Forever Awakenings (Awakenings #3)

by Lisa Bilbrey

  “Hmm, I’m impressed. Thought for sure you were going to embarrass the girls,” Thomas said, shrugging his shoulders. “None of you cried?”

  Together, the four of them shook their heads.

  “Wow, so you’re heartless.”

  “Whatever, dude,” Callum chuckled, and then tilted his head toward the door. “What’s with the sign?”

  Leigh, Tyson, and Thomas shared a look before Leigh spoke. “Well, we’re leaving San Francisco.”

  “What?” Elle asked.

  “Why?” Sadie exclaimed.

  Thomas slipped his arm around Leigh, who had turned so that her back was toward them. “Leigh’s dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last week. He’s been showing symptoms for months. Little things like forgetting dates, people’s names, nothing that would suggest anything other than natural aging, but last week, he forgot that he was cooking and started a fire.”

  Elle gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

  “Luckily, Leigh’s mom caught it before any real damage was done,” Tyson explained quickly. “But it raised some flags with his doctor, so they ran some test.”

  “So, you’re going back to Georgia to take care of your parents?” Derek asked, frowning.

  “I’m all they have,” Leigh whimpered, finally turning back toward them. “Mom can’t take care of him on her own. Hell, she’s seventy-three years old. But she’s not ready to put him in a home, either. I just … They’ve been so supportive of our relationship, we just feel we’re needed.”

  “Wow, we hate to see you go, but we understand. Family comes first,” Callum said. “If we can do anything, please let us know.”

  “Thank you,” Thomas said, smiling weakly. “Leigh and Tyson are flying out in a couple days. We have a couple of people interested in buying this place, so hopefully we can close on a deal sooner rather than later and I’ll be able to join them within the month.”

  “Well, hey, you know, if you need us to help, just say the word,” Elle insisted. “Seriously, it’s the least we can do.”

  Thanking them again, Thomas, Leigh, and Tyson made it clear they didn’t want to talk about it any longer. As Elle settled at their usual table with her lovers, she wondered if their relationship would be able to handle a month apart. She knew she wouldn’t be able to handle that much time away from the people she loved more than anything in the world.

  Three

  “Are you ready?” Elle asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  Callum shifted his attention to her, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “No.”

  “You don’t have to come back, you know? I’ll understand if you’re not ready.”

  “It’s not so much that I’m not ready. More like I’m terrified that I’m not good enough anymore.”

  “What are you talking about?” Elle asked and pushed off the doorframe, walking up to him. She leaned her cane against her hip and pulled his tie out of his hands. “Let me.”

  “Thanks,” he chuckled.

  “Tell me why you think you’re not good enough.”

  Callum sighed. “A lot has changed over the last five years, Elle. You’ve adopted new technology to help speed up the process by using digital plans. I don’t know how to use those tablets you have.”

  “Then I’ll teach you,” she said, draping his tie around his neck. “I’ll even wear a short skirt and let you look at my tits.”

  “You do that anyway,” he teased.

  “True,” she quipped, before turning serious. “You’re an amazing architect, but if you aren’t ready, or you don’t want to come back to the company, then you don’t have to. We just want you to be happy.”

  “Do I seem unhappy?” he asked.

  “Little bit,” she admitted as she finished his tie. She placed her hands against his chest. “You love staying home with the girls.”

  “I do, but they’re not here anymore. Honestly, I’ve been bored out of my fucking mind the last six weeks. I’m ready to do something. I just …”

  “You just?” she prompted.

  “I don’t want to let you down.” His confession cut straight to her soul. “I don’t want to hurt the company if I can’t keep up. Not after all the work you’ve put into making it what it is today.”

  Elle snorted.

  “Don’t do that,” he chastised.

  “Do what?”

  “Act like you haven’t changed the company over the last five years. For the better, I might add.”

  “I’ve been mildly successful,” she mumbled.

  Though, if she were honest, that was a lie. Over the last five years since she took over as C.E.O. of Davis Architecture and Design not only had revenue tripled, but project completion rate had doubled, the number of clients they worked on had quadrupled, and she’d had to bring in six new teams in the last year alone.

  “But only because it was in such prime condition when Samuel handed over the reins.”

  “Whatever, sweetheart,” Callum chuckled, before stepping away from her and sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached for his shoes. “Dad ran a great company, but you blew him out of the water after the first year. That’s why you’ve been nominated for two Gruger Awards.”

  “Thanks for reminding me,” she grumbled and gripped her cane, shifting so that her weight was on her good leg.

  “You’ll win eventually,” he said, giving her a knowing look.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you ready? We’re going to be late.”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  And though Elle wanted to question him again about if he really wanted to come back, she didn’t. She hated the idea of him coming back to work just for her, Derek, and Sadie, but if they were the motivation he needed to dip his toes in the water after five years, they’d be that motivation.

  —FA—

  Elle and Callum arrived at the office just after nine. Derek and Sadie had taken the morning off to help Thomas pack up the last of his house. Six weeks had passed, and he was almost ready to leave San Francisco and join his lovers in Georgia. The sale of Gold Rush had taken longer than planned, though they ended up with an offer for ten thousand dollars more than they were asking. Now that their house was officially on the market, Thomas was ready to go.

