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CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

GARRET

Jade just told me she wants to have kids, which kind of shocked me. It’s not that I didn’t think that would be her answer. I knew it was a possibility after she made that comment about wanting kids when we were at Frank’s house. But she said she needed more time to think about it, so I thought she’d need a year or two. I didn’t think she’d decide this soon. I hope this really is what she wants and she’s not going to change her mind later. But I don’t think she will. I know she’s given this a lot of thought and talked to her counselor about it.

All I can say is she’s made me a very happy man with that decision. And if she only wants one kid, that’s fine with me. It’s better to have one than none. Her timing is perfect, too. I thought she’d want to wait until she was 30 or even later than that, so when she said 25, I was relieved. To me, that’s the perfect age. Before I met Jade I would’ve said that’s way too young, but I’ve matured a lot the past year and by 25, Jade and I will have been married six years, so it seems like a good time to have a baby. That gives us plenty of time to just be a couple. Just the two of us, doing things like we’re doing today, spending the afternoon hanging out on our own private land.

“Garret, when should we build the house?” Jade’s gazing up at the sky, a blanket wrapped around her naked body.

We just had outdoor sex, one of my favorite kinds. Who am I kidding? They’re all my favorite kinds. But doing it outside in the cool fresh air is up there at the top of my favorites list.

“I thought you wanted to build it this spring.” I sit up and grab a bottle of water from the cooler, a blanket covering my lower half. “We should probably put clothes on in case someone drives by.”

I start getting dressed, but Jade remains under the blanket. “I’d only build it this spring if we planned to live here this summer. But we don’t have to do that. We could find another beach house to rent. We talked about doing that anyway.”

“That was when we thought Sean and Harper would be living next door. But now they’re not together, so would you still want to rent a place?”

“I think so. I’d like more time to plan the house. I don’t want to rush into building it and then wish we’d done something different. And now that we’ve added a kid to the equation, we need to plan for another room.”

“It’s just one room, Jade. It’s not that big a deal.” I hand her my water and she sits up just enough to take a sip, then hands it back to me.

“We should plan for more than one, even if we’re not sure yet. It’s too hard to add bedrooms later.”

“How many rooms would you like?” I set my water down.

“We should probably have three, for the three kids you might end up talking me into.”

Holy shit. She’s actually considering three? How’d we go from one to three? She seemed pretty adamant about only having one kid, but hey, if she’s open to three, all the better. I’ve always wanted three. I don’t really know why.

“Then three for the kids and a big master bedroom for us. What about the guests?”

“I’m not sure. What do you think?”

“A couple guest rooms should be plenty.”

“That’s only enough for Frank and Ryan. What if your dad was here, too? We wouldn’t have room.”

“My dad can stay at a hotel.”

“No, that’s no good. I want him here with us.” She sounds so determined it makes me laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“You. Worrying about having room for everyone. They don’t have to all stay at our house, Jade.”

“But I like having everyone around. And I don’t want your dad to not feel welcome.”

She’s so sweet. I don’t know how she ever forgave my dad for the way he treated her last year, but she has, and now she cares about him and worries about him almost as much as she worries about me.

“Then we’ll add another guest room for my dad. That’s six bedrooms plus the master. That’s plenty. If we add any more, the house will get too big and we agreed we didn’t want a huge house.”

“But what about Grace? What if all the rooms are full? She’ll have no place to stay.”

I laugh and lean down to kiss her. “Jade, chances are these people will never all be at our house at the same time. And if they are, then my dad can sleep on the couch. Or he can sleep in the same room as his grandkid. We’ll put an extra bed in there. Same with Lilly. She can bunk with one of her nieces or nephews.”

Jade bolts up. “I forgot about Lilly! We don’t have enough rooms.”

“Seven rooms. That’s it. No more.” I toss her bra and shirt at her. “Now get dressed in case someone drives by.”

She starts putting her clothes on under the blanket. “As long as we’re out this way, we should drive down to Santa Barbara and see Grace. I know we just saw her, but we’ve only been to her house once since she moved here.”

“Call her up and see if she’s around. Tell her we could be there later today.”

Jade finishes getting dressed, then calls Grace and makes plans to have dinner with her. I set up our lunch while she’s talking.

When she’s done on the phone, she says, “Too bad Grace doesn’t live closer to here. When we finally move here, I want to have her over a lot, especially since she loves this location so much.”

I hand Jade her sandwich and grab us each a soda. “You know what we should do?”

“What?” She takes the soda from me.

“Never mind. She’d never go for it.” I take the potato chip bag and set it between us.

“Go for what? Tell me what you were going to say.”

“A while back we talked about building a guest house here and I was just thinking it might be good to have Grace live in it, so she wouldn’t be living alone. I mean, she’d have her own place so technically she’d be living alone, but she’d have us right next door in the main house.” I take a bite of my sandwich.

