Mac had to wonder why he thought his brother could possibly help him.
“I’m serious. I have watched you negotiate with clients and calm even the most skittish of them. But in all of the times that I observed you with Gina? Hell, I’ll even go so far as to say all of the times I’ve seen you with women, you aren’t comfortable in your own skin. What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything; you just don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, fine. I’m the dumbass here but let me remind you of this: I’m the dumbass who managed to find myself the woman of my dreams.”
“You mean dad found you the woman of your dreams,” Mac reminded.
“He simply nudged. I almost let her walk away but I listened to some advice and learned from my mistakes. Now I’m married, buying a house and planning a family.” He paused and chose his next words carefully. “Aren’t you tired of being alone?”
He was but the thought of admitting that out loud was just too much for him. “I get what you’re saying, Jace; I really do. I just don’t know what to do right now to win her back.”
“Do you seriously want Gina back?”
“More than anything,” he said desperately.
Jason smiled. “Well then this is your lucky day, Mackenzie, because I happen to have the perfect plan for you.”
****
Gina took one last look around the guest house and sighed. Her boxes were all labeled and Monica had promised to have them shipped out the following day. Her life had changed in this house and as much as Gina felt she had grown, she had also suffered such great loss.
Her father.
And Mac.
She looked down at the large item wrapped in simple brown paper that she was leaving behind. Mac’s portrait. All of her other paintings were coming with her but this one she just couldn’t bear to keep. Instead, she had wrapped it up and had simply written his name on the paper and knew that Monica would get it to him. Somehow Gina really couldn’t imagine him hanging it in his house but she still wanted him to have it and hope that he would remember their time together.
Picking up her large, clunky purse that held her phone, her laptop, her eReader and miscellaneous odds and ends for the trip, Gina placed one of her favorite cowboy hats on her head and walked out the door. Pulling it closed she kept her eyes forward, refusing to look back. That was her new motto: no looking back.
Big, dark sunglasses shaded her eyes and she had dressed much like she had upon her arrival. It was all about comfort and the long black gauzy skirt, though impractical for early November in North Carolina, was perfect for her arrival back in California.
William had placed her luggage in the car earlier and both he and Monica were standing by the SUV waiting for her. William had his back to her while he argued heatedly with someone on the phone. Gina couldn’t hear the words but his body language spoke volumes.
“Everything okay?” she asked Monica as she placed her bag on the back seat.
“Just a small issue at the office; nothing that he can’t handle. Don’t worry; he’ll be off in a minute and we’ll be on our way.”
“I appreciate the both of you driving me; I’m sure that I could have just driven with Jason and Maggie and saved you the trip.”
“Nonsense; we wanted to do this and besides, Jason is a nightmare to travel with. Ask Maggie. You’ll see some for yourself on the plane but I can guarantee you that they’ll be late so don’t panic if it’s close to your departure time and they’re not there yet.”
“Well that’s good to know because I think I would have had a slight panic attack if they didn’t show up when expected and the plane started to leave without them.” As much as Gina was going for the care-free approach to life, some habits died hard. No matter what, she was always prompt and a stickler about time. That was something she never worried about with Mac; they were always in sync on that subject.
Disappointment speared through her at the thought of him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had truly believed that he was going to come for her and ask her to stay. Apparently that was something she shared with her mother; loving a man who wasn’t willing to fight for her.
Or just didn’t love her enough.
Gina knew she’d survive; she’d survived when her father had let them leave when she was a teenager, she’d survived losing him to cancer and she would survive Mackenzie Montgomery not loving her enough to want her in his life for more than a handful of weeks.
And silently prayed that it wouldn’t cause her to live the rest of her life being angry and bitter like her mother.
Maggie texted to say that they were finally on their way and as Gina and the Montgomerys made their way to the airport, all she could think about was how much she didn’t want to leave. North Carolina had always been home for her; even after all of the years she’d lived on the west coast, she had never felt like it was her home.
“I’ll make sure that all of your boxes get shipped out to you tomorrow,” Monica said. “They said they’d arrive some time after two, but I’ll text you after they leave so that you know they’re on their way.”
“I’m not really in a rush for any of it. There were just too many boxes to handle with all of the painting supplies and personal items from my father’s house for me to take on the plane. Besides, I think for the next week or so I’m going to be busy working some logistics out with my mom to really have any time to paint.”
“So you’re really moving out?” William asked.
Gina nodded. “I should have done it a long time ago. I have a friend who is a realtor and I’m going to give her a call when I get home and set up a time to go looking at places. I want to travel some and I’m not sure if I want a house or a condo but I’m sure when I find the right place, I’ll know.”
“Well, you’ve always got a place to stay here,” Monica added. “The guest house hardly gets used; it was nice to see someone staying there.”
“Have you considered moving back here?” William asked, looking at Gina through the rearview mirror.
