He was still standing on the landing of Gwen’s apartment building when Alex’s beat up Volkswagen pulled into the parking lot. He watched the younger man and his wife get out of the car and hurry towards the door. When he heard their voices below him, Kevin leaned over the railing and watched their progress up the stairs.
“This building needs a damn elevator,” Alex was complaining. “It’s not fair to pregnant women to walk all the way up. Let me carry you, Chris.”
Christine batted his hand away and blew her nose into the tissue she carried. Her voice wavered when she spoke. “I can walk up the stairs, Alex. I may be a friggin’ mess because I’m happy and sad at the same time, but I can walk up a set of stairs without falling over. I’m a doctor, for crying out loud. I know what I can and can’t handle.”
“And that sounds like a happily married couple,” Kevin commented and had both of their heads whipping around before they caught sight of him one floor up. “What’s going on?”
“Jesus, Kev. Why don’t you just shoot me dead?” Alex wondered, irritably. “Maybe you’d shock me less that way.”
Christine shushed him as they reached Kevin’s floor. “He’s just being dramatic. Is that Gwen’s apartment?” she asked, gesturing to the door behind Kevin.
“Yeah.” He jerked a thumb in the apartment’s direction. “Gwen and Howie are in there. Brian was here, but he went tearing out of here almost an hour ago. And, I hate to repeat myself, but what’s going on?”
“Inside.” Alex pushed open the door and grinned at a startled Howie and Gwen, who were surprised to see Gwen’s unexpected guests. “Hey, guys. Chris and I have great news.”
Howie arched a brow. “Alex, we already know that Christine is pregnant. Would you like to sit, Chris?” He gestured towards the couch.
“Thanks.” Christine sank down and glanced up at her husband expectantly. “Well, tell them, babe.”
Alex grinned hugely. “I just got a phone call from my very good friend, Brian.” That got everyone’s attention.
“Did he find Reena?” Gwen demanded.
He wiggled his brows. “Even better. He asked her to marry him, and she accepted.”
“Oh my…” Gwen found she needed to sit as her legs had disappeared beneath her.
Kevin pulled her into a chair before turning back to Alex. “Where are they now?”
“On their way back to his place. They said they’d come by Gwen’s to celebrate later. They sounded a little…distracted.” He grinned wickedly. “I’ll bet they’ll be by much later.”
“As long as they’re happy, I don’t care when they come over,” Gwen replied. “It’s good to know that they’re finally where they’re supposed to be. But,” she turned to Christine, “are you okay with all of this?”
Christine looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I be? A good friend of mine is happy because he’s found the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. I couldn’t be more excited and pleased for him.” She paused for a moment. “Oh. I guess you meant Juliet. I lost one of my best friends, which is devastating. However, I don’t blame your sister or Brian for anything that happened. I’ve known since the beginning that Brian would never fall in love with Juliet, and it’s not his fault. You can’t make yourself feel something for anyone, and I always appreciated the fact that Brian cared for Jules enough to stick by her through the years. It certainly wasn’t his fault that she continued to hope for something that most of us knew would never happen. Yes, Juliet is gone, but I’d like to think that she’d be happy for Brian as well.”
“Well, that’s gracious of you,” Gwen told her, and Christine rolled her eyes.
“Gracious, I am not. It’s the truth, and it needs to be said. That doesn’t mean that I’m not upset over Juliet at the same time that I’m happy for Brian. I’m both,” she added, dabbing at her eyes again. “I’m celebrating Brian’s engagement, and, now, I have to go sit with her family and take care of funeral arrangements. It hurts, but life does go on.”
Howie patted her shoulder as she stood and reached for Alex’s hand. “Thanks for coming by with the good news, Chris. Alex. I’d like it if you could tell the Stevenses that I’ll stop by in an hour to speak with them about the accident and anything they’d like to ask me about.”
“Sure, yeah.” Christine smiled. “Thanks, Howie. I’m sure they’ll appreciate everything you’re doing for them.”
“I’m the mayor,” Howie replied. “Even if I hadn’t been Juliet’s friend, it’s my job to help the people I work for.”
“You’re the best, Dorough. We’ll talk later,” Alex told him as he ushered his wife out the door.
Howie turned to Gwen and Kevin. “Well, I’ve got to be getting on. Things to do, people to see. I’m glad your sister’s staying, Gwen.”
“Yeah, me too.” Gwen watched Howie collect his things and leave. Then she was left facing Kevin.
They stood and watched each other silently for long moments, and butterflies began churning in her stomach. What was she supposed to say to him? He hadn’t spoken to her since they’d made love three nights before. Was he upset because she’d been awful or was something else about her bothering him? Before she could think up a coherent question, Kevin moved towards the door.
“I, uh, I should go, too,” he said quietly. “Congratulations on your sister’s engagement.”
“Uh, you, too,” Gwen replied. “I mean, for your cousin’s engagement,” she added, seeing his questioning look.
He nodded. “Good-bye, Gwen.”
