Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lena
G avin has been incredible throughout all this mess. Now, as the three of us move about the farmhouse and I smell the amazing food he cooked for us, I can’t help but grin widely.
I glance at Jayla, who’s perched on the couch, flipping through some book, and her eyes meet mine with a little twinkle. She’s been like this since we got here, sneaking glances at Gavin as he works in the kitchen, whispering with him when she thought I wasn’t paying attention.
“Do you think it’s safe to eat?” she asks me with a smirk.
“Well, if you don’t trust him, I guess I’ll have to test it first,” I tease.
Jayla grins and hops off the couch, rushing ahead of me into the kitchen. I follow more slowly, trying to hide the weird nervousness in my chest. Gavin’s never cooked a full meal for us before, not like this. He usually leaves the kitchen duties to me, saying he’s no master chef, but today, he insisted. And now, with the soft clatter of dishes and the smell of seared steak in the air, I’m more than a little curious.
As I step into the kitchen, I find the table already set and Gavin standing there, beaming like he’s just conquered Mount Everest. There’s a platter with perfectly grilled steaks, a big bowl of salad with bright greens and chunks of ripe tomatoes, and fluffy baked potatoes, all lined up neatly. A basket of warm bread rolls is nestled between them, and to my surprise, a pie is even cooling on the counter.
“Wow.” It’s all I can manage as I take it all in. My eyes find him, and he gives me that familiar crooked grin that never fails to make my heart skip a beat.
“I told you to sit,” he says, pulling out a chair for me with a mock bow. “You and Jayla deserve a break tonight.”
I shake my head, already moving toward the silverware drawer. “Gavin, at least let me set the table. You’ve done enough…”
“Nope. Sit.” He gently steers me toward the chair, guiding me to sit before I can protest. His hands are warm on my shoulders, and when I look up at him, there’s something soft in his eyes. Something that makes my chest tighten in the best way possible. “Just rest for once. Let me take care of you two.”
I exchange a glance with Jayla, who’s already slid into her chair with a giggle, clearly loving this rare pampering from Gavin. Reluctantly, I settle in, folding my hands in my lap. It feels strange not to be helping, not to be in charge of everything like usual, but at the same time… it feels nice. So nice.
Gavin moves around the kitchen like he’s been doing this all his life, serving up steaks, piling salad onto our plates, and making sure everything’s just right. He even asks Jayla how she wants her potato—sour cream and cheese for her, butter for me—and he does it all without breaking that easy smile.
“Anything else, your highnesses?” he asks once we’re all served, setting down the last dish and taking his seat across from us.
I can’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. I admit it, you’ve outdone yourself. This looks amazing.”
Jayla, her mouth already half full of steak, nods enthusiastically. “So good, Uncle G! You should cook more often.”
He chuckles, cutting into his own steak. “Don’t get used to it, kid. This is a special occasion.”
I feel a little flutter at that, my eyes flicking to him, but he’s focused on his food, so I push the feeling down. It’s not like Gavin to make a big deal out of things, but tonight feels… different.
It’s so different from what I’m used to that it almost feels weird to accept.
We eat, and the conversation flows easily, the way it always does with Gavin and Jayla. She tells him about her day at school, about how her teacher called her “a little genius,” and he listens like it’s the most important thing he’s ever heard. I sit back, taking it all in.
It’s been so long since someone’s done that for me. Since someone’s made me feel like I could just… rest. Like I didn’t have to handle everything on my own.
When dinner’s over, I start to stand, already thinking about the dishes, but Gavin’s hand shoots up.
“Nuh-uh. You’re not touching those.”
“Gavin…”
“Nope.” He’s already clearing the plates and moving to the sink. “I’ll handle everything. You just relax.”
I stare at him, half in awe and half in disbelief. “You really don’t have to…”
“Lena.” He says my name softly, looking at me over his shoulder. His voice is firm but gentle. “Just let me do this. Please.”
Something in the way he says it makes me sit back down without another word. He’s serious about this, and even though it’s the last thing I’m used to, I realize I kind of… like it. More than I expected.
Jayla is already eyeing the pie on the counter, but Gavin shoos her away with a laugh, telling her we need to do something else first.
“Come on,” he says, flashing us both a grin. “I have one more surprise.”
Jayla practically bounces out of her seat, and I follow her a little more slowly, trying to figure out what Gavin’s up to. He leads us out the back door, and I gasp when I see what he’s done.
A bonfire crackles in the firepit, surrounded by logs and a few cozy blankets draped over the backs of chairs. Nearby, a tray with all the fixings for s’mores—marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers—sits waiting for us.
“Gavin,” I breathe, turning to him. “This is… this is perfect.”
His smile softens, and he reaches out, taking my hand in his. “I wanted to do something special for you. For both of you.”
Jayla wastes no time grabbing a marshmallow and sticking it on a skewer, darting to the fire with a delighted giggle. “S’mores! You’re the best!”
I laugh, sitting on one of the blankets, and Gavin joins me, settling in close. The firelight dances on his face, casting shadows that make his expression hard to read for a moment. But when he looks at me, I see it again—that soft, lingering look that makes my heart skip a beat.
We spend the next few minutes laughing and making s’mores. Jayla’s marshmallow catches on fire more than once, and Gavin teases her as he shows her how to get it perfectly golden. I watch them, my chest tightening with warmth, and I realize how much this feels like… home. Like something I’ve been missing for so long but didn’t know how to find again.
Just as I’m biting into my second s’more, the chocolate melting over my fingers, Gavin suddenly turns toward me. His face is serious, his eyes searching mine, and my breath catches in my throat.
“Lena,” he says, his voice quiet but steady. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a while.”
“What is it?”
He shifts, and before I can process what’s happening, he’s down on one knee in front of me, holding out a small velvet box. My heart stops.
“Gavin…”
He opens the box, and inside, there’s a diamond ring, simple but breathtakingly beautiful. It sparkles in the firelight, and my breath catches again, but this time for a whole different reason.
“Lena,” he says, his voice soft but filled with emotion. “I’ve loved you from the moment you walked into my life. I bought this eighteen years ago to propose to you back then, before everything blew up for us. You’ve made every day brighter and every moment better. And Jayla… you both mean the world to me. I don’t want another day to go by without making this official.”
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as he takes my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.
“Will you marry me?”
Time seems to stop. The world narrows to just this moment, just this man kneeling in front of me with that hopeful, vulnerable look in his eyes and the love radiating between us. I glance over at Jayla, who’s watching with wide eyes, a marshmallow half hanging off her skewer. She’s grinning from ear to ear.
I look back at Gavin, my heart so full I can barely breathe.
“Yes,” I whisper, barely able to get the word out. Then, louder, with more certainty, I say, “Yes, Gavin. I’ll marry you.”
The joy that lights up his face is indescribable. He slips the ring onto my finger, then pulls me into his arms, kissing me softly as Jayla cheers in the background. It’s perfect. Everything I didn’t know I needed.
As we pull apart, still wrapped in each other, Gavin grins at Jayla. “Looks like you're stuck with me now, kid.”
Jayla runs over and throws her arms around both of us. “I'm good with that.” She laughs.
Home. Love. Family. All wrapped up in Gavin’s arms.