by Stella
A month ago, that thought would have terrified me. Today, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it other than safe. Even when the saleswoman in the store trailed him, offering suggestions—on maternity clothing—he left no question about who he was with or who he would go home with. I was saddened by the blatant disregard women gave celebrities or the people next to them.
At the clothing store, the salesperson asked me to take a picture of her with her arm around Gage. At lunch, fans came up to the table, male and female, and created a screen around him so dense, I couldn’t see his face from the seat opposite him. At the bank, a guy nearly pushed me over to get his autograph—that didn’t go over well, although I managed to keep Gage from hurting the man. And when we went to the grocery store, there were paparazzi following us down the aisles. Gage took it all in stride; I found it exhausting.
With shopping bags full of maternity clothes and groceries, Gage drove us back to the house. I kept catching him rubbing the leather seats or touching the dashboard like it was delicate. He definitely had a full-blown love affair going on with Mac.
“So are we going car shopping tomorrow?” The hopeful grin lifting his cheeks would have made me say yes to just about anything.
I hopped out when we pulled into the garage and went to the trunk to grab a load. Gage smacked my hand like he was scolding a child, practically forbidding me to lift a thing.
“What do you think I do when you’re not here?” I giggled at the fragile way he handled me.
“Nothing. That’s why the fridge was empty when I got home.”
“Hey, I do stuff.”
“Just nothing that requires leaving the house or shopping?”
“I worked on Granny’s—” I stopped myself, hoping he hadn’t heard me and that he didn’t ask for an update on where I was with the will.
He set my clothes down on the floor and lifted the groceries onto the counter. “How are things going with that?”
“With what?” I snatched the bags off the ground and tried to make a break for the stairs to avoid the inevitable.
“The will.”
“Who’s Will?” I’d almost made it to the steps when his arms came out of nowhere to lock around my waist—well, what was left of it. So I guess now was the time we were going to have this conversation.
“Granny’s.” He took the bags from my hands and set them at the base of the stairs and then turned me back toward the kitchen. Each step we took felt like another foot closer to the Green Mile. Pregnancy had made me a bit of a drama queen—at least in my thoughts. “You can tell me about it while we put the groceries away.”
I started digging through the plastic sacks when he opened the pantry.
“Has Corinne been here?”
“How do you know that?”
“The candy and the Nutella go next to each other on the top shelf where a three-year-old can’t reach them. You don’t eat candy. I wasn’t here. Did you two have a playdate without me?”
“No. You sent them over here looking for me, remember?”
“Right. When you wouldn’t answer your phone, and I was afraid an ax murderer might have gotten ahold of you.”
“That’s extreme.”
“So is avoiding my calls when you told me how much it hurt you when I did it.”
There was that. “I wasn’t avoiding your calls. I’m pregnant, Gage. I could close my eyes right now and fall asleep or pee—both are always viable options.”
“I hope you don’t do both at the same time. That could get messy.”
“Pretty safe bet, I won’t.”
“Will.” Jesus, nothing could keep him distracted today.
Maybe a random boob shot would send his thoughts in another direction. Just as I was about to lift my shirt, he turned to face me.
“Why are you avoiding the subject? Did you not work on it? I’m not going to be mad if you didn’t.”
My breasts heaved when I inhaled, and they caught my attention. I was going to miss them when they disappeared again. “No. I did.”
“Okay, so why don’t you want to talk about it?” He stopped what he was doing and leaned against the counter with his ankles crossed and his hands propping him up against the granite.
“I just wanted to find the right time.”
“I’m free.”
Of course. “Did you file Granny’s taxes for last year?”
“No. Cort did. Or maybe Bill. I don’t know. One of the two took care of it.”
That was good to know. It was something I could mark off my to-do list. “I really think you might want to read it for yourself.”
“Better yet, why don’t you give me the CliffsNotes version?” His brow lifted suggestively.
“Well, okay. It all seemed pretty standard. And a lot of it no longer applied, like whether or not she wanted to be kept on life support and where she wanted to be buried. There was a list of all her assets and a handful of debts—which I called and got payoffs for and mailed checks while you were gone.”
“Is there anything left to do?”
“I haven’t done anything with the division of assets.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy for me. Not only would I have to spell out every painful word, I’d likely have to draw him a picture…right after I tore his heart out.
“Did you know Granny didn’t leave everything to you?” I tried to ease into this to feel him out. And then busied myself with the groceries, so I didn’t have to face him. My tone was light…and fake.
“Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. She turned the deed over before she passed away. I don’t have a clue what else she had. I was always gone, so she worked with Cort on her will. The only thing I knew for certain was that she took my mom out.”
My attempts to avoid making eye contact were fruitless when he uncrossed his ankles, wrapped his fingers around my wrist, and pulled me between his legs.
“Stop fidgeting. What’s wrong with you?”
“Gage…” My voice cracked just saying his name. “I-she-I promise you, I didn’t know what she’d done.”
He chuckled. “Did she leave it all to one of those television evangelists? Or buy an ostrich farm? Or do I now have a star in my name and a map of the galaxy?” At least he thought those were all humorous options. “Please say I have a star—oh, what if it’s the sun?”
