by Paris Hansen
“Hey sleepyhead.”
“How long have you been awake?”
Savannah laughed as she placed a soft kiss on his bare chest, her fingers tracing over the colorful lines of the Celtic tattoo that flowed from his arm over his right pec. It was one of the many beautiful pieces of artwork that he had on his body. She loved to trace each of them with her fingers or her tongue.
“Only a couple of minutes. I was enjoying watching you sleep though. You looked so peaceful.”
Goose bumps formed along her skin as Gabriel lightly ran his hand down her spine. “I want to take you somewhere today, to meet someone. You still have the day off right?”
“I am completely, 100% free for the day. Who do you want me to meet?”
“I want you to meet the most important person in my family, if that’s okay.”
Savannah smiled; Gabriel hadn’t really mentioned anyone in his family aside from Jonathan and she was eager to get to know anyone who meant something to him. She knew that he didn’t have a great relationship with his mother or father, so she had no idea who the mystery person could be, but whoever it was, it meant a lot to her that he wanted her to meet them.
An hour later, after a quick and very dirty shower, a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a quick stop at the grocery store for two mixed flower bouquets, Savannah sat in Gabriel’s truck watching the scenery pass by as they headed eastbound on I-90. The sweet scent of the lilies, carnations and other flowers filled the cab, making Savannah’s nose itch a little. She still had no idea where they were going or who she was meeting, but she was happy. Neither of them talked during the drive, allowing the radio to fill the silence. At first, she had watched Gabriel to see if she could get a read on where he was taking her, but his features gave nothing away. He was obviously thinking about something, lost in his head once again. In the end, she gave up trying to figure him out and instead focused on the lake as they drove over it.
Before she realized it, they were slowing down and Gabriel was pulling off the main road into an area surrounded by a large wrought iron gate. The gate was pulled open allowing for traffic to come and go, but there was no signage that Savannah could see. It took a moment of driving for her to realize where they were. The headstones placed throughout the grass on either side of the road were all she needed to see to know who she was meeting. The realization made her heart break a little. Even in death, Gabriel’s brother was the most important member of his family. She hated that it was like that for him, but was still overjoyed that he brought her to meet Jonathan.
“I hope this is okay. I know it’s a little weird, but honestly, I come here a lot to speak to him; especially when I need guidance,” Gabriel said as he pulled the truck into a parking spot and turned off the engine. He still looked straight ahead instead of at her. Removing her seatbelt, she turned so she could look at him.
“This isn’t weird at all Gabriel. I can’t begin to imagine how you feel, but I can say if it was Brooklyn buried over there, I’d probably be here every day telling her about my life…about you. I can’t wait to meet your brother. I just wish I could’ve actually known him the way you do.”
Gabriel looked over at her, unshed tears shining in his eyes as he reached for her hand. “Thank you for being so wonderful and for understanding me better than anyone else ever has. I love you so much; I hope you never forget that.”
Savannah’s chest ached as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. She could see the love he had for her in his eyes, could feel it in his touch. It seemed like everything changed in their relationship the night before when they admitted how deep their feelings ran. Things were more intense, more real, more amazing. Savannah had never felt like this before and in moments like this, she almost felt like she could drown in the emotions that filled the cab of his truck.
“We’ll stop by Lacey’s grave first, so I can leave some flowers there. I’m still so angry at my father for not allowing them to be buried next to each other. But I shouldn’t have been surprised since he never thought Lacey was good enough for Johnny. He’s such a selfish, uncaring bastard. I even told him that he could bury her in the plot he bought for me, but he refused. Pretty morbid that he already has plots purchased for the four of us isn’t it? And ridiculous that he didn’t think even further ahead and realize that Jonathan and I would probably prefer to be buried with the women we love and not the asshole that treated us so poorly.”
She didn’t know what to say to Gabriel’s outburst. It was the most he had ever really said about his father, other than that they didn’t talk. She could feel the anger seeping out of him. Richard Archer sounded like a piece of work; it was no wonder Gabriel hadn’t spoken to him since Jonathan’s death. Savannah was almost glad she wouldn’t have to deal with the man if this is what he did to his own children.
“I’m sorry; this was supposed to be a nice moment. Come on, let’s forget about my dad and go pay our respects.”
They stopped at Lacey’s grave first where Gabriel left one of the bouquets. There were already a few bouquets and single flowers resting there. It was obvious that people still visited Lacey often. The way Gabriel talked about her it was easy to see that she had been an amazing woman who was loved by many. How his father couldn’t see that was beyond Savannah. It just proved again what a horrible human being he was. As they walked to their second destination, Gabriel reached for her hand while admitting that he brought fresh flowers to both of them every other week. It was clear to Savannah that he missed his brother and Lacey more than he could ever express. It was also clear that he held on to some guilt and he hated that he almost let their father push them apart before Jonathan’s accident.
“I should have been there for him. I should have spent more time with him instead of wasting time working or with Valerie or my dad.”
