Page 2 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

Gavin

Present Day

I sat in my patrol car and stared out the window at Memory Lane. One quick look at my watch told me she would walk up at any second. And bingo. There she was.

Right on time, Brystol Duggan, the owner of Memory Lane Toys, walked down Main Street holding a cup of coffee I knew she’d gotten from Timeless Cup, a coffee shop down the street from the toy store.

Brystol waved to a couple walking their dog and stopped to chat with them for a few moments before she unlocked the front door of the toy shop and slipped inside.

The knock on my window caused me to jump, and I turned to see Declan Gallagher standing there, a shit-eating grin on his face. I rolled the window down.

“What are you doing?” Declan asked.

“I’m sitting in my patrol car. What does it look like I’m doing?”

He glanced across the street and then back to me. “Were you watching the toy store?”

I laughed. “No.”

Declan raised a brow. “No? ”

“No, Declan, I wasn’t. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be closing on the house today?”

He and his fiancée, Harper, who owned Crazy Daisies flower shop, were buying a house by the lake.

He smiled. “We close at noon. So, do you want to tell me why you’re spying on Brystol?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m dating Cindy, and I’m not the least bit interested in Brystol. She’s a pain in my ass.”

Declan leaned into the open window of my car. “You keep telling yourself that, but here I find you staring at her from across the street.”

“I was eating the breakfast I got from Cadie’s this morning, that’s why I’m parked here.”

“What did you get?” Declan asked, looking into the car and seeing the bag from Batter Up Bakery.

“I got a slice of banana nut bread and a cupcake for later.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll let you return to enjoying your breakfast…and view.”

“Go to hell, Declan.”

“Been there before, not a pleasant place.” He pushed off the car and laughed as he entered the bakery.

Declan had been a Marine Raider, which was kind of like a Navy SEAL but the Marine Corps version. I had no doubt in my mind he’d seen some terrible things.

“Christ,” I whispered. “What are you doing, Gavin?”

My cell buzzed on the seat next to me, and I reached down to see it was one of my best friends, Denny McCain.

I went to high school with him, and we’d been friends, but not like we were as adults.

We’d grown close since he moved back to Moose Village with his wife, Evelyn, whom he’d dated since high school.

The only problem was, Evelyn and Brystol were also best friends as well. Which made it uncomfortable when we all hung out together…since Brystol hated my guts for some unknown reason.

I picked up my phone and read the text.

Denny: Are you free to come over for dinner tonight?

Me: I am. Just need to see if Cindy has any plans.

Cindy was a woman I’d been seeing off and on for the last couple of months. She was sweet, but I didn’t see a future with her, which I’d been open and honest about. Luckily, she felt the same way, so we were just having fun dating.

Denny: Actually, would you mind if it was just you?

Frowning, I stared at my phone. A sinking feeling of dread washed through me as a million things raced through my mind.

Why would Denny and Evelyn want to speak to me alone?

My thoughts drifted to Hope and Liam Turner.

Hope was battling cancer, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something equally as devastating might be wrong with either Denny or Evelyn.

Me: Is everyone okay?

Denny: Yeah, we’re fine. We just need to talk to you about something important.

Me: I’ll be there. What time?

Denny: Seven sound okay?

Me: See you then.

I set my phone back down, gave the toy shop one more look, started my car, and drove away. Of course, as I passed the shop, that asshole guy Denny had introduced Brystol to walked into the store .

“Roger Lodger. What in the hell kind of name is that? His parents must have wanted a girl.”

I turned down Walnut Street and out toward the lake without looking at the toy store again.

James was also on patrol today, and I knew he was taking the other side of town.

A quick drive around the lake would do me good.

I rolled the windows down and turned up my radio, pushing all thoughts of Brystol out of my head.

Before I could even get to the front door, Denny opened it. He had a beer in his hand and a smile on his face.

“Well, hell, I like this kind of greeting.” I laughed as I took the offered beer.

“Thanks for coming over tonight,” Denny said, patting me on the back. “Evelyn is in the kitchen.”

I followed him through the house and into the kitchen, where I instantly stopped when I saw Brystol standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned when she saw me.

I winked, and she rolled her eyes and turned back to the pot. I walked to the island and set my beer down. “Wasn’t expecting you here tonight, Brystol.”

“I would say it’s a pleasure to see you, but I’d be lying.”

Laughing, I shook my head and slid onto a barstool. “Need me to do anything?”

“Nothing at all,” Evelyn stated, as she pulled garlic bread out of the oven. “I hope you don’t mind we’re having spaghetti. Of course, we’re using Brystol’s homemade sauce she made last spring. ”

I wasn’t about to admit I loved Brystol’s pasta sauce, so I kept my mouth shut.

