Stay With Me (The Montgomery Brothers) (11 page)

Gina rolled her eyes.  “This has nothing to do with Mac.”  The lie rolled easily off of her tongue.  “I’ve never been happy in Cali.  I never felt like I fit in.  I have no idea what I’d do here but I think that if I gave myself the opportunity, I could really be happy here.”

“Well, you won’t want to stay in the guest house forever but I’m sure that William and Monica would love it if you stayed here.  You could always move into your father’s house,” Maggie suggested.

Gina vehemently shook her head.  “No, I couldn’t.   I know that he wants me to stay there and it’s a beautiful house but it’s not someplace that I want to be.  To me, it represents a lot of sadness.  He’s lived there alone and yet created a life for me there even though he knew that I was never going to use it.  And once he’s gone, it will just be a place that he had to live alone.”  She looked up at both women and smiled sadly.  “It’s a truly lovely house but I think it deserves a family with kids and a dog and to be filled with laughter.  It’s too big for one person.  I don’t know how he stood it for so long.”

Not wanting to upset Gina further, Emma began to talk plans for which piece of art she wanted to use for the nursery.  Gina was relieved for the change of subject but at the same time, there was another subject that she needed advice on.

“I don’t know what to do about Mac,” she blurted out.

“Oh, thank God,” Maggie sighed.  “I was afraid you weren’t ever going to talk about it!”  All three women burst out laughing.  “So you still have a thing for him?”

Gina nodded.  “If anything, he got better with age and when I saw him at the airport?  My heart actually stopped.  He’s just…” she couldn’t find the words to accurately describe what she felt.

“He’s a Montgomery,” Emma supplied.  “And Montgomery men just have a way of grabbing your heart and not letting go.”

“I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal; you know, it was a childhood crush.  But once I spent time with him, it just grew into something more.”

“You’re in love with him,” Maggie said simply.  “We can completely understand because we both felt the same way.  Still do.”

“And I envy you both but Mac…I don’t think he wants a relatio
nship.  I know that he wants me right now, but we have an expiration date.  Once I go back to California, it’s over.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked.  “If he’s anything like Lucas, it can be like pulling teeth to get him to talk about how he really feels.”

“He came by last night and he was upset about the whole Todd thing and said straight up that he didn’t like the idea of me dating somebody else but at the same time, he didn’t ask me for anything beyond right now.  Does that make sense?”

Emma reached out and took Gina’s hand.  “They may be handsome and charming and sexy as hell but they are also slow as molasses when it comes to making that big step toward commitment.  Don’t give up on him.  He’s not going to let you go back to California; I can guarantee it.”

“I hope you’re right.  Because I already know that I’m losing my father; I don’t think I could survive losing Mac at the same time, too.”

Unable to help herself, Emma came over and hugged her.  “Give him time; I can guarantee you he’ll be worth the wait.”

****

Later that night Gina was busy playing in the kitchen.  After her lunch with the girls she realized that her culinary skills were greatly lacking.  She had spent the afternoon with her father but he was tired from a morning spent getting poked and prodded by his medical team.  William and Monica had invited her to join them for dinner but she had declined and decided to go shopping and play around with some recipes.

When Gina had graduated from college she had dreamed of having a place of her own and learning to cook and decorate her own place.  Her mother had other plans for her and in the end, Gina had caved and moved back home where there was a full staff who did all of the cooking and cleaning.  She was almost giddy right now at the prospect of picking out her own foods to create her own meals.

A small giggle escaped as she used the remote to put on some music
– The Beatles this evening – and got to work organizing all that she was going to need to make the soup, salad, quiche and quick bread that she had planned.  The bread was a mix and she had it put together and in the oven in no time; the quiche was a little more challenging but she found that chopping and sautéing the vegetables was a lot of fun.  It soon followed the bread into the oven.

A quick detour to air drum to
“Help”,
she went to work on the salad.  She used her hip to shut the refrigerator door to let it chill and then started the soup.  “Probably should have done this before the salad,” she mumbled and then shrugged.  “Who cares?” she responded to herself.  “I’m not on anyone’s schedule but my own!”  The idea was empowering.  “No one to answer to but myself!”  She laughed and segued into a sing-a-long with John, Paul, George and Ringo to
“She Loves You”.

