Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gemma
Weeks later…
I’m nervous.
Really nervous.
I gaze up at Two’s cute home through my windshield, feeling uneasy about the upcoming dinner. It’s been nearly a month since the abduction and I’ve seen lots of Two and his fathers, but this is the first time we’ll all spend some time together the four of us alone.
I hope they like me.
Shutting off my Tahoe, I exhale a deep sigh. I consider calling Willa or Tate for a quick pep talk but decide to put on my big girl panties and go inside.
My gaze travels over to Two’s workshop. I know he’s been itching to get back in there. He’s spent a lot of time recovering from the beating he received from Owen and hasn’t had the energy for much else. Our time spent together lately consists of me picking him up and driving him to and from school, to his doctor appointments, or to meet with Tate.
As I approach the front door, I can hear raised voices inside the home. It sounds like an argument. I panic for a moment, worrying if it’s about me. Before I can rush back to my car to regroup, the door creaks open.
Two’s dad, Grant—a burly guy with a trim beard and a love for flannel—answers the door with a small smile. “Good to see you again, Gemma.”
I officially met them the day I was released from the hospital. I’d left my room to spend much of the day at Two’s bedside. His parents watched me with curiosity and were polite, but we didn’t exactly spend time getting to know each other. It wasn’t the right place or time.
Today, apparently, is the official meet-the-parents day.
“Hi,” I say, plastering on a megawatt grin. “How’s Two feeling today?”
Grant gestures for me to come inside. “Grumpy.” He chuckles. “He’s still upset over the loss of his car. We’ve been on the hunt for something vintage, but nothing compares to that Rover in his eyes. He loved that thing.”
“Maybe we should try the junkyard,” I offer with a laugh.
“I heard that,” Two bellows from the living room.
Leo, Two’s other dad, stands from the sofa and offers me a pleasant smile. “I told him we could get him a brand-new Range Rover with all the bells and whistles. He said it’s a soccer mom car.” Leo scoffs. “It’s a freaking Range Rover. Kids these days. I swear.”
We all snigger, but Two just grumpily shakes his head. I walk over to where he’s camped out on the couch, bright orange cast propped up on the coffee table, with his laptop on his thighs.
“You’ll find something,” I say as I stand near him. “Until then, I’ll drive you around. We both know I’m the better driver.”
Two grunts, grabbing my hand and tugging me onto the couch beside him. “You hit me with your car, babe. You suck.”
Before I can argue, he gives me a quick peck on the lips. Leo giggles—actually giggles—which makes me start giggling too. Okay, so maybe this meeting won’t be as awkward as I thought.
“Excuse our son’s lack of manners,” Leo says as he sits back down on Two’s other side. “We found him in a barn when he was just a toddler.”
I snort out a laugh.
“Don’t encourage him,” Two grumbles. “Dad thinks he’s hilarious.”
“I am hilarious,” Leo argues. Then he reaches over Two to grab my hand. “Gemma, hon, these are gorgeous.”
I blush at the compliment. I’d been trying to cheer my slightly depressed boyfriend up and did another design of Hemingford Hall nail art. I’d even made a copy of one of the handwritten love letters and used it as a background pattern on several of the nails. Vintage and meaningful, just like Two loves.
“She does them herself,” Two says, stealing my hand from his father’s to admire my art. “They’re badass.”
I catch Leo’s gaze and he winks at me.
Grant sits in a recliner and clears his throat. “So, Gemma, how’s school going for you?”
Two sniggers and I scowl at him. He thinks small talk is pointless, but I grew up learning from the best. My parents are the king and queen of small talk in our community.
“I’m enjoying my classes,” I tell him, ignoring Two. “My favorite is the one with this clown.”
“He says you two are nearly finished with your big project,” Leo cuts in. “I’ve barely heard of Cedarwood anymore. It’s always Hemingford Hall this and Hemingford Hall that.”
Two looks over at me to share a secret smile. One thing’s for sure. What we do in the hidden room of Hemingford Hall remains a secret. It’s been too long since we’ve had sex and I can’t wait until he’s well enough for us to do it again.
“Hemingford Hall is a special place,” I admit with a grin. “I want to buy it.”
Two’s grin falls and Leo cocks his eyebrow up.
“What?” I rush out, shaking my head at Two. “I’ve fallen in love with it.”
“Your parents really are loaded,” Two mutters. I punch his arm and he yelps. “Ow. You seem to forget I’m injured.”
“Keep being a butt and I’ll injure you some more,” I sass back.
Grant chuckles and Leo grins.
“Oh, you’re going to fit right in with this family,” Leo says, nodding emphatically.
I wait for Two to grimace or for some sort of awkward feeling to ruin the moment, but they all look at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.
“Actually,” I explain to my boyfriend, “I was going to offer them cash.”
This has both Leo’s perfectly plucked eyebrows hiking up his forehead.
“It’ll wipe out my savings account,” I continue, “but I’ve done a lot of social media collaborations that have made me quite a bit of money over the past few years.”
“You think Paula and Gregory would actually sell it?” Two asks, frowning at me. “Paula seems to love it.”
“But she’s in over her head,” I say with a shrug. “Gregory clearly resents everything Hemingford Hall represents. I think for the right price, they’d move, especially considering they know us, trust us, and can count on us to restore it to its original beauty.”
“Us?” Two asks with a grin.
