Page 37 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

Gavin

The second Tina rounded the corner with Brystol, I jumped up from my seat, took a deep breath, and went to the only other table with a couple sitting at it.

“You look nervous,” Janice said as she stood.

“I am nervous. Are you ready to go?”

She gestured to her assistant, Dan. “We’re ready to go. Don’t worry, it’s all going to go as planned. Everyone’s already pulling up and parking. While you two are out on the deck, they’ll all come in and head to the room.”

I nodded as I wrung my hands together. “Everyone knows what to do?”

“Of course. Now, return to the table, take the shot I had sent over, and relax. It’s going to be magical. Look outside.”

I glanced out the windows to see snow falling.

Shooing me away, Janice said, “Go! We’re on a timeline with the sunset and all.”

“Right!” I said as I turned and hustled back to the table. Right on time, because Brystol rounded the corner and made her way over to me.

“Did you just do a shot?” she asked as she sat back down .

I laughed slightly. “Yeah, Toni Senior brought it out to me, so I thought, why not?”

She huffed. “God, I wish I could take a shot. When it’s time for me to drink again, this girl is having the biggest margarita ever!”

“I’ll be right there with ya, babe.”

A waitress we hadn’t seen yet walked up and set the garlic knots on the table. “Here you go. Enjoy!”

“Thank you,” we said together. Brystol immediately picked up her fork, stabbed a garlic knot, and put it on her small plate. She cut it in half and took a bite.

“Oh,” she moaned. “That’s good.”

I glanced out the window toward the sun before grabbing a garlic knot. It took everything I had to keep my hands from shaking. I took a bite and nearly moaned as well. Brystol was right; it was delicious.

We both ate two more before Janice approached. Brystol and I both glanced up at her.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”

Brystol wiped her mouth and smiled. “You’re not interrupting at all.”

Smiling back, Janice pointed outside. “It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful sunset…and I couldn’t help noticing you’re pregnant.”

When her cheeks turned pink, Brystol placed her hands on them. “Yep. I sure am.”

“You have such a beautiful glow, and that sweater dress is stunning. I’m a photographer, and I know it’s cold outside but…would you be willing to let me shoot a few pictures of you? It would be quick, and if we go now, hopefully, your food won’t come out just yet. ”

The food wouldn’t be coming out because I’d made sure of it.

Brystol glanced out the window then back at Janice. “Sure. Why not? It could be fun!”

“Wonderful! I’ll get my camera!”

Brystol stood, and I followed. A couple minutes later, the four of us were walking through the door and out to the deck. I was carrying our coats, and Dan put his and Janice’s over a chair.

“The light snow is going to make this even more beautiful,” Janice stated.

The view was breathtaking. The mountains in the back were covered with snow, and the lake was still mostly frozen over, but bits and pieces weren’t, the sun was hitting those spots on the water, making them shimmer.

She positioned Brystol a few different ways and took several pictures.

“Now, can you face the lake and let me get a behind shot? And then we’re done.”

“Sure,” Brystol said, turning and looking out toward the west. “My gosh, look at the sunset, Gavin. Have you ever seen it look so beautiful?”

I moved into position and got down on one knee, opening the ring box. My heart kicked at the memory of Denny helping me pick out the ring right before Christmas. It was an emerald-cut diamond with two round diamonds on either side, all set in a platinum band.

Janice was busy snapping pictures. “Okay, I’m going to keep shooting while you turn around on three. One. Two. Three! ”

Brystol turned—and sucked in a breath when she saw me. Her hands flew to her mouth…and she instantly started to cry.

“Brystol Marie Duggan, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife and the mother of our child?”

Her hands dropped, and she nodded. “Yes! Oh my gosh! Yes! ”

Leaning down, she cupped my face and kissed me. I stood, slipped the ring on her finger, then gave her a proper kiss.

“Let’s get a few photos of the happy couple before we all freeze to death!” Janice laughed.

She had us pose a few different ways together before she took pictures of the ring itself. When the last bit of sun fell below the mountains, she declared we had to go in or her hands were going to fall off.

“The door must have automatically locked,” Dan said, trying the handle. “We’ll have to walk around to the front door.”

I slipped Brystol’s coat on, and she pulled it tight as we walked around the deck. I reached for the door to the private room. “Actually, this one’s unlocked.”

“I don’t know if I can eat now.” Brystol giggled. “I’m so happy!”

Motioning for her to go in, I couldn’t hide my smile.

Everyone cried out the second she was in the room.

“Congratulations!”

Brystol let out a small yelp of surprise, then turned to me. “ You booked this room?”

I laughed. “Yes! I thought you’d have figured it out by now. ”

She threw herself into my arms and hugged me. “I love you, Gavin Quinn. This is the best day of my life!”

