When they finally got settled, which didn't come quickly, he decided to send her an email. Gavin wanted to write to her, but he knew it would take way too long to get the messages back and forth. He was sure she'd already know they were fine, Jack would tell her. He couldn't help but want to tell her himself. She might not write him back, but he had to try. He needed her to help get him through the months he knew were coming.
Gracie,
I just wanted to let you know that Jack is safe.
Your very tired pen pal,
Gavin
Gavin worked harder than he had at the base. He was exhausted every single day. Everything was so different. Each day he'd check his email, and each day it would be empty. He was starting to give up hope that she'd bother to reply. It had been a week since he'd sent the message. When he opened his email after yet another hard day, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
Gavin,
Glad to hear it. I hope everything is going well. What's it like there? I've been working every waking moment so I don't think about you two. How long will you be gone? I'm not sure what else to ask. Are you working a lot? Why are you so tired? Write back soon. I see we're emailing now. I guess that makes sense. I'll miss seeing your writing. Maybe you're doing it just so I can't send surprises. Let me know if you need me to send anything for either of you. I know he won't ask.
Your patiently waiting pen pal,
Gracie
Gavin found himself writing back and not minding talking about things. He was kind of surprised at his honesty. He wasn't like that with his own family, but it felt good to write about it to someone that wasn't there experiencing it with him.
Gracie,
I'd almost given up hope of you writing back. I'm glad you did. I'm not going to lie, I was looking forward to getting my mind off of everything for a few minutes. Everything is different here. It's not even close to being at home on a base. This is real. I don't want to freak you out. I'm not saying it's crazy or anything. It's just different. We work a lot. I haven't really slept well either. I'm sure it will get easier. They say we'll be gone about six months. I hope that's all. Please have a cheesecake waiting when we get back, not that nasty kind either. What was that really about? Did you honestly think I'd lie about it? That's not who I am. Emailing is a million times faster than writing letters from here. I hope you don't mind. I can't think of anything I need besides knowing you don't hate me. You shouldn't work so damn much. Take some time to rest and relax. You're going to drive your dad crazy. You miss me. I know you do. I'll talk to you soon. We'll be back before you know it. I'm off to shower.
Your hot and sweaty pen pal,
Gavin
Gavin noticed he felt a bit lighter after hearing from Gracie and writing her back. He couldn't wait to get another email from her. Maybe six months wouldn't be so long after all, he thought to himself.
Chapter 14
Gracie
Gracie had buried herself in her work. She was barely speaking to anyone in her family or crew. As soon as she opened her eyes each morning, she was up and off to one of the restaurants. It was nice that they'd recently opened a new one. She was already pressuring her dad to open one more. He told her he wanted to wait, he wanted to give that one some time before they jumped in again. She was ready. There was no way she wouldn't make it a success just like all the rest.
Each night, she'd come home, grab something to eat, check her phone, email either of the guys that emailed her, and then fall into bed exhausted. It was her new normal, and she was happy to keep herself busy. It didn't leave much time for thinking.
She'd seen his first email the day he'd sent it, but she wasn't sure how to respond. Part of her wanted to, and part of her didn't. She wasn't even sure what to say back to him. All he'd said was that Jack was fine. She sat down and started typing whatever came to mind. What was it like there, she wondered? That wasn't something she felt like asking her brother. Something told her that Gavin would tell her the truth. She knew Jack would sugarcoat things. As much as she didn't want to worry, she wanted to know what they were dealing with. She wasn't sure if it would freak her out or help her deal with the situation better. Either way, she wanted to know.
They began to email back and forth about everyday things. She tried to pretend he wasn't so far away. She tried to tell herself that he was at his parents' house. Gracie made sure to add sarcastic comments or things about Ethan. She knew he'd have something to say back, and that made her happy. Pouring out her heart about what she was really feeling wasn't a good idea, so she kept it the same as what they had going before he left. A few times, she added things questioning his size. He wasn't small, she already knew that from feeling him through his pants that day. It was still fun to mess with him though, and she wasn't going to miss that chance.
Gracie found herself hurrying home to see if she had a new message from him. She even found herself answering him but leaving Jack and Ethan's messages for a few days longer. Her brother would have kicked her ass if he'd known that, and she was hoping Gavin wasn't telling him each time they messaged.
Four months had gone by, and they were still talking. The emails were getting longer, and things were going well between them. She'd honestly expected her feelings for him to change and was totally surprised that they'd grown even stronger. Two more months and she'd be telling him how she felt. She had no idea if he was going to laugh in her face or if at least a small amount of her feelings would be returned. Two more months, she thought every time she felt herself missing him. She was counting the days. Her worry had been replaced with excitement a little more each time she was able to mark a day off on the calendar that hung on the wall in her apartment.
Chapter 15
Gavin
Emailing Gracie was the highlight of his days. There was so much fighting going on around them. It was becoming their normal, so normal that the loud sound and shaking of the ground no longer made him jump. Gracie would never know just what she was doing for him. Her messages were keeping him going.