“I did but I’m just not sure that it’s the right thing to do; there’s nothing really tying me to any one place so my options are endless. Perhaps I’ll just rent something in San Francisco for a while so that I don’t have to worry much while I travel and then think of where I’d like to settle.”
“What are your travel plans? Have you finalized anything yet?” Monica asked, turning in her seat to face Gina.
“I haven’t booked anything as of yet, but I’m planning on starting someplace tropical and then perhaps heading over to Europe. I think I’d like to spend about a month away. You know, playing tourist and contemplating life. I’ll paint and take pictures and I think make it a real bohemian sort of trip.”
Monica sighed and smiled. “That sounds absolutely heavenly.”
Just then Gina’s phone beeped and she looked down at the incoming text and laughed. “False alarm; Jason forgot his tablet. Heading back to the house. See you soon!” Gina looked up and saw both William and Monica laughing.
“I told you he’s a handful to travel with. Maggie is so organized and he just can’t seem to get himself together.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t mind. And now that I know that they’re running behind, I can relax when I get on the plane. I’ve got my iPod, a new book to read…I’m ready for any kind of delay.”
They parked in the short term parking lot and William led them through to a part of the airport where corporate and private planes were kept and assisted Gina with the check-in process. She looked out onto the tarmac and saw several cars near the planes. “People can drive right up to their planes?” she asked, looking over at William.
He nodded. “Some do; I still prefer to come in through the airport and then I have the option if I want to wait in the lounge until the jet is ready or head out and wait on board.”
Gina had never traveled any other way other than on a commercial airplane and the sight of the tiny
planes compared to the massive major airlines planes was a bit daunting. “You’re not nervous about flying are you?” Monica asked.
“They just look so small in comparison,” she replied nervously.
“Don’t think of it like that. You’ll be amazed how comfortable they are inside and the seats are wide and comfortable. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Gina wasn’t totally convinced.
Soon she found herself hugging the Montgomerys goodbye and had to force herself not to cry. “This isn’t goodbye,” Monica said, holding on to Gina tightly. “We’re going to stay in touch and you’ll come and visit and who knows, maybe William and I will make it out to California soon.”
“I would love that.” She looked at William and her heart lurched. Here was her father’s best friend; a man who had done everything possible to make sure that she was well taken care of. “I can’t even begin to thank you…”
William held up a hand to stop her. “You don’t have to thank me; you’re family and I always take care of my family. Your father meant the world to me and I know that I’m always going to miss him. His friendship was a gift and I know that he would want me to make sure that you are well taken care of.” He pulled her into his embrace and held her tight. “Be happy,” he whispered and Gina almost burst into tears. Those were her father’s last words to her.
She pulled back and looked at him and smiled sadly and could only nod. With a final wave, she let a uniformed attendant lead her out onto the tarmac and over to the Montgomery jet. It was big but nowhere near the size of the commercial jets. Taking a deep breath she climbed the stairs and marveled at the sight before her. There was seating for at least two dozen people with a full galley and an entertainment center. It was far more luxurious than she could have ever imagined.
Gina settled into the soft leather seat that was more comfortable than most of her furniture at home and sighed with pleasure. They hadn’t even taken off yet and she swore that she’d never be able to fly commercial ever again.
A flight attendant approached with the mimosa that she had offered Gina upon her arrival at the door. Yes, she could definitely get used to this. Taking a sip, she laid her head back and smiled. The need for a little bit of music came over her and she placed her glass down on the table beside her and reached into her bag for her iPod. Within minutes she had her shoes off and had clicked to a favorite play list. Her phone beeped and she smiled knowing that it would be Maggie with an update.
“Almost there!” the text read and Gina replied with a smiley face and put the phone down next to her champagne glass. The first ear bud was just about in place when she heard music. Looking down she saw that she hadn’t pushed play yet and was curious as to where it was coming from. She stood and walked over to a speaker mounted on the wall and listened. Nope; no music coming from there.
“Is everything all right?” the flight attendant asked.
“I’m sorry,” Gina said, shaking her head and chuckling softly. “I swore that I heard music but didn’t know where it was coming from.”
The flight attendant smiled. “I think it’s coming from outside,” she said and motioned toward the door and stepped aside.
Were Jason and Maggie pulling directly up to the plane with the radio blasting? That seemed a little out of character for them. Walking to the door she peered out and froze. There, at the base of the stairs stood Mac with his iPod playing “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” with tiny speakers held up above his head.
“You once told me that this was a classic,” Mac said over the radio. “I may have embellished a bit but I thought that this was a little more appropriate.”
Gina put a hand to her chest to try and quiet her rapidly beating heart. “You’re crazy,” she said as her smile reached from ear to ear. “What are you doing here?”
Mac turned down the volume and climbed up the first two steps toward her and stopped. “If you have to ask then maybe I’m not doing this right.” His hair was a little askew and he was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and a raincoat and he looked better than anything had in a long time to Gina. He took in her perusal of his attire and grinned. “It wasn’t easy finding a raincoat like this.”
