Page 54 of Forever & Always You
“Maybe .?.?.”
“Allof this?”
I shrug as heat blazes across my face, because the last thing I wanted was any credit. “I want to be more like my father,” I admit, my voice quiet. “He was kind and charitable and humble, and I realized after our talk in your office that I wanted to continue that legacy. So I gave Fiona a call last month and we pulled this all together.”
Austin is deep in thought, still registering the fact that I was behind all of this. He gestures around the gazebo. “How did you pay for this?”
“Cracked into the trust fund,” I answer, managing a smile.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, but his tone is gentle. He’snot angry that I left him in the dark, I don’t think. Just confused. “I would have chipped in. I’m their sponsor, remember?”
“I wanted to do this on my own,” I say, and I hold his gaze as I strengthen my voice. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something good for once. Not to impress you, not for attention. Just .?.?.good.”
Austin’s smile is so slight, it’s almost indiscernible. He steps forward and wraps an arm around me, the other hand resting on the small of my back. He kisses the crown of my head, right near the healed cut from my accident a month ago. Right by my ear, he murmurs, “I’m proud of you, Gabby.”
And a barrage of tears instantly pricks at my eyes, because I can’t remember the last time anyone was proud of me.
18
Austin tosses a pillow at me and says, “We’re building a fort.”
“A fort?”
“Yes, a fort,” he confirms. He disappears through his house and returns moments later with a bundle of bed sheets in his arms. “So that thing I said about us never having sleepovers as kids? It made me realize we have therefore never had the opportunity to make a fort together.”
“You’re right. We haven’t.”
“And we need to rectify that immediately.”
“We absolutely must.”
And I’m not sure what exactly I had in mind for my Saturday evening plans with Austin, but rearranging furniture and draping sheets over chairs definitely wasn’t it.
We build a killer fort that takes over the entire living area, using all of the sheets and blankets we can lay our hands on, and then we stack pillows inside for maximum comfort. Austin microwaves some popcorn and grabs his laptop before joining me inside the best fort I’ve ever made. As we lie together on the pile of pillows of blankets, watchingBlack Widow, because Austin is now involved in my Marvel movies marathon, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.
“Thank you.”
My head rests against Austin’s chest as the words vibrate through him, and I tilt my chin to look up at him. “Thank you?” I repeat. “Thank you for what? What did I do?”
Austin wraps his arm a little tighter around me, our legs entwined as the movie plays on the laptop sat on a pile of books by our feet. “The past few years I’ve been so serious,” he explains. “Professional mindset at all times. Always thinking about stock fluctuations and 401Ks. Even on weekends, I’ll work extra from home. When I hit the bar, I’m thinking of investment strategies in between beers. When I run, I spend each mile mulling over a different client’s portfolio.”
“Because you’re committed,” I say, “and really good at what you do.”
Austin laughs. “Yes, I am, but my point is .?.?. I’ve been a little less serious since you showed up, so thank you.”
“That’s a good thing?” I ask, raising a brow. If anything, I’d presume that makes me a bad influence. I don’t want to be a distraction from his career.
“Yes, Gabby, it’s a good thing. I needed your goofy humor back in my life so that I’m not crunching numbers in my head all of the time.” He smolders his eyes at me and kisses my temple. “Reminds me of how it felt to be a kid.”
I pout my lips at him, only because I know now just how much he loves it. “Am I too childish, Austin?”
“No. You’re perfect.”
“That’s a lie,” I say, rolling my eyes.
He grins and says, “You’re perfect now that you aren’t bullying me.”
“Austin!” I jerk up from his chest and support my weight on one hand instead as I stare down at him with a frown. “Don’t say things like that.”
