Redeeming Gavin

by Ella Jade

  “I’m going to buy you your own restaurant.” He finished his water. “In Manhattan. You’ll be famous.”

  “I don’t want to be a chef.” She took his plate and put it in the sink. Her hips were fuller and her breasts larger than a couple weeks ago. Her hair was longer and her cheeks had a constant dewy glow to them. Even in her yoga pants and purple t-shirt she was stunning. She secured her hair back with a thick black hair band, allowing him to see all of her flawless face. She absolutely captivated him.

  “I think you already are.” While in Boston, he thought about her constantly. It was there he realized how attached he’d become to her. “Dinner was excellent. Thank you for feeding me.” He’d also made a few decisions but figuring out how he wanted to go about executing those ideas was a bit more difficult. It was effortless being with her, but keeping the truth about his past from her didn’t seem right anymore. He had to put faith in their relationship and tell her everything if he expected to move forward with her.

  “Thanks for keeping me company tonight.” There was a somberness to her voice. This morning she had been so happy to see him but tonight she wasn’t as enthusiastic.

  “Come sit with me.” He moved away from the table. “Right here.” He patted his lap. “I want you close.”

  “You really would buy me a restaurant, wouldn’t you?” She sat in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “If you wanted one.” He twisted his finger around the end of her hair. “What’s on your mind, gorgeous?”

  “It’s funny you should bring up a new career path for me.” She gazed down at her hands. “I’m actually looking for a new job.”

  “What? Why? What’s wrong with my company?” He didn’t understand. She seemed content there and he liked having her in the building. “If you’re worried about the maternity leave, don’t be. You can take as long as you need. If you need a raise we can arrange that too.” She didn’t have to worry about money. He’d make sure she was cared for. “You have nothing to stress about.”

  “I got fired today.”

  “What?” He rubbed her back. “You’re joking.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “Justine? Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t want you to freak out, okay?” She looked into his eyes but when he saw the tears in hers, he became enraged. Someone had hurt her. “Jackie let me go this morning. She said I spent too much time upstairs and that I was distracted at work.”

  “That’s bullshit.” He slammed his fist on the table. “What else did she say?”

  “She said the main reason I was being let go was because she caught me kissing another employee this morning.”

  “Me?” What the fuck? “I’m not an employee. I pay her salary.” How stupid could Jackie be? Didn’t she think there would be consequences over firing the woman he was clearly seeing?

  “If kissing you cost me my job it was totally worth it.”

  “Why didn’t you come right to me?”

  “They escorted me out of the building.” A lone tear slid down her cheek. “It was humiliating. I had to leave the roses there because I couldn’t carry them. Will you get them for me?”

  “This is outrageous.” He reached into his pocket and took out his phone. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to call Brody and arrange a meeting tomorrow morning with that stupid woman.”

  “Gavin, please.” She placed her hand on his phone. “Don’t.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s probably for the best. Jackie and I didn’t really get along. It was very difficult to work with her. It was becoming too stressful.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because I didn’t want to involve you. I worked for your company. I didn’t want my boyfriend to have to come in and fix things. That wouldn’t have made it any easier.”

  “It got worse after I made that write up go away, didn’t it?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Damn it!” He needed to calm down. “Callahan Industries is a big company. We’ll put you in another department. You’re not fired.” Hell, I’ll make Justine Jackie’s boss if I have to. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

  “I’m not going to be able to go back and work for her after she fired me. If you intervene and bring me back it’ll only get worse.”

  “Tomorrow’s Friday.” He held her close as he tried to come up with a solution. “Take the day off and I’ll figure it out.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I need to talk to Brody but he won’t stand for this. You can’t get fired just because you’re my girlfriend. I kissed you in the lobby. It’s my company and if I want to kiss you no one will stop me.”

  “Will you get my roses?”

  “Sweetheart, I’ll get you anything you want.” After tomorrow Jackie Flynn might be unemployed. “I’ll handle all of this.”

  Justine tensed when her phone dinged with a text. She hopped off his lap and went to the counter. A worried expression crossed her face. “Great.”

  “What is it?”

  “I have to go and get my dad.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “I’m sorry. This has been and really long day.”

  “I’ll go get him.”

  “No.”

  “This is non-negotiable. It’s snowing, it’s freezing, and you’re pregnant. You’ve had enough stress today.” How much more could she handle? “You go take a shower and get into bed. I’ll bring him home.”

  “He’s not your responsibility, Gavin.” Her voice was soft almost defeated. She was tired and not just physically. He saw the toll this day had taken on her. “I’m not either.”

  He got up and went to her, bringing her into his embrace. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’ve done enough for me.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “What do I have to offer you? I’m pregnant, unemployed, and caring for an alcoholic. When will it be enough for you?”