Jade grabs my arm. “Garret, are you serious? Would you really do that?”

“Sure, why not? Grace gave us the land and she said she always wanted to live here. She could make a flower garden with that map she drew up.”

“That’s a great idea! I could have my grandma right next door.” Jade drops her sandwich and reaches over and hugs me. “I love you! You’re the best husband ever!”

I set my sandwich down and hug her back. “Guess I should’ve suggested this sooner. But do you think Grace would go for it? She likes being independent.”

“Which is why the guest house idea is perfect. She’ll have her own separate living space. She can spend time alone or she can hang out with us. But if she needs us, we’ll be right next door. I know she’s in good health now, but in a few years, she may not be. She needs to have family close by.” Jade sits back on her knees. “Before I say anything to her, are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Jade, I suggested it, so yes. Grace is more like a grandmother to me than my own grandmother. I’d be happy to have her live here with us.”

Jade hugs me again. “I’ll say it again. You’re the best husband ever! I love you.”

“I love you, too. Let’s finish lunch.” I whisper by her ear, “And then let’s have dessert.”

We do exactly that, except we wait an hour before having that dessert. We just lie there and enjoy the sun and then move on to dessert, which is code for Halloween sex. It’s not as hot out today as it was last time, so I put the chocolate bar on her bare stomach and then warm it with my mouth before licking it off. She likes that. A lot. I think we need to have Halloween sex more often. We’ll do it at home next time and I’ll have her wear her cheerleader costume.

Later, we drive down to Grace’s house. We probably should’ve given her more notice before coming over, but I knew she wouldn’t say no. She loves having us visit.

She takes us to dinner, and as we’re having dessert, Jade brings up the idea we discussed. “So, Grace, I wanted to ask you something. You don’t have to answer right away but I hope your answer is yes.”

Grace was eating her ice cream, but she sets her spoon down. “Go ahead, dear.”

Jade looks at me, then back at Grace. “As you know, Garret and I are going to build a house on that land you gave us and we’ve been talking about what the house would look like, how many bedrooms it would have—stuff like that. Anyway, we decided to also build a separate smaller house next to the main house.”

“Like a guest house?”

“Yes. Except the person living there wouldn’t just be a guest. It would be more of a permanent residence if this person agrees to it.” Jade smiles. “We want you to live there, Grace. We want to build you your own house next to ours. You can plant a flower garden, a vegetable garden, whatever you want.”

She pats Jade’s hand. “Oh, honey, I can’t live there. I have my own house. Several houses.”

“Those can be your vacation homes. You can visit them whenever you want. Grace, you said that you and Arlin always wanted to live on that land.”

“Well, yes, but that was different. That was when Arlin was alive. We had our dream for what we’d do with that land, and now that dream belongs to you and Garret. It’s part of your new life together. If I lived there, I’d just be in the way.”

“You wouldn’t be in the way,” Jade says. “If anything, I’ll be the one getting in your way. If you live that close, you know I’ll be stopping over all the time.”

“We have four acres, Grace,” I say. “We have plenty of room. If you want more privacy, we’ll put the guest house farther over on the property. It doesn’t have to be right next to ours.”

“It’s very kind of both of you to offer this to me, but I don’t feel right about it. I gave that land to the two of you. I don’t want to take up space on it. You should use it however you see fit.”

“This is how we want to use it,” Jade says. “We’re still going to build the guest house, so if you don’t want to live there, it’ll just have to sit empty. But you at least have to come stay for a few weeks throughout the year or spend the summers with us.”

Grace smiles, then sips her coffee. “Give me some time to think about it. You’re not building right away, are you?”

“No, probably in a year or two.”

“Then I have plenty of time to decide.” She goes back to eating her ice cream.

“There’s another reason I’d like you to live there. It’s kind of a selfish one but I’ll say it anyway.” Jade hesitates. I can tell she’s nervous so I reach over and hold her hand. “I was hoping maybe you could help out when Garret and I have a baby.”

Grace’s eyes widen. “Jade, are you—”

“I’m not pregnant. But maybe in a few years.” Jade glances at me and smiles, then looks back at Grace. “And I’ll need help when the baby comes. Since you’re a mom, I was hoping you could teach me some things.”

“Of course I will.” She rubs Jade’s arm. “I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”

“I’m going to need you for a really long time. I’m not very good with babies.”

“She thinks she’s not, but she is,” I say to Grace. “She’s really good with Sara’s baby.”

Jade turns to me. “No, I’m not. You’re the one who’s good with him.” She turns back to Grace. “You should see Garret with Caleb. He always makes Caleb laugh. The kid never cries when Garret’s around.”

