Key To My Heart: Stay

by Misty Reigenborn

  “Tomorrow. Demi’s engagement ring is going to be delivered in the afternoon so I figure that I’ll head out as soon as it gets here.”

  “Engagement ring? You’re going to propose to a woman you haven’t seen in almost ten years?”

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to take care of her and the baby.”

  “I understand that. But I’m not sure that proposing right away is the best idea Gav.”

  “It might not be, but it’s not going to stop me from doing it. Will you promise me that you’ll keep quiet about this? I want to surprise her.”

  “I won’t tell her. I can’t guarantee that her sister won’t, but I’ll try to convince her not to. I do have to have her permission to let you stay here. You know that right?”

  Gavin sighed. “Yes. I understand that it’s not just your house anymore. Do you think she’ll have a problem with it?”

  “I hope not. And I can certainly use the help with the house.”

  “I don’t plan on staying long anyway. Let me know what she says. I can find another place if I have to.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you know. Take care of yourself big brother. It will be good to see you.”

  “You too Gar. I’ll talk to you later okay? I need to finish packing.”

  “Okay. Bye Gav.”

  “Bye Gar.”

  Garett hung up the phone and wondered what the best way to approach the subject of letting Gavin stay with them would be.

  Acasia

  Garett was in the living room when she got home that night, an unusual place to find him when he had to work in the morning. There was a look of caution on his face, and she wondered what it was that had gone wrong this time.

  He stood and kissed her, reaching around to undo the zipper on the back of her waitress uniform. She let him undress her and let out a grateful sigh. They had ordered her a bigger uniform, but it hadn’t yet arrived and the one she wore now had grown tight with the weight she had gained, and she certainly hoped the new one would arrive soon.

  He took her hand and led her to the couch. “There’s something that I need to talk to you about baby.”

  She held back another sigh. “What is it now?”

  He squeezed her hand. “It’s not entirely bad news. Gavin is coming back to town and he needs a place to stay for a while. I could really use the help on the house.”

  She was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Even if Demi seemed to be handling things well now, and seemed stronger than ever before, things could change as soon as Gavin stepped foot in town. Especially if he still had his sights set on her which Acasia got the uncomfortable feeling that he did.

  “When will he be here?”

  “Sometime tomorrow. I understand if you don’t want him to stay here, but it would make things easier. We could have the nursery done in no time, and then maybe you’d be able to sit back and relax every once in a while instead of helping me out around the house.”

  “I like helping you.”

  “I know baby, and you’re a great help, but there’s just so much to do. And you’re tired sweetheart. I don’t want you doing so much that you make yourself sick.”

  “You’re so good to me.”

  “When you’ve got the best woman in the world, you have to be good to her. Is it okay that Gavin stays with us, or would you rather he found some place else to crash until he figures out what he’s going to do with the rest of his life?”

  “He can stay here. I’m just worried about Demi. She’s doing so well, and I’m afraid that Gavin coming back will screw everything up for her.”

  “She’s a big girl Acasia. And she’s going to be okay, no matter what. She’s strong baby. Stronger than any of us ever realized.”

  “My dad saw it. He always saw the good things in people that no one else saw. I know that I need to let go, but I hate to see her hurt.”

  “I know. I don’t like seeing my brothers hurt either. But I think that it’s time to let Gavin and Demi make their own decisions about being together, no matter what any of the rest of us think.”

  “Yeah. I suppose. I love you Garett.”

  “I love you too baby.”

  He took her hand and led her upstairs, not bothering to pick her uniform up off of the floor. And they enjoyed the last night that they would have together in their house for a while by making uninhibited love.

  Garett

  Garett was relieved when Acasia agreed to let Gavin stay with them. He was looking forward to seeing his brother again, and happy that Gavin had finally seemed to have made the decision to put his life back on track. He wasn’t sure that Demi would accept his brother’s proposal, but he knew that it meant a lot to his older brother to do it all the same.

  They went to bed late that night after making love, but the exhaustion that came with the morning was worth it. He knew he downed entirely too many cups of coffee and definitely felt the caffeine buzz, but he felt ready to face the day all the same, glad that his fiancé didn’t have to work that day so that at least she would be able to relax.

  Work seemed to drag. They had started on a new job, and the owner of the house was overly critical. Black and Sons took pride in every job they did and were known for doing things right the first time, but the woman whose kitchen they were remodeling didn’t seem satisfied with anything. It didn’t help that she was indecisive either. Garett was sure that the job was going to take twice as long as it should, but his father seemed determined to pick up as much work as he could lately, and there was nothing he could do about that since it was still his father’s company.

  He knew the day would come when it would be his company, and he looked forward to that day for many reasons. His father had worked entirely too hard for entirely too long, and his old man seemed to deserve rest and relaxation more than almost anyone. But he also knew that his father would be unlikely to retire anytime soon, and that he would probably fight retirement as long as he could, only handing over control of Black and Sons to Garett when he absolutely had to.

