Over the sounds of Riley's strumming and bacon sizzling, I heard Gavin and my parents talking. Surprisingly, I heard my dad let out a mighty laugh. Gavin must be just as charming as his son-something else that ran in the gene pool. Lord help the female population if Kellan and I have a boy one day, I thought.
When the food was almost done, Gavin appeared in the archway that separated the dining room from the living room. He beamed as he looked over his three children. When he met my eye, I gave him a wide smile, happy that he was getting to experience the second chance with Kellan that he'd begged for. I knew all about the blessing of second chances, since Kellan had given me one as well. I nodded at Gavin as he sat in a chair next to Riley.
Riley glanced over at him. "Did you hear that, Dad? I finally got that section right!"
Gavin's prideful smile shifted to his youngest son. "Excellent! You're on your road to stardom already." His eyes shifted to Kellan. "Same as your big brother."
Riley returned to the instrument, but Gavin kept his eyes locked on Kellan. Lowering his voice, I heard him ask, "Can I speak with you a moment?"
Kellan's expression instantly turned guarded, but he nodded and indicated the hallway. Kellan gave me a kiss on the cheek as he walked by, then he disappeared with his father around the corner. I looked back at Hailey, but she only shrugged; she didn't know what Gavin wanted to tell him.
Finished with the melon, I hurriedly plopped the pieces into a bowl, then wiped the juice off of my hands with a towel. Curious, I left the kitchen and followed them.
Kellan and his father were just around the corner, near the doorway that held the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom. Standing close to Kellan, I heard Gavin say, "I didn't want to discuss this in front of Hailey and Riley, but-" He stopped talking when he noticed me. Kellan glanced up and gave me a brief smile, so I felt okay to walk over to him. Gavin looked unsure if he should speak with me nearby, but Kellan nodded at him to continue. "Um, well, Martin and Caroline told me about your visitor earlier. They said she was . . . sort of blackmailing you?"
Kellan sighed while my cheeks heated. Gavin looked between the two of us. "Is everything okay?"
Kellan grit his jaw and tightened his fists; his knuckles turned white. "Yeah, it's fine. This . . . is nothing. I'll take care of it before I leave tomorrow."
My heart dropped that Kellan was leaving so soon. I couldn't join him just yet. My parents were still in town for a few more days, and I had a job that I needed to quit. Pete had been good to me, so I wanted to do it right this time and give him a full two weeks' notice. I also had promised my flighty sister that I would go to her next doctor's appointment with her. So unfortunately, Kellan was returning to Los Angeles without me. But first, he was going to have to meet up with that . . . woman. Bitch.
Chapter 3: Honesty
Gavin and his children stayed at our house all afternoon. We spent the bulk of the sunny day playing board games in the living room; Hailey cleaned up in Monopoly, my dad kicked everyone's butt at Scrabble, and Kellan and I dominated at Pictionary, which sort of surprised me since I had no talent in drawing. Kellan was just an exceptionally good guesser.
By the time evening rolled around, Kellan seemed perfectly at ease with his newfound family, and the earlier incident with Joey was pushed to the back of everyone's minds. That was when my burgeoning-with-life sister showed up, baby-daddy in tow.
Without any sort of warning, Kellan's front door burst open and slammed back against the wall. I jumped off my seat, my heart thudding in my chest. Everyone's attention snapped to the entryway. I was positive that we were being attacked, and that a swarm of policemen were about to blaze into the room, weapons drawn.
Standing, Kellan protectively stepped in front of me. That's when Kellan's blond jackass of a bassist sauntered through the door. Relaxing when he realized who was here, Kellan glowered at his band mate. "Griffin? You ever heard of knocking?"
Griffin sniffed and tucked his chin-length hair behind his ears. "We're family, dude, I don't need to knock."
I sighed, not sure if Kellan could argue that point or not-not since Griffin had impregnated my sister. He really was family now. Lord help me.
Kellan opened his mouth to try and argue anyway, but Anna stepped through the door after Griffin and soundly smacked him across the back of the head. "Neanderthal," she muttered.
Mom and Dad rose from the couch to greet Anna. Dad's expression darkened as he examined his grandchild's father. By the way Dad looked at Griffin, I was sure that Kellan was suddenly perfect in comparison, the "golden" son-in-law who could do no wrong.
Recovering from the shock of Griffin's surprise entrance, I joined my parents in greeting my sister. Anna was one of the most beautiful women I knew. Her face dropped men to their knees; her body made boys follow her around like lovesick puppies. Even pregnant, her curvy figure still drew men's eyes. She had impossibly silky hair that rippled when she walked and eyes that were so green it was almost hard to stop staring into them. She was a knockout, and growing up with her perfection hadn't always been easy. But I was starting to be more comfortable in my own skin, and for once her absurd good looks didn't send a zing of jealousy up my spine. No, all I felt when I hugged her tight was happiness to see her. Even if she had brought the Neanderthal with her.
"Hey, sis." As I pulled back, my eyes roved over the clingy maternity top she was wearing. I wasn't sure how my sister had managed to find such provocative pregnancy clothes, but nearly everything she owned was designed to show off her ample cl**vage. Griffin must be in hog heaven. God, I really hated having thoughts like that.
Anna was in the adorably cute stage of pregnancy, just rolling into her fourth month. She wasn't throwing up nearly as much anymore, and her energy level was returning. Not that you would know that by the way she waddled when she walked; Anna played up her condition whenever she got the chance. But I knew she was more active than she let on. I was pretty sure her evening with Griffin had been particularly athletic.
