by J. P. Comeau
I looked around my tiny apartment and stated the obvious. “I have to by a house, and I need you to help me shop for one…since you are an expert at real estate. There is no room for a nursery in here. I don’t even know where I’d fit a crib. If I didn’t live in such a cramped apartment, I’d stay until after the baby was born, but I need help?”
Gavin brought my hands to his mouth and kissed them. “I know you are all financially secure now that you got your settlement, but why spend it on a house? Why not just move in with me. Crystal because it means that we get to spend even more time together. I’m already planning the nursery in my mind, and when I was at my house earlier, it felt empty without you. It’s much too big of a place for just me, anyway. We’ll move everything you own and get you settled in. Then we will shop for baby furniture and whatever else you want or need.”
I was so relieved to hear Gavin saying all of this to me. He was the man that I loved. I pictured us having romantic dinners in his garden, decorating the nursery together, and even throwing parties with the Truman’s.
At that point, I was smiling from ear to ear. “That makes me feel better, although I am worried about how this pregnancy will play out. I have never felt this sick in my entire life, and it’s just the beginning. I nearly fell over while teaching a class from the dizziness. So that’s why I need to make sure that you and I are a team. It was so embarrassing, too. It’s considered lazy for yoga instructors to not do the poses along with the students, and I saw some of the looks on their faces.”
“People are going to judge you regardless of what you do, Crystal.”
“My mother used to say that to me all of the time.”
Gavin looked right into my eyes, and I instantly knew that we would make a family. I pictured us having several more children and traveling the world together. We’d take them to Moldova and have them try the pies; train with yogis in India, and show them where I used to live in Hawaii. I never thought that he and I would end up together, but we were utterly in love and expecting a baby.
“I’m looking forward to waking up next to you every day, you know.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that comment. “It’s not going to be as sexy as you think, and yes, I know you find me sexy in the mornings. And you can forget all of those fancy dresses and date nights because something tells me that I’m going to look exactly like this most of the time. Messy hair, no makeup, crying for no damn reason, and spending all day watching cheesy movies. Don’t even tell me that I look beautiful right now, either, because I’ll know you’re lying.”
Gavin chuckled again, but this time it didn’t upset me. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my dear. And right now, you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”
It was a cheesy line, but I was willing to take it. “Well, that I can believe. I just don’t want you to be surprised when you see me like this most of the time.”
“Are you kidding me? If you look like this all the time, I’ll be following you around like a puppy.”
He kissed my nose, and all I could do was laugh and wipe away my happy tears.
24
_____
GAVIN
A FEW MONTHS LATER
Jake, Richard, and I were sitting in Mr. Truman’s home office. The two of them said their father wanted to discuss something with all of us. I was holding my breath, hoping he wasn’t going to send me out on another business trip. The past few months of Crystal’s pregnancy had been a bit complicated, and the last thing I should do was leave her alone. Then I did a mental shrug. There was no use worrying until I knew what was going on.
Mr. Truman came in a few minutes later, his coffee mug in hand as usual. “Thanks for coming over, boys. Before I forget, I just made a fresh pot of coffee downstairs if any of you guys want a cup. Now, Gavin, this is the first time you’re hearing about this, but Jake and Richard are trying to talk me into purchasing some more property in Hawaii.”
My mind began racing, and I saw it happening all over again. The company is flying me out to Hawaii to oversee the construction, negotiate prices, and the whole nine yards. Even though Crystal had been working a lot less lately, there was no way that she could fly in her condition. Plus, I hated being away from her for long periods of time. Everything had been going so well between us, too. She had moved into my place and was settling in. For the first time in my life, the mansion felt like an actual home.
If I had to, though, I’d do it for the company. I owed my successful career to the Truman family, and I’m sure that Crystal would have plenty of help now that I had hired a housekeeper and maid.
I kept my poker face on, though. “That’s wonderful, Mr. Truman. I think it’s a good idea to expand the company in Hawaii, especially since the homes are worth significantly more than what they’re currently being sold for. Do you have pictures of the properties?”
He nodded while looking over something on his computer. “I sure do, Gavin.”
He turned his computer around and showed us four stunning homes in Hawaii, all directly in front of the ocean. They all appeared to be fairly new, which meant that unless he wanted to add something more, then no work would be needed. The more I looked at the awesome homes, the more I realized that I might even be able to negotiate the prices remotely.
I wanted Mr. Truman to know that I was on board, though, regardless of what he wanted. “They’re absolutely beautiful, sir. Crystal would fall in love with those right away. I’m sure you already know this, but she attended college in Hawaii and talks about it all of the time. She misses sitting on the beach by the water, too.”
Mr. Truman smiled at me. “I’m really glad you like the properties, Gavin. Jake and Richard already want to buy it, and since you’ve worked your way up in this company, I wanted your input too.”
Jake cleared his throat. “So, Dad, are you still planning to go through with it?”
Mr. Truman turned the computer back around and then looked at me. “Yes, but on one condition. Gavin, there are four homes here. One for me and Mrs. Truman; one for Jake and Julianna; one for Richard and Annie; and one for you and Crystal. And all my grandkids, of course.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “With all due respect, Mr. Truman, are you talking about moving the company out to Hawaii?”
