Page 35 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

Brystol

I set the plate of cake balls I ordered from Cadie in the middle of the table.

“Okay, everyone, grab the color of your guess!” I said with a wide smile.

My mother and Nick grabbed pink, while my father and Rachel grabbed blue.

“Oh!” I said, putting a hand to my stomach.

“Moving around a lot?” my mother asked with a huge smile. I hadn’t been the least bit worried about how our parents would respond to the news of me and Gavin being the legal guardians. It was honestly a no-brainer, and no one would have been surprised by Evelyn and Denny’s decision.

“He or she,” I replied with a wink, “has been moving a lot since dinner. I think they liked the salmon.”

“I know I did,” Gavin stated, as he grabbed both a blue and a pink ball.

“Oh my gosh! It’s twins!” Rachel cried and jumped out of her seat.

Gavin looked confused for a moment, then he frantically shook his head. “No! It’s not! It’s just one baby. ”

Rachel’s smile instantly faded, and she shot her son a dirty look. “What a cruel trick to play on us.”

He jerked his head around to look at me, and I shrugged while everyone else laughed. “You were holding both, so…”

Rolling his eyes, Gavin set them both down on his plate. “I wanted one of each. They’re different flavors.”

“Oh really? What flavors?” Nick asked.

Pointing them out, I replied, “The blue is chocolate chip, and the pink is orange-vanilla.”

“Damn,” my father whispered. “I should have picked pink.”

I walked over and joined Gavin when he rose from his seat. We held hands and looked at four pairs of anticipating eyes.

“Thank you for understanding that we didn’t want to make this a big gender reveal,” I started.

Gavin nodded. “It was important for us to share this with you four because…well…you’ve been there for us and have given some wonderful advice. And since you’re the grandparents, it only made sense to tell you guys first.”

“This has been a crazy roller coaster of emotions, but we’re going to get the best gift we could’ve ever received.”

My mother wiped a tear away and smiled as she nodded.

My father took her hand and kissed it. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them.

When I glanced at Rachel and Nick, my heart swelled with love to see their arms wrapped around each other.

I would consider myself lucky if Gavin and I were half as happy and in love as our parents.

Gavin walked over and grabbed the ultrasound photos and held them up, images facing away from our parents. Both moms let out a few oohs and ahhs .

I took Gavin’s hand, and we exchanged a smile before I said, “We’d like to introduce you to…”

All four leaned forward, and it took everything I had not to start laughing. There was no doubt that this little girl would be so loved.

“Brystol Marie Duggan!” my mother warned.

I felt the tears building. I closed my eyes. Thank you, Eve and Denny. We will love her with our whole hearts.

Opening my eyes, I drew in a breath and exhaled. “We’d like to introduce you to Lily Rae. Lily was the name Evelyn wanted if it was a girl, and Ray was what Denny wanted for a boy. We changed the spelling to R-A-E.”

Our mothers were on their feet, tears on their cheeks as they made their way to us. My father waited patiently as Rachel and Nick hugged and congratulated me. I smiled as he walked over.

“My baby girl is having a little girl.”

I lost the battle to keep my tears at bay.

“Hey, no. None of that now. This is a time to be happy.”

I buried my face in his chest and breathed in the familiar scent of my daddy’s Old Spice. My father’s simplicity nearly made me laugh. My mother said the moment he found out they had a body wash, he bought it.

His hand moved slowly up and down my back, just like he used to do when I was a little girl and upset.

“Shh. Don’t cry, my sweet angel.”

“I’m trying not to, Dad! I just can’t help but feel guilty for being so happy.”

He drew back and looked at me. “I know it’s hard to think about Evelyn and Denny being gone and never knowing their daughter, but you are making her, Brystol. She’s a part of you too. ”

Reaching up, he wiped my tears away. Only then did I realize everyone had left the dining room, and it was just the two of us.

“Are you still going to therapy?” he asked, taking my hand and motioning me to sit back down.

“Yes. Gavin is going as well.”

He nodded.

“I don’t want to feel like this the rest of my life, Dad. I don’t want Lily to look at me and see the guilt on my face for loving her.”

“She won’t. You’ll make sure Evelyn and Denny are a part of her life, angel. She’ll grow up loving them because you and Gavin loved them.”

I blinked a few times. “That was beautiful, Daddy.”

He smiled. “You haven’t called me Daddy in a long time.”

Shrugging, I replied, “Sometimes a girl needs her daddy.”

“And I’ll always be here for you, Brystol. Always. And your mother and I, Rachel and Nick, will also be here for Lily Rae. We’ve got the three of you.”

I let out a soft laugh. “Thank you. Things are moving at warp speed, but I can’t complain.”

