Chapter 32
Reese stared at herself in the mirror, admiring the cute black dress and matching shoes she’d put on. It had been a month since Garrett woke up in the intensive care unit, and every day since had brought one challenge after another. But he’d handled it all like a champ, hardly ever complaining, and following his doctors’ and physical therapists’ instructions to the letter. It was probably why he seemed to have recovered as quickly as he had. He wasn’t due to return to full duty for another month, but Garrett was definitely more active around the house. Not that he’d ever really allowed himself to become a couch potato.
“There you are,” Garrett said, coming into the bedroom. “Wow, you look stunning.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned into him without giving him any of her weight. He was getting stronger every day, but she still worried about him overdoing it. “I want to show you something before we head out,” he said.
“Oh? What is it? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself with whatever you’ve been doing out in the guest house?” Garrett had asked her not to go out there, and now she was starting to regret listening to him. “I would’ve helped you.”
“Shhh,” he said, a mischievous grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I got Blake and Caden to help while you were at school today.”
She’d gone back to work after Garrett had made some progress in rehab, and while she liked teaching art, Reese had already decided she wouldn’t be going back after the school year ended. Everything that happened this past year with Russell made her want to live her life to the fullest, surrounded by the people she loved. It was time to get back to working on her own art and pursuing the career she’d been so close to having before everything fell apart. “Help you with what?” She asked. “What are you up to?”
“You’ll see,” Garrett said, gently guiding her out of the bedroom.
They were standing outside the guest house and Garrett still hadn’t said a word about what he was going to show her. “Are you seriously not going to tell me anything? Not even a hint?”
“Nope,” Garrett smiled. “You have brought so many incredible surprises into my life, and I love seeing your face light up on the rare occasion I get to surprise you. Reese, I honestly don’t know how I would’ve gotten through everything without you. So, when I saw an opportunity to do something for you, I guess you could say I practically jumped on it. Blake and Caden did the heavy lifting, so to speak, but -”
Reese pressed a finger to his mouth, not missing how heavenly his soft, full lips felt. Their eyes met, and thankfully, since waking up in the hospital, Reese always saw Garrett dying as an old man, surrounded by a woman who could only be his beautiful daughter and two incredibly handsome looking young men, maybe his sons or grandsons. She wanted that future for Garrett more than anything in the world, she just didn’t know if she was meant to be a part of it.
No matter how many times she saw his death, she never saw herself in the room. Reese had no idea what that meant, but after everything that had happened, she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Garrett would live to old age and judging bythe soft smile on his face, he would have a good and happy life. That was all she could really hope for. “I know I’ll love whatever you orchestrated for me, but I’m confused why you didn’t just have Blake and Caden bring it into the house.” And then realization struck. “Oh.” Her face fell and she quickly turned her back to Garrett, not wanting him to see her disappointment. “I understand. It’s time for me to move back into the guest house, or actually, I should start looking for an apartment. There’s no reason for me to stay here anymore now that -”
Garrett turned her around in his arms and swallowed her next words in a breathtaking kiss that had her knees nearly buckling. “The only reason I had them put it in the guest house is because I thought the lighting in here was better than in any room inside the main house. But if you want, I can bring my gym equipment out here and we can move all this stuff into that room or even into the guest room if you prefer, but both those rooms are a lot smaller than the guest house.”
Now Reese was completely confused. “I don’t understand. What stuff?” She didn’t have any stuff. The only things she’d brought with her were the clothes on her back. Russell had taken everything from her apartment and no matter how hard she’d tried to find her belongings and her art, she still hadn’t been able to figure out where he’d stashed it.
Garrett reached around her and opened the door wide, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. The moment she stepped into the small living area, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. The entire room was filled with her old art work, paints, supplies, and several boxes of all her things she never thought she’d see again. Her hands flew up to her mouth as she fought back the tears burning the back of her eyelids. “How?”
“I asked Caden and Blake to pull a few strings while they were wrapping up the case against Russell, and they did.”
She walked deeper into the living area, grazing her fingers along each piece of art as if to make sure it was real. “All my things. My art.” This was too much. Watching her students finish their junk journals and having them displayed at the museum had filled her heart with so much pride and joy for them, but it only made her miss having her own art that much more.
She turned back to Garrett and threw her arms around his neck. “I can never thank you enough for doing this for me. I didn’t think I’d ever get any of this back.”
Garrett kissed her and held her tight. “The only reason I didn’t say anything was because up until Blake and Caden brought it over earlier today, I actually wasn’t sure if they’d be able to pull it off. I think Russell being dead helped speed things along a bit.”
Reese laughed through her tears. “Thank you. These things, my art - you’ll never know how much getting it all back means to me.”
“I never forgot the way you talked about it. How sad you were when you found out that your old landlord let Russell take it. I knew I had to try to get it back for you.”
She kissed him again, angling her head to deepen the kiss. He sank his tongue into her mouth, his soft caresses causing sparks in a much lower region of her body. When he pulled back, his eyes were hooded with lust. “If we keep kissing like that, we’re going to miss Skyla’s grand reopening.”
Reese groaned. “I’m almost tempted to do just that, but we can’t. She made me the guest of honor.”
Garrett chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We have all the time in the world.”
And for the first time in a long time, Reese felt the same way.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Reese asked for the hundredth time. They were standing in line to get into Madigan’s Black Light Re-Opening Celebration, and she’d already asked him at least half a dozen times since leaving the house. It was their first time going out for more than just a quick bite to eat, and Garrett understood why she was nervous. But the last thing he wanted was for Reese to be worried about him when he just wanted to take her out and show her a good time.
“I’m perfect,” he said, hoping this time would convince her. He was still a little sore, but that was to be expected. Thankfully, the fatigue was almost all gone, and his strength was steadily coming back. The burns and cuts were healing nicely, and there didn’t appear to be any lasting damage to his heart or brain.
All in all, he was doing great, but the look of concern in Reese’s beautiful brown eyes shone brightly in the harsh headlights mixed with the warm glow of street lamps. “I just don’t want you to overdo it tonight,” Reese said, running her fingers down his cheek. He leaned into her touch, savoring it like he always did. Never again would he take this woman or the time they had together for granted.
“I won’t.” He kissed her forehead, drinking in her soft gaze, but not missing the steel behind it. Even as she went through her own hell of grieving for her mother all over again after learning what Russell had done, she’d been there for him, driving him to doctor’s appointments, cooking, cleaning, and keeping him company. Garrett hated that he couldn’t be there for her sooner, but everyone had assured him that she’d never been alone.
“And your head is feeling okay?” She asked.
