Page 33 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

“When they first moved back to Moose Village. I knew of her and Denny from school, but we didn’t hang out. She came into the toy store, looking for a gift for Denny.”

Gavin smiled. “Legos?”

I laughed. “Yes. We got to talking and hit it off.”

We pulled up to the gate and sat there for a moment .

“Did you forget the code?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. It’s just…they won’t be here. When we walk through that door, they won’t be home.”

I took his hand in mine. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled. Gavin rolled down the window and punched in the code. We watched as the gate opened then slowly drove in.

After parking in front of the house, we got out. The wind was blowing, and I looked up at the gathering clouds. “It’s supposed to snow.”

“Yeah,” Gavin said, as he made his way around his car. He took my hand, and we walked to the front door. “Do you remember the alarm code?”

I pulled out my phone and looked in my notes. “It’s 7790.”

Gavin unlocked the door, and we instantly heard the alarm beep. He typed in the code as I shut the door.

We stood silently in the large, open foyer that looked directly into the living room. A huge wall of windows looked out over the snow-covered mountain range and Moose Lake below.

“It still doesn’t feel real that they’re gone,” I said softly as I made my way slowly into the living room. The house was spotless. Not a single thing out of place.

“Evelyn always was a neat freak,” Gavin stated, a fond smile on his face.

Laughing lightly, I took off my coat and laid it over the back of the sofa as I replied, “I was just thinking how nothing’s out of place.”

Gavin also removed his coat and put it over mine before heading through the formal dining room and into the kitchen. “I bet you could use a beer right about now. ”

I nodded as I took the small bottle of orange juice Gavin grabbed from the refrigerator instead. “Thank you.”

After cracking it open, I took a long sip then set it on the island in the middle of the kitchen. All the cabinets were white with black pulls, and the countertops were gray and white granite. I’d never noticed the specks of sparkles in the granite until then.

With a long sigh, I walked over to the French doors overlooking the backyard. Come spring, flowers would bloom in the gardens Evelyn had adored.

I finally asked Gavin the question I’d been thinking about since we left the law office: “Do you think they would have wanted us to raise the baby in this house?”

“I’m not sure. The house is beautiful, but it must take a fortune to keep it up.”

I sighed and then said, “I agree. And honestly, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable here.” Turning, I looked at Gavin. He was leaning against the island, drinking water. “What about you?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not that it holds too many memories; it’s more that Evelyn and Denny wanted this. It’s not what I want.”

“Me either. I love my little house.”

Pushing off the island, he set his water down and made his way over to me. He pulled me into his arms and held me while I closed my eyes and relished the comfort he provided.

“Bry, talk to me about what you’re feeling. About the baby.”

I turned my head and buried my face against his chest. I drew in his scent—bergamot, with a touch of something else I couldn’t put my finger on. When I pulled back, I looked up at his handsome face.

“I’m scared. I feel guilty. I’m sad.” I shook my head and blinked back more tears.

Gavin pushed a piece of hair behind my ear, leaned down, and kissed my forehead. “I feel the same way. It doesn’t feel…fair.”

“They wanted this baby so badly, Gavin.”

He ran his hands over my back lightly.

“They never even got to find out if it was a boy or a girl. They could have…did you know that?”

“How?” he asked.

“They took blood and said they could find out the sex that way. But Evelyn wanted to find out the traditional way. She said it felt too cold to find out through bloodwork. I wish she would have found out.”

He reached up and brushed a tear from my cheek. “She’ll know, Bry. They’ll both know, and they’ll both be watching as the baby grows up.”

I buried my face in his chest again and let go of the sobs I was attempting to hold back.

When I finally had no more tears, I stepped away and wiped my face. “I should read her letter.”

Gavin closed his eyes, and a pained expression crossed his face.

“You should read Denny’s.”

He frowned, and I could see the battle behind his eyes. “If I read it, then it makes it all so fucking real. And I don’t want it to be real.”

I took his hand in mine and brought it to my lips .

He closed his eyes again and nodded. “Should we read them in private?”

My chest felt as if someone was trying to reach inside and rip it in half. I drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, hoping the pain would ease. “Maybe.”

We both looked around. For what, I didn’t know.

Denny and Evelyn shared an office, but she also had a reading room where she’d go and lose herself in whatever book she happened to be enjoying at the time.

She had an eclectic taste in books—romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical.

It just depended on her mood on any given day.

“I’ll go to her reading room,” I whispered.

Gavin nodded. “I think I’ll head up to his gaming room.”

Before we went our separate ways, Gavin kissed me. “I love you, Bry. And I’ll make you the same promise I’ve already made to Denny and Evelyn. I will love this baby with my whole heart.”

I couldn’t find the words to speak, so I hugged him tightly. When we broke apart, Gavin turned and headed out of the kitchen. I walked back to the living room, took the letter out of my coat pocket, and made my way to the small reading room, next to Denny and Evelyn’s bedroom.

