Mr. Truman smiled at me. “I’m really glad you like the properties, Gavin. Jake and Richard already want to buy it, and since you’ve worked your way up in this company, I wanted your input too.”
Jake cleared his throat. “So, Dad, are you still planning to go through with it?”
Mr. Truman turned the computer back around and then looked at me. “Yes, but on one condition. Gavin, there are four homes here. One for me and Mrs. Truman; one for Jake and Julianna; one for Richard and Annie; and one for you and Crystal. And all my grandkids, of course.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “With all due respect, Mr. Truman, are you talking about moving the company out to Hawaii?”
He burst out laughing and shook his head. “Gavin, River Valley will always be our home base. My sons suggested that I buy these properties and set up a family estate in Hawaii. That includes you, too.”
I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I held them back. “You want us to have one of the homes, too? I don’t know what to say, sir!”
Mr. Truman went back to looking at his computer. “And no, Gavin, I won’t be sending you out there to negotiate the prices. I’ve already spoken with the seller, and we came to an agreement. I was just waiting to speak with you. Do you think that Crystal would enjoy vacationing there?”
“Are you kidding me,” I said. “Crystal would be ecstatic to call Hawaii her second home! Thank you so much, sir!”
All four of us shook on it, and I realized that I was really a part of the Truman family.
Jake and Richard followed me out to my car, and it felt as though we were all really brothers.
Jake wrapped his big arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. “This is going to be amazing, man. All four of us in Hawaii, who knows how many times per year.”
Richard chuckled. “Do you really think Dad is going to let all of us take time off at once? Someone has to stay around and work.”
“I think we’ll be okay,” I said. “There are other employees who could step up to the plate while we’re all away. And, of course, we can always work while we’re there.”
Jake leaned back against my car and put his hands in his pockets. “I think it’s great that we’re all going to be fathers at the same time. It may sound corny, but just knowing that our children will grow up together makes me happy. Family is so important. My old life seems like ancient history.”
Richard agreed. “I still can’t believe that I was lucky enough to find Annie. Speaking of which, I should probably head home in a few minutes.”
All three of us said goodbye, and I headed over to one of the local jewelers. It was busy inside for a weekday afternoon, and I even ran into a few people I knew.
After a few minutes, a clerk finally came out, and I approached the counter. “Hello, I’m Gavin Tillery. I’m here to pick up an item that I ordered.”
She typed my name into the computer, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, Mr. Tillery. One moment.”
When she came out a few minutes later, I took the bag and then headed for home. I was eager to tell Crystal about our new vacation home in Hawaii. The pregnancy was rough on her sometimes, and I half expected to walk in and find her lying on the couch.
That wasn’t the case .
Crystal was unpacking her boxes as I walked into the living room. It was amazing how much stuff she had after living in such a small apartment, but I didn’t mind. I wanted her to surround herself with everything that made her happy, especially since she didn’t have room to do so before. She had put several pictures of her mom in our living room, and I often found her staring at them.
Crystal turned around when I walked in, surprised to see me. “You’re home early! Not that I’m complaining, of course. This house sure is big.”
I walked over to her and was amazed at her beauty. Her baby bump was starting to show, but not so much that other people would know she was pregnant. It had only been a few months since she conceived, and the further along she got, the more beautiful I found her. I couldn’t wait until her belly was so round that I could talk to it, maybe even put headphones up to it so the baby could hear music.
“The doctor told you to rest as much as possible, honey. All of this can wait.”
“I needed to get some fresh air, Gavin, so I went by the studio to check on the new office manager and then went shopping. I found a bunch of toys and other baby items, too, and then I had lunch. Let me show you what I did in the nursery.”
We had been planning the nursery ever since she told me that she was pregnant. I told her that I would take care of it. All she had to do was tell me what she wanted. Crystal was determined to be as involved as possible, which reminded me a lot of Richard. He had painted his new nursery as a way to make up for missing out on the early years of Addison’s life. Plus, even though Crystal was still a carefree person, she had a stubborn streak.
We walked upstairs, and Crystal showed me what she had done so far. “I was able to get the crib together, although it wasn’t that easy. The maid, I love that her name is Mary like my mom’s…. anyway, she had to help me. The stupid instructions weren’t even right. We ended up having to Google the make and model, and other women said the same thing, which is enraging because this is supposed to be a top-of-the-line crib. I guess it’s together and appears to be pretty sturdy. The most important thing is that the baby doesn’t fall out.”
I walked over and wiggled the crib bars. “They’re very sturdy, but you should have let me do that, honey. Even the doctor said not to overdo it since you still have vertigo. Speaking of which, how have you been feeling today?”
Crystal shrugged her shoulders at me while putting some toys in the corner. “Not too bad. I haven’t puked at all, and Annie gave me some ginger drops to suck on for nausea. They’re strong as hell but work. I think the hardest part has been cutting down to just one cup of coffee a day. You know how I love my coffee.” She giggled, and it was nice to see Crystal happy and giggling again.
“There’s no way that I could ever cut down to just one cup.”
