Stay Awhile

by Gia Riley

  She hesitates and lies back down on her pillow, shying away from telling me the truth.

  I hold her face in my hand and rub my thumb against her cheek. Her skin is so soft, just like when she was a baby. “You can tell me anything, sweetheart. I promise.”

  “The secrets were about Miss Sarah and my brother,” she whispers.

  Even Laney knew her name. “Do you ever want to see them again?”

  She shakes her head back and forth, her eyes wide as she starts to think about spending time with them. Her reaction alone is enough to understand how much she dislikes them. “No, Mommy. I want to live with you and G.”

  “That’s exactly where you’re going to be. You never have to worry about Sarah again, okay?”

  “Okay,” she says a little louder. “Do you think Miss Sarah will hate me more now?”

  “Nobody hates you, Laney.”

  “I heard her tell Daddy that her life would be better if I had never been born. But I already came out of your belly, Mommy.”

  Like Garrett, I wish I could go pound on Connor’s door and punch him in the face. Still, I’m glad my little girl will never have to live another day of her life hearing that someone doesn’t want her—even if those words will forever be inside her.

  “Laney, do you think it would be okay if we met with a nice lady at the hospital and told her about all the secrets? Just so we can talk about them and not have to worry about them anymore?”

  She thinks about it for a minute and then looks into my eyes. “Once I tell her, then they’ll be gone forever?”

  “Yes, baby. No more secrets. The only secrets we’ll ever have will be about good things—like surprises.”

  She smiles and says, “Okay, Mommy. But what about when G makes us food? It’s not always so good.”

  I pick her up and pull her into my lap. Kissing her, I tell her, “No it’s not. I think he already knows, though. Maybe we can teach him, so he can get better.”

  “I’ll give him the magic apron.”

  Garrett’s going to need way more than a magic apron, but I still tell her, “That’s my girl. Now what do you say we get dressed and go pick him up? We can get some breakfast at the diner together. After that, we’re going to find a special place to live.”

  “Our new house!” she says with so much excitement it’s contagious.

  “We’ll look at a couple different houses and then decide together. How’s that sound?”

  “So good! I want G to make me another Cinderella room. And a doll house.”

  “Our house is going to be the best house ever, isn’t it?”

  “The best,” she says. “Because there’s no secrets.”

  Garrett

  WATCHING MEGAN WALK AWAY FROM me, I pray she realizes how much I love her. That I’m here for the right reasons and that I’ll never break her heart now that I have it.

  She’s scared.

  I see it in the way she carries herself when she thinks I’m not watching. And in the way she second guesses herself or tries to talk herself out of what she wants because she doesn’t think she deserves it. All the self-esteem Connor took away from her, I’ll keep building back up, one brick at a time.

  Putting one tired foot in front of the other, I change into sweats and a T-shirt and fall into bed—on Megan’s side. My head isn’t even on the pillow yet and I can already smell her perfume.

  As I sat in the chair and watched her sleep, all I could picture was her slumped over the bar—at her absolute lowest. There aren’t many women who would have made it out of this in one piece, and part me hopes she’s hung on as long as she has because of me. That maybe, I’ve been enough for her, because I never want to see her drowning in her pain again. Especially not alone.

  When she’s feeling lost, my arms are where she belongs.

  In our bed.

  In our home.

  Fuck, I can’t wait to have a place we can call ours. No more bouncing back and forth between addresses. We’ll just be a man and a woman sharing the same space in the same zip code.

  Knowing she left here thinking about the very same possibility, I’m able to fall asleep.

  The next time I open my eyes, Laney’s grayish blues are inches away from my face. She has a bright pink feather boa wrapped around her neck, plastic heels dangling from her toes, and glittery makeup all over her face.

  “When did you get here, princess?” I ask her around a yawn.

  “Two hours ago,” she says with a giggle. “Mommy told me to be patient, but I’m not good at that, G. I was missing you too much.”

  Jesus Christ, this little girl. “How did you get in here all by yourself? Did you slide down the chimney?”

  She shakes her curls back and forth, still giggling as she checks out the old fireplace in the corner. “G, I’ve got two casts on my legs. Mommy would have a heart attack if I did that.”

  I laugh because she’s right. That is until my breath catches in my throat when Laney slides her little hand on top of mine and links our fingers. Shifting, she lays down on my side of the bed and just stares at me. “Whatcha thinkin’ bout, G?”

  What am I always thinking about? “You and your mommy.”

  “She loves you, G. Like really really a lot.”

  “You think?”

  “Yep, I know it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Duh, cause she says we’re all gonna live together. And I’m gonna talk to someone at your hospital because you guys always make me better.”

  I’m not exactly sure what she’s talking about, but the fact that Megan’s already spoken to her about the house can only mean one thing—she’s serious about doing this. There’s no way she would have involved her little girl if she wasn’t positive about us buying a place and moving in together—officially.

  But I have a question of my own. One I need to make sure I get the right response to, because I wouldn’t go through with any of this if she wasn’t one hundred percent on board. “Are you happy, Laney?”

  She thinks about it for a second before propping her head up on her hand. “I’m your princess, right?”