  “Stop talking like that.” She had no idea what she had done for him. How much she had changed him. “You’re not unemployed. I own the company and I make the decisions. You’ve been pregnant for as long as I’ve known you, so that doesn’t bother me. Your father won’t scare me away either but we are going to have to figure out what to do about his drinking problem. You have to take care of you and this baby.” He rested his hand on her stomach because he couldn’t resist touching her. When he saw her this morning, she’d completely captivated him. The demons he’d been battling didn’t seem to matter anymore. Being away from her had given him clarity. Now he had to figure out how to make this work between them. “You can’t manage him too.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m emotional. I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

  “Let me take care of you.” He pressed his lips to hers. She’d had enough to deal with. Now was not the time to bare his soul to her. His confession would have to wait. “I’ll be back soon.”

  ***

  Ten minutes later, Gavin made his way into the dark, dingy corner sports bar. It appeared to be full of locals. Most of them were yelling at the hockey game. The soles of his shoes stuck to the floor as he walked over to Anthony who was slumped over the bar. Gavin took a seat next to him, tossing his credit card on the bar.

  “Close out his tab, permanently,” Gavin said. “He won’t be coming back.”

  “Please,” the bartender said. “Do you know how much money he owes this place? He never has enough cash to drink.”

  Anthony lifted his head. “Hey, Gavin. You want a drink?” He looked at the bartender. “Get this man a drink. He’s dating my daughter. Put it on my tab.”

  The bartender rolled his eyes.

  “Close him out,” Gavin said. “Anthony, what are you doing?”

  “I came to watch the game. You want to watch with me?”

  “We’re going home.”

  The bartender printed out a receip
t and showed it to Gavin. “He owes three hundred dollars.”

  “I said I’d take care of it.”

  “He’s rich,” Anthony said. “A billionaire, I think, but Justine doesn’t like to talk about your money. I raised her right. That’s the one good thing I did. My girl.”

  “She is pretty amazing.” Gavin waited for the bartender to run his card. “That’s why you need to pull yourself together. She has a lot going on. You need to be there for her. She can’t keep looking after you.”

  “She’s a strong girl. Always was.” He finished his beer. “When her mother left she didn’t even cry. Not in front of me anyway but I knew she was sad. We’ve had a lot go wrong in our lives. I’ve always provided for her though. I tried to give her a good life.”

  “She loves you.” Gavin signed the receipt. “She doesn’t like seeing you this way.” He helped Anthony off the stool. “Let’s get you home.”

  “You gonna marry my little girl? Make an honest woman out of her?”

  “You do remember that I’m not the baby’s father, right?”

  “So? Plenty of good men raise children that aren’t theirs.”

  Most of those men probably don’t have children of their own that they didn’t want to raise.

  “You come from a generous family. Your father would be so proud of you.”

  “No, I don’t think he would.”

  Anthony stopped as they got to the exit of the bar and stared into Gavin’s eyes. “Why would you say that?”

  “It’s just the way I feel.”

  “You’re wrong.” He patted his shoulder. “I’ve never seen Justine so happy. Whatever you’re doing is working.”

  “Thank you for saying that.” Gavin opened the door and helped him down the steps and to the car.

  “You know how I know you’re a good man?”

  “How?”

  “My Justina loves you.”

  Anthony got into the car as Gavin pondered his words. They were nothing more than the ramblings of a drunk man. How would he know if Justine loved him?

  “That bum who knocked her up, Carson, I think his name is.” He rested his head against the seat. “She didn’t love him. There was no spark in her eyes when she talked about him. It’s different with you.” He nodded before closing his eyes. “You’re the one. You’re going to take care of my girl, aren’t you?”

  With all that I have.

  Chapter Twelve

  Justine tossed back her comforter as Gavin put her father to bed. Her dad was practically passed out but Gavin managed to get him up the steps. She usually had to leave him on the couch when he was like that.

  As she climbed into bed, she thought about her day. It had started out so well. Seeing Gavin first thing in the morning put a huge smile on her face. Too bad it hadn’t lasted that long. The shower helped to relax her but her back ached and her shoulders were knotted. Having tomorrow off would help her clear her mind and then over the weekend she could figure out what she should do next.

  “He’s out.” Gavin came into her room, shutting the door behind him. “You look cozy.”

  “Why don’t you come join me?” She patted the mattress. “It’s not as big as your bed but you’re right, it is cozy.”

  “I’d sleep anywhere with you.” He slipped off his shoes and socks before removing his shirt, revealing that impressive six pack of his. “Are you feeling better?”

  “The shower was relaxing but it would have been better if you were in it with me.”

  “Next time.” He settled in next to her, wrapping his arms around her. “Spend the weekend with me and I’ll pamper you the whole time.”

  “Movies in bed?”

  “More than movies in bed.” He kissed the top of her head. “I promise.”

  “I’m in.”

  “What’s this?” He picked up her tablet that was on the bed next to her. “Furniture?”

  “I was just looking at the cribs.” She motioned over the screen. “I still have a few months but I’m thinking of turning the third bedroom into a nursery. I started sketching some designs. I thought maybe some kind of fairy tale theme. You know, Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.”