Savannah didn’t know what to say as they approached the ridiculously large Archer headstone. It spanned across an expanse of land that she guessed could hold 4 coffins given what Gabriel had said earlier. At the moment, only Jonathan’s information was carved into the stone under the Archer name. Gabriel dropped her hand, so she stopped walking and let him go forward on his own. She had the sudden urge to step back, to walk away so she could give him privacy, but instead she stayed where she was and watched Gabriel approach the giant headstone. Kneeling down on the perfectly mowed grass, he propped the new flowers against the stone before picking up the dying bouquet that had fallen to the ground.
“Hey Johnny. I figured it was finally time to introduce you to Savannah. I know you were probably thinking she didn’t exist, but she is definitely real. I never thought I’d find the type of love that you had with Lacey, but I was wrong. She is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. She’s my everything and ultimately, I have you to thank for bringing us together.”
Gabriel looked back at her in that moment and her chest started to ache again. He held out his hand, beckoning her to join him. She walked forward, kneeling beside him in the grass, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. The entire situation was new to her; being in love, dealing with the death of a loved one. She wasn’t familiar with any of the emotions swirling through her and it nearly overwhelmed her. Taking a deep breath, she put her hand in Gabriel’s, her eyes meeting his before he turned back to the headstone.
Before she realized what was happening, he had introduced her to Jonathan and then excused himself so they could talk. He stood and walked a little way down the walkway so that she was alone at the grave. She didn’t know what to say or do; she almost felt silly sitting there talking to nothing, but this was important to Gabriel so she knew she had to say something.
“Hi,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “I’m new at this so please don’t hold that against me. I love your brother more than I ever thought possible. I wish that I could have met you, but I know that your death is what brought Gabriel and I together. Sometimes, like right now, I hate that I am happy because of your loss. I promise
I will do whatever I can to make your brother happy and to make your death worth something.”
For another couple of minutes, Savannah told Jonathan about herself and her family and Delectable Delights. She still felt awkward talking to the cold slab of stone, but could tell why it made Gabriel feel better. There was something cathartic about getting things out even if there was really no one there to listen to what you were saying. By the time Gabriel rejoined her; she had practically given Jonathan her life story and told him all about her uncertainty about the new shop. She felt lighter, even though she also felt sad.
The promise she made Jonathan worried her. She hoped she could prove to be worthy of Gabriel. To be enough of a family for him, now that he had no one else. It was a tall order to fill, but she was going to do everything she could to make sure that she filled it. He said she was his everything and she wanted to make sure he didn’t regret it. She just wasn’t exactly sure how.
Chapter 8
“Hey, it’s your turn to deal, stop texting your girlfriend and concentrate on the game man.”
Gabriel looked up from his phone and flipped off his friend Braeden who sat on the other side of the table from him. “If you must know, I was actually texting with Ray since he’s in charge of the restaurant tonight. I just wanted to make sure there weren’t any fires that needed to be put out.”
“Sure you were buddy,” Braeden responded laughing at his friend. “Look at this place; it’s pretty obvious that your girl has you whipped.”
Looking around, Gabriel saw the small feminine touches that had invaded his home since he and Savannah started dating. Each time she stayed over something new would show up, not to replace what he already had, but to add to his décor; a blanket or throw pillow here, a framed picture there. He loved looking around and seeing Savannah in his house, but he knew that his friends would give him crap about it. Since the poker games rotated through each of their houses, this was the first time they had been at his place since Savannah had been spending more time there.
“I don’t mind being whipped,” Gabriel admitted. “I love that woman and come on…at least she’s not replacing my stuff with hers; she’s incorporating them all together. I don’t have doilies and shit all over the house, like Paul did when Maryann moved in.”
“Man, did you have to go there?” Paul asked his face turning a shade of red slightly darker than his hair.
“Oh yeah. That was some ridiculous shit man. I love that it was all a test though. To this day¸ I maintain that Maryann is one of the coolest chicks ever,” Oliver piped up reminding them all why Paul’s now wife had redecorated his entire apartment when they first moved in together.
“I thought Paul was going to lose his shit when we all walked in to that lacey, pink mess, but he just looked at her like she was the most amazing thing ever. Even after we all started laughing and giving him crap, he told her that she could do whatever she wanted to his place, since it was now their home. I wanted to gag, but he passed the test and I guess in the long run that was all that mattered,” Gabriel said. “Now I completely understand why he let her do it. Love definitely blinds you to the little things. All that matters is her. Savannah could turn this place into a palace fit for a princess and that would be okay with me as long as she was with me.”
“I, for one, am happy for you Gabe. It’s about damn time you found the right woman and settled down.”
Gabriel looked over at his best friend, surprised to hear Declan talk about settling down. He was the last person he expected to be happy for him given his past. He was weary of women, constantly worried about their motives and he had a right to be to an extent. Gabriel just hoped that Declan would eventually realize that not all women were the same and that there was someone great out there for him too. Perhaps a statuesque brunette that happened to be related to his girlfriend would finally be the one to break him out of his renouncement of relationships and women in general.
“Hey, I’m happy for him,” Braeden said as he looked over at Declan. “Hell, I’d be even happier for him if he re-introduced me to Savannah’s hot ass little sister. I’d love to take her for a ride.”