“How about you help me set the table?” Denny said, handing me the plates. “We’re eating in the dining room.”

Taking them from him, I replied, “Sure thing.”

I glanced around and tried not to let nerves get the best of me. Denny and Evelyn both seemed way too happy to be delivering bad news, but with just me and Brystol here, whatever they wanted to talk about must be important.

Back in the kitchen, Evelyn was just pouring the noodles into a bowl next to the cut garlic bread.

“Come make a plate!” she said, a broad smile on her face.

Brystol avoided looking at me at all costs, which wasn’t anything new. We’d had dinner with Denny and Evelyn plenty of times and managed not to kill each other, but something about tonight felt different…and I had a feeling I was the only one in the dark.

Once we were all seated, Evelyn poured wine into everyone’s glasses. It was her favorite wine, too, I noted.

“Are we celebrating something?” I asked, picking up the wine and taking a small sip.

Denny and Evelyn exchanged looks, then both of them glanced at Brystol.

Holy shit. What if this has to do with Brystol and that jerk she’s dating? No, no way. They’ve only been dating a couple of months.

“Why do I have a feeling I’m missing something?” I asked, glancing around the table.

Brystol cleared her throat, reached for her wine, and almost downed the entire glass .

Evelyn spoke first. “A few months back, Denny and I asked Brystol to do something for us.”

I looked at Brystol, but she focused on her spaghetti, spinning her fork in the noodles.

“Okay,” I said. “What was it?”

Denny set his fork down. “As you both know, Evelyn and I have been trying to have a baby, with no luck. We finally learned several months back that Evelyn can’t carry a child. She can get pregnant, but her body keeps rejecting the baby. We’ve had six miscarriages.”

I felt my body deflate. “I’m so sorry, guys. I had no idea.”

Evelyn reached for Denny’s hand. “We were given some options. One was adoption…and another was a surrogate.”

“A surrogate?” I asked.

Evelyn nodded. “Yes. It would be Denny’s sperm and my egg, but we would have another woman carry the child for us.”

My eyes went wide. “Wow, that’s crazy. Have you found someone willing to do this for you?” I couldn’t help but think whoever it was, they were sacrificing a lot to do this for Evelyn and Denny.

I didn’t have to wonder who it was for long.

“We did.” Denny glanced at Brystol. She was still staring at her plate of food, and I was pretty sure she hadn’t taken a single bite. “We asked Brystol. She told us in August that she’s on board.”

Turning my body fully toward her, I slowly shook my head. “Brystol?”

She looked up, and our eyes met. I wasn’t sure if Evelyn and Denny saw the fear in her eyes, but I sure as hell did .

Forcing a smile, she spoke. “I took the time to think about it, spoke to my family and some close friends, and decided I wanted to do this for Denny and Evelyn.”

A part of me winced inside at her mention of “close friends.” I knew I wasn’t one of them, but I sure as hell wanted to be.

I wanted a lot more than friendship.

I shook my head again. I wasn’t sure what to say. One part of me thought it was amazing she’d do something like this for our best friends…but the other part thought it was a mistake.

I wasn’t about to say anything in front of Evelyn and Denny. I wasn’t even sure why I thought it was a mistake.

“Wow, that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear tonight…but congratulations to you both. When will this happen?”

Evelyn and Denny both smiled. Evelyn said, “Well, after Brystol said yes, she had to go through a medical and psychological screening, and then she went through a mock cycle that followed what would happen with the embryo transfer.”

Confused, I asked, “A mock cycle?”

Brystol explained, “The mock cycle is to evaluate my uterine lining with the medications they’ll be giving, to prepare the uterus for implantation of the embryo.”

“Wow. I’m not sure what to say.”

“I started the medication in August and have been taking it for almost a month now,” Brystol added. “They’ll take one or two of the embryos and place them inside of me.”

I forced myself to smile. “And when does that happen?” I asked.

Brystol looked at Evelyn and Denny, and whispered, “Monday. ”

“If it works, the embryo will begin to implant in two to three days after the transfer. They’ll do a blood test ten to fourteen days later, which will let us know if Brystol is pregnant,” Evelyn said, wiping a tear from her eye.

Brystol reached for Evelyn’s hand. “It will work, Eve.”

She nodded. “I know. I know.”

Denny looked at me. “We wanted you to know, Gavin, because, like Brystol, you’ll play a major role in our child’s life. We would love for you and Brystol to be the baby’s godparents.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I couldn’t find the words to speak.

“It would be an honor to be the baby’s godparents, wouldn’t it, Gavin?” Brystol prodded.

Nodding, I focused on Evelyn and Denny. “Yes, of course. An honor.”

I slowly turned my head and glanced at Brystol. She was staring at me…and I would have given everything I owned to know what she was thinking in that moment.