Return to Us

by Corinne Michaels

  “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. Honestly, I didn’t realize it until we started talking.”

  “Dr. Warvel does that. She makes you say things even when you don’t know you need to.”

  She grins at us. “I try, but you two just did my job for me. Your relationship has a wonderful foundation. You know each other in a way that many couples only dream of. Your love hasn’t faded through the years, almost as if you’ve been waiting to return to each other all along. Now, you’re here and your house has the framing and the walls. Trust in that. It didn’t burn down, it’s not on fire, it just needs you to trust each other and keep building.”

  Chapter 35

  Grayson

  “I’m selling my part of the company,” I tell Stella.

  “Umm, you’re what?”

  Jessica squeezes my hand in support. The last two weeks have been busy. Since the dinner with my parents, I haven’t returned to the Park Inn. One reason is that I needed to take care of Jessica, but the other is that I’d like to set it on fire, and arson isn’t really my thing.

  Since the meeting with Dr. Warvel, Jess and I have focused on us. We talk about everything, and one thing we both agree on is that working for my father isn’t possible for me anymore.

  I’m going to give up my role as well as any holdings in the family company because it’s time to start doing what I’ve dreamed of—fixing up Melia Lake.

  “A few years ago, I purchased a plot of land. It has an old hotel—or, what might have been one, on it, and it sits on a lake. It’s the perfect place to open my own inn.”

  Stella leans back in her chair, staring at me. “Years?”

  “When Amelia was born.”

  “Wow. So, you mean to tell me that for almost the last five years we could’ve walked away from our shitbag parents and been making money for ourselves?”

  “Stella, you’re not leaving.”

  “The hell I’m not. If you’re going, I am too.”

  “It’s going to take me years to get it up and running, and I need to get investors. Jessica and I are already going to New York City next week to attend a premiere with Jacob Arrowood. While I’m there, I’m going to ask him if he’d be interested.”

  She gets up and grabs her phone. Before I know it, my phone is ringing with a video chat from her.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Answer the call, Gray.” Then I see my brothers one by one get on the call. Stella looks over at Jess and adds her in. “You too, Jessica.”

  She swipes the call open, looking at me with confusion. I shrug because, with Stella, one never knows.

  “Well, this is one hell of a good-looking crew,” Oliver says with a grin.

  Alex laughs. “Most of us, anyway. Grayson is a little dicey.”

  Josh chimes in. “At least he doesn’t look prepubescent like you, Alex.”

  That earns him the middle finger.

  “Hi, Jessica.” Alex’s voice is a little too sweet for my liking.

  “Hello, Parkersons.”

  I move over closer to Jess, throwing my arm around her. “God, I forgot how possessive Grayson gets over her,” Ollie notes.

  “Right, as though she ever looked at us like we were datable.” Alex shakes his head.

  My brothers keep going, poking fun at us, and I really don’t care. She’s here, next to me, and we can have this conversation. I’ll take all their bullshit and then some.

  “All right, assholes.” Stella clears her throat. “I’m calling because we need our own sibling meeting, and since Jessica and Grayson are a foregone conclusion, then she’s family as well. We need to talk about something.”

  “Stella,” I warn.

  She continues. “We all know our father is the biggest piece of shit. We all hate him. We all want nothing to do with him, but we’ve all felt like we had no choice. Grayson is leaving. He’s giving up his shares, and he already owns a piece of land.”

  Josh just looks into the camera, echoing the stunned silence coming from all my siblings.

  Alex speaks up first. “You own land?”

  “I own about two hundred acres with a lake on it.”

  “You own a fucking lake?” Josh asks.

  “I do, I bought it when I had Amelia.”

  Oliver laughs once. “That’s one hell of a birthday gift. How come I only get an empty card?”

  “Because you’re the spoiled brat,” Stella says. “Focus. This is about Grayson opening his own inn—without us.”

  “Guys,” I break in, “this isn’t what I planned, but I can’t be around him. I’m done, and I don’t want his money or anything to do with him.”

  “Grayson, none of us want that,” Josh speaks before anyone else.

  “No, but if you’re opening your own inn, why the fuck wouldn’t you take us with you?” Alex asks. “Also, fuck not taking his money. He’s got enough of it. We can all sell our shares.”

  Jessica looks to me, and I don’t know what to think. They want to do this too. They want to leave my father’s company and start over with me?

  “Wait. You all want to leave your very comfortable lives and jobs making good money to come open an inn that we have no idea will do well?”

  In unison they all speak. “Yup.”

  I turn back to Jess, who is smiling. “You could all be partners.”

  “And they’d all be here,” I say.

  “If we needed funding or another investor, I know Jacob would come on.”

  As great as it would be to get the money from outside, it would be awesome having my brothers all back here. We loved running the Park Inn before my father started branching off.

  I turn back to the screen. “You know that this isn’t going to be easy. We will be competing against a very well-known establishment.”

  Joshua’s smile is wide, and he looks almost giddy. “Yeah, and how sweet will it be when it closes and his kids are who brought him down.”

  “Exactly,” Alex says. “Plus, I’ve missed home.”