Jack had been emailing his family and had gotten letters often. Neither of them really asked much about the other communicating with home. It only made them miss it more, and that was something they didn't need.
“Two months,” Jack said. “We'll be home before you know it.”
Gavin looked up from where he was trying to sleep and saw his own tiredness reflected back in Jacks' eyes.
“I can't wait,” Gavin replied. “Do you regret doing this?”
“I don't regret signing up to help our country,” Jack said. “I just wish I could erase some of the shit I've seen here. Shit's getting real out there.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Gavin said. “It's not easy seeing kids without food.”
“It's no easy seeing bodies either,” Jack said. “It's definitely harder than I thought it would be.”
“Two months,” Gavin said. “Hopefully we'll be able to be home for a bit.”
“We need to promise each other something, Gavin,” Jack said. “I know everything will be fine. I'm sure of it. I just need to know you'll take care of Gracie if anything happens to me. She's a pain in the ass, but she's my family.”
“Only if you promise to take care of the girls and Nate,” Gavin answered. “It's not a concern though. Everything is fine. Even Jessie's missing us. You know how she is. She's never cared where I was or what I was doing. Two more months and they'll all be bugging the shit out of us. ”
Gavin's eyes finally closed that night, and Gracie filled his dreams. He'd never tell Jack, but Gavin wanted nothing more than to take care of Gracie. He didn't know if it was because he was off at war or because she was the one that was there for him, but he knew he had feelings for her. She was the reason he was looking forward to getting back home. Would she still be into Ethan, he wondered? What was so special about his ass anyway?
When the guys woke after a pretty decent sleep, they were ready to take on what the day would
bring. Gavin got in to drive, but Jack had insisted it was his turn. They were going on their normal daily assignment. It was the same thing they'd been doing for days.
“Fine,” Gavin said, as he got out and walked around. “If it makes you happy.”
“It's the simple things,” Jack said with a laugh.
It was only minutes later when Gavin heard a blast and felt a force against his body like he'd never felt before. When he opened his eyes and looked over, he saw Jack's face. There was blood everywhere.
“Jack,” Gavin screamed, but he couldn't hear his own words. “Jack!”
Gavin saw Jack's eyes flutter. There was so much blood. He tried to move to get to him, but he couldn't. Gavin's eyes were closing. He couldn't keep them open. He fought with all he had to move again.
“Jack!” he cried out again.
Then his world went black.
Chapter 16
Gracie
It had been days since Gracie had sent Gavin a message, and she hadn't heard back. She read her message over several times just to be sure she hadn't said anything to upset him. He was probably just busy, she told herself. Every chance she got, Gracie was checking her phone or her computer. The more she thought about it, the more it freaked her out.
When her mom called to see if she was coming for dinner that Sunday, Gracie jumped at the chance. She even showed up early to cook with her dad. It was the one thing that always calmed her nerves, and that was something she really needed right then. There was always something so comforting about cooking with him at home.
“You okay?” he asked, as she was making cheesecake. “Why cheesecake?”
“I'm in the mood for it,” she said with a shrug.
“You haven't heard from him either?” he asked.
“No,” she said as her shoulders went slack. “Wait! You haven't heard from Jack?”
“I thought that was who we were talking about,” he said with a confused look.
“We are,” she said quickly. “How long has it been?”
“A few days,” he said. “Your mom is a mess. I tried to tell her it could be a million things. They could have had to move somewhere else. Maybe they're just working hard. There's always a possibility he has something do other than emailing family.”
“Yeah,” Gracie said. “That's probably it.”
“I told your mom not to ask Becky if she's heard from Gavin. I don't want her freaking them out for no reason.”
Gracie felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to tell her dad she'd been talking to Gavin way more than she talked to her own brother. That wouldn't have gone over well. Neither of them were answering, but Gracie couldn't tell him that. She put the cheesecake in the fridge and hurried up the stairs to the bathroom.
The minute she closed the door, Gracie leaned with her hands on the counter and looked into the mirror. Were they okay? Was something wrong? She didn't care what he had to say, she just wanted a message back from Gavin. There was no reason to freak. Finding out that her mom was worried too only made things worse. She needed to talk to him, to either of them. Tears fought to break free, but she wouldn't let them. There was no way she wanted to add more to what her mom was already feeling. She looked at her own worried expression in the mirror.
“They're fine. They'll be home soon,” she said aloud to herself.
She took a deep breath, put a smile on her face, and pulled her shit together for her mother.
When she walked down the stairs, she saw her mom and dad hugging and felt a tug at her heart. No matter how many times Gracie heard her parents story, she always loved it. He'd saved her from a burning building. She'd known him through her best friend Heath, but it was after he saved her that it all started between them. When he'd almost lost his own life in a fire, she'd taken care of him. They were so in love. Gracie could see it each time they looked at each other, even after all the years that had gone by.
She wanted that for herself one day. Gavin would never want that with her, she thought. Who was she kidding. He would want someone that didn't work every waking moment. He'd want someone he hadn't known his whole life. Someone he wasn't forced to be around growing up. She was sure she was wasting her time thinking about him. The only problem was that no matter how hard she tried not to, he was always on her mind.