That’s when Mac came in.  He stood in the doorway and smiled.  Gina was dancing around the kitchen in total abandon, singing into a wooden spoon.  He couldn’t help but smile at the picture she made.  The carefree woman before him was blossoming and he knew it was because she was finally free to experience life on her
own terms.  He was thrilled for her, a little less so for him.  Deep down Mac knew that his greatest fault was that he was a bit of a control freak; he didn’t go-with-the-flow or do things spur of the moment.  He was a planner who was meticulous in making sure that he made lists and crossed them off as he went along.  Watching Gina dance and sing with abandon hit him like a punch in the gut.

His father was right; he wouldn’t be good for her.

How soon before he was the one trying to get her to conform to his schedule and his rigid way of thinking?  How soon before the music became too distracting for him or his schedule made him miss her excitement at preparing a meal for them?  The smile slowly faded to a frown.  He wanted Gina with a fierceness that he couldn’t control and it scared him.  She scared him.  That was why their arrangement had to work; when Gina left to go back to California, he would let her go.  He had to.  The only way for her to have the life that she deserved was for him to step back and let her have it.

It just might kill him.

Just then she spun around and spotted him.  She did a little jump of excitement and then fairly skipped over to him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him with all of the passion that she used in everything that she did.  Mac welcomed it, savored it, because soon, all he would have is the memory of it.

Chapter Nine

“Some might call this a date,” Gina teased a week later as they stood outside Lucas and Emma’s house. Mac looked down at her with an arched eyebrow.  “It’s true; when a man takes a woman out and they go out to socialize with other couples, I’ve been told it can technically be called a date.”

“Is that right?” he asked, enjoying the playful banter.

She nodded.  “It’s not traditional, don’t get me wrong, but I think this situation still applies.”

“Traditional, huh?  Anyone can do traditional.  It takes a special knack to take someone to their brother’s home for dinner.”

“Careful…you may spoil me,” she said with a big smile and Mac knew that it was exactly what he wanted to do and just hadn’t been able to.  Between work and the fact that Arthur’s health had been deteriorating this week for seemingly no reason, it had been difficult for them to spend any quality time together. 

She had introduced him to the wonders of John Landis and the fabulous teen movies of the eighties.  They had snuggled up together on the sofa for a movie marathon on more than one occasion while eating popcorn or pizza; he was really feeding into her junk food craze.  And while he watched everything from
Sixteen Candles
to
The Breakfast Club
, he couldn’t quite get the appeal.  What he did get, however, is how much those movies meant to Gina and that for a couple of hours out of her day, she could relive a simpler, happier time in her life.

“Okay, I get the whole teenage angst thing and the shy, quiet girl getting the captain of the football team thing, but I don’t get what the big deal is about this movie,” Mac said the night before when Gina had finally let him watch
Say Anything
.

“It’s a classic,” she said simply.

“No, no, no…
Star Wars
is a classic;
The Dirty Dozen
is a classic.  Anything with James Bond is a classic.  But this?  I just don’t see it.”

She rolled her eyes.  “First of all, none of those movies
you mentioned are romantic.”

“There is always romance with 007,” he countered.

“That’s sex, not love and yes there is a difference!”

“Okay, okay, so tell me why you think this is a classic?”

“It’s love conquering all.  They fall in love against the odds and no one thinks that he’s good enough for her and yet in the end, he is exactly what she needs.”  She sighed.  “Every woman wants that and they all watch this movie and love it and think it’s a classic.”  Mac still didn’t agree but it made her happy so he was happy to sit and watch it with her. 

Lucas opened the door and welcomed them in and Gina kissed him on the cheek and went right to the kitchen with the tray of stuffed mushrooms she had made.  After she had sashayed away, Lucas looked at his brother and grinned.  “Man do you have it bad.”

Mac glared at him.  “Don’t ruin this night for me.  It’s been a hell of a week and Gina needs a carefree night to just relax and have fun.”

“Dad mentioned that Arthur’s not doing well.”

“He spoke to the doctors along with Gina finally this week.  Although the cancer hasn’t spread, his body is just shutting down.  We all knew it was coming but it’s coming faster than anyone expected.”

“I thought he was doing well; holding his own?”