Slowly, I moved my head from side to side. “No. She left it all to me.”
His mouth turned down, and he let out a humph. “I mean, it’s not a solar system in my name, but okay.” Once again, his hands settled on my hips, keeping me rooted in front of him. “Does that bother you? Not the universe thing—I’m sure that’s upsetting to everyone—but that she gave it all to you?”
“Yes, it bothers me,” I practically shrieked just inches from his face.
“Why?”
“Why doesn’t it bother you? She was your grandmother. You were her only living relative.”
“And she loved you as much as she did me. I don’t understand why you’d think I would care.”
I must not be explaining something right. “Because it’s a lot of freaking money.”
“That I would do what with?”
“I don’t know…put it in the bank?”
A laugh erupted from deep within his belly—the way Corinne’s did—and came rolling out of his mouth. “Baby, I don’t need Granny’s money. She knew that. And I guess in an ironic twist of fate…the money did end up going to a son with my name. I’m glad she left it to you.”
“Seriously?” I was dumbfounded. “You don’t even care how much it is?”
“Not really. Now you have zero excuses not to buy the car you actually want.” He popped a kiss on my lips that hung open in dismay. “There will be no Camry.” He moved me aside and pushed off the counter. Leaning down, he kissed my belly and spoke to our son in a singsong voice that typically made me swoon. “Mommy thinks she’s slick, little man, but Daddy’s always got the upper hand.”
“I’m not spending a lot of mon
ey on a car, Gage. It’s wasteful.”
He collapsed on the couch and turned on Sports Center. “You can either go pick out the SUV you want, or I will just keep buying them until I figure out which one you love. So, we can either have Stevie, Mac, and the SUV of your choosing, or a parking lot full of Axel Rose and the rest of Poison in the front yard. I’ll leave that up to you.”
I grabbed a pillow off the sofa and swatted him. “You’re impossible.”
“You love me.”
I was about to pop off with a smartass remark when he pointed at the screen.
“Look. We’re already on the evening news.” He grabbed the remote to turn up the volume.
My mind tuned out what the newscaster said as I took in the candid shots that flashed on the television. I’d never seen Gage look at me the way he was in each picture they displayed. And I had to admit, if people didn’t know us, we appeared like any other couple in love. Gage was sexy as hell carrying my bags, and he was right—I definitely needed the big sunglasses to pull off the sweatpants and designer purse. Yikes. But on his arm, I looked like a rock star.
The next morning, in clothes that fit—and didn’t make me look like I lived under a bridge—I held Gage’s hand when we walked into the bank to sign all the paperwork to close Granny’s accounts and transfer the money to mine. It was bittersweet and felt like a final goodbye I wasn’t ready to say. Yet when tears appeared in my eyes, he wiped them away and kissed my cheek.
“She wanted to do this for you, Katie. Don’t let it make you sad.”
Afraid I’d lose control of my emotions if I responded, I simply nodded and signed the last form. There were still tons of stocks and bonds to transfer, but there was enough money in my account to pay cash for a house. Oddly enough, had I known about this when she first passed away, Gage and I wouldn’t be sitting here today. The first thing I would have done was buy a home to keep from inconveniencing him, and now, I only hoped he’d let me stay.
The banker got up to make copies of everything we’d signed, and I leaned over in the chair to rest my cheek on Gage’s shoulder. “You’re not going to make me buy my own house, are you?”
He didn’t even flinch. “I don’t want you to buy your own car, but I know you won’t give in on that. If you try to move out, I’ll just follow you wherever you go.”
Overly emotional and on the verge of tears again, I whispered, “I don’t want to leave.” I waited for a snarky, Gage comment or a pompous retort about having won me over. I got neither.
Gage pressed my cheek to his arm in a half-hug and kissed the top of my head. “I don’t want you to, either.”
The guy returned with a folder full of paper that Gage took. After shaking the man’s hand, we said goodbye.
“Ready to add another member to the family?” he popped off in the parking lot when he opened my door.
“Gage, I’m not due for another fifteen weeks.”
He came around the front of the vehicle and hopped in. “Not him. A car.”
“You have issues.” I laughed as he pulled out.
“So, who’s getting your money?”
I’d never made such an extravagant purchase. Between paying my student loans off, living expenses, taking care of Mom, and trying to keep my old car running, I never had the money to even consider something new, much less nice. Any money I had remaining from the bonuses I used to get from Gage went straight into savings—thank God for that, or I wouldn’t have lasted this last year without it.
“Infiniti,” I finally acquiesced.
“Please tell me you’re talking about a QX80 and not some pantser-weenie car.”
“Yeah, the monograph.”
His brow quirked with surprise. “Color?”
“Why do guys always assume the color of a vehicle is so important to a woman?”
“Is it the number of cup holders?”
I offered him a blank stare.
“So it is the color.”
Again, I just blinked, leaving my face void of emotion.
“You need to tell me what you want so I can feed the vultures.”
“Shouldn’t you be fighting them off?”