At a loss for words, she watched him go and the door shut behind him. After a long moment, she walked over to the door and, locking it, rested her head against it. “Good-bye, Kevin.”
***
“You’re being an ass,” Callie declared as she paced the kitchen. “I mean, really. How long are you planning on playing the martyr? You’re in love with the woman, Kevin. And anyone with eyes could see that she’s in love with you back. Though at the moment, why any sane woman would love you escapes me.”
“I take offense to that,” Kevin interrupted her from his seat at the kitchen table. “My mother was a sane woman, and she loved me.”
Callie made a muffled screeching noise. “Kevin! You are so insufferable! I don’t understand why you can’t just tell her you love her. Not only would you be cementing a really good relationship with a fantastic woman, but you’d also be breaking the spell. Though Brian may have done that already,” she muttered to herself.
“Pardon me?” Kevin’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean about Brian breaking the spell?”
Callie rolled her eyes. “Do you think you’re the only man who could fall in love with a woman and help break the spell? Brian offered up his heart to Reena at the falls today, and I have a feeling they solved everything without knowing anything.”
“So…Huh.” Kevin frowned down at his hands. “So Liliane and Laurent really didn’t need me?”
“Please. Spare me the ego bruising,” Callie said. “I’m not here about the spell so much as I’m here because I think you are being ridiculous. You’re hurting Gwen, and she has no clue what she’s done. Can you stop thinking of yourself for once and focus on someone else?”
Through the initial annoyance he felt at her words, he was beginning to feel guilty. “Can I just have a second to think this all through, please?”
“What’s there to think through? Do you or don’t you love Gwen?”
“I do,” he answered without hesitation.
Callie threw up her hands in frustration. “Then what’s the problem? Why are you here instead of with her? Howie said the two of you acted like strangers earlier. Get it together, Kevin.”
“I’m trying, Cal. If I could just have some time and space to think this through” he began but was cut off as Callie stormed towards his front door.
“Take all the time and space you need, Kevin! I hope you don’t do anything to mess this up,” she called over her shoulder. “If you do, you can bet your ass Mia will come back from the dead to berate you about it, too.” And the door shut.
Left in the silence of his kitchen, Kevin listened to his clock chime five o’clock and wondered how he’d fix his mistakes.
Hours later, he pushed away from the table and rushed towards his studio. On his way to the stairs, the front door opened to let Kirby in. Her eyes widened as she watched her father bolt up the stairs.
“Dad!” She ran after him, wondering what was wrong. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Kevin stopped at the foot of the staircase leading up to his studio. “Kirby, honey, did you mean what you said this morning about wanting to expand our two-man team?”
“Uh, yeah,” she answered slowly. “Did you think about it?”
He grinned wildly. “I’ve thought about it, and I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Wow.” Kirby could hardly believe it. “What’s this mean?”
Kevin grabbed her up in a bear hug. “I’m going to get Gwen.” He set her down and continued to smile hugely. “I mean, I don’t know if she’ll say yes right away because I haven’t been the best guy in the world to her lately. But if she can forgive me, I think we have a shot.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kirby asked, smiling. “Go get her, Dad.”
***
Gwen leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. Around her, she could hear the forest come alive with insect song and the rushing sound from water hitting the rocks. Though she knew a life had ended brutally because of the falls, it didn’t detract from her fascination and admiration of the spot. If for nothing else, she owed Kevin for introducing her to the place.
At the thought of Kevin, she sighed heavily. She and Kevin had been a lovely dream come true. Too good to be true, she told herself now. He was everything she’d never thought she’d want but had realized she needed. No matter how short their affair had lasted and no matter how it had ended, she knew she’d always be grateful to him for showing her how much she could feel. She was sure she’d never feel anything close to what she’d felt for him ever again.
As the thought sent an ache through her heart, Gwen opened her eyes and let out a shriek. “Oh, God! Don’t ever do that again!”
Kevin loomed over her and smiled apologetically. “Sorry,” he apologized as he knelt next to her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You just looked so peaceful and pretty that I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping,” she replied.
“Okay. Well, I…Can we talk?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
“Okay.” Suddenly, every speech he’d mentally prepared flew out of his mind, and his palms went damp. “Um, did you see Reena and Brian?”
Her sister? He was here to ask her about his cousin and Reena? “Yeah, they dropped by, and we had ourselves a little toast. It was good.”
“Good, that’s good.” Kevin nodded. “I’m glad they’re happy together.”
She had to smile at the thought of Reena’s excitement and euphoria. “Me, too.” Then, because she was wondering, she asked, “Why are you here, Kevin? How did you know where to find me?”
He shrugged. “A hunch, I guess. Or maybe,” he looked around them, “it might be fate.” Remembering what he held, he offered her the package. “This is for you. I worked on it last night and into this morning. The paint dried just before I wrapped it.”
