by Maxene Novak
“So, how is everything looking up there?” Heather pointed to the bandage she was hoping she would not have to wear after this appointment. Evan didn’t take his eyes off the doctor as he put her scans up and flipped on the light so that they could be clearly seen. Things looked normal as far as Evan could tell, but as a paramedic he wasn’t one to examine brain scans so he held his breath waiting on Dr. Lowry to speak.
Once the scans were up Dr. Lowry turned to them with a smile as he pointed to an area that Evan was sure would be located near the front of Heather’s forehead. “You see that?”
Heather and Evan stared at the scan, then they looked at each other and Evan could see the question in her eyes but he didn’t see anything either. “Is there something we should be able to see?” he asked the doctor.
Dr. Lowry’s smile brightened. “Other than a perfectly healthy brain, no.” He paused to give them a moment to let his words sink in. Evan felt a giant weight being lifted up off of his chest. For the first time since he responded to the scene of the accident and realized who Heather was, Evan felt like he could finally breathe again. “Everything has healed wonderfully, and I think it’s time to take this bandage off for good.”
Heather smiled and nodded to the doctor. “Yes, please.”
Doctor Lowry stepped up to her and slowly removed the bandage. The scar that ran down her forehead where it had been gashed open was still pink and fresh looking, but it wasn’t anything that surprised Evan. He’d been the one changing the bandage for her every other day and making sure her stitches stayed clean.
“Are you going to remove the stitches today as well?” he asked Dr. Lowry.
The doctor examined Heather’s forehead closer, pulling slightly at the area around the stitches to see if the cut had healed as quickly as her brain. “I would like to remove these today, but I am going to place some temporary butterfly bandage stitches over the area. You can remove those yourself after a couple days as long as there aren’t any issues.”
“Great,” he said.
“Does this mean I can get back to work now?” Heather asked. She must have felt Evan stiffen slightly because she turned to look at him. “I’m a literary editor. It’s not like I’ll be doing any heavy lifting at work. Just reading and editing books.”
“I think it’s safe for you to go back to work now. Maybe take the rest of the day today off and start back part-time tomorrow. Don’t want you tiring that freshly healed brain of yours by jumping back into your normal full-time work schedule. Don’t underestimate the stamina required even in an intellectually-based job. Sometimes it is the jobs where we are required to do the most critical thinking that can have the biggest impacts on our health. Just listen to your body. If you feel tired or experience pain or headaches then take a break or go home.”
“I will.” Heather was nodding her head and Evan could see how truly happy she was to get back to work. There was no denying that she loved what she did. He knew that with her love of books that her career was something she chose for her happiness and not just as a means to make money.
Heather was all smiles when they left the doctor’s office and Evan was thrilled for her. This also meant he could cut his leave short and get back to work himself. Now that Heather was a part of Blake and his lives he might want to save the rest of his leave time for something special for the three of them. Thinking about a romantic getaway with Heather and Blake made him smile.
“What has you so happy?” Heather asked. “Are you just that excited to get rid of me and get back to your life?”
She was still smiling but he sensed it wasn’t as genuine as it had been a few moments earlier. Evan wasn’t smiling anymore either. He didn’t like the sound of what she’d just said at all. Get rid of her? What the hell did she mean by that? He thought they were all on the same page, but maybe he was wrong or Blake and he hadn’t been clear enough about their feelings for her and what they wanted out of their relationship with her. He hoped she wasn’t trying to tell him that she wanted to leave; to move out and back into her apartment alone—without them. He was hoping that the hesitance in her smile meant that wasn’t actually what she wanted because it definitely was not what Blake and he wanted. They wanted her to stay for good, but they’d not rushed into that conversation thinking that they had a few more weeks before the doctor would allow her to be on her own and go back to work. Heather’s fast healing had just cut the timeline for that conversation to the quick.
“It will be good to get back to work, and I’ll still have leave left I can use later on this year if we find a trip we want to take or something.” Evan made sure he said we while looking at her. He wanted her to understand she was included in that. “However, I am really going to miss spending my days with you while you’re away at work. I’ve been on my crew long enough to request permanent station on the dayshift and now that you and Blake are both working the same schedule during the day, I think it is more than time for me to do that. I don’t want to wind up on the night shift rotation and miss out on seeing the two of you for weeks at a time.”
Heather’s smile was back and just as bright as before. “So you don’t want to get rid of me now that I don’t need a medical watch guard?”
“Are you kidding me? Why would I want to get rid of you now that you’re finally free for me to really have my way with you?” Evan gave her a sideways grin and winked when he caught her staring at him with a big smile of her own. “What do you say we see if Blake is free for lunch? I know he was anxious to hear what the doctor said today as well.”
“I think he can make it to lunch. I know his boss pretty well, and I’m sure she will let him take a break to eat with us.”
Evan laughed at her witty remark and saw her pull her phone out to text Blake about lunch.