  “Always.”

  “Is Mommy your princess, too?”

  “She’s my queen.”

  “Wow,” she whispers. “Then I’m happy, G.”

  “Are you sure? You look like you want to say something else.”

  She taps her casts and stares at the tips of her pink toes. “I’m super happy, but I’ll be even happier without these casts. They slow me down.”

  “They’ll be gone soon, I promise. Once they come off, you’ll start your therapy and before you know it, you’ll be running around again.”

  “Will you teach me therapy? Since you fixed me?”

  I plan on teaching her how to do a lot of things, and having the opportunity means everything to me. I wasn’t sure kids were ever going to be in my future, but with Megan in my life, I get to experience life with a five-year-old, right from the start.

  “I’ll help you, Laney. If we practice at home, and you go to therapy at the hospital, we’ll have you all fixed up in no time.”

  “Mommy can help, too!”

  “Of course she can. Where is she anyway?”

  “I’m right here,” Megan says, as she walks into the bedroom with a newspaper in one hand and a highlighter in the other.

  “What’s that for?” I ask her with a smile on my face because I know exactly what it’s for. I just want to hear her say the words because I’ve waited years for this moment.

  “Mommy says we’re all going to pick out a house! You’re our G now.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Pulling back the blankets, I move to the middle of the bed. “Get in here, babe.”

  Megan smiles and slides in next to me. I grab the newspaper and when I unfold it, I see a house circled in yellow. It’s the only one on the page.

  When I look at it closer, I realize it’s the house I wanted to show her. I’ve driven by the for sale sign the last f
ew weeks, wishing it was ours.

  “You like this one?” I ask her. She nods her head, but that’s all she gives me. “What am I missing?”

  “Well, it caught my eye right away, but I wasn’t thinking about a budget. I got carried away,” she tells me.

  “Do you want this house, Megs?”

  “I love that house. I have no idea why, but every time I pass it, I think of what the inside must look like. They don’t have any pics, so it could need a lot of work, but I like that it looks like a piece of history and not some cookie-cutter house.”

  It also looks nothing like the house she shared with Connor, thankfully.

  “What do you think, Laney?”

  Laney glances at the picture and smiles. “Can I have a Cinderella room again?”

  “Of course you can. You can bring everything with you.”

  “Then I like it. But what name will we put on the mailbox? Yours or ours?”

  Leave it to a kid to put things into perspective. There’s no way in hell Connor’s last name will ever be associated with this house. When we move in, I want all the paperwork to be final.

  “Laney, don’t be rude,” Megan tells her daughter.

  “No, it’s okay. I have a solution to this problem.”

  “Yeah?”

  Smirking, I tell her, “Open the drawer in the nightstand.”

  Megan turns and does as I ask. As soon as the drawer is open far enough for her to see inside, she pauses.

  “Pick it up, Megan.”

  It takes her a minute, but she reaches her shaky hand inside and grabs the box.

  “What is it, Mommy?”

  “Turn around, baby.”

  Taking the black velvet out of her hand, I pull the top away from the bottom, revealing two diamond rings. A three carat engagement ring for the love of my life, and a smaller band for the little girl who has rocked my world and weaved her way through every piece of my heart.

  “It’s a ring,” Megan whispers. “A really big one.”

  I pull Laney’s band out first and her eyes light up when she realizes it’s really for her.

  “Laney, this is my promise to you that I will love you and take care of you. You can call me whatever you want, within reason of course, but when we pack up all the boxes, you’ll be moving into our new house as my little girl. We’ll be a family.” I slide the band on her tiny finger and at the same time, I tell her, “I love you, Laney, with all of my heart.”

  Laney stares at her ring, her eyes sparkling she’s so in love with it. “That was just like the movies, G. The ones Mommy watches and gets all snotty about.”

  When I turn toward Megan, she’s sobbing, just like Laney said. Her face a mess of tears and mascara. Imperfections and all, she’s never looked more beautiful than she does right now.

  “What are you doing?” she asks me as I slide off the bed and get down on my knee.

  “Breathe,” I tell her. “This is me asking my girls to marry me—forever and always.”

  “You can’t be serious,” she whispers. “We aren’t ready for this. Are we? I mean it’s only been a couple months, Garrett.”

  “Who cares how long it’s been? When it’s right, you just know. And I know I need you and Laney in my life because the second you moved out, I wanted you back.”

  Her entire body shakes as I kiss the top of her hand and wait for her to look at me. “Garrett,” she says, “this is crazy.”

  “I’m completely serious, Megan. There’s nobody else in this entire world who is made for me the way you are. You said it yourself—so many pieces had to align for us to get here, and you were right. A lot had to go wrong for us to find one another—stuff I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but it happened, and here we are. I don’t care if it’s been two days or two years. Not when I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. I need you, Megs. I need you.”

  “I need you, too,” she says as another round of fresh tears fall. “I’m so scared, but none of my fears have anything to do with you. I get that now. You asked me to stay awhile, and I thought that would be impossible. But as each day passed, I found myself getting more and more comfortable. It felt like I belonged with you, and it was easy. Easier than it’s ever been.”

