View With Your Heart: a small town romance (Heart Collection Book 5)

by L. B. Dunbar

  I shake my head, looking around Joe’s office until my eyes catch on a framed picture of a boy about middle school-aged in a baseball uniform. His son looks roughly Gee’s age, and he’s smiling like a goon in the standard baseball photo pose of kneeling on one knee, wearing a glove and holding a ball.

  “They’re going to Cooperstown for a week,” I say for no reason.

  Joe shifts to follow the direction of my stare. “Ah. I’ve been. My son’s team went last year when he was twelve. One of the best experiences.”

  If I don’t move, I’ll miss them all. I don’t want just the highlighted version of fatherhood. I want day in and day out, and that means the good and the bad.

  “He made the All-Star team.” Pride fills Joe’s voice before he turns back to me. “Rule number one of fatherhood. Don’t let the kid play Dad off Mom.”

  I laugh as I can think of a handful of times Ethan and I did that very thing. Asking Dad, who said no, only to ask Mum, who said yes or vice versa. Britton had even told me Gee wasn’t allowed in that old boat alone, but I had been distracted.

  “Let’s meet with Bigflixs as long as you’re here, but I’d suggest tomorrow you have somewhere else to be for a week.” Joe sits up. “And after that, we finally need to get some business done,” he teases.

  Take 29

  Scene: A Baseball Stadium

  [Britton]

  My heart hammers in my chest. The atmosphere is one of high-energy. Gee had the opening ceremony last night, and we’re all wrapped up in the excitement of the place. It’s been a good distraction after Gavin left us stumped on the dock, and Gee’s heart broke all over again, as did mine. The long drive to Cooperstown in Upstate New York was quiet as we enjoyed the changing scenery. I’d planned to take us to Niagara Falls on the trip back.

  Gee stayed in the barracks with the team and the coaches, so I have the hotel room to myself. It’s nice to get away. It’s the first vacation of sorts I’ve had in nearly half a decade. Patrick and I did take Gee to Florida, but sometimes, I think he was too young to remember going. The room has also given me too much time to think and consider how I overreacted with Gavin. While I was upset he wasn’t paying attention to Gee, as he’d told me he wanted a father-son day with him, I also accept a child can’t be watched every second, especially a mischievous boy on the verge of being a teen.

  I learned that Holden and Gee actually were guilty of paintball fighting in the trees near the library and hit the pristine white siding of the historical landmark. Both boys have plans to make amends when we return from this trip.

  I’m standing on the fence line watching as the boys warm up. It’s the first game for his team although some played last night after the opening.

  “How’s he doing?” A too-familiar male voice speaks behind me, and I stiffen, clutching the fence dividing spectators from the field. A ripple runs down my spine, and my heart moves from hammering to lightning speed. Slowly, I turn around.

  “Gavin.” All the air inside me whooshes out, and I stare at the most beautiful man I’ve ever known. He slowly smiles, and that one dimple pops on the side of his mouth.

  “What did I miss? Did he bat yet?”

  Still disbelieving he’s there in the flesh, I watch him with my mouth hanging open as he slips up to the fence next to me. My eyes can’t pull away from his face.

  “This is his first game,” I say, my voice expressing my shock. Gavin turns to me, nodding once.

  “I got here as soon as I could.” I notice the leather bag over his arm, and he lowers it to rest between his feet.

  “What are you doing here?” It’s a silly question. I’m thrilled he’s here for Gee.

  “Watching my kid play baseball,” he says, turning his head to look out for Gee. I’m still clutching the metal fencing, but he crosses his arms over the top, looking casual and collected while my heart wants to beat out of my chest.

  “I’m so sorry,” I blurt, my voice cracking on the words, and tears fill my eyes. I’m so overwhelmed by his presence. He turns only his head, watching me, before his eyes narrow, pinching with thought. He reaches out to stroke my hair over one ear and rests his hand on my neck.

  “Same. Let’s talk later, though.”