***
When they walked into Panda Publishing to pick up Blake, Heather was surrounded by her employees hugging her and saying how much they missed her around the office. Evan excused himself to get Blake, allowing Heather a few moments alone with her staff. He had assumed Heather was great at what she did, but her staff’s reaction to seeing her again told him what a great boss she was. That was the reaction of a staff that loved and respected her and it took a special kind of boss to bring on that kind of loyalty.
When he approached Blake’s office, he found his husband tapping away at his computer, but the second he stepped into the doorway Blake looked up as if Evan had called out to him. “Hey babe.”
“Hey.” Evan walked around the desk to give Blake a quick kiss.
Blake logged off his computer and grabbed his jacket from the hook behind the door. “Where’s Heather?”
“She got mobbed by your co-workers when we came in,” Evan told him.
When Blake shut the door and turned to him with panic and worry on his face, Evan stepped forward and ran his hands down Blake’s arms until he reached his hands and took them in his own. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want her to leave. I thought we had more time. What if she isn’t ready to live with us yet?”
Evan smiled at his husband. “Blake, I don’t think you need to worry about. She hinted at it herself on the way here and seemed genuinely upset at the idea of not staying with us. I reassured her we are planning on her being around.”
“I want to marry her,” Blake blurted out. He looked at Evan with an apology clear in his eyes, but Evan just kissed him. When he pulled back a bit Blake ran his eyes over Evan’s face looking for any sign he was upset, but Evan just smiled back at him. “You’re not upset?”
“Why would I be?” Evan asked him.
“I just told you I want to marry someone else. I mean, I know we’re all together now, but marriage is something more permanent. I was afraid if I told you sooner you’d be hurt. Honestly, I am still afraid of that.”
Evan took Blake’s face between his hands and looked him right in the eyes. “Why would I be hurt when we’re both on the same page?”
Blake just star
ed at him for a moment. Evan was waiting for him to realize what he’d just told him. When a bright smile spread across Blake’s face and he lit up brighter than a Christmas tree Evan knew that he had caught onto what he had meant. “You want to ask her to marry both of us?”
“Well, we are both in love with her, and with each other, so yes.”
Blake crushed his mouth to Evan’s and pulled him as close as they could get while still wearing clothes.
“What are we celebrating?”
When they heard Heather’s voice, Evan and Blake pulled apart. Evan laughed at himself when he realized they hadn’t heard the office door opening. Blake took the few steps separating them from Heather and pulled her into a hug, placing a sweet kiss against her lips before saying, “You.”
“That sounds promising.”
“I certainly hope so,” Evan agreed.
“Okay,” Blake said as he wrapped his arms around Evan and Heather. “We better go ahead to lunch. I heard that my boss will be coming back from her leave tomorrow and I don’t need anyone telling her I was taking advantage of her absence.” Heather and Evan looked at each other and then they both rolled their eyes at Blake’s attempt at humor.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blake
“Did you get the purple flowers she likes?” Blake was getting antsy for the upcoming evening. Since Heather lived with them and worked with him, Evan and he had taken every opportunity they could to plan the perfect evening to pop the question. Blake just wanted it to be perfect. He had known he wanted to marry Heather since they were kids. The possibility of Heather and Evan being his forever was like winning the lottery twice.
In order to get Heather out of the house long enough for them to set everything up they had enlisted the help of Lorie and Paul. She picked Heather up that morning to take Paul to his first big movie and then they would be taking him out for ice cream. Evan was getting the house set up while Blake went to pick up some string lights to decorate their backyard. If everything went as planned it would be dusk when Heather got home and Blake hoped the lights would help create a romantic setting. He had wanted candles but Evan vetoed that idea, insisting if the wind blew and their house caught on fire it might not set the mood they were hoping for.
“Yes,” Evan told him with a chuckle. “I am putting them in the areas we discussed before you left. Now, how about you hurry up and get back here with those lights so you can help me set up.”
“Okay, okay. I’m going to check out right now.”
“Good. When you get here come around the side of the house. I don’t want you messing up the flowers in the walkway.”
“Got it.”
Blake paid for the lights and made his way back home. They had about an hour before they expected Heather back and he needed to get the lights strung up so he could shower and be ready when she arrived. When he walked around the corner, he was surprised to see Spencer and Clay setting up a gazebo.
“Hey guys. What’s going on?”
“Lorie told us what you and Evan are going to be doing tonight,” Clay told him.
“Yeah,” Spencer agreed, “she found this gazebo and insisted we come over and get it put up before she brought Heather back. She thought it would be the perfect place for a proposal.”
Clay chuckled. “Yeah. I think she might have been trying to give us a hint, too.”
Spencer huffed. “You think? We might never live down letting the two of you beat us to popping the question,” he said to Blake and Evan.
“Sorry, man. I’ve been planning to do this since I was fifteen,” Blake told them both.
Evan wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smiled at their guests. “And I don’t believe in putting things off. When you find the kind of love we have with Heather, you don’t wait to make things permanent. You jump at the opportunity. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my line of work it’s that every day is a gift. None of us are promised tomorrow, so I don’t want to wait. I love Heather and I love Blake and I’m ready for us to complete our family.”