Mac shrugged.  “Those first two weeks that Gina was here he was doing great but the body can only take so much and he wasn’t in great health to begin with.”

“How’s she holding up?”

“She has good moments and bad.  By the time I see her at night she’s had time to kick and scream and cry and she acts like she’s handling it but I can see that it’s starting to get to her.”

“It would get to anyone.  I hate that she’s going through this alone.”

Mac shoved Lucas hard.  “What the hell does that mean?  She’s far from being alone!”

Jason heard
the beginnings of the scuffle and walked over.  “What’s going on?”

“He’s a jackass, that’s what’s going on,” Mac sneered.

With a dramatic roll of his eyes Lucas turned to Jason.  “Mac was just telling me about Arthur and how Gina was doing and all I said was that I hate that she’s dealing with this alone.”

“And I reminded him that she’
s not alone,” Mac countered.

Jason looked between the two of them, unsure which side to go with. 
“Look, she’s got all of us to lean on and mom and dad have taken her in like they were surrogate parents but at the end of the day, she’s alone.”

“No, she’s not, dammit!  I’m there!”

“Are you?” Jason asked, his tone serious. 

“Why don’t you just say what you have to say, Jace,” Mac growled.

“I don’t have to ask if you’re sleeping with her because even though you don’t talk about it and we haven’t asked, we all kind of know.  It’s in the way the two of you look at each other and believe me, we’re all fine with it.  I get why you’re keeping it a secret because you don’t want dad catching wind of it so that he can put on his matchmaking cap again.  But the truth of the matter is, sneaking in her house after dark so that no one sees you and creeping out before the sun is up is not being there for her.”

Mac wanted to argue, he wanted to tell his brothers that they were wrong but unfortunately, they were right.  He was there for Gina physically, but right now was that really enough for her?  Was he helping her or hurting her?
 

“Don’t you think it would be better for her if you were there at the hospital with her?  Maybe go
with her to talk to the doctors?  Dad says she still hasn’t asked them any questions.”

“And you think if I’m there with her she will?  She doesn’t want to hear what she already knows is going to happen.  Would you find it easy to sit there and listen to some doctor tell you that dad was going to die?  That he only had a month
or less to live?”

Both brothers shook their heads.  “It’s not a crime for Gina to not want to sit with a team of medical professionals with their cool detachment talking about her father like he’s just a case to them.  He’s her father; she loves him and she’s dealing with a horrible situation the only way she knows how.”

“We’re not getting down on Gina,” Lucas said.  “All we’re saying is that if you really care about her, then maybe you need to make her a little more of a priority.”

“Oh, like the two of you did?  Now you’re experts?”

“When I walked away from Emma, I thought I was doing the right thing.  If I had actually taken the time to talk to her, even though it was uncomfortable for me, it would have saved us both a lot of time and heartache.”

Jason nodded.  “I didn’t make Maggie a priority and I went and made decisions that directly affected her without talking to her about them.  I almost lost her.”  He looked at Lucas and then back at Mac.  “We don’t claim to be experts; we’re just guys who made the same stupid mistakes that we’re watching you make and we’re trying to help.”

“This is completely different and if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to drop the subject and just be able to let Gina have a good time tonight and I’d like to have a good time without all of this hanging over our heads.  Can we please do that?”

In silent agreement the three of them headed back toward the kitchen where the sound of female laughter called out to them.

As the night went on Mac realized that he was enjoying himself more than he thought possible.  Without the threat of his father’s prying eyes, he was free to just relax and enjoy his time with Gina.  They held hands, they stood close and he was able to put his arm around her and just touch her as much as he pleased.  He could tell that his brothers
’
wives approved
because any time he caught their eyes, they smiled and nodded at him.

Emma stood when she heard Lily’s soft cry over the baby monitor.  Gina rose as well.  “Would you mind if I went and got her?” she asked.  “I know that she doesn’t know me but if it’s okay with you, I’d love to go and pick her up.”

Emma sat back down and sighed.  “That would be wonderful.  I love this house but by the end of the day the thought of another trip up those stairs is just exhausting.”  Gina excused herself and walked up to the nursery.  “You’re a lucky man, Mackenzie,” she said, reaching out for her husband’s hand.  “Gina’s a wonderful girl.”