“He loves you very much, you know that, right?”

Nodding, I whispered, “I know.”

“I think that boy has been in love with you for some time now, and you with him.”

My cheeks warmed as I blushed.

My father stood, lightheartedly chuckling. “Come on, let’s rejoin everyone else before your mother comes and gets us. ”

We joined everyone else in the living room, where I snuggled up on the sofa with Gavin as our parents shared stories of us when we were little. The love in the room felt like a warm blanket, and I knew in my heart of hearts that Evelyn and Denny were sitting right here with us.

“Okay, be careful. Don’t hit the edge of the doorjamb,” Aurora said as she guided me into Lily’s room.

“Stop trying to lead the way, Gavin!” James said. “God, I’d hate to be a woman dancing with you.”

I laughed as Aurora brought me to a stop.

“I’m not trying to lead,” Gavin argued.

James snorted, and I could feel Gavin come up next to me. “There. You’re next to Brystol now.”

“Can we look?” I asked.

“No!” James and Aurora said at the same time.

“Geesh. Are you sure the two of you aren’t dating?”

I could just imagine Aurora’s face. It would be crinkled up in disgust, while James was probably making some rude gesture to her.

“Stop doing that, James!” Aurora said.

Fumbling at my side, I found Gavin’s hand, and we laced our fingers together.

“Okay. On the count of three, you can take off the blindfolds.”

“Wait,” Gavin said. “Do we take them off on three or after three?”

“Did you seriously just ask that question?” James asked. “Like, seriously? How did you manage to make it through the police academy? ”

Squeezing his hand, I said, “I thought it was a good question. That second could matter.”

I heard Aurora sigh. “When I say three, you can take them off.”

“For the love,” James whispered.

“Specifics, Bob!” Gavin cried out.

“Jesus, have you been watching Phenomenon again?” James groaned.

“We just watched that last night,” I said with a smile.

“He was obsessed with that movie.”

“Wait,” Aurora said. “Were you even born when that movie came out?”

“Came out the year I was born,” Gavin said. “I’ve watched every movie that came out the year I was born.”

Turning toward him, even though I couldn’t see him, I asked, “Are you serious? Why?”

“Because he’s a freak!” James said. “Can we get on with this?”

“Why are you so anxious for them to see it? I’m the one who painted it,” Aurora said.

“Excuse me,” James said. “I painted the rest of the room and put the furniture together.”

I heard a thud, and then James cried out, “You almost hit my junk!”

“I know! I was aiming for it, you idiot! That was a surprise.”

Gavin sighed. “Thank God! I wasn’t looking forward to putting all of it together.”

“Gavin,” I scolded.

“I wasn’t! Did you see all the pieces of that crib? What in the hell was Denny thinking when he ordered that thing? ”

A loud whistle caused me and Gavin to jump.

“I really hate it when you do that, Aurora,” I whispered.

“It gets your attention. Now stop talking, will you?”

Gavin squeezed my hand as I bounced on my toes. “I’m ready!”

“Okay, here we go!”

The excitement in Aurora’s voice caused my heart to beat faster.

“One. Two. Three!”

I ripped my blindfold off—and gasped at the sight before me.

“Holy. Shit. I didn’t know you could paint like this, Aurora!” Gavin declared.

Smiling, I took in the mural in front of me. It was beautiful…and familiar.

“It’s the view from the nursery at Evelyn and Denny’s house,” I said softly.

“What?” Gavin asked, putting an arm around me.

The mountains were in the background, the tips covered in snow.

The forest of trees gave a slight peek at Moose Lake in the distance.

Deer, foxes, rabbits, birds, coyotes, bears, and, most importantly, moose were sprinkled throughout the forest. There was even a stream, where some of the animals were getting a drink. It was so precious and whimsical.

In the corner of the room was the crib, set up with a sage-green fabric dropped down from the ceiling to drape over it.

The changing table was in the middle of one wall, and near the crib was a rocking chair.

Next to it was a small bookshelf, ready for books.

The other side of the room held a dresser painted the same sage-green as the draped fabric.

By the mural wall was a pink teepee with stuffed animals and pillows inside.

“Oh my gosh, the teepee!”

“That was my idea,” James said. “I saw it in a magazine and thought it was cute.”

Gavin and I both turned to gape at James. Before I could say anything, Gavin said, “You bought it in blue, didn’t you?”

James blushed. “I did. When I found out you were having a girl, I ordered a pink one.”

“Did you send the blue one back?” Aurora asked.

James shrugged. “No. I kept it.”

My mouth twitched, and it took everything I had not to laugh.

“Aww, are you going to play inside the teepee, bro?”

“Fuck you, Gavin.”