He burst out laughing and shook his head. “Gavin, River Valley will always be our home base. My sons suggested that I buy these properties and set up a family estate in Hawaii. That includes you, too.”
I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I held them back. “You want us to have one of the homes, too? I don’t know what to say, sir!”
Mr. Truman went back to looking at his computer. “And no, Gavin, I won’t be sending you out there to negotiate the prices. I’ve already spoken with the seller, and we came to an agreement. I was just waiting to speak with you. Do you think that Crystal would enjoy vacationing there?”
“Are you kidding me,” I said. “Crystal would be ecstatic to call Hawaii her second home! Thank you so much, sir!”
All four of us shook on it, and I realized that I was really a part of the Truman family.
Jake and Richard followed me out to my car, and it felt as though we were all really brothers.
Jake wrapped his big arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. “This is going to be amazing, man. All four of us in Hawaii, who knows how many times per year.”
Richard chuckled. “Do you really think Dad is going to let all of us take time off at once? Someone has to stay around and work.”
“I think we’ll be okay,” I said. “There are other employees who could step up to the plate while we’re all away. And, of course, we can always work while we’re there.”
Jake leaned back against my car and put his hands in his pockets. “I think it’s great that we’re all going to be fathers at the same time. It may sound corny, but just knowing that our children will grow up together makes me happy. Family is so important. My old life seems like an
cient history.”
Richard agreed. “I still can’t believe that I was lucky enough to find Annie. Speaking of which, I should probably head home in a few minutes.”
All three of us said goodbye, and I headed over to one of the local jewelers. It was busy inside for a weekday afternoon, and I even ran into a few people I knew.
After a few minutes, a clerk finally came out, and I approached the counter. “Hello, I’m Gavin Tillery. I’m here to pick up an item that I ordered.”
She typed my name into the computer, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, Mr. Tillery. One moment.”
When she came out a few minutes later, I took the bag and then headed for home. I was eager to tell Crystal about our new vacation home in Hawaii. The pregnancy was rough on her sometimes, and I half expected to walk in and find her lying on the couch.
That wasn’t the case .
Crystal was unpacking her boxes as I walked into the living room. It was amazing how much stuff she had after living in such a small apartment, but I didn’t mind. I wanted her to surround herself with everything that made her happy, especially since she didn’t have room to do so before. She had put several pictures of her mom in our living room, and I often found her staring at them.
Crystal turned around when I walked in, surprised to see me. “You’re home early! Not that I’m complaining, of course. This house sure is big.”
I walked over to her and was amazed at her beauty. Her baby bump was starting to show, but not so much that other people would know she was pregnant. It had only been a few months since she conceived, and the further along she got, the more beautiful I found her. I couldn’t wait until her belly was so round that I could talk to it, maybe even put headphones up to it so the baby could hear music.
“The doctor told you to rest as much as possible, honey. All of this can wait.”
“I needed to get some fresh air, Gavin, so I went by the studio to check on the new office manager and then went shopping. I found a bunch of toys and other baby items, too, and then I had lunch. Let me show you what I did in the nursery.”
We had been planning the nursery ever since she told me that she was pregnant. I told her that I would take care of it. All she had to do was tell me what she wanted. Crystal was determined to be as involved as possible, which reminded me a lot of Richard. He had painted his new nursery as a way to make up for missing out on the early years of Addison’s life. Plus, even though Crystal was still a carefree person, she had a stubborn streak.
We walked upstairs, and Crystal showed me what she had done so far. “I was able to get the crib together, although it wasn’t that easy. The maid, I love that her name is Mary like my mom’s…. anyway, she had to help me. The stupid instructions weren’t even right. We ended up having to Google the make and model, and other women said the same thing, which is enraging because this is supposed to be a top-of-the-line crib. I guess it’s together and appears to be pretty sturdy. The most important thing is that the baby doesn’t fall out.”
I walked over and wiggled the crib bars. “They’re very sturdy, but you should have let me do that, honey. Even the doctor said not to overdo it since you still have vertigo. Speaking of which, how have you been feeling today?”
Crystal shrugged her shoulders at me while putting some toys in the corner. “Not too bad. I haven’t puked at all, and Annie gave me some ginger drops to suck on for nausea. They’re strong as hell but work. I think the hardest part has been cutting down to just one cup of coffee a day. You know how I love my coffee.” She giggled, and it was nice to see Crystal happy and giggling again.
“There’s no way that I could ever cut down to just one cup.”
Crystal chuckled as she adjusted the blinds to let more sunlight into the room. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you’re a man. Besides, I can just take a nap whenever I get tired. Anyway, how did the meeting go with Mr. Truman?”
“I have excellent news. The Truman's are purchasing four homes in Hawaii, all of them on the same property, and turning them into a family estate.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said while unpacking another box. “They’re such a close family that I’m sure they’ll get a lot of use out of them. If we play our cards right, we might even be able to tag along on one of their vacations. Gosh, just thinking about Hawaii makes me wish that I were there right now. Not that I don’t enjoy living here, of course. I’m officially jealous.”
