred to as the crazy Betta lady as she's known to go to Petco for fish food and comes home with the sickest fish she stumbles across. Oops.
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