  He hoped that he was able to get home before Gavin arrived, wanting to save both his fiancé and his brother from what could certainly be an uncomfortable moment, but he was beginning to doubt that he would get off of work on time, let alone early. He was glancing at his watch so much that his father got irritated with him, and asked him if he had somewhere better to be.

  He gave his father an apologetic grin, and told him that Acasia had planned a special dinner that night and that he didn’t want to miss it. It was true, but he wasn’t going to tell his father the real reason that she had planned a special dinner. He wasn’t going to get between his brother and his father, especially when he knew that tempers may fly.

  His father sighed and told him to go, and he left amidst dirty looks from the rest of the crew who all had to stay. He didn’t like to let the company down, but he wasn’t going to let his family down either, and he wanted to avoid an even more uncomfortable reunion between his fiancé and his brother if at all possible.

  Acasia

  Acasia was relieved that Garett got home from work before Gavin arrived. Since she hadn’t seen Gavin since shortly after he had broken up with her and she was now engaged to his brother and pregnant with his child, she had a feeling that their reunion may be made even more uncomfortable, but she was trying not to dwell on it, as well as trying not to think about what Gavin being back could mean for her sister.

  She was able to distract herself most of the day with sorting baby things and doing what work she could on the nursery, but she was so tired by the time afternoon came that she decided to treat herself to a nap and ended up getting a late start on dinner.

  She was preparing lasagna and was deep in her work when Garett arrived home around 6:15. He gave her a sheepish smile and pulled her to him for a quick embrace.

  “I’m sorry I’m late baby. Dinner smells good.”

  “I just put it in the oven. I laid down and ended up sleeping a lot long
er than I had planned. Have you heard from Gavin?”

  “He just texted me. He should be here in forty-five minutes or so.”

  “That’s good. I hope the couch is comfortable enough for him.”

  “He’s not planning on staying long I don’t think, but I’m sure that it will suit him just fine. Everything is going to be okay baby. It might be a little awkward at first, but I’m sure that everything will feel normal again before we know it.”

  “Yeah. Did you tell your dad that Gavin is coming back?”

  “No. The last thing I want is to get in the middle of the two of them. I’m going to go change and then I’ll come back down and help you finish dinner.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her and then headed upstairs. When he came back down, he helped her make the garlic bread and the salad, and they had just put dinner on the table when there was a knock at the door. Acasia’s heart started to beat fast as Garett crossed towards the door, and she wanted to kick herself for feeling so unsure about seeing Gavin again after all this time when she was happy with his brother.

  Garett

  Garett threw open the door and looked at the brother he hadn’t seen in almost ten years. Gavin looked older, like he was walking around with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He shook his head as he embraced his older brother, and murmured into his ear “You look like shit big brother.”

  Gavin chuckled. “Thanks little brother. You look good. Happy.”

  “I am happy.”

  He stepped back to let Gavin into the house. His brother looked uncomfortable, and he looked up just in time to see Acasia meet Gavin’s eyes from across the room. A look passed between them that he couldn’t quite read and he looked away. He suddenly wondered if Gavin didn’t have unresolved feelings for Acasia as well as Demi, or she for him.

  He put the thought out of his head, and helped Gavin bring his stuff in from the truck. Then they sat down to dinner together. The conversation was strained at first, and it was clear that all three of them were avoiding the subject of Acasia’s sister. But it got easier as time went on, and he realized just how good it felt to have his brother back in his life.

  Gavin wasn’t looking forward to talking to their father in morning, but Garett had a feeling that their meeting would probably go a lot better than his brother thought it would. And it wasn’t as if Black and Sons couldn’t use all the help they could get at the moment.

  Gavin excused himself after dinner and he could see in Acasia’s eyes that she knew exactly where his brother was headed, and wasn’t particularly happy with the idea. But she said nothing, and they retired to the bedroom together, watching TV until they fell asleep.

  Acasia

  Acasia was distracted. She was trying not to think about Gavin’s reunion with Demi, but it was hard not to. She had been tempted to call her sister and warn her as soon as Gavin had left, but she had known that it wasn’t the right thing to do. With as hard as it was, she knew that it was high time she stepped back and let her sisters live their own lives, no matter how they decided they wanted to live them.

  Laying eyes on Gavin after so long had left her with a strange feeling. He looked older than his years, though he was still quite a handsome man. When she’d looked at him she had realized that she had no longer seen him through the eyes of love. But she no longer saw him the way she had all the years he had been gone either. She could no longer find it in herself to hate him, no matter how much he had hurt her and her sister.

  They went to bed early that night, falling asleep before Gavin returned. But Garett had a busy day at work the next day, and she had to work that evening, so she knew that they both needed the extra rest and tried not to dwell on what the fact that Gavin hadn’t yet returned meant for her sister.

  Gavin was in a good mood when she and Garett went downstairs the next morning, and it made her wonder even more what had gone on between him and Demi. But she again put the thought out of her head, and went about her day as usual.