Anna looked over to where Gavin and his children were politely waiting. Her brow scrunched in a way that only made her more attractive. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had company."
Kellan met her eyes. "It's all right. Come on in."
Dad walked Anna into the living room, holding her by the arm like she would fall if he didn't help her. Kellan gave her a brief hug and then introduced her to his family. "Hey, Anna, I didn't get a chance to introduce you last night. This is Gavin, my . . . biological father." Scratching his head, he shrugged.
A flash of pride went through me that Kellan had admitted such a profoundly personal thing so easily. He was really getting comfortable with the idea of having a parent in the world again.
Anna's eyes grew just a bit at Kellan's admission. She hadn't known about Kellan's sordid past. As Anna shook Gavin's hand, Kellan introduced her to his half siblings. Her wide eyes opened even more with each addition to his family. Gavin made a space for Anna on the couch, and Dad helped her sit down.
Standing, one arm hooked over Hailey's shoulder, Kellan told Anna, "Gavin, Riley, and Hails are visiting from back east. Pennsylvania." His focus shifted to Gavin. "Do I have any other family there?"
Gavin smiled; the grin was eerily similar to Kellan's. "My brother and his family live there, and my parents as well."
Hailey elbowed Kellan in the ribs. "You'll love Grandma, Kellan. She's feisty."
His face wondrous, Kellan looked over at me. "I have grandparents, Kiera." He looked back to Hailey. "I've never had living grandparents, or an uncle either, actually." He chuckled, amused and amazed by the information. My heart swelled as Kellan's family just kept getting bigger and bigger.
Griffin, absorbing the conversation but not understanding any of it, looked around the room. "Wait. Dude, I thought your dad was dead. Who the hell are these people?"
Everyone ignored him.
Anna's gaze lingered on Gavin just as much as Mom's did. Griffin, either oblivious or indifferent, didn't notice. Then again, he was still trying to puzzle out who Gavin was. A pleasant smile on her lips, Anna asked, "So, Gavin, is your wife here as well?"
Gavin looked down at his children sitting on the floor finishing out a board game. "No, I'm not . . . I'm not married." He looked back to Anna, a sad smile on his lips. "Widower . . . since Riley was two." Hailey glanced up at her dad, her expression equally glum.
Anna's small smile fell. "Oh, I'm sorry."
There was a moment of silence as everyone reflected on Gavin's statement. Griffin broke it by walking over to Kellan and whispering, "Dude, seriously, who are these people?"
Chuckling, Kellan socked Griffin in the shoulder. "Come on, I'll get you a beer and draw you a diagram." Laughter eased the tension in the room as Kellan led his bassist into the kitchen to tell him the truth about his origins. Griffin would be the first band member to officially know that Kellan's deceased father wasn't actually his father. Hopefully the imbecile could grasp the concept.
By the time everyone parted ways, it was late into the night, nearly morning. Anna and Griffin headed off to her apartment to make the most of their limited time together. Gavin and his children went back to their hotel; they had a flight in the morning. My parents shuffled off to the guest room to spend yet another night on my old, lumpy futon. Dad sighed when Kellan and I waved good night from the doorway of our bedroom.
Reluctant to waste what little time we had left together sleeping, Kellan and I stayed up the remainder of the night. Still dressed, we cuddled together in bed and talked until the gray, early morning light filtered through the window. Kellan stroked my hair as I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and his soothing voice. The comfort I felt in his arms was palpable. His embrace cocooned me in a warmth that would hold back the deadliest ice storm, I was sure.
Wishing he didn't have to leave me in a few hours, I clenched his shirt and hugged him tight. He stopped speaking and kissed my hair. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "Kiera?"
I peeked up at his face. His eyes were dark in the faded light, but glowed with happiness. A small smile curving his lips, he asked, "Will you marry me?"
My heart raced against my ribcage as I sat up on my elbows. "What?"
His smile widened. "Will you marry me?"
I glanced at the ring on my left hand, then the ring on his. "Didn't we already get married?"
Kellan's chest under my arms rumbled as his amusement bubbled up in a deep laugh. "Yes, but I just realized that I never actually proposed to you." Sighing, he brought his finger up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. When he was finished, he stroked my cheek. "And you deserve a proper proposal."
After he said that, his face shifted into an expression of contemplation. Before I could answer his question, he gently pushed my body away from him. I tried to pull him back, to eagerly tell him yes, but he slid out from under me and stood up. Walking around to the other side of the bed, he stared at me for several long seconds. Just as I was about to ask him what he was doing, he let out a slow, controlled breath, and slowly sank to one knee.
I'm not sure why, but just watching him move to the floor made a sob rise up my throat. My vision hazed and I swiped my fingers under my eyes to clear away the tears. I wanted to see every part of this.
His eyes glossy in the dim light, Kellan stared up at me. "Kiera Michelle Allen, will you do me the absolute honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?"
I was nodding long before he finished speaking. Reaching down, I grabbed his face. "Yes, of course, yes." I kissed him over and over as I pulled him back into my arms.
His body settled over mine and we kissed, laughed, and even cried a little, until the faded morning light turned into brightly streaming rays of sunshine. I heard my father exiting the spare bedroom that had once been the room I'd shared with Denny. Kellan and I paused in kissing each other to stare at our closed bedroom door.
Dad took an inordinately long time about it, but he eventually shuffled downstairs to make some coffee. An ecstatic grin on his face, Kellan looked back at me. Lacing our fingers together, he whispered, "Why do I feel like I should be hiding in the closet?"