  “What if he’s a boy?”

  “Maybe Camelot or dragons or something.” She laughed. “Maybe I should find out what I’m having.”

  “So you’re using your production design degree?”

  “Yeah, my big NYU degree comes in handy when I have to design a nursery.” She shrugged. “I’m just dreaming. The middle room is really tiny. I used it as a place to do my homework but there isn’t much space for what I’d like to do in there anyway.” Not to mention a nursery of the scale she wanted would cost way too much money.

  “I just thought of something.” He reached in his pocket and took out his phone. He did a quick search. “My mother sits on the board of this theater.” He showed her what he’d searched. “Actually we bought the theater company a few years ago when she was trying to impress some friends.”

  “You own a theater company?”

  “It’s small. They were putting on two shows a year, I think. Mainly for charity but Callahan Industries funds the whole thing. We haven’t done anything with it in a while.”

  “That’s um... insane?” How much money did these people have?

  “From what I remember the productions were good. They were small compared to Broadway but the theater is solid and we have a core group of actors who are willing to work part-time. This is something we might be able to resurrect. Would you be interested?”

  “Interested in what?”

  “My mother had all these visions when we purchased the company, but like with everything else, she got bored. Maybe the project needs you.”

  “Me?”

  “You went to school for this, didn’t you? You said working in the lobby of Callahan Industries wasn’t your dream job. Maybe I could give you your dream.”

  You already have.

  “We don’t have to figure this out tonight.” He set his phone and her tablet on the nightstand. “You’ve had a long day.”

  “Somehow when you’re next to me I’m never tired.”

  “Well.” He turned to face her, lying on his side. “Seeing how you’re not tired, maybe we could...”

  “We definitely could.” She hitched her leg over his hip. “When you took your shirt off I knew we’d end up here.” She smoothed her hands down his chest and over his abs. “You’re irresistible.”

  “No, baby.” He lifted her tank top over her stomach. “You’re the one I can’t resist.” Running his fingers along her side he gripped the waistband of her pajama bottoms. “Get these off.”

  She wiggled out of them, her heart rate increasing with every touch. She’d never had sex in her own bed before. Living with her dad sort of dampened the mood. Tonight she didn’t care who was home. “You have to get naked too.” She sat up and reached for the button on his jeans. As she unzipped his pants, she leaned forward and swiped her lips along his pelvis. Her hair brushed his thighs as she tugged his pants and boxers down. He kicked them off as she swirled her tongue over his hip bone.

  “How do you want it?” She gazed up at him. “Tell me.”

  “Ride me.” He guided her on top of him. “Hard.”

  “Hmm...” She set her knees on either side of his hips, taking his length in her hand. Lifting up, she slowly brought herself down, taking her time.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “I always feel beautiful when I’m with you.”

  He grasped her waist in his hands, digging his fingers into her flesh. “Faster.” He thrust upwards, filling her completely.

  She lost her balance but quickly found her rhythm when she steadied her hands on his legs. Moving up and down, she quickened the pace, losing herself in him. That wasn’t difficult to do. He had a way of making her see the world in a different light. Before him, she was always worrying about what would happen next, trying to decide which disaster would need the most of her a
ttention. With him, her life seemed to find balance, an inner-peace that wasn’t there before.

  “Gavin...” She glanced down at him, staring in the face of pure pleasure.

  “Come here.” He drew her toward him, capturing her mouth with his as he gripped her backside. Lifting his hips, he swiveled them, hitting her at a new angle. Just the right spot! “Whoa!” she cried out quietly as her climax took hold of her in long, slow waves.

  “Incredible.” He kissed her as he filled her with his own desire. His body tensed for a moment and then he let go. Quietly, tenderly and wonderfully perfect.

  She was in love. There was no doubt about it.

  As she tried to catch her breath, he draped the covers over them. She settled close to him, resting her head on his chest. A sense of panic came over her when she realized they weren’t in his bed. “You don’t have to leave yet, do you?”

  “No.” He twirled her hair around his finger. “I’ll stay for a bit, but I’ll have to be home so I can get ready for the office tomorrow. There’s no way I’m going to be late for that meeting with Brody and Jackie.”

  “You called Brody?”

  “In the car on my way to get your dad.” He held her to him. “He apologizes for the way you were treated and wants you to know that’s not how we do things.”

  “It’s probably for the best.” She didn’t really like the job anyway. The best part of her day was knowing Gavin was in the building. “Everything happens for a reason.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged as he stared at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I’m used to making things happen. If you tell me I can’t, I usually will. I don’t like putting my business in other people’s control.”

  “I’ve noticed.” She softly giggled. “It’s not a bad quality.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” He stroked the length of her arm. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you but I’ve been talking myself out of it because I’m not sure it falls in line with ‘our let’s see what happens next’ policy.”