  It was while she was at work that she heard the rumor that Gavin had proposed to Demi. She wanted to question Garett immediately to find out if he had known about his brother’s plans, but she figured that even if he had known he had probably neglected to mention it to her for good reason, knowing that such news might upset her, so she held her questioning back until she returned home from work that night.

  Gavin was asleep on the couch when she passed by, and she made her way up the stairs quietly as not to disturb him.

  Garett was sitting up in bed, the TV turned on low while he read a parenting book. He pulled her to him as soon as she had closed the door behind her and gave her a gentle kiss.

  “Hi baby. How was work?”

  “Tiring as usual. How did things go with Gavin and your dad?”

  “Neither of them would tell me exactly what went down, but it couldn’t have been too bad. He put Gavin to work.”

  “That’s good. Um, did you know anything about Gavin asking my sister to marry him?”

  Garett bit his lip. “I did. I didn’t want to mention it since you’ve already got so much on your mind. I’m sorry baby.”

  She sighed. “It’s all right. I’m assuming that she told him ‘no’.”

  “I guess. He didn’t say much about it. We didn’t get much of a chance to talk today at work, and then we worked on the house for a while after dinner. The nursery is almost finished.”

  “That’s great babe. I love you.”

  “I love you too sweetheart.”

  They watched a rerun of a program that they both enjoyed, and then they went to sleep.

  Garett

  It felt good to work with his brother again, both for Black and Sons, and on his house. They were able to accomplish so much more together, and Garett felt a little less overwhelmed, at least as far as the house was concerned.

  The wedding plans were moving along smoothly as well. Acasia had found a dress she liked, and their mothers had managed not to stray too far from what they had wanted for their wedding as of yet, though he was sure that they would at some point.

  Rumors were still going around town about not only Gavin and Demi, but about Jay and Nikki as well. Jay was still hard to get a hold of, as was Nikki. Their silence on the issue still had everyone wondering what was going on, but neither of them seemed to want to talk to anyone in the family about anything besides their daughter. His mother was getting more and more upset every day and he was more sure than ever that an intervention was coming. He hoped that his brother and Acasia’s sister hadn’t chosen to give up on their marriage, but he knew that their mothers wouldn’t let their relationship go down without at least an attempt an attempt to fight.

  One night while Acasia was at work, he decided that it might be a good idea to have a man-to-man talk with his brother, and he approached Gavin after dinner.

  His brother looked up when he entered the living room. “Hey little brother. What’s up?”

  “Can we talk?”

  Gavin chuckled. “Sure. That phrase is a lot scarier when it comes from parents and women. What do you want to talk about?”

  Garett sat down in the arm chair. “Can I ask what’s going on between you and Demi?”

  “Nothing’s really going on. I proposed and she said no. I left it up to her to make the decision of whether she wants to give me another chance or not.”

  “That seems fair.”

  “Yeah. Is Acasia upset over me being back? I know that she’s protective over Demi.”

  “Of course she is. She’s her big sister. I don’t think she’s upset that you’re back exactly.”

  “So then what is it bro? Has she said something that makes you think that she doesn’t want me here? I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

  “It’s not that. I just wonder sometimes if she. . “

  “If she what?”

  Garett looked away. “If she still has feelings for you.”

  Gavin snorted. “I know that they say love
is blind, but you would have to be blind not to see that Acasia only has eyes for you. What’s the real problem little brother?”

  He turned back to Gavin. “Jay and Nikki. Doesn’t it scare you to think that their marriage might be in trouble?”

  “No relationship is perfect. I’m sure our brother is fine. Why are you so worried? You love Acasia, and Acasia loves you.”

  “I know. But. . .”

  “Are you worried that you’re in over your head? You bought a big house that wasn’t in the best shape, so yeah, it’s gonna be a lot of work to fix it up. But I will help you. I’m happy to help you, even if it requires up-all-nighters to get it ready before the baby gets here. You shouldn’t worry about the business because business is booming. Black and Sons probably has more work now than they’ve had in years. Am I right?”

  Garett nodded.

  “So what is there to worry about? You’re going to be a great father and a great husband, the house will be ready in time even if we have to hire some guys from Dad’s crew to come and help us and as far as I know the moms haven’t trampled on your wedding plans too much. Be happy little brother.”

  “I am happy.”

  “Then there you have it.”

  “Are you okay Gavin?”

  “I am. I am the closest to okay that I have been in a long time bro.”

  “I’m glad. I’m glad that you’re here too.”

  “Me too. You wanna take another look at that other bedroom?”

  “Sure. Thank you Gavin.”

  “No need to thank me. You’re my brother. I know that I haven’t always been the best brother and haven’t always provided the best example for you and Jay, but you’ve both done well for yourselves. Jay will talk to us when he’s ready, and you and Acasia are going to do just fine. So try not to worry so much okay?”

  “Okay.”

  They went upstairs and spent the rest of the time until Acasia got home from work working on the bedroom.