  I nod to agree until I hear Gee. “Dad,” he calls out, and I’m almost torn in two. Gee’s face beams as he rushes to the fence line. Gavin’s still holding the side of my neck, and his hand tightens. He heard it, too.

  “You came,” he blurts as he stands before us, his smile the brightest I’ve seen in years.

  “I’m here, buddy,” Gavin says, and I hear the emotion in his voice as well.

  “Are you staying all week?” Gee asks, the hope in his voice mixes with his fear that this is only temporary. Knowing Gavin came here from California also gives me hope he’s staying a few days.

  “I’ll be here all week,” Gavin assures him. Gee’s smile stretches from ear to ear.

  “Hey, did you hear the joke about seven days?” Gee says, looking up at Gavin, who shakes his head, knowing what’s coming.

  “Let me guess, it was week?” Gavin says, and Gee cracks up.

  “How did you know that one?”

  “Lucky guess,” Gavin says. “Now, go play ball and have fun.”

  Gavin slips his arm around me and tugs me into his side as Gee runs away from us. Without words, he turns and presses a kiss to my forehead.

  “I’m glad I made it,” he mutters to me.

  “So am I.”

  + + +

  That night, the boys head back to the barracks while the families stay elsewhere. We have a few full-family events planned between the games like meals and a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but today, the boys go back to their sleeping arrangements after a long day of heat and ball games. This leaves Gavin and me heading to the hotel.

  “There’s no chance of getting a room within a hundred miles of here, so I’ve made the assumption I could share with you.” He looks up at me sheepishly as I drive us to the place where I’m staying.

  “Of course,” I tell him, nervous while excited. I’ve missed him even though it’s only been a few nights.

  As soon as we enter the room, Gavin says he’d like to take a shower, and I point at the bathroom. I fold down to the bed, listening as the water runs, imagining him naked in there. I’d love to join him, but we need to talk first.

  When he enters the bedroom wearing only a towel, I decide he’s done it on purpose. I’m seated on the bed, propped up by the pillows with my legs stretched forward, and I rub my thighs together to ward off the buzz between them.

  Gavin swipes his hand through his wet hair, shaking out droplets that land on his wet chest and drip down to the loose wrap he has hanging low on his hips.

  “Need a second?” he teases.

  “I need you,” I admit, and he stills, hand still in his hair. “I need you to love me and be here for me.” It’s a lot to admit, and my lips tremble. He could reject me, reject my desires, but I want him to know the truth. No holding back. No more secrets.

  “What are you saying?” he asks, his voice equally shaking as his hand lowers.

  “I love you. I always have. It’s never gone away or disappeared, just been in my heart, waiting, hoping I’d see you again someday, and you wouldn’t hate me when you learned about Gee.”

  Gavin rushes to the end of the bed, lowering to sit on it.

  “I don’t hate you.” He sighs, looking up at me. “I love you, too, Brit, and the other day . . . it nearly killed me. I don’t want to live without you or Gee. You’ve given me the greatest gift, and I don’t want to miss another day without him or you. I want us all together.”

  He reaches out for my hair, brushing it over my ear and holding his hand on the side of my neck.

  “I’m sorry I left the other day, but I’m not running away. I talked to Joe, and I’m set to stay in Michigan. I’ll need to commute at times and work out travel for the filming next spring, but I have time, and Joe agrees it’s
all workable. I want to be wherever you and Gee are.” His thumb strokes at my neck as he speaks.

  “I’m sorry, too. I’m not trying to keep you out. I’m just protecting myself and Gee. When you walked away that other day, I really thought that was it. We’d never see you again, and my heart . . . God, my heart felt like it had drowned in that lake with that stupid boat.” I chuckle, but tears choke my throat. “But most of all, Gavin, I need you to forgive me for not telling you sooner.”

  “I do forgive you,” he says in a rush. “It’s hard to accept all the time lost, but I don’t want to waste more time wallowing in what I didn’t have. I only want to focus on what’s to come. I want us.”

  “I want us, too.” Tears fall in more earnest as us is the only thing I’ve wanted for so long.