“I’m not doing all the work by myself,” I playfully huff back. “You won’t be injured forever. And last I checked, you’re still great at being bossy even if you can’t move around quickly.”
Leo snorts out a laugh. “I think he may actually be worse because he has us at his beck and call now.”
“Definitely worse,” Grant agrees with a chortle.
“I’m feeling outnumbered and picked on,” Two grumbles.
“He’s a Four,” I tell them. “They’re dramatic.”
Leo cackles at that. “Oh, honey, do I know that. And he’s told us all about the Enneagram types. I have learned more about my son from information on Fours on the internet in the past few weeks than I have the entire time he’s been our son.”
The teasing banter continues until it gets close to dinner time. Leo and Grant leave us alone to start the grill and get supper going. I snuggle up against Two, careful not to agitate his sore ribs, and kiss his stubbly cheek.
“This is nice,” I murmur, resting my head on his shoulder. “I was really nervous but it’s actually fun hanging out with them.”
Two squeezes my thigh and leans his head against mine. “It is. I thought, though, for a minute they were rethinking their choice of me over you.”
“I see how they love you, dork.” I tilt my head up so I can make sure he’s teasing and not really feeling that way. “You can’t fool me.”
He dips forward and kisses me. “I’m happy you’re here, Golden. My house looks good with you in it.”
After a dinner filled with lots of laughter and amazing food, me and Two head out to his workshop. He’s pretty proficient at using his crutches, but his dads still hovered behind him the whole way across the yard. Eventually, they left us alone.
“Want to help me finish up Cedarwood Mansion?” Two asks, gesturing for the model that he tinkers on when not messing with our class project.
“Of course.”
For the next several hours, we put the finishing touches on the micro-mansion. I marvel at all the tiny details he puts into the model. He may be strange and cantankerous at times, but he’s extremely skilled at what he does. It makes me proud of him.
“You really want to purchase Hemingford Hall, huh?” Two asks, back hunched as he peeks in one of the stained-glass windows on his model.
“I really do. And, like Paula and Gregory, I want to move in while restoring it.”
When I’d told my dad about it, he surprised me by being a hundred percent on board. In fact, he even offered to cover any additional costs outside of what I have in savings. Now all I have to do is convince the Nordstroms to sell to me.
“I was thinking,” I say, running my fingers along the bones of his spine over his shirt, “that you’d want to move in with me.”
He turns his head to peek over at me. “Oh yeah?”
“Yup. What do you think?”
“I like the idea of spending long, uninterrupted nights alone with you.”
I smirk at him. “Besides the endless sex we’ll have, I think it could be a lot of fun.”
Two nods and brings his attention to a microscopic piece of glue sticking out from under one of the miniature shingles. He grabs a sharp tool and begins whittling away at it.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing a shift in his mood.
“Nothing.” He sighs as he picks off the last of the glue and then shrugs. “I’m going to have to find a way to let Dax down easy. He was looking forward to getting out of his house and on his own.”
“I thought about that too,” I say with a small smile. “I think he should move in with us. Instead of rent, he can pay his way by picking up the utility bills or something. I bet we could figure something out.”
Two sits up and grins at me. “Really?”
“Yeah. I like Dax. I also think he and my brother could be friends too.”
“There’s a lot riding on Paula letting go of her dream.”
“If she really wants to see her dream come to fruition—the full restoration of Hemingford Hall—then she’ll sell to me. Of all the people to do this, we’re the most capable. Plus, we love that place.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder, gesturing at his house. “Your dads are literally in the business of restoration, so it’s not like we wouldn’t get their help.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this.”
“And I’ve thought a lot about us,” I add with a nod. “Hemingford Hall feels like a vital piece of who we are as a couple.”
“I’m sure you’ll get what you want,” Two teases. “You always do, Golden.”
“I’m a Three, remember? I achieve.”
Like his parents, Two has gotten me interested in all things Enneagram. I’m learning a lot about myself and others around me.
Two finally sets his tool down and gestures at the model. “Cedarwood is finally complete. What do you think?”
I take my time inspecting all the details and offering praise over my favorite parts. He gently strokes his fingers through my hair while I prattle on about how beautiful it is. It makes me wonder if one day he’ll make models with our children. The thought is such a precious one that my heart aches with happiness for what’s to come.
“What do you do when you finish your models?” I ask, quirking an eyebrow.
He tugs me over to him, wrapping both arms around me, and nuzzles my neck. “I usually take a bunch of pictures to show my parents, Dax, and anyone else who’ll give me the time of day. That includes you and Tate now too.”
I tilt my head to the side to give him access to my neck. His hot breath tickles over my flesh, making me shiver. Then he softly kisses me there.
“I think you should take videos,” I tell him with a smile. “Share it with the world. I bet there’s a whole demographic of people out there who’d love to see it.”
“You think?”
“Absolutely.”
Two nips at my neck. “Tomorrow. But tonight, I want to do something else.”
“What’s that?”
“You, Golden. I want to do you.”
I twist around in his arms so I’m facing him. “But you’re injured.”
“Guess you’ll need to do all the work,” he teases.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I consider his words. “Won’t your parents come barging in?”
“I already warned Dad that if the workshop was a rockin’ to not come a knockin’.”
I giggle at his gall. “You did not.”
“I totally did.”
“Oh, Two…” I trail off, shaking my head.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t ever change. You’re perfect the way you are.”
Perfectly imperfect and completely mine.