They'd had dinner and just finished dessert, but Gracie didn't feel like going home to be alone. She was usually running to get out of there. There was just something not right with how she was feeling though. She knew part of that was guilt for not telling them that she hadn't heard from Gavin. There was nothing wrong with writing back and forth with him.
“I have to tell you something,” Gracie said, feeling like she needed to tell them.
She knew it would only worry her mother more, but she couldn't keep it inside. She was worried about both of them.
Just when she opened her mouth to speak again, there was a knock at the door. Her dad looked at her mom and then back at her.
“Hold that thought,” he said. “Maybe Gavin and Becky decided to come by.”
Gracie heard the door open. Then she heard her dad gasp and a loud sound leave his chest. Her mom was up instantly and heading toward the door. When Gracie walked through to see them, she stopped frozen. Her dad was on his knees, and her mom's arms were wrapped around his neck. When Gracie looked up, she saw two uniformed service men. She'd heard enough stories in school to know exactly what it meant. Her brother was gone. The tears began to slip from her eyes. One of the men looked up from her parents to her.
“Gavin,” she whispered.
“Jack,” the man said.
“Is Gavin okay?” Gracie mumbled. “They were together.”
She felt a numbness take over her entire body. Jack was gone. Was Gavin gone too? It couldn't be true. Gavin was supposed to watch out for him. What if they were both gone?
“I'm not sure,” the man said with a concerned look on his face. “We weren't told about Gavin.”
Gracie's eyes traveled back down to her parents in each other's arms on the floor. Then she looked back up at the men. Without another word, she turned and ran up the stairs to her brother's room. She fell onto his bed and cried harder than she ever had in her life. It couldn't be true, she told herself. He was her big brother, there was no way. She could hear voices downstairs but couldn't make out what was being said. He was always trying to save someone. Why had he gone? It was Gavin's fault, she thought. He shouldn't have taken Jack with him. He should have kept him safe. There had to have been something he could have done. She couldn't help the anger she felt toward him. At the same time, she was so scared that he was gone too. It was all too much. She cried until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She just wanted to disappear.
When she opened her eyes, there was light shining through Jack's window. She heard someone talking. Then she heard a knock at the door. She didn't say a word, she wanted to be left alone. Her head hurt, her eyes were puffy, and she was exhausted. The door slowly opened. When she saw Jessie standing there with tears streaming down her face, Gracie felt like she was going to be sick. Her own tears began just has hard as they had the night before.
“Gavin,” Gracie whispered.
“We don't know,” Jessie said, as she hurried over and wrapped her arms around Gracie. “They're trying to find out. I'm so sorry, Gracie. I can't believe he's gone.”
“It can't be true,” Gracie said. “I won't accept it.”
Jessie began crying even harder. Gracie was very surprised. Jessie had been the one that showed the least emotion of the twins. Even the mention of her brother leaving for the service had triggered something in her, and Jessie had been full of emotion since they'd left. Gracie was happy to have someone by her side. She wasn't sure how she was going to go on without her brother. It just couldn't be.
“I'm here for you,” Jessie said. “I will be here anytime you need me. I can't believe this is happening. I'm worried about Gavin too. I've never felt anything like this
in my life. Jack was a great man, Gracie.”
Gracie thought about her brother. He really was an amazing man. Even Jessie knew, and she never cared to say anything about anyone. For her to say that about Jack made Gracie cry even harder, and she didn't think that was possible.
“We can't lose them both,” Jessie said more to herself than to Gracie. “This isn't real. Please tell me this isn't real. He can't be gone.”
Gracie hugged Jessie even tighter as they both cried.
“I sure hope it's not,” Gracie said. “I keep hoping it's all just a horrible dream.”
Chapter 17
Gavin
Gavin fought to open his eyes, but they weren't cooperating. He could hear the sound of something beeping. Then he heard someone speak. Who was it? He couldn't figure it out. Then he was gone again. When he tried to open his eyes again, he was able to see a small bit of light. He fought harder. Where was he, he wondered? What was that pain-in-the-ass beeping? His eyes opened a bit more. The harder he tried, the more they opened. Gavin was exhausted but knew he had to figure out where he was. He looked around the room, and his eyes slowly began to focus. There were machines next to his bed. He moved to lift his arm, but pain shot through him. His arm was in a cast all the way to his shoulder. He lifted the blanket to see his entire upper body wrapped in something. His other hand lifted to his forehead. It was wrapped as well. Gavin tried as hard as he could to remember anything, but he didn't have a clue. The last thing he remembered was an ear-piercing boom. He remembered being thrown from the vehicle. Jack, he thought. Where the fuck was Jack?
“It's nice to see you're finally awake,” a voice said from the door.
“Where,” he tried to speak.
The woman hurried to grab a cup of water and brought a straw to his mouth.
“Drink slow,” she said. “You're in the hospital.”
“Why?” he asked.
“You were in an accident,” she said. “Your vehicle...”
Saved by Love (Bachelor Billionaire Kids #1) Page 6