  “You’re the dancer, Candy. Take the leap and know I’m here to catch you.”

  I giggle at his analogy and nod. I’m not certain who moves first, but we meet in the middle, mouths crashing together. He kisses me like all the times he did in the past, and I look forward to every time in the future. Quickly, we tumble down to the bed.

  “We’re alone in a hotel room again,” he teases me, working at removing my shirt.

  “We need to be careful this time,” I flirt before sitting up and slipping my shirt over my head. I need a shower myself, but I’ll take one later.

  “We’ve already gone more than a week without protection,” he reminds me, reaching behind me to undo my bra.

  “Oh, you noticed.” He hasn’t mentioned it, but neither have I.

  “I used the last condom in my wallet on this girl about two weeks ago.” He reaches for the button on my shorts and undoes it.

  I laugh. “Lucky girl.”

  He shakes his head, shifting to tug my shorts and underwear down my legs. Staring down at my naked body, he says, “Nope. I’m a damn lucky man. You’re so fucking beautiful, Candy.”

  As he moves lower on my body, spreading my thighs, I know what comes next, but I still have something to say.

  “I’m not on the pill. Aren’t you worried I’ll get pregnant?” It’s something I should have told him long ago.

  He looks up at me while his fingers lazily slip through slick folds, more than ready and eager for his attention.

  “Is it wrong that I want it to happen? I want the full experience this time, Brit. You with my baby in your belly and then the birth. The baby times. All of it.”

  “You don’t think I’m too old.” I’m thirty-six.

  “We’re young, Brit, and we’re just getting started.” His mouth lowers between my thighs, and the discussion is done as he consumes me until I see stars.

  Tugging his towel free of his waist, he moves up my body and hovers over me. The tip of him drags through the wet mess he made of me, and he looks down at his thickness, ready to enter me.

  “I love you,” he tells me as he used to say every time before we did this as teens.

  “I love you, too.” He slides into me, taking his time to fill me and lowering the rest of his body to cover mine.

  “Jess Carter once told me home wasn’t a place but a person or two.” This doesn’t seem like the time to discuss Jess, but I like the rest of what he’s said. Gavin swipes back my hair, brushing it behind my ear, and watches his fingers coast along my neck.

  “You’re my person. My home. You and Gee, and I don’t ever want to live anywhere else.”

  Happy tears fill my eyes as his gaze meets mine.

  “Then welcome home, Gavin,” I whisper before my breath catches. He moves slowly, dragging back before rushing forward.

  “It’s so good to be home,” he teases, but he isn’t joking. Happiness fills us as we’re finally back together and with each other, where we were always meant to be.

  Epilogue

  Scene: The Theater

  Seven months later

  [Gavin]

  “I now pronounce you, man and wife,” the minister announces, and before he can tell me I can kiss the bride, I’m doing it. Dipping Britton back, I give her a kiss straight out of those romantic movies she likes, letting everyone know this woman is finally mine.

  Twenty years ago, I met a girl and fell in love with her.

  Thirteen years ago, I spent the weekend having sex with her.

  And seven months after seeing her again, I finally got to marry her.

  Our friends and family erupt into cheers, and Britton and I finally stand upright, looking out at the gathering in the old movie theater of Elk Lake City. We decided to marry where it all started. Ceiling tins are missing, and entire sections of seats are gone, but the place has character and holds our history. It’s the perfect location for this production—our wedding.

  Britton and I race up the aisle, laughing before we get to the small lobby. We served mini bags of popcorn and packets of red licorice to our guests during the ceremony. Someone chucks popcorn at us, and I have a strong suspicion it was Ethan. He can still be such a child, but as my best man, I told him there’s no one else I’d want standing next to me, and I promise to do better to be there for him.

  The reception will be under a tent in Uncle Leo’s yard—now our yard.

  I paid off that costly tax bill, giving Sterling Realty even less fuel to badger Britton about selling. In addition, we’ll be breaking ground in a month on a newer house, building up and around the old one in order to keep the memory of Leo and Gertie but provide us space for a one-day growing family.