Grace smiles at us. “You two will make wonderful parents. And you will be a wonderful mother, Jade.”

Jade looks down at her plate. I know she’s uncomfortable talking about this, so I’m surprised she even brought it up. But if she’s telling other people about us having kids, then I know she’s committed to this, which makes me even happier.

We head home after dinner because it’s getting late and we have a long drive back. Grace seemed better than the last time we saw her, but she still seems lonely. I hope she decides to live on our property. It’d be good for her and it would mean a lot to Jade to have her there. I’d like it, too. Grace is becoming more and more like a grandmother to me. She’s so different than my own grandmother. She’s warm and caring and actually listens when I talk. And I can tell her stuff and not have her judge or criticize me the way my own grandmother does.

When we get home, I check the house like I always do. I look for signs of a break-in, like an open window, misplaced furniture, a pillow that isn’t where we left it, and any other signs that someone might’ve been in the house. I don’t need to do this anymore, but I still do. I probably always will.

* * *

Tuesday morning I go to my first final. Jade stayed home because her first final isn’t until this afternoon. When I left, she was putting up more Christmas lights. Our whole place is covered in them. Every window, the bedroom ceiling, the two Christmas trees, the potted plants, the top of the dresser. Jade puts them everywhere and I love it. It gives the place a warm festive glow, and best of all, it makes Jade happy.

We won’t have much time to enjoy the lights because this Saturday we go back to Connecticut, this time for Christmas. We’re staying for a week. We considered staying a little longer than that but we wanted to leave before the big meeting started. Every year, the organization has their big end-of-the-year meeting. It lasts for the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s. Members fly in from all over. Even though I supposedly don’t have to worry about them anymore, I don’t want to stick around and risk running into them.

When we return from the holiday, Jade and I plan to stay home and relax for the rest of the winter break. We need some time to de-stress after all the shit that happened this past semester. But we did make plans for New Year’s. We’re driving down to LA to see Sean. We’ll see Harper, too, but we haven’t figured out when. With the two of them broken up, we have to split our time between them.

My morning final turns out to be easier than I thought it would be. Afterward, I go to the library to study, then eat lunch and take another final in the afternoon. I have five finals and they’re all crammed into Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Jade’s last final is Thursday, too. On Friday, I’m sure we’ll collapse from exhaustion. It’s only Tuesday and I’m already exhausted.

After my afternoon final, I walk to my car, feeling like my brain’s fried. I hate finals.

“Garret.” I turn and see Kiefer standing next to me. He must’ve snuck out from behind a tree or something. His hair’s a mess and it looks like he hasn’t shaved for a few days.

“What are you doing here, Kiefer? I told you I couldn’t meet with you.” I keep walking, heading to the parking lot.

He grabs my arm. “Please, Garret. I’m begging you. I just need a few minutes.”

I yank my arm back. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“It’s important.” He jumps in front of me. “You know what this is about, right?”

“Yes. And you know I can’t talk about it. Nobody can.”

“I know that. It’s just that I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to turn to. I got myself into this and now I don’t know if I can get out.”

I stop walking. “You’re already in it? I thought—”

“No, I’m not officially a member yet. That’s why I need to talk to you.”

“What do you mean when you say you want to get out? Like not become a member?”

“Yes. I don’t think I can do it.” He scratches his head, which messes up his hair even more. “I didn’t know what I was getting involved in, and now I’m in so deep I fear what they would do to me if I told them no.”

A couple guys walk past us, staring because Kiefer’s freaking out here. Or maybe they’re spies for the organization, watching us, listening to our conversation.

“Kiefer, I can’t do this.” I walk around him. “You’ll have to figure this out on your own.”

He follows me. “I need to know the truth. If I’m going to risk everything to try to get out of this, I need to know that my suspicions are correct and that this group isn’t who I thought they were.”

He keeps pace with me. We shouldn’t be out in the open like this. We’re at the parking lot now where anyone could see us.

“Garret, if you don’t help me, Harper’s life will be over. They already have someone picked for her.”

He needs to stop talking. I don’t want to know any of this. I just want to be left out of it. I spot my car and click the remote and quickly get inside.

Kiefer grabs hold of the car door before I can close it. “I just found out who it is. I don’t want my daughter with this man. They told me it would just be a sham marriage. Just for appearances. That she wouldn’t even have to live with him. But they lied. This man has had his eyes on Harper for months. He saw a photo of her and decided he wanted her. I think Harper was one of the reasons I was offered membership. I knew Roth never liked me, so I was surprised when he came out here last summer and officially asked me to join. Now I know why.”

“What does Roth have to do with this?”

“The man who wants Harper is Roth’s son, Andrew. He’s 40 and rich and spoiled. He doesn’t work. He just lives extravagantly and gambles away his father’s money. He uses women, then tosses them aside. He’ll never be faithful to Harper and—” He pauses, closing his eyes as a few tears run down his face. “He has a history of being abusive to women.”

