Pure Redemption (Tainted Legacy) (38 page)

A very tongue-tied Mitch had agreed to dinner and a movie, because Julia couldn’t think of anything more fun or spontaneous on short notice. Since then, she had quickly decided that kissing was her new favorite thing, germs be damned.

They all crammed into the crowded hallway: Julia and Mitch, Molly and Oliver, Ava and Leah as they waited for the front door to open.

When Daniel let the door swing open wide, Gabe feigned surprise as e
veryone yelled, “Happy Birthday!
”

“You knew,” Ava accused as he swept her up into a hug.

“I could hear Molly and Julia arguing about how soon to yell before
we were even down the sidewalk,” he quietly admitted
. But he was grinning, clearly pleased all the same.

As far as birthday parties went, it was pretty calm and quiet but Ava knew that was exactly how Gabe would want it.
After their meal, Ava brought out the cake. Triple layer chocolate adorned with the full twenty candles that were required. Gabe raised his eyebrow at her as she
placed
it before him.

“You have to blow out the
candles,” Ava whispered
. Oliver and Mitch were on the other side of the room, deep in conversation
about something
. Yet she kept her voice low just in case
. She did
not
want
to encourage any unnecessary question
s from them. “But
first, you need to make a wish.”

“Wait. Do w
hat?” he asked, looking bemused at such a silly notion.

“Oh, you poor depri
ved thing,” Ava teased as she tousled his hair. “Twenty years old and you are finally going to get to make your first birthday wish.”
She explained the simple pro
cess
to him as he looked at her with amusement.

“Can I wish for anything?” he asked, perplexed.

“
Yes.
Better make it a
big
one,” Molly declared as she gave him a nudge.
“The way I see it, you have twenty years of wishes due to you.”

He stared at Molly for a moment. Then a smirk overtook his face. “Oh, I think I can come up with something
big
.” He looked slightly too serious for a
second
, then he drew in a breath and blew out each last candle. When he turned his face up to Ava’s he gave her a smile that sent her heart racing.

After that, he
was given
his
first
-
ever birthday
presents. Their friends had given him a gift certificate to the local paintball field. Oliver, having no idea what he was in for, had eagerly offered to go with Gabe. Mitch had
discreetly
stepped behind Julia and pretended to take a great interest in his sock
s
.

To Ava’s great delight, her parents had gotten Gabe a puppy.
During her senior year she had volunteered at the local animal shelter. She stopped by to visit one day while Gabe was with her. H
e’d become quite attached to a little lab mix
during the short time they were there
. When she’d mentioned it to her parents, they’d asked her permission to pay the adoption fee
so they could
give the little guy to Gabe as a gift.
They also gifted him with a full tote of
every puppy supply imagin
able.

It wasn’t until they were back at
t
he
i
r cabin, settled in for the evening that Ava gave Gabe his gift
from her
. She was sitting on the couch, next to the snoozing black puppy that
had finally worn himself out. He had curled
up in Gabe’s leather jacket. Gabe was sitting on the floor
in front of her
because the puppy had taken his usual seat.

She handed the small
ish
box to
him
and he carefully unwrapped the shimmery paper
as he relished every second of opening his first gift from Ava
. Inside was a
thick gold cross on a
chain. It was far more masculine than the one she wore.

“This is perfect,” Gabe said as he let Ava put it on him.

“I thought you might like one of your own,” she
said hopefully.

“
Afraid I’d steal yours?” he teased.

“Absolutely,” she teased back.

He was quiet for a moment before
he finally took her hand. “Thank you for today. I know I’ve never had another
birth
day like it.
Probably not even anything
close
to it.
”

Ava nodded and gave him an understanding smile
and her heart melted for the millionth time at the sight of him
.
His piercing blue eyes, his chiseled features but more than anything, it was the way he always looked at her that sent her heart into a fluttery state.

He may not remember his past but he did know that the household he had grown up
in was an enormously miserable place to be. When he told Ava he was grateful, she knew he meant it
.

Grier had been true to her word as far as Gabe and Ava could tell.
She had set things right.
Rafe was out of their lives. They had heard through a few acquaintances of Daniel’s that the radio station had been bought back by the original owner for a ridiculously small sum. Rumor also had it that the prior owner’s of the Castille estate had settled back into their home. Yet no one had ever come to question Gabe as to Rafe’s whereabouts.

The rest of the summer had been blissfully quiet and uneventful.
Gabe and Ava had spent
much of
it relaxing on the lake or going out with their friends.

Ava did not remember even a glimmer of the time she had spent with Grier though Gabe did finally manage to tell Ava that yes, she had died and that he had seen her spirit by Grier’s side. They left it at that.
Accepting it for the miracle that it was.