  Elle and Callum wanted to join them, but Callum had set up a meeting with a prospective new client, who was looking for someone to design a new playground. Elle immediately assigned the client to Callum. He’d spent more time than any of them at playgrounds over the last six years, after all, but he was nervous, and asked her to sit in the meeting with him. She didn’t want to make him feel like he couldn’t do the work, but agreed so that he’d be more relaxed. She hoped, anyway.

  When the elevator doors slid open and Callum and Elle stepped out, they found Samuel leaning against Greta’s desk. He had a huge smile. For a man in his late fifties, he didn’t look it. He took great pride in his physical appearance, almost to the point of being vain. He worked out regularly, ate healthy with the exception of his weekly bacon-chili cheeseburger, but only Elle knew about those.

  “The prodigal son has returned,” Samuel announced, gesturing with both hands toward Callum. “At last, my empire shall be whole again.”

  “You promised you weren’t going to make a scene,” Callum groused, refusing to take his father’s hands.

  “I lied,” Samuel said with a smirk and pulled Callum into a hug. “Glad to have you back, son.”

  “Thanks,” Callum mumbled, the edge of his ears turning red. “It’s nice to be back, I guess.”

  “You guess?” Greta asked, her eyebrow lifting behind the pair of bright orange bifocals she’d started wearing a year ago. Her mostly-gray hair had been pulled into a long braid. “Don’t sound too confident.”

  “Just miss my girls,” he confessed.

  “They’ve been in school for over a month,” Samuel laughed. “You still haven’t adjusted?”

  “Unlike you, Father,” Callum grumbled, “I enjoy
being around my children.”

  “Oh, I like you being around, Cal,” Samuel insisted, patting him on the arm. “Who else am I going to pick on?”

  Samuel laughed harder as he left them alone and headed toward his office. Elle bit the inside of her lip to keep from giggling, but Samuel never missed an opportunity to give his son a hard time. After Samuel handed over the reins, he set up a new division inside the company that focused on giving back to the company.

  Samuel had personally overseen numerous Habitat for Humanity projects that the company did pro-bono, and had worked with several women’s and children’s shelters to expand, get their buildings up to code, and anything else they needed.

  It warmed Elle’s heart that he was so charitable, especially when it came to women who needed protection from abusive partners. Elle had learned the hard way that there were men who weren’t afraid to raise their hand against a woman.

  “You two go get ready for your meeting. I’ll be along in a few minutes with some coffee,” Greta told them.

  “Thank you,” Elle said, knowing it was pointless to argue with her. She had tried many times, but Greta loved her job, loved this company, and loved Elle like a daughter.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Elle led Callum down to the conference room, where they settled at the table. She could see him trembling as he pulled his plans up on the tablet Elle had integrated three years ago. Her employees were hesitant when she introduced the subject, but it hadn’t take long before she was able to show them the benefits. It meant less paperwork, easier file sharing, and made the process much smoother for both the company and the clients.

  Sighing, she reached out and covered his hand, drawing his attention to her. “Do I need to fire you? Would that make it easier?”

  “No,” he said, frowning. “Why would it?”

  “It just seems pretty clear that you don’t want to be here. Don’t want to force you, either.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to be here,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just not sure I can still do this. I should have taken a refresher course or something.”

  “It’s only been a few years,” she argued.

  “Six years.”

  Elle sighed.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted. “Just need to get my nerves under control.”

  The door to the conference room opened before Elle could offer a reply and Greta led the Murphy family into the room. The Murphy family consisted of two brothers and their younger, by just a few years, sister.

  Mark, Paul, and Janie Murphy had grown up in New York City with their parents, who had immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Their parents had died in a car accident when Janie was thirteen, Paul was fifteen, and Mark was eighteen. Mark managed to convince a judge that he should get custody of his younger brother and sister. Though it was difficult, he’d managed to raise them while getting his degree in business. They relocated to California when Paul was offered a wrestling scholarship at University of California Berkeley, and never looked back.

  Paul and Janie both earned degrees in accounting and education, and the three of them ran a non-profit organization that worked to offer support to needy communities. They’d approached Davis Architecture and Design three months ago and asked them to design a park for West Oakland.

  “Can I get anyone some coffee? Tea? Maybe some water?” Greta asked, placing two cups in front of Elle and Callum. As usual, Elle could tell her cup had been made to perfection. Greta spoiled her.

  “Um, no thanks,” Janie said, settling in the chair across from Callum.

  “We’re good, but thank you,” Mark added and joined his sister at the table.

  “Let me know if you need anything.” Greta turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  Mark, Paul, and Janie shifted their attention to Callum, who blew out a thick, heavy breath as he stood up.

  “Um, hi. I mean, hello,” he rambled, and Elle wanted to reach out and place her hand on his to calm him down, but it was important that he get through this on his own. He smiled weakly. “I’m sorry if I seem scattered. I’m a little out of practice.”

  “It’s fine,” Paul said, placing his hand on the table. “Just show us what you’re thinking.”