Shit. Why did he have to tell me that?

I can’t get involved. I can’t involved. I repeat it in my head because getting involved could put Jade and me at risk. Doing so could get us on the organization’s radar again. It sounds like they really want Kiefer as a member and if they found out I was helping him get out, or even just talking to him about it, I could get in big trouble.

“Just tell them no,” I say, trying to close the door.

He steps in front of the door so I can’t close it. “If I do, they might kill me.”

I shake my head. “They won’t kill you. You have skills that they need.”

“They’ve already made it clear that any new recruit who tries to back out at this stage will be punished. But I don’t know what that means.”

New recruits? How many new people are they adding? I thought it was just Kiefer.

“Garret, I know you and Jade care about Harper. If you can just give me some advice.”

Shit! I hate this. What do I do? Save Harper? Even if it means risking Jade and me? I scan the parking lot. Nobody’s around.

“Get in. Back seat.” I click open the door. “Hurry up.”

My back windows are tinted so Kiefer won’t be seen. I start the car and drive onto the street, then turn and go down a side street and park. Hardly anyone goes down this street, but in case they do, I get my phone out and pretend I’m just sitting here making a call.

“Why did you want to be part of it?” I ask him.

“Because they offered me a lot of money. I’m talking hundreds of millions. And they offered me access to a medical clinic that is supposed to have advanced treatments that the public isn’t allowed to have. Kelly has a family history of breast cancer. There’s a good chance that she or one of my daughters could get cancer, and if they did, I was told this clinic would be able to help. Maybe even cure them.”

“I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think they have a cure for cancer. So the money and the clinic? That’s why you wanted to join?”

“They also promised me even greater success as a director. Not just money, but prestige. They even promised me an Academy Award.”

“But now you want out because of Harper.”

“Yes. But also because I found out this group is violent. I knew about the election fraud, but it didn’t bother me. I always assumed those things were rigged, so I had no problem making the fake videos and fake recordings. But I didn’t realize these people were criminals.”

“How do you know they are?”

“I did a video a few months ago to help boost poll numbers for Kent Gleason. You probably saw it on the news. It was a scene with Gleason saving a little boy on the beach. Anyway, the actress in the video figured out what was going on and threatened to tell the press. A member was there on the shoot that day and heard her say it. And just last week, I found out she was killed while jogging in the park. I know they did it. They had to get rid of her, just in case she decided to tell her story. Then a few weeks ago, when I told them I was having trouble getting Sean out of Harper’s life, they—”

“They what?” My anger keeps rising the more he talks.

“They sent some guys after him. They told Sean they’d kill him if he didn’t leave Harper alone. They beat him up and probably would’ve killed him that night if the police hadn’t driven by and stopped to see what was going on. Garret, I had no idea they took things this far. You have to tell me, are they always like this? Or were these just isolated incidents?”

I’m silent. He can figure out what that means. And he does.

He starts talking really fast. “I can’t be part of this. I need to get out. I need you to help me.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“You got out. How did you do it?”

Does he really not know? You’d think he would’ve put the pieces together and figured it out. He made the videos that ruined my reputation. Did he really think that was all because of the reality show? To make me less popular with the fans?

“I was never in it,” I tell him. “I didn’t need to get out.”

“I thought you were born into it.”

“The rules have changed. That’s why they’re letting you in.”

“Could you talk to your father for me? I’ve tried, but he just keeps giving me the sales speech, telling me it’s a privilege and an honor to be part of it.”

“He won’t listen to me. I’m sorry, Kiefer. I can’t do anything. And frankly, I’m pissed that you’re even here. You’re putting me at risk and you’re putting Jade at risk. You never should’ve come here. You need to get out of my car.”

“But what about Harper? And what if they go after Sean again?”

“Why do you care about Sean? I thought you hated the guy.”

“No, not at all. I think he’s a nice young man and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“So if you get out of this, you’ll let Harper date Sean again?”

“I would do more than let her. I’d encourage it. Since being with Sean, she’s never been happier.”

“Then why the hell did you go and fuck everything up?” I’m so angry I didn’t filter my words. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No. You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I got caught up in the money and the prestige and I fucked everything up.” He opens the car door just slightly. “I’m sorry that I just showed up like this. I’ll leave you alone. I don’t know what I was thinking coming here. I was just desperate. I sincerely hope I didn’t put you in any kind of danger. I won’t bother you again.” He quickly gets out of the car, then shoots over to the sidewalk and starts walking down the street.

I take off and turn down some side streets to make sure I’m not being followed. I’m not, so I head home.

Just when I told Jade this was over for good, Kiefer shows up and brings it all back to us. Shit.