I cleared my throat. “One of the homes is for us, Crystal.”
She dropped a box of toys and looked up at me. “Wait. What? Why would Mr. Truman give us one of the homes?”
I wrapped my arms around her. “Because he views me as his third son, you’re practically a sister to Annie, and Julianna, and I’ve worked my ass off making them millions of dollars. That’s why, dear.”
Crystal gave me a long, passionate kiss and then pulled back. “Oh my God, that’s wonderful!”
“Mr. Truman insisted that we join them, and I know how much you love it there.”
After we hugged each other for a bit, she went back to unpacking. “This is wonderful news, Gavin. I always felt so at peace in Hawaii. It’s not just the climate, either. The people are so friendly, and the food is unbelievable! Don’t you agree?” Crystal was back to herself and didn’t let me get a word in edgewise. “We still have to go back to Moldova, though. I googled some recipes for Moldovan pie because I have the biggest craving for one.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how excited Crystal was about our new life together. “Maybe we can make a Moldovan pie this weekend. Just give me the list of ingredients, and I’ll pick them up."
As she continued to speak, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful and adorable she was at the same time. Crystal was going on and on about how life with the new baby would be, what it’ll be like to vacation with the Truman’s, and how everything seemed to be coming together at once.
When she took a moment to collect her thoughts, I reached my hand out to her. “Come with me.”
Crystal looked surprised, but took my hand and walked out into our garden. “What’s going on, Gavin?”
I got down on my knee and pulled out the engagement ring from the jeweler. It was platinum with a sapphire stone, which I knew she’d want since it’d remind her of the crystal-blue waters of Hawaii. Crystal looked down at me with her mouth wide open, and as she stood there in her yoga pants and t-shirt, I had never been more sure of anything in my entire life.
“Crystal, I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while now. Before I do, though, I want you to know that I’m going to be the best dad in the world. Our child will never want for anything, and I’ll never let work get in the way of family time. Before I met you, I just assumed that I’d be a lifelong bachelor. Now that I’ve been with you, though, I can’t imagine not having you in my life.” I held the ring up to her. “Will you marry me?”
She began crying harder than I had ever seen her cry before. “Yes, Gavin. Yes, I will marry you!”
I placed the ring on her finger, picked her up, and kissed her in the middle of the garden.
“You make me so happy, Crystal, and I cannot wait to become your husband and the best dad ever to our child.”
My life was finally complete.
EPILOGUE
I couldn’t believe how quickly the past year and a half had passed. Gavin and I had married shortly after our son, Gideon, was born. After the first few months, my pregnancy had been worry free. In fact, if anyone asked, I would have to admit I wouldn’t mind having another baby.
It was funny how Mother Nature worked. It didn’t take long for a mom to forget all the aches and pains that went along with bearing a child, and before you knew it, you were pregnant again. Gavin and I had decided not to use birth control and just let nature take its course, but so far, I hadn’t conceived.
Looking back, I remembered how the sunshine had blessed us on our wedding day. The outdoor ceremony in River Valley’s downtown square was the perfect place
to exchange our vows since it was close to where we had met. Our wedding had been the talk of the town. I had lost count of the number of guests that had come. It seemed most of the clients from the yoga studio, along with family and friends, were eager to wish us well. Gavin even mentioned hitting my car in his vows, and all of our guests thought it was a funny first encounter.
Today, Julianna and Jake had joined us in Hawaii, along with Caley and the two boys, which included their two-year-old son, Aaron. Annie and Richard were here too, with Addison and their son, Rick. We were all relaxing on the beach in front of our new villas, now a part of the Truman Estate.
Mr. and Mrs. Truman had already arrived here a week ago ahead of the rest of us. Mrs. Truman had insisted they come first to make sure food was ordered, and all the individual homes were ready for our first visit.
The gals were gathered around on beach blankets under umbrellas, watching the kids play as we carefully shielded them from the sun. It seemed we were continuously applying sunblock to the toddlers’ little arms.
Annie had spent the morning telling us how well her holistic line of products was selling, and I was thrilled to have just secured a building not far from her studio for my new practice. Even though I would be cutting back on teaching yoga, Annie was happy that I’d be featuring her products in my office. We weren’t working together as much, but we were closer than ever before.
Not too long after we were married, Mr. Truman had given Gavin a considerable raise and a promotion. He was now just below Richard in the company, and I was proud of Gavin for working his way up.
Mr. and Mrs. Truman were so happy that their family had grown. They had never missed a birthday party or a school function that included their grandchildren. I was blessed to be a part of the family that I had once criticized for being a bunch of rich billionaire snobs.
As all the kids were zigzagging around us, playing, Mr. Truman stood from his beach chair and raised his water bottle for a toast. “I’d like to say something to my dear wife. As I see my sons become fathers, I feel it’s necessary to thank her for putting up with me for all of these years. Running a large company meant that I wasn’t always around, and therefore she ended up doing a lot of the work, alone. If I could go back in time and do things differently, then I would. You truly are the love of my life.”