She broke out in a fit of giggles. “I wouldn’t imagine so. I can’t believe that you found one!”
“It turns out that Maggie and Emma are huge fans of that movie too and helped hunt one down for me.”
Gina looked around the tarmac. “They know that you’re here?” she asked with confusion. “Are Maggie and Jason with you?”
Mac climbed up a few more steps until he was eye level with her. “No, they’re not with me and they’re not coming.” Now she was thoroughly confused. Her brows furrowed and unable to help himself, Mac reached out and smoothed her forehead with his fingers. “They’re leaving next week for California and I told them to let us know when they arrive and we’ll meet up with them then.”
Her head tilted as she considered him. “We?”
“Yeah, we,” he said and placed the iPod in his pocket and cupped her face in both hands. Unwilling to wait any longer, he brought her face close to his. “You and me,” he whispered before kissing her with all of the pent up passion of the last several weeks.
Gina meant to put up more of a fight; she really did. But the feel of his lips on hers and his hands on her face and she was lost. He was everything that she had ever wanted and he was here. He had fought for her and he didn’t let her leave.
When they finally broke apart, Gina took him by the hand and led him onto the plane. He was handed a Mimosa and then the flight attendant stepped out of sight again. She sat down in her seat and Mac was right beside her. Gina took the glass from his hands and then turned to face him. “I don’t understand what’s going on,” she said, drinking in the sight of him.
“I finally came to my senses; that’s what’s going on.” He looked down to where their fingers were locked together and squeezed. “I thought that I was doing what was right for you; I thought that by letting you go that you would have the chance to live the life that you deserved. But then I realized that I was no better than your parents; I took away your right to decide what you wanted.” His expression was solemn as he looked up at her. “I think that deep down I was afraid that if I let you decide that you’d choose to leave me. So I took the coward’s way out and walked away first. I’m so sorry, Gina.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. I’ve been such a mess and going on and on and on about how I never get to make any decisions about my own life that you had every right to think the way that you did.” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed him. “I’m just glad that you came to your senses and stopped me from leaving.” She leaned in and rested her forehead against his and felt all of the tension leave her body.
Then she sprang upright. “Oh my goodness, I’ll have to call your mother and tell her not to ship out my stuff.”
“Already done.”
She shot him a sideways glance. “Awfully confident in yourself, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just say that I was hopeful.” Gina began to gather her belongings. “What are you doing?”
“Well, since you’re here I just thought that we were going home for now.” Home. She liked the way that sounded when it applied to the two of them.
“Oh, no,” he said, tugging her down onto his lap. “We have this flight booked and we’re leaving for now.”
“But we’re coming back, right?” she asked, anxious to do so and be back where she most wanted to be.
“Eventually,” he said and drew her back in for another long kiss. He pulled back a minute later. “You should know that this means that you’re stuck with me. Forever.”
“I want to be stuck with you,” she whispered and cuddled in as close to him as she could get, hating that they weren’t alone. Her hands moved all over him unable to help herself. It seemed like a dream that he was here with her, that they were on a plane and actually talking about forever.
The pilot’s voice came across the speakers alerting them that they were ready to depart and Gina settled herself back in her own seat and then looked over at Mac. “This is really happening,” she said in wonder. “We’re really doing this. You’re coming to California with me.”
Mac raised his glass. “We are really doing this.” Together they toasted and each took a sip of their drinks. “To our future.”
“To our future,” she agreed. Knowing that Mac was here with her had finally allowed Gina to relax in a way she hadn’t in weeks. They talked through the take off and for the first hour of the flight but when she rested her head on his shoulder, all she wanted to do was nap.
“Sleep for a little while, Sweetheart,” he whispered as he shifted to make sure that she was comfortable. Then he spent the next several hours enjoying the feel of her beside him and watching her sleep.
When Gina finally woke back up, she sat up and stretched and then looked at her watch. “Oh, my gosh!” she cried. “Why are we still in the air? We were due to land in San Francisco more than three hours ago! What’s going on?”
“We aren’t going to San Francisco,” he said simply.
Gina looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean we’re not going to San Francisco? That was what we booked the flight for. Where are we going?”
“We booked the flight for wherever we wanted to go. Jason and Maggie just told you it was San Francisco. And while yes, we could have done that, I thought it might be better if we took a trip to Hawaii for a week before going to California.”
“Hawaii? Are you serious? How did you know that I wanted to go there?”
“I have my sources,” he teased. “Are you disappointed that we’re not stopping at your house first?”
“I’m not but I should call my mother. She was supposed to pick me up at the airport. She must be frantic by now!”
Mac waved her off and laughed. “She knows exactly where you are; my father called her before he took you to the airport.”
Stay With Me (The Montgomery Brothers) Page 15