“Who know
s,” Maggie interjected, “someday one of us could be running up a flight of stairs to pick up your crying baby.”  Everyone laughed but Mac suddenly didn’t feel so well. 
Babies?
  That would signify a future between him and Gina and he was doing his best to come to grips with the fact that she’d be leaving him soon.  Clearly everyone else hadn’t gotten the memo.

“Not me, Maggie,” he said as lightly as he could although his voice croaked.  “No babies in my future.”

“Oh come on, are you telling me that you’re not thinking of you and Gina settling down and having a family?” Maggie asked, stunned by Mac’s lack of enthusiasm on the subject.

“Gina’s going back to California; that’s where her life is
.”

“Then what the hell are you doing with her?” Emma chimed in full of indignation.

Well, shoot.  He thought he had cleared the air by talking to his brothers earlier; he hadn’t counted on their wives ganging up on him. “What’s going on between me and Gina is just that, between me and Gina,” he said a little too harshly.

“Mac,” Lucas warned, ready to pick up where they’d left off in the foyer earlier.

“Why is it anyone’s damn business what is going on with me and Gina?  We’re doing fine and we both know where we stand.  When things…get settled here, she’s going back to California and to her life.  End of story.”

“You’re not going to ask her to stay?” Maggie asked, her tone guarded.

“Why?” Mac asked, angry that they were still poking and prodding where they didn’t belong.  “Her job is back in California, her mother is there, her friends…there’s nothing here tying her to North Carolina.”

“You’re here,” Emma said softly.

Mac looked at her, his expression bleak.  “Apparently I’m not.”  He stood and walked away from the table just as Gina was walking back into the dining room with Lily.  One look at the woman who was the topic of conversation and a constant presence in his mind holding a baby was nearly his undoing.  “Excuse me,” he said gruffly and stalked out of the room.

“Did I miss something?” Gina asked softly, handing Lily to Emma.

“Nothing important,” Jason said as he stood and went after Mac.  Lucas made to join him but Jason waved him off.

Everyone began talking at once about Lily and dinner and it was the kind of conversation that Gina knew was intended to distract her.  She wasn’t an idiot by any stretch of the imagination and she was light on her feet.  She had heard the tail end of the conversation and knew that no matter how much she wished for it and no matter how she and Mac clung to one another when they made love, it wasn’t going to make a difference.  He was going to let her go back to the west coast and not ask her to stay.

Jason closed the sliding glass door behind him and joined Mac out on the deck.  They stood in silence staring out toward a black, starless sky.  He hoped that Mac would say something, anything, but it soon became obvious that it was going to be up to him to get things moving.

“When we were kids you used to love to climb trees, do you remember that?”  Mac turned his head and looked at him as if he were crazy, but nodded before returning his gaze forward.  “You taught me how
to climb them and then I taught Lucas.  Mom used to get so mad because whenever we got in trouble, we’d scatter and each climb up one of the big Magnolia trees so that she couldn’t reach us.”  He chuckled at the memory.

“You taught me how to swim, how to play baseball and football…hell, you were the one who coached me on how to ask out my first girlfriend.  Katie Michaels.  Remember her?”

“No,” Mac said with a small shake of his head.  “Is there a point to all of this?”

“Yeah,” Jason said, turning to face his big brother.  “Some of the most
important and memorable events in my life, you taught me.  Sure dad could have done all of that but I looked up to you because you were my big brother and I thought that you were the coolest guy in the world.  I watched you grow up and do amazing things with your life; you’re a genius in the office and you’re a whiz with numbers.  And there are times, and I’ll never admit this in front of anyone else so pay attention…there are times that I am just in freakin awe of you.  I think to myself, how can I ever compete or measure up to Mac?”

Mac looked at him, unsure of what to say.  His jaw worked like he was going to say something but no words came out.

“When I planned out that expansion project?  The one that Maggie came to work for me on?  I was terrified because all I could think was how would I feel if I let you down?”  Jason hung his head down and shook it.  “We may be equals around the office but I know that there is still so much that I have to learn from you.”

“Jace, that’s not true,” Mac finally said.  “There isn’t anything that you can’t do.  You did an amazing job on the expansion and you’ve kicked my ass on numerous projects.  God, I don’t want you to feel like it’s a competition between us, because I sure don’t.”