“I’m happy for you both,” Clay said. “I have to agree with you, Blake.” He glanced back at Spencer and smiled. “If things go our way, we hope to be right behind you with our own engagement very soon.”
“That’s great,” Evan told them.
“Yeah,” Blake agreed, “and we will assist if you need any help.”
“We’ll hold ya to that,” Spencer told him. “Now, hand over those lights. Clay and I can finish this up here,” he indicated the gazebo, “while ya’ll can get cleaned up and ready for your woman to get home.”
Evan stepped forward and Blake knew he was about to protest but Clay waved him off. “Spence is right. We’ve got this. Go, get ready. We’ll finish this and get out of here before Lorie brings Heather back so she won’t see us and get suspicious.”
Blake and Evan shook their hands and thanked them once more before they went inside. Both of them headed straight for their bedroom, and when Evan began removing his clothes and heading for the bathroom, Blake followed right behind him. He climbed into the shower behind Evan and wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, resting his chin on Evan’s shoulder. Evan brought his hands down over Blake’s arms and leaned back against him.
“I’m so nervous,” he whispered with his mouth close to Evan’s ear.
“Me too.”
“Were you this nervous when you proposed to me?”
Evan turned around to face him, caressing his arms and offering him comfort. “Worse,” he answered after a moment.
“Worse? Why?”
“I knew you loved me, but I also knew you were missing another piece of your heart. I just put my faith in the fact that I knew you would never leave me and took the leap. Heather loves us both, and she has made it clear she wants to be here with us. I really believe that she wants this too. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to have sweaty hands and get tongue tied, but I do believe that the three of us are meant to be.”
Blake gave Evan a soft, lingering kiss. “You always say the right things, you know that?”
Evan shook his head with a smile. “I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll take the compliment. Now, turn around and I’ll wash your hair. If we don’t get a move on Heather is going to get here and find us in the shower instead of waiting for her under that beautiful gazebo.”
Blake did as he was told and closed his eyes as he let the soothing feeling of Evan’s fingers running through his hair calm his nerves. Evan was right. Heather loved them both. They took turns washing each other, then got out and got dressed in their black slacks and coordinated purple and blue button-down shirts. Blake heard his cellphone ding and he knew that it would be Lorie letting him know they were on their way before he even looked at it.
Be there in fifteen. You better be ready.
“Are they on the way?” Evan asked him.
Blake looked up from his phone. “Yeah. Fifteen minutes away. We better get out back and make sure everything is ready to go.”
Evan nodded as he finished buttoning his shirt and stood to head outside. He held his hand out when he was standing beside Blake, and Blake took it, happy to have the comfort that Evan’s touch always brought him. When they stepped into the backyard, they both stopped to take in the beauty that was in front of them. Now that the sun was hiding behind the horizon and the gazebo was lit up by tiny lights that highlighted the beautiful purple flowers, it was stunning. Evan squeezed his hand and when Blake looked at him, a comforting smile was on his face.
“She’s going to think it’s beautiful,” he said.
“Yeah.” Blake nodded. His voice was thick with emotion, and when he spoke it cracked slightly.
They walked over to the gazebo and took their places standing under it while they waited for Heather to arrive.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Evan said as he ran towards the picnic table by their back door. When he came back he had two bouquets in his hands and he gave one to Blake. “One from each of us
.”
“Good idea,” Blake said.
Both of them held the purple flowers in one hand, and their free hands were linked together. They stood under the gazebo watching the back door of the house while they waited for Heather to walk through it. This was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of their lives.
Heather
“I can come with you to the home and help get Paul’s dinner and ready for bed.” Heather had missed hanging out the Paul and the rest of the kids at the Children’s Haven and she wasn’t ready to tell her little buddy goodnight.
“No,” Lorie insisted for the third time that day. “I’ve got this under control. We have had you all day. You better get home to your men before another woman comes along and swipes them while you aren’t looking.
Heather smacked her friend in the shoulder. Before she could rattle off her own witty reply, Paul spoke from the backseat. “Oooo, Heather hit Ms. Lorie. Ms. Lorie, does this mean that Heather has to go to time out in her room and can’t play anymore today?”
Lorie looked at Heather with a wide smile on her face. Shit. Heather rolled her eyes at her friend, but she knew that she’d just lost the argument before it really had the chance to start. The rules at the children’s home were enforced consistently, and any kind of hitting or kicking meant the children responsible were headed to time-out immediately. “Yes, Paul, that’s right. Heather broke the rules so she’s going to have to go straight home and have a time-out.”
Heather looked at Paul in the backseat and he crossed his arms and gave his version of a stern stare. Heather had a feeling something was going on with Lorie. It wasn’t like her to deny help at the home when Heather offered it. She was going to have to talk to her later when Paul wasn’t around to find out what was going on.