  We take several pictures in and outside the theater, where I’m reminded of Jess and Emily’s wedding and the million poses taken that day. Dad requests a photograph of Karyn, Ethan, and me, refusing to enter the picture himself.

  “I don’t want the reminder she didn’t see this day,” he softly says of Mum’s absence in a family photo after Karyn teases him about not being in the picture. Her hand comes to his back, and she tenderly rubs up his tuxedo jacket.

  “She’s here, Daddy. You know she’ll always be here.” Her eyes lift to meet mine, and I choke back the tears as I nod to agree with my sister. She offers me a soft smile. The bridge with Karyn will never be stable because she’s my bossy older sister, and I’m one of her little brothers, but we’re family.

  Eventually, we’re free of photographs, and a driver is ready to bring us home for the party.

  Home.

  Mum once said she ended up where she always knew she’d be. She followed her heart, and it led her on the path of life she lived. It led her here to this small town where she lived with the love of her life and raised a family. I was following in her footsteps, taking the adventure offered through that open door she once alluded to—an adventure in fatherhood and marriage.

  Home is where the heart lives. We had it on a sign hanging in our family living room as kids, and I once asked Mum to explain it to me. She said home isn’t necessarily a place. Home is love inside your heart for others and the love they give you in return. Home is family.

  In the back seat of the car, I reach for Britton’s hand, tugging it up to my lips and kissing her knuckles. My eyes slowly glance up to my beautiful bride, who’s smiling wide while her eyes hesitate.

  “What is it?”

  “I need to tell you something.”

  I lower our locked hands, holding hers tighter as I do.

  “I love you,” she says, and I’m filled with relief.

  “I love you, too,” I say, leaning in for another kiss. She kisses me back like she always does, eager and hungry, and I can’t wait for tonight. We’ll be heading off for a local resort, enjoying the bridal suite for an evening before a trip to Hawaii. Grandpa Jack is in charge of Gee, and the two of them are almost as excited as we are about our honeymoon.

  “That isn’t exactly what I wanted to tell you, though,” she says, swallowing as she pulls back from the kiss.

  “You know you can tell me anything.” No more secrets, we promised. After that week in Cooperstown, where we bonded as a couple, we took the extra time to drive h
ome in Britton’s car, soaking up our first experience as a family. Gee had a lot of questions on and off throughout our drive, but when he asked again if Britton and I would marry one day, I confidently told him we would.

  “Lesson number two with women. You’ve got to do it right when the time is right.”

  I proposed to Britton in a new rowboat, one with a proper motor and no leaks. We almost tipped it ourselves when she leaped for me in excitement after I asked her to marry me. This time we didn’t make love in the boat as it was cooler and brighter. I tried to plan it for sunset.

  “I’m pregnant,” she says, and I stare at her mouth, uncertain I’ve heard her correctly. Swiping a hand through my hair, I look away from her a second before glancing back at her.

  “You’re not playing with me, are you?” My heart hammers hard, so full of hope. We’ve done nothing to protect ourselves since I moved home, and each month I’m not certain who’s been more disappointed. We discussed her age and how it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t happen because we both had Gee now, but I still wanted the full adventure.

  “I’m not playing.” She smiles wider. “I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, which was only a day or two ago, but then I decided this is the only thing I could really give you for our wedding. You’ve given me so much. Gee. The property. The new house. I wanted to give you something special. So here it is. Well, about seven and a half months from now.”

  I chuckle, anxious, excited, nervous, thrilled. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  “I wanted to be certain. Please tell me you’re happy.”

  “You know I am.” I lean forward and kiss her, pressing her back, wanting to celebrate in proper fashion, even if this is a back seat of a rented car. We fooled around plenty of times in my dad’s old truck, but we’ve also learned that we aren’t as flexible as we used to be by attempting it in my new one.

  “Tonight,” I say when I pull back.

  “Forever,” she says, looking up at me, and I like the sound of that even better.