21. Willow

I smileas I see Gabe having a lively conversation with Dario, Bradford, and Madden. Rhodes has taken Rosie to Sugar Briar to relax with his family for a few days. Lake and his wife Juniper quickly prepared dinner in their apartment. Being in a room full of strangers is a bit overwhelming. I expected Gabe to have more problems, but it seems I was wrong. I"m glad he"s having a good time. I really do not want him to go back to Louisville. Although it would be painful for me to sell the house Mom worked on, I don"t want to be there anymore. I"m not sure Gabe does either. We will see.

Martha is dozing in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony, wrapped in a warm blanket. She"s had a full day with the company. She shed a tear as she looked out at the boats in the harbor.

Nikoli stands on the balcony talking to Lake while Juniper reappears with another blanket. She sits next to me in the two-person lounge and covers our legs.

I know Nikoli felt bad about excluding Lake from the recent events. But they seem to be okay, laughing and nudging each other.

Juniper raises her face to the dark sky and sighs. "I love it out here. The view is fantastic." She giggles. "And I"m not just talking about the one at the end of the balcony."

I grin. "Hmm, that"s nice."

"There"s a much nicer view on the inside," Martha says.

"I thought you were asleep." I reach out and rub her hand.

"Don"t distract me, dear."

Juniper looks at me with glee in her eyes. She leans forward, "Martha"s been teasing poor Dario for a while. He"s okay with it though." She nudges me just as Dario comes through the door.

He grins. "How"s my favorite girl?"

Martha blushes as Dario takes her hand and kisses it. "Oh, you tease."

"Now, babe, you tease me enough with those gorgeous eyes on my body."

"Oh, it"s getting hot out here." Martha lifts the blanket.

"If you have to flirt with my grandmother, can you please do it out of my earshot?"

Juniper and I giggle.

"He"s not flirting, Nikoli," Martha says. "He"s entertaining an old woman."

"Well, Martha," Dario says, "what did I tell you about age?"

"Oh, poof!" Martha laughs. "Now, use some of those lovely muscles to pull me out of this chair. I think it"s time for bed."

"It would be my pleasure to help you." Dario neatly folds the blanket that had covered Martha and places it at my feet. Then he takes her hands and places them on his shoulders. He winks and leans in close before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her out of the chair. "How did I do?" He asks when she"s able to stand on her own.

"I think I feel faint."

They elicit a few laughs as Nikoli helps me to my feet. "Did you have a good time?"

I put my arms around his neck. "Yes, I did. So did Gabe."

"I noticed. I think he"s ready to go, too." He nods as we walk into the apartment. I follow his gaze and find my brother dozing off on the couch.

Moving away from Nikoli, I gently wake my brother. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he answers, followed by a yawn. "I"m tired. It seems to happen all the time."

"The doctor said it will get better, right?"

"She did." He holds out a hand and I pull him to his feet. He puts an arm around my shoulders.

Nikoli appears with Martha at his side. We say goodbye and take the elevator down to the parking garage where Nikoli"s new truck is waiting for us. Martha sits in the front with Nikoli, while I sit in the back with my brother.

We ride in silence for a while before Gabe clears his throat. "So, um, I was wondering if I could take you up on the offer of the spare room for a while longer?"

My gaze is drawn to Nikoli"s in the mirror. He smiles, knowing how happy this makes me. "I remember offering you the room as long as you wanted it. That hasn"t changed."

I take Gabe"s hand. "What are you thinking?"

"We buried both our parents, Owl. I used to love our house, but I can"t live there anymore. Not after what happened. I think we should sell it and start over here in Boston."

I can"t stop crying and I don"t want to. "Yes. To everything."

Gabe kisses my cheek and holds my hand until we reach Evergreen. Nikoli parks, but before he can get out to help his grandmother, Gabe arrives and helps her out of the truck. "I"ll take her inside."

Gabe pat's Martha's arm. "So, Martha, since I"m going to be living in Boston, how would you like to join me for afternoon tea to celebrate?" Gabe asks a delighted Martha.

Nikoli looks at me and helps me climb through to the front. "Dario has some competition, huh?"

"They"re great guys, Nikoli."

"Yeah, they are." He gives me a quick look. "Don"t tell them what I said. I don"t want to boost their already inflated egos."

I chuckle and reach for Nikoli"s hand. "I love you."

"I love you more," he admits. Leaning forward, he places his forehead against mine. "Do you think we"d get away with smooching in the truck?"

I grin. "I think we should find out."

THE END