“How do you plan to buy a car if I run off the sales guy?”
“Smokey quartz with graphite interior.”
“Anything else?”
“Fully loaded. Four-wheel drive.”
“We live in Alabama?”
“I might want to go off-road.” I shrugged.
“In an eighty-thousand-dollar car? Why not just take Stevie?”
“Eighty-four thousand. And she has no doors.”
“She’s made for muddin’.”
“So is a QX80.”
“No, Katiebug. It’s a luxury SUV.”
“Right. Sport Utility Vehicle.”
“I don’t know why we’re having this discussion. You’re not going four-wheeling.”
“Oh? Would you forbid it?” I loved messing with him. I wouldn’t have a clue where to go much less how to drive in that crap, but ruffling Gage’s feathers gave me joy in life.
“Absolutely.”
“You going to hire guards to prevent it while you’re traveling?” I snickered, watching his face flame with agitation.
“I swear. I will turn around and go back home. You can drive Mac.”
“In the mud?”
“No!”
There was a knock on the window. Sometime during that exchange, Gage had pulled into the Infiniti dealership, and a salesman anxiously waited to help us. The instant Gage stared the man in the eyes, I thought the guy would have a coronary. Clearly, he was a fan of the King.
An hour later, and God knows how many autographs, the dealership had ordered the car I wanted. It never ceased to amaze me what Gage could get done with just his name. They didn’t run his credit—not that he was the one buying the vehicle—or ask for a down payment. And had he been able to wait, they had someone at another dealership in Birmingham willing to drive the car to Tuscaloosa today. Unfortunately, Gage had a game this afternoon, and there were “ground rules” I had to agree to before I took possession. Gage’s rules—not the dealership’s. I nodded and smiled like I was listening. It was kind of cute that he cared enough to be such a baby.
Chapter Thirteen
Gage
I finally had two straight weeks at home, and providing Katie’s stupid doctor didn’t cancel at the last minute again, I would actually get to make it to an appointment. In the middle of my home-game stretch, I had four days off. This was the most downtime I’d had since the season started, and I had to admit…it was nice that it took place after Katie and I had managed to get our shit together.
“I’m rethinking letting you buy that car.” I sat at the kitchen table with my arms folded over my chest, watching her sneak back inside with that gleam in her eye like she’d just met up with the best lay she’d ever had. And considering I was here, I knew that wasn’t the case.
She was in her car, the same place I’d found her on more than one occasion. In fact, almost every time I called while I was on the road, she’d be behind the wheel when she answered. At first, I just thought she’d found a surplus of energy and finally decided to leave the house. Nope. I learned very quickly that she was just in the Infiniti…in the garage.
“Oh, yeah?” She cocked a perfectly arched brow and smirked. “You think you let me buy it? If I remember correctly, you dragged me down to the dealership kicking and screaming and refused to take me home until I purchased something.”
“Funny…because I remember you doing much of the same the night we created our little crescent roll. But that’s neither here nor there. Stop trying to change the subject. It’s one thing to carry on an affair with Richard while I’m gone. It’s just plain disrespectful to do so after I come home.”
She rolled her eyes and stuck her face in the fridge—although, I had no idea what she was looking for unless she was in the mood for a bowl of ketchup with a side of mustard, maybe a little lemon j
uice to wash it down. Seriously, for someone who spent so much time in her car, one would think she’d go to the store from time to time. She didn’t have an excuse anymore. Not only did she have a way to get there, but now she had more than enough money to buy the whole damn mom-and-pop place down the street if she wanted.
“I don’t even know who Richard is. Oh…” She pulled back just enough to see me from around the refrigerator door. “I get it. You think you’re clever, don’t you? Richard Nixon? I wasn’t aware you were so into politics.”
“I’m not. It just gave me a good excuse to call it Dick for short.”
Giving up on the fridge, she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. Honestly, this was the first time I’d seen her drink plain water—all the other times it had been mixed with coffee. “I thought cars were females.”
“Most of the time they are…except that doesn’t work in your case.”
“Why not?”
“Because if another female made you moan and rub yourself against it like a cat in heat, I’d be all over that like a kid in a candy store on Christmas morning. And considering you like your car more than you like me, I think it’s safe to say your new love affair does not excite me—hence, a guy. Which is why Richard is a perfect name. He’s a dick, and you ride him more than me.”
“Aww, poor Gage.” Katie came to the table and sat next to me, attempting to comfort me by placing her hand on my forearm. “Is your ego bruised? Are you not used to sharing your toys?”
“I’m starting to question your sincerity. It almost sounds like you’re mocking me. But you wouldn’t do that…would you, Crunchyroll?”
“Never.” Beneath her honesty, I smelled lies. Lots of lies. Though she didn’t bat an eye. “Regardless, Gage…I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about it. Not only did you practically force me to buy it, you should be happy that I’m getting out of the house.”
“Are you, KitKat? Are you really getting out of the house?”
“Yes. Go check the mileage if you don’t believe me.”
“Then how come whenever I call, you’re always sitting in the garage?”