“For now,” I said as I drew back and winked. I gave her a quick kiss, took her coat off, and we were soon surrounded by our family and friends, all trying to get a look at the ring and offer their congratulations.

The rest of the evening was filled with good food, great conversation, and one very happy Brystol.

“Gavin!”

I closed my eyes and Declan laughed. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s either going to ask me to build something, or she is going to ask me to get her some kind of weird food combination.”

“If it were me, I’d be hoping for the food.”

I laughed. “You would think. But last week she asked me to blend meatloaf and mashed potatoes in the blender because the texture of the meat was making her feel sick. Let me just tell you, pouring that into a glass and watching the woman you love chug it…it’s not pretty. I almost threw up.”

Declan screwed up his face. “That sounds disgusting.”

“It was. And the way she downed it.” I shivered. “I feel like I’m going to throw up just thinking about it again.”

“Gavin!” Brystol called again.

“You better go; her voice went up a few octaves.”

I jogged up the steps and found Brystol in the nursery, on a ladder. “What in the hell are you doing? Brystol! You’re seven months pregnant! ”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I was trying to hang these curtains, but I’m afraid to go up any higher.”

I quickly made my way into the room and helped her off the ladder. “If you want anything hung up, just ask me, okay? I don’t want you on the ladder.”

Smiling, she reached up and kissed me. “I will. I thought I could do it, but I guess I’m bigger than I thought I was. My belly was getting in the way of climbing up.”

I laughed. Picking up the curtains, I looked them over. “How do they go up?”

“These little clips. I have them all attached to the curtain, you just need to slip the rod through them and get the curtains even on each side.”

“Need any help?” Declan asked as he made his way into the room.

Pointing to the other side of the room, I replied, “If you want to grab that step ladder and help.”

I climbed up the ladder, took the rod down, and slid the rings onto it. Declan grabbed the rod and we placed it back into the holders.

“Does it look even?” I asked Declan.

“What do you mean?”

“Like is your side spread out even like mine?”

Declan stared at me. “How in the hell would I know? I’m looking at it the same way you are.”

“The rings, are they spread out evenly, like mine are?”

He looked back at the curtain rod and adjusted some of the rings. It felt like it was taking forever.

“They don’t have to be exactly the same distance apart, Declan! ”

He huffed. “There, I think that’s even. Can you say yours is this evenly spaced?”

After looking at his then mine, I made a few adjustments on mine then asked, “How is that, Bry?”

When Brystol didn’t answer, I looked over my shoulder. “Brystol?”

“Is that bacon I smell?”

Sighing, I got off the ladder. “Good Lord, what is she making now?”

Declan folded up the step stool. “How long were we messing with the curtains that she had time to get downstairs and make bacon?”

“Never underestimate a pregnant woman.”

When we both walked into the kitchen, we came to an abrupt stop. Declan grabbed onto my arm as I stared at Brystol while she wrapped bacon around a pickle.

“Is she…is she?” Declan whispered. He let out a gasp as she took a bite. Turning, he rushed out of the kitchen.

“Brystol, you just made Declan run from the kitchen with your choice of snacks. He’s probably throwing up in our half bath as we speak.”

She looked at me with an innocent expression. “It’s good!” she replied, holding out the pickle. “Want some?”

I held up my hands. “I think I’ll pass, babe.”

Shrugging, she said, “You don’t know what you are missing out on.”

“I think I’ll take the chance.”

Declan walked back into the kitchen.

“You okay, dude?” I asked.

He nodded. “I’ve seen some terrible things during my time in the Marines, but nothing has ever made me hurl like the sight of a pickle wrapped in bacon.”

“You know what I’m craving for lunch.”

Declan whimpered.

“No telling,” I replied.

“Mac and cheese with lo mein.” She smiled. “Oh! And did you buy more mustard?”

I nodded.

We watched as Brystol cut a brownie, put it on a plate, then proceeded to squirt mustard on it.

“Dear God… why ?” Declan asked as I turned my head. I couldn’t watch.

“At least you didn’t have to watch her eat rice mixed with barbecue sauce.”

Declan turned to me, a look of pure horror on his face. “Oh, Harper is calling.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t hear your phone ringing.”

“She’s calling! Got to run!” Declan stated as he hightailed it out of the kitchen. When the front door slammed, I faced Brystol.

“Happy now? He will probably never come over for dinner again.”

She popped a piece of brownie into her mouth, then squirted Hershey’s syrup in like a chaser. “When did you get that?”

Winking, she replied, “When Declan took off running out of here, I got it out of the fridge.”

I slowly shook my head and made a mental note to talk to Dr. Lark about Brystol’s strange eating habits.

“Oh! Want to get stromboli tonight?”