  Oliver nods. “I have money saved, this is a much better investment than a boat.”

  I laugh. “Stella?”

  “I have been hoarding money since I was eighteen. There’s nothing I’d love more than to own an inn with my brothers. Plus, our shares have value, Gray. A lot of value.”

  Well, it looks like I’m going into business with my siblings.

  Jessica and I watch Amelia run along the lake. “Do you think I can have a house here?” she asks.

  “No, Monkey, we’re going to fix up that house and have our own inn.”

  “On Melia Lake?”

  “Yup.”

  “Can we call it Amelia Inn?”

  I laugh. “We’ll put it on the list.”

  The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. We told Amelia that we were together, and she started crying because she was so happy and wanted Jessica to be her new mom. Since that went well and Jess was already there every night, I asked her to just stay with me.

  “You okay?” Jess asks as we walk holding hands.

  “Yeah, just . . . I don’t know. If you had told me six months ago that this would be our life, I would’ve laughed.”

  “I know that feeling.”

  “It’s just too good to be true.”

  Jess rests her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know about that. Maybe it’s just how it should’ve been and happiness is what we are meant to have.”

  “How very Dr. Warvel of you.”

  Jessica’s musical laughter echoes in the trees. “I’ll be sure to tell her you think she’s rubbing off on me. Tell me, how was your talk with Jack?”

  “I think it went well. We discussed your idea, and it seemed like he was intrigued.”

  She perks up at that. “You think he’ll run his company from here?”

  Jessica had a great suggestion that would help us to set ourselves apart from your typical inn surrounded by woods. She talked about how the pilots and flight attendants went on a company r
etreat every year and thought this would be a perfect location for them. Jack would be able to expand his business by offering a bonding experience to the groups who book with us and hopefully that would lead to them wanting to return.

  “He didn’t say no.”

  “I think what’s going to set us apart is being able to offer many options here. If we aren’t just one thing, it’ll help us in the beginning.”

  I smile at the one word she used. “Us.”

  Her gaze meets mine. “What?”

  “You said us.”

  “You’ve implied . . .”

  We stop at the edge of the water, and I wrap my arms around her from behind, my hand resting on her stomach. “It’s always us, love. It’ll always be us.”

  In the last few months, my entire life has been upended. I found Jess again. I’m going to be a father again. I’m opening my own business and building on a piece of land I never thought I’d develop. All of it feels like it’s because she came back to me.

  One gift that has multiplied and become more than I could’ve hoped for.

  I kiss the crook of her neck, and she sighs. “As much as I love the house, I love this place too.”

  “I do too. I feel like it needs a good name.”

  “Any ideas?”

  She tilts her head back. “I don’t know. I keep thinking about us and how to combine it all together. Plus, your family since you’re all owners too.”

  “So, what are your words for us?”

  Jessica laughs softly. “Fire. Plane. Fly. Crash. View. Mountain. Return.”

  “Well, I don’t know that crash is a good word for a resort.”

  “Agree.”

  “But, what about Firefly?”

  Her head rests on my shoulder. “Like what we used to catch as kids?”

  “Well, and you were in a fire and you fly.”

  “This isn’t my place. It’s yours.”

  I want to argue with her, but it’s much better to just let it drop for now. “Keep thinking, love. We have time, but we do need to think of another name.”

  Her hand moves to mine over where the baby is safely growing. “We have time for that too.”

  “We have months at least.”

  Amelia comes running over, and Jess steps forward to look at the small bunny she’s carrying in her hand. “Do you think I can keep it?” Amelia asks.

  I scoop her up in my arms. “We have a monkey already, we don’t need anything else.”

  She pouts her lower lip. “I want a rabbit.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Jessica moves closer, her eyes dance with mischief. “I thought you said something about a dog?”

  I glare at her. “I love you, but don’t encourage her.”

  Melia’s eyes brighten. “I love dogs.”

  “I know, and I said when you turned five, we’d talk about it.”

  “I’m almost five.”

  “Yes, I know, but I was thinking we could talk about getting something else.” I try to divert her attention to what I came out here for. “Do you remember what we talked about?” I ask Melia.

  Her eyes widen, and she nods.

  “What are you two up to?” Jess asks, looking at Melia since she’s definitely the one likely to spill it.

  “Nothing,” she says with a coy smile.

  “Hmm, I don’t believe you.”

  Amelia covers her mouth and giggles. “I can’t tell!”

  Jess’s eyes widen. “So, there is a secret?”

  She nods.

  Jessica creeps closer, keeping her voice low. “What if I promise not to tell your daddy?”

  I give Amelia a grin and shake my head. “Don’t do it.”

  “Daddy! You tell her.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell her our big secret.” I sigh dramatically, putting Amelia back down on the ground and dropping to my knee. Amelia kneels next to me.

  I reach back, grabbing the ring from my jacket pocket.

  “Oh my God.” Jessica gasps as I lift it.

  “I guess it’s not a secret so much as a question. A long time ago, I met a girl, and she stole my heart. I thought I’d learned to live without it, but then she brought it back, and I realized how much I needed it—but mostly I needed her.”