When I walked through the door, I came to an abrupt halt.

“Oh my God,” I whispered as I crossed the threshold.

All of the bookshelves were gone. The room had been painted a light yellow.

A rocking chair sat next to the large picture window with a view of the mountains and lake.

Several boxes sat next to it, and when I bent to look at them, I realized one was a bassinet.

I looked at another box, which was from a baby boutique in New York City.

Another was from a store in New Jersey …

I put a hand to my mouth and forced myself not to cry when I realized what these were. They were from Evelyn and Denny’s shopping trip to New York City.

Evelyn’s neighbor had called me yesterday and said packages were delivered to the house, and her husband had brought them in. They’d been gathering Evelyn and Denny’s mail and watering the indoor plants while they were gone and continued doing so after learning about their deaths.

“Oh, Evelyn,” I said, as I dropped to my knees and picked up another package. It was much smaller than the others. I opened it and pulled out a tiny pink and yellow jumper. There was a note inside, and I unfolded it and read it out aloud.

“I know you said you didn’t care if it was a boy or girl, but the way you looked at this jumper, I had to send it to you as a personal gift from me. Congratulations on the baby, Evelyn and Denny. Happy New Year! Love, Alice. Owner of Sweet Pea Boutique, Alpine, New Jersey.”

Had they been to this store the day they died?

Clutching the jumper, I stood once again and glanced around the room. I couldn’t help but laugh softly when I saw one of the boxes was a changing table.

“You just couldn’t wait for the baby shower, could you, Eve?” I whispered, as I walked over and looked at the box. A few others sat next to it, all from different stores in New York City. When I glanced up, I saw a note taped to the wall on my left. I walked over and read…

“Talk to Bry and see if she knows anyone who can paint a mural on this wall. Maybe something woodsy, with animals. Bunnies, fox, deer. ”

I ran my finger along the written words, fresh tears falling. “Evelyn, why did this happen to you? Why? ”

Dropping my hand, I stared at the note for the longest time. My body felt numb. Then, as if knowing I needed something to break the spell, a flutter tickled my stomach.

My hand instantly went to it, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Turning, I left the room that used to be Evelyn’s library and would have been the baby’s nursery. I walked into Evelyn and Denny’s bedroom and glanced around.

A king-size bed sat in the middle of the room and faced the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

The blinds were up, and the view was gorgeous.

I’d seen it a hundred times, but for some reason, today, the beauty of the mountains took my breath away.

I walked over to the bench at the end of the bed, sat, and studied the envelope in my hand.

With a deep breath, I opened it and took out the single sheet of folded paper. I smiled when I saw Evelyn’s handwriting.

My Dearest Brystol,

If you’re reading this letter, something has happened to both Denny and me.

First, please don’t cry. I know in my heart of hearts we’re in a better place and will be looking down on you, Gavin, and our beloved child.

I hope this is years and years after I’ve written this letter, but in case it isn’t, and you’re tasked with raising our child, I know you’ll make a wonderful mother to him or her.

After all…you gave them life. Do not feel guilty.

Do not feel sad. You gave us the greatest gift I could have ever asked for…

a child. It’s something I know I’ve thanked you for time and time again, but I’ll never be able to truly put how thankful I am into words .

If God chooses to take Denny and me before we can meet our baby, I need you to know that I trust you, Brystol, to raise our little miracle as if she or he is your own.

I always knew that someday you and Gavin would end up together and have kids of your own, and it warms my heart to know that my child will get to watch that love flourish as she or he grows up.

I know the two of you will raise the baby with just as much love, and that’s all we could ever ask for.

Again, if we both pass before the baby is born…

please tell them about us. Show them pictures and tell them stories.

Teach them how to garden and tell them their father was crazy for Legos.

Explore the world with them, Brystol. Take them to Italy, Ireland, and all the places you used to tell me you wanted to go.

When they grow up, they don’t have to be a lawyer or a doctor…

my hope is they follow their heart and do what makes them happy.

My true hope is you never have to read this letter at all.

However, if you do, I need you to know I love you, Brystol.

I might not always show it, but I will forever be thankful for our friendship and your selfless act of helping us bring our child into this world.

You are more than a best friend to me; you are my sister, and the only woman in this world I would ever trust with my miracle baby.

The house is yours to use as you see fit. Live here, sell it—the choice is yours.

Kiss my little miracle every day for me. Promise me that, Bry. Tell him or her that I loved them so much, and that when they look up, I’ll always be looking down on them.

With all my love,

Ev e

I gently folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and set it on the bench. Placing my hands on my stomach, I closed my eyes. “I promise to do everything you asked of me. I promise, Eve.”

When I opened my eyes and looked out the window, I smiled. Tears tolled gently down my face as a ray of light broke from the clouds and shined right into the middle of the lake.

I knew it was Eve. And I knew everything would be okay.