“I’m glad you had a good birthday,”
she
finally said.

“
There’s only one thing
that could make it more perfect,
”
h
e admitted.

Ava’s breathe caught in her t
hroat at the serious look on his
face. “What?” she finally asked
.
Whatever he wanted, she knew she’d give it to him.

His free hand, the one not holding hers, slowly, tentatively lifted a tiny box up to her.
He had been carrying it around in his front pocket all day, waiting for a quiet moment.

“Gabe!” Ava gasped. “It’s your birthday, not mine!” Regardless, she let go of his hand to accept what he was offering.

“I know,” Gabe said. “But if you say ‘yes,’ that would be the best birthday present ever.”

Ava slowly let the small hinges of the
dainty
box creak open.

“It’s
just
a promise ring,” Gabe
quickly
explained, wondering if it was too soon. “A promise that someday, when we’re ready, we’ll take the next step. If you want to.” He could do
nothing but watch, heart pound
ing, as Ava just stared at the ring in the box. He didn’t want to rush her, but he hadn’t thought her answer would take so long. Maybe it had been a bad idea to do it on his birthday. Maybe she didn’t feel the way he thought she did. Or the way he did.
Maybe she was taking so long because she was trying to find a polite way to tell him
‘no’
without ruining what had been a perfect day.

“
I know that I love you more than anything
.
I can’t imagine ever loving anyone else. But m
aybe
you think
it’s too soon.
”
H
e finally de
cided to admit his fear
. “I know that maybe we haven’t been together as long as we should be before doing something like this. But at the same time, in the past half year we’ve been through more than most people have been through in a lifetime. We both know what it’s like to lose
the
other and I, for one,
couldn’t live through losing
you again.
I can’t even think about living my life without you in it
, for any reason
.
But there’s no pressure
to rush things
. We can wait for as long as you want
—
until we’re out of college even
—before moving forward
.”

Leah had been helping Gabe get his necessary paperwork in order, much as she had helped Ava
with hers earlier in the year
. The likelihood of being accepted to Granville’s university for the spring semester was looking very
promising
. Meanwhile, Mike had moved Gabe into a fulltime position on the construction crew.

She finally looked up at him. Her eyes were shiny, her lips rolled in
for just a second before she answered.
“
What if I don’t want to wait
that long
?
What if I’m ready for the next step now?”

“Then,” Gabe said seriously, “I think I should’ve gotten you a bigger ring.”

“I don’t want a bigger ring,” she told him
. S
he took the simple gold band, encrusted with t
wo
small diamonds, out of the box
and held it protectively to her chest
. “I want this ring. This ring is perfect.”

Gabe blew out a breath of relief
as he took it from her and placed it on her finger
. “I’m going to have to remember this for next year.”

“Remember what?”

“That birthday wishes come true.”

“Why,” Ava asked, “what did you wish for?”

“
You,” Gabe said.

With that, she slid off the c
ouch
and landed in his lap.  When he kissed her, it was slow a
nd deliberate. He took his time
and Ava was breathless
when he finally stopped so that he could look at her.

“Wait, was that a yes?” he asked
as his eyes drank in the ecstatic expression on her face
.
“Do you
promise you want to spend the rest of your life with me
?”

“Yes,” Ava answered
as she leaned in for another kiss. “T
hat was a
definite
yes.”

CRUSHED
excerpt

Chapter 1

     Reece had gotten to school early. It had nothing to do with being excited for the first day of senior year. Because he wasn’t. Mostly, he was tired and just wanted to go home so he could go back to bed. And avoid the day completely.

Even though he was one of the first people there, he’d parked at the back of the lot. Though he wasn’t sure what the point of that was. His black Navigator, a gift from his parents, had a tendency to stick out. Especially in the school parking lot. Then again, it wasn’t like he was really hiding or anything. More like hanging out, waiting for his first glimpse of Cleo in three months. Waiting for it, dreading it, but more than anything? Just wanting to get it over with.

He assumed that she’d be riding the bus so he’d parked at the end closest to the bus zone. Cleo was more likely to spend her paychecks on groceries or school clothes for her little sister, Luci, than she was to ever get anything for herself. That included wasting money on a car when she could take the bus, even though she despised it.

“Hey,” Adam said as he threw himself into the passenger seat. He slammed the door behind him. “Are you going to spend all morning in here?”

Reece glanced at the clock. It hadn’t been
that
long. Only twelve minutes, give or take. But the parking lot was quickly filling up. The lawn in front of the school was already crawling with students.