  Amelia whispers, “He means you.”

  Jessica laughs and wipes her tears as she whispers back, “Thanks.”

  “When I thought I lost you, well, I didn’t know that I could ever feel pain on that level. You are my heart and soul—our heart and soul. Amelia and I decided that we want to keep you, and we’re hoping that you want to keep us too. I have loved you for over half my life, and I’d like to spend the rest of it loving you still. I will do anything to make you happy, Jessica. We just have one question for you.”

  I look at my daughter, who is smiling brightly. “Will you marry us?”

  Jess drops to her knees, pulling Amelia and me into her arms. She’s crying so hard she can only say one thing over and over. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  Chapter 36

  Jessica

  “Jacob!” I yell and rush toward him. I can’t believe it’s been four months since the crash, and here we are, in New York City, for dinner before the big premiere tomorrow.

  “You look beautiful,” he says, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself.”

  He laughs. “I’m nervous about this damn premiere, that’s what I am.”

  “Well, you can’t tell.”

  “This is Brenna,” Jacob says as a gorgeous redhead steps forward.

  “I feel like we’re old friends,” she says with a laugh as she pulls me in for a hug.

  “Me too.”

  Grayson and Jacob shake hands, and then Brenna and Grayson do as well. We came in a day early to spend some time with Jacob and Brenna and to talk to him about a business opportunity that he demanded we discuss.

  “Your ring is beautiful,” Brenna notes.

  “Ring?” Jacob says, grabbing my hand. “You didn’t say anything.”

  “He just asked two days ago.”

  “Congrats, you guys. This is great news.” He raises his hand for the waiter. “Your best champagne.”

  We’re in the back room of a restaurant that allows us privacy to talk and catch up. Jacob tells us about the kids and how it’s been being back in his hometown. I laugh and explain my own experience.

  “So, is this a thing?” Brenna asks. “People in small towns all leave and then come back to fix their lives?”

  Jacob laughs. “I guess so.”

  “I’ve been telling patients the wrong therapy all this time.”

  Grayson drapes his arm around me, his fingers just grazing the skin on my shoulder. “I’m not sure that instructing patients to get in a plane crash is the best therapy either.”

  “No,” Brenna agrees. “Definitely not. Although, it did seem to knock both of these two in the right direction.”

  Jacob leans toward her, his voice low. “I was always coming back to you.”

  There is so much love in this room it could choke someone. Jacob and I had a lot of regrets when the plane was going down. I remember him begging for me to tell Brenna how he felt if he didn’t make it.

  It was a terrifying time that really forced me to see my life through a different lens.

  Now, I’m here with Grayson and can’t help but be grateful for it all. Had things gone differently, I wouldn’t be engaged and pregnant.

  Brenna smiles warmly at me. “How is the pregnancy going?”

  “Okay. We have another ultrasound, and if that one goes well, we’ll feel much better.”

  “Because of the fire?”

  “Yeah,” I say, feeling the nerves again. “The baby’s growth rate is what we’re watching now. So far, the tests they’ve been able to run have come back in our favor, but . . .” Grayson’s eyes study me. The blue-green warmth infuses me with strength. “We’ll know more next week, so we’re just staying cautiously opt
imistic.”

  “No matter what, though, we’ll be okay,” Grayson reassures me.

  “We will.”

  “You both are really handling this well,” Brenna notes.

  Jacob laughs. “Please don’t do your shrink thing with them.”

  “I’m not. I’m just saying the truth. You’ve all been through a lot, and I’m just glad everyone is handling it well. That’s just an observation, not therapy.”

  He takes her hand, kissing her palm. “Sure, dear.”

  “You’re trouble.”

  “But I’m your trouble.”

  Her lips part, and she groans. “God help me.”

  The food and champagne, which is my favorite vintage, are brought out. Since I can’t drink any, I sip my apple juice in a flute and pretend.

  We eat and talk about the movie and Jacob’s plans for living in California and Pennsylvania. Then the conversation circles to what we wanted to discuss with him.

  Grayson does all the talking since it is business and not about the friendship I have with Jacob. “Basically, my siblings and I want to destroy my father.”

  “Well, now I’m interested.”

  Grayson launches into the story, leaving some information out but explaining enough on why this is important to him. I listen, seeing him in a way I haven’t gotten to before.

  This is a man who commands the room, and even though I know all the details, I’m hanging on every word.

  This is freaking hot.

  “So, are you asking for capital to buy out a company you want to basically fold?” Jacob asks.

  “No, and yes. I want to force him out, not necessarily have the company collapse. He gifted us our shares, which we’re going to make him buy back or we will sell them. We’re proposing that you be the buyer. The shares have value, and we could sell them to anyone interested, but we’d like to control who the buyer is if we can. Either way, we have all decided to sell if he decides not to buy us out.”

  Jacob leans back in his chair. “Let me talk to my brothers. Oliver and Devney have some history, and I don’t want to make things awkward.”

  Grayson accepts with a nod. “Oliver does know this is part of my plan. He wasn’t happy, but he understands the need to have a backup.”