  Callum nodded and picked up the tablet, scrolling through his designs before stopping on the park. A moment later, his images popped up on the flat screen television that hung on the wall behind him and Elle.

  “When I went and visited the lot, I was overwhelmed by the old-school feel of the neighborhood. It reminds me of the parks my dad would find when we went on vacation, but the lot isn’t very big, so in order to make use of our limited space, we’re going to have to be creative.”

  “I like what I’m hearing,” Mark said, almost like he was encouraging Callum to continue.

  “Okay, so, here’s what it will look like.” Callum slid his finger along the side of the tablet, changing to an aerial view of the park. “I want the main focal point to be the fountain. In the summers, when it gets hot, you’d be able to turn on the water and give the kids a wading pool to cool off in. To the east of the fountain is where I see putting the swings. There will be two sets: one for older children and one for little ones. I can’t tell you how many times I had my girls at the park and found myself frustrated at the lack of toddler safe swings.”

  “Flora and … . I forget the other one’s name,” Janie said crinkling her face.

  “Willow,” Elle and Callum said together, laughing as they shared a look.

  “Yes, I remember thinking how unique it was when I heard it,” she added.

  “To the west of the fountain would be the first of two jungle gyms. I’ve got brochures from some of the best play center companies in the country, but …” Callum paused. “I was thinking, if you’re up to rearranging your budget a little, it would be nice to have something custom made.”

  “Custom made, huh?” Mark leaned forward. “How much more would it cost us?”

  “Maybe an additional twelve hundred, but that’s reaching, to be honest. I have a contact that has done a few of these for private buyers. His work is incredible. I’ve already approached him and he’s willing. He would need about six weeks from start to finish. His price is typically five hundred a week, but when I told him where it was going, he agreed to shave off three hundred per week. So, we’re looking at most twelve hundred plus supplies, but we were already looking at close to that for a plastic jungle gym, which in my experience, aren’t durable. We want something that will last, be maintainable, and take a lot of use. Curtis is the man for the job.”

  “We’re open to exploring this avenue, I think. When will he have plans for us?”

  “He said he’d have everything ready in a couple weeks.”

  “Okay, we’ll get back to you today once we get back to the office to set up another meeting,” Paul said, smiling. “What else are you planning?”

  Callum grinned and continued to detail his plans, talking about the placement of picnic tables, what type of foliage he wanted. He wanted to add Seesaws, a large patio where kids could bring sidewalk chalk, and lots of seating for parents. Elle watched and listened with pride as he wrapped up his meeting, thanking them once more for coming in.

  The moment the door closed, Callum dropped into his chair and laughed.

  “Feeling better about coming back?” Elle asked, smirking.

  With a lazy grin, he lobbed in her direction. “I was being silly, wasn’t I?”

  “A little bit,” she admitted, leaning over and placing her hand on his arm. “You were amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” he said, and she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

  “Not yet.”

  Callum shifted his chair so that he was facing her. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he leaned in so that his lips were almost touching hers and whispered, “I love you.”

  And b
efore she could reply, he kissed her.

  Four

  After lunch, Elle and Callum headed to Thomas’ to help finish the packing. They found him in the nearly empty house with Derek and Sadie, all three looked exhausted.

  “Hey, didn’t think you were coming,” Thomas said, rushing over and giving Ella hug.

  “Decided that, as boss, I was taking the rest of the day off,” she said, smiling. “I just didn’t want to miss the chance to say goodbye.”

  “Aw, you gonna miss me, sweetheart?” Thomas teased, and when she rolled her eyes, he chuckled and pulled her in for another hug. “Because I sure as hell am gonna miss your sass, Elle.”

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t go getting all sentimental on me. Let’s finish getting this place cleaned up. You have a flight to catch tonight.”

  “I’m ready to go home.”

  And Elle knew he wasn’t referring to the apartment Leigh and Tyson had rented back in Georgia, but the lovers who longed to have him back in their arms. Elle couldn’t blame him. The idea of not being with Callum, Derek, and Sadie for even one night terrified her. She needed them, and Thomas needed Leigh and Tyson.

  It took them the better part of the next three hours to load the last of the boxes into the moving truck and clean the house. While Sadie, Derek, and Callum carried out the last of the trash bags, Elle tossed her cleaning rag into the now empty bucket and gripped the top of her cane.

  “Leg hurt, doesn’t it?”

  Elle shifted her eyes to the doorway of the kitchen where Thomas stood and sighed. “All the time.”

  “I wish I could take the pain away,” Thomas said, regretfully. “We all do.”

  “But you can’t,” she said.

  “You know you’re important to us, don’t you, Elle? I mean, not just because you’re married to Cal and Derek, either. You and Sadie — you’re important to us; you’re family.”

  “I know that,” she said. “We consider you, Leigh, and Tyson to be family, too. To be honest, I don’t want you to leave. I understand why you have to. Leigh’s mom and dad need you, but I’ve kind of gotten use to my family being around, and it’s gonna be weird to not be able to just pop into Gold Rush and see you.”

  Thomas laughed. “Tell me about it. Tyson found a job at the local community college teaching science to children barely able to add one plus one, but I don’t know if I should try to start a new business, or find something else. I just don’t know.”