Gabriel groaned, knowing exactly what Braeden was trying to do and by the look on Declan’s face his plan was working. His jaw was tense; his face turning an angry shade of red, but Declan didn’t say a word. Gabriel knew it was because his friend was trying to get Braeden to move on. If he didn’t react, their friend would move on to something else, but Braeden didn’t seem to want to stop. He continued to comment on Brooklyn and how gorgeous she was, all while trying not to laugh at Declan’s clenched fists and scowling face.
“Dude, calm down, you look like you’re about to explode. I’m just messing with you. I’m still a devoted follower of bros before hoes. I would never encroach on your woman, no matter how hot she is,” Braeden finally relented.
“Hey, can we not call my girlfriend’s sister a hoe please?”
“She’s not my woman,” Declan insisted. “She’s so frustrating. I can’t even be around her on deliveries without arguing with her. There’s no way…”
“You can try to deny it all you want, but you’re into each other. It’s obvious to everyone but the two of you,” Gabriel said earning a dirty look from Declan.
“I’ve only seen you around each other once and I could tell. Maybe it’s not a love connection like Savannah and Gabriel, but there is definitely something between you. Could be you just need to fuck her out of your system and then go your separate ways, but I’m betting there’s more to it than that,” Braeden said with a laugh.
“Again man, can we refrain from talking like that about Brook? Hopefully, she’s going to be my sister-in-law some day and I’d rather not have to kick your ass for being a dick about her.”
“Sorry Gabriel, but you know I’m right.”
Declan sighed, “look Brooklyn’s hot and all, but she’s a pain in my ass.”
“Maybe a pain in the ass is exactly what you need. The few women you’ve dated since high school have either been pushovers or users. Brooklyn is neither of those. She’ll definitely keep you on your toes and she’s too damn independent to use anyone if she can help it.”
“Yeah well I can’t really deal with that kind of crap when I have Erin to worry about,” Declan said, running an angry hand through his messy black hair.
“You also can’t keep using Erin as an excuse not to be happy. She’s old enough for you to talk to her about what you want in life. She’ll be heading off to college soon and then what will you do with yourself?”
Slamming his hand down on the table, it was obvious that Declan had enough of their crap. “What the fuck you guys? I thought we were here to play poker and give Gabriel shit about his love life. Can we just get back to that? I’m not going after Brooklyn. End of story.”
Gabriel shook his head, trying not to laugh at his friend’s outburst. “Whatever you say man, hand me the cards.”
“Fuck you guys,” Declan mumbled as he passed the cards to Gabriel.
That was all it took to break Gabriel’s hold on his laughter. The rest of the men broke down as soon as he did, which only pissed Declan off even more. As he shuffled the cards, he looked around at his friends and realized that it wasn’t only Savannah that had made him happier than he had been in years. He was finally feeling like himself again and getting to hang out with guys he had known since high school definitely helped that feeling. He was grateful that he had them in his life again. He was lucky they wanted anything to do with him after the way he treated them when he was with Valerie and then after Jonathan died. Sometimes he wondered if he deserved their friendship, but he definitely wasn’t going to question it. He learned the hard way that life wasn’t worth living if you didn’t have people to share it with. He would never make that mistake again.
“So Braeden, when are you going to find a good woman and settle down? Don’t you think it’s about time to give up the playboy way? You too, Oliver? Aren’t you both a
little old for that?”
Gabriel ducked when one of Savannah’s throw pillows was hurled at him. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the Cheeto coming from his left until it smacked into his face. The room filled with laughter as he wiped cheese dust off of his face before picking up the Cheeto and throwing it into his mouth.
“Thanks for sharing Oliver, I was a little hungry, although you missed my mouth there buddy.”
Oliver flipped him off, a scowl on his face that he couldn’t hold for long. “Screw you Gabe. Just because you and Paul have found your ball and chain doesn’t mean the rest of us want to or are even meant to. Plus, we aren’t old. Look at Hugh Hefner, we’ve got a ton of playboy years left in us.”
“Yeah well A) Hugh was married once and B) he’s Hugh freaking Hefner, he’s rich and connected, of course he can be a playboy until he dies. Maybe if you get married and divorced and then start a nudey mag, then you could become the next Hef and be a playboy until you die, otherwise I don’t think it’s going to work that way for you.”
“Thanks for raining on my parade,” Oliver said before throwing another Cheeto at Gabriel. This time Gabriel was fast enough to catch the Cheeto in his mouth.
“In all seriousness though, I want what Paul has, what you have, but until I find the one, I’m going to have fun with the many. Is there something wrong with that?” Oliver asked.
“No man, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Gabriel admitted as he started to shuffle the cards again. He couldn’t fault his friend for not wanting to be alone; for wanting to find pleasure where he could. He just hoped that Oliver found what he was looking for soon and that he didn’t let Braeden and Declan hold him back. If either of those two ever fell in love, Gabriel would have to assume that the world was ending since neither of them wanted the family life that he and the others wanted.