  “Because it’s right.”

  She nods and smiles as she looks down at her ring again. “I’ve never had a ring that told the truth before. The last one I had hurt me.”

  “God, baby, I’ll never hurt you. I promise.”

  “I know,” she says. “It’s taken me a lifetime to find you, and all this time, you’ve been right in front of my face. We met when we were kids, and I always knew whoever ended up with you was going to be one lucky girl. I never imagined that girl would be me, Garrett.”

  “I always wanted it to be you.”

  “Thank you for not giving up on me, and thank you for waiting. All these years I thought it was someone else, but you’re my soulmate, Garrett. You’re my always and forever.”

  “Say yes now, Mommy,” Laney whisper shouts. “You have to say yes!”

  “I’m getting there,” Megan tells her daughter as the most beautiful smile punches me in the gut. “I’ve never been married before, Garrett.”

  I watch as the reality of her ring sinks in. How she’ll finally have a legal marriage certificate, a last name that belongs to her, and a man who isn’t harboring any secrets.

  “I used to hate the fact that I wasn’t ever legally married, but I’m glad you’re going to be my first and my last.” She raises her head and gives me a sad smile. “Everything happens for a reason. You’re my reason, Garrett.”

  “Say the words, babe. Make me the happiest man alive.”

  “You rescued me. You saved us. You gave me a second chance—and we love you so much. Yes, I’ll marry you, Garrett.”

  With my arms wrapped around her, I kiss her stomach and slowly stand up. She latches onto me and wraps her legs around my waist until we’re up against the wall. The last time we were in this position, I was getting a taste of the girl I always wanted. Now, I have the woman I’ve always needed in my arms, right where she belongs. Right where she’ll stay.

  Laney breaks us out of our spell with a question I tried to prepare myself for the second I handed her the ring. “Does this mean you’re my new daddy?” she questions with so much hope in her angelic voice.

  Megan slithers down the front of my body like a deflated balloon. I see her face morph from satisfied contentment to sheer panic in a matter of seconds.

  Placing my finger over my fiancée’s lips, I shake my head and tell her, “Let me.”

  A single nod is the best she can give me when her hand lets go of mine. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I feel like this is a conversation I should have had with Laney long ago.

  Before I say a single word, Laney stares at her ring and says, “Thank you for making my mommy happy again. She used to cry at night—in the bathroom.”

  I glance over my shoulder and Megan looks devastated. Without a doubt, I know she did everything she could to put on a happy front for her daughter, holding her pain hostage until she was alone and could release it.

  “Do you know why she cried at night, Laney?”

  Nodding, she pouts her lips and hangs her head like she’s ashamed of the tears her mother cried. “She was sad about Daddy.”

  “How did that make you feel?”

  “Sad, too. I didn’t like any of it.”

  “How do you feel now?”

  Raising her head, she lets me see her dimples. “So good. We’re not sad anymore.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “Because of you, G. You make me and Mommy happy. We like being happy.”

  Picking her up and scooping her into my lap, I wrap her in the biggest hug I can give her without crushing her. “You both make me the happiest I’ve ever been. As soon as I can give your mother the wedding of her dreams, she’ll be my wife and you’ll be my daughter. Forever.”

  “And always,” she whispe
rs against my chest.

  Connor

  Two months ago

  “YOU’RE SURE THIS IS WHAT you want to do, Connor?”

  With the last of my options gone, I sit at Officer Reister’s desk, ready to take drastic measures.

  “I could deal when they wanted me, but my little girl was in the car this time. So, yeah, I’m ready to end this shit. They crossed the line when they fucked with Laney.”

  She shakes her head as she sits on the edge of her desk. “I hate that it’s come to this.”

  “You? What about me? I’m the one who has to walk away.”

  I drop my head in my hands and for the second time in days, I lose my shit. “She was in the backseat, Katey. She had blood dripping down her legs and she wasn’t answering me. I thought Laney was fucking dead.”

  “Tell Megan the truth, Connor. She’ll listen to you. Eventually, she’ll understand.”

  “What am I going to tell her? I cheated on her and got the devil pregnant?”

  “Sarah’s come a long way. I wouldn’t exactly call her the devil anymore.”

  She’s right. Sarah’s the one who backed off. Apparently, she’s the only levelheaded one. It’s the rest of her family that keeps fucking with me—and I’ve had enough.

  They started playing dirty the second they hired someone to chase me down and run me off the road, leaving the rest of the world to believe it was my own damn fault. And that’s exactly what Laney, Vanessa, and Garrett think.

  There was no way I could argue with them or plead my case because the same story that would clear me, would also ruin me. I had no choice but to let them think I’m the one completely at fault. It was better than Megan finding out the truth.

  “Just help me figure this out, Katey. It doesn’t matter anymore. The sooner I disappear, the sooner Laney and Megan can go back to having normal lives. I won’t have to keep looking over my shoulder and they’ll be safe.”

  “Everyone will think you killed yourself. Are you sure that’s how you want to be remembered?”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes. I just need Sarah’s family to buy it. They won’t leave my family alone if they think it was a cover-up.”