“Kevin, you didn’t have to,” Gwen began then her breath caught at the picture he’d created. In the moonlight, she couldn’t make out the exact colors, but she was still astounded by what he’d painted. When she looked up at him, he could see the emotions wetting her eyes. “It’s beautiful. I just don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
Kevin lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “You don’t have to say anything because I need to explain why I’ve been so distant to you the past few days.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need the explanations.”
“But I need to tell you, so let me,” he said quietly. When she nodded, he laced his fingers with hers. “I was researching everything I could about the legend on Friday in the hopes that I might find the key to breaking the spell. What I found, with Callie and Brian’s help, was a diary. In it, the sorceress’ servant detailed the spell, and we learned that, in order to break the spell, two people had to pledge their love—the way Laurent and Liliane had.”
“Their love? I don’t…I don’t see what…” she trailed off as realization dawned and had her turning widened eyes to look into his. “Kevin.”
“I’m in love with you, Gwen,” he confessed and watched a tear slip down her cheek. “I don’t mean to make you cry, but I do love you. I knew I did before I found that diary. Please, don’t cry,” he whispered, reaching out to brush the tear away.
She shook her head. “No, no. It’s happy crying,” she assured him. “Please, finish what you were saying.”
“Okay.” Her hand felt right in his, and he continued. “When I read that part about a couple falling in love, all I could think was that the ghosts had somehow conned me into falling in love with you. It’s stupid, I know, but that’s how I felt. I didn’t like knowing that I’d fallen prey to their conniving, and I lashed out by closing you out.”
“You didn’t like feeling as though you’d been manipulated,” Gwen murmured. “I probably would have done the same thing.”
He lifted her hand and brushed his lips over it. “Thank you for understanding,” he said softly. “I don’t deserve it, but I thought I was doing what was best. It didn’t seem fair to me that we were both supposedly being used as pawns in a chess game. But I was wrong.” He waited until her eyes met his again. “My feelings, the love I have for you has nothing to do with the legend and everything to do with you and me, Gwen.”
“Kevin.” She raised her hand to lay it against his cheek. “I’m in love with you, too. I, uh, I thought I was crazy for feeling so much so fast, but when it’s right, it’s right.”
“More than right,” he murmured and laid his lips over hers. “I love you. I’m so in love with you.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she snuggled into his arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am at this moment.”
“I know the feeling.” His lips curved as he brushed a kiss over her hair. “Listen.”
“Hmm?”
“Shh. Listen to the forest,” he whispered. “Can you hear it?”
Gwen lifted her head and, looking around, frowned. “What?”
“Laurent and Liliane. They’re gone.” Kevin grinned. “You could always hear them in the wind or the rustling of the leaves, but not anymore. They’re finally at peace.”
“But not because of us. Right?” She looked over at him for confirmation.
He nodded. “It was Reena and Brian who took care of that.”
“And they probably don’t even know it,” Gwen murmured as she rested her head against his shoulder. “Good for them.”
“Absolutely.”
They were quiet for a few moments before Gwen sat up again. “What about Kirby?”
“Hmm?”
“What about Kirby?” she repeated. “What is she going to think about the two of us being together? I mean, she told me she’d be happy with it, but I wonder at what she’ll say now that it’s sort of official.”
Kevin tugged her back down. “Kirby and I had a talk today. She approached me with an idea to expand Team Richardson. I was surprised, to say the least, but she has a very specific person she wants to add to the team.”
“She does?” Her heart was fluttering rapidly, and she was surprised it hadn’t burst out of her chest yet.
He smiled at her obvious apprehension. “Yes, she does. What do you think, Gwendolyn? Will you join the team?”
“I…Kevin.” She swallowed the ball of anxiety in her throat. “What are you asking?”
He squeezed her fingers in his. “Will you become part of my family, Gwen? I mean, it’s small, but I was thinking that, if you don’t mind, we could continue to add more. But that’s totally up to you,” he added, nervous about her response.
Gwen found that her heart had settled back into place. “If you’re asking me to marry you, I will. I’d love to.” She kissed him softly. “And I’ve always wanted children, so I don’t see why we couldn’t give Kirby a sibling or two over the next few years.”
“I was hoping you’d say yes.” Kevin kissed her back and felt his world settle into place. “Welcome to Seven Falls, Gwen. Welcome home.”
As they lay wrapped up in each other, the night sky sparkled with thousands of stars. Though no one would ever notice, two seemed to shine more brightly for a moment before they dimmed again and resumed their watch over the world once more.
Woke up early this morning
Made my coffee like I always do
Then it hit me from nowhere
Everything I feel about me and you
The way you kiss me crazy
Baby you're so amazing
Seven days and seven nights of thunder
The waters rising and I'm slipping under
I think I fell in love with the 8th world wonder
I guess that I'm just falling
Deeper into something I've never known, yeah
But the way that I'm feeling
Makes me realize that it can't be wrong
Your love's like a summer rain
Washing my doubts away
It's only been a week
But it's coming over me
It's making me believe
That you're the one for me
Seven days and seven nights of thunder
The waters rising and I'm slipping under
I think I fell in love with the 8th world wonder
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Skin created by Kali & edited by Karen.