Gabe

One Year and Ten Months Later

Taking a drag of my cigarette, I stare out at the view of the reservoir and the canyon surrounding it from my spot on our porch at the back of our house.

Speedy and I had the ranch of our dreams built pretty much straightaway, and we’ve called it home for the last eight months.

I look at Gucci and Donnie running around in the paddock, chasing a butterfly. The sun is shining, glinting off the pool.

It’s fucking idyllic.

It’s home.

I can’t believe I got so lucky to have all of this.

But, most of all, to have Speedy. The girl that dreams are made of.

She’s inside, getting dressed to go out for dinner. It’s our two-year anniversary of the day she ran over my foot. We class that as the day we got together because that was the day that she came into my life and never left.

Oh, if you’re wondering who Donnie is, he’s our new pygmy goat. Speedy bought him for me for my birthday six months ago. He’s all black with a white patch on his head. He’s the cutest fucking thing, not that I’d ever admit that out loud.

I called him Don Corleone. I had to give him a cool name, right? But Speedy said it was too much of a mouthful to say every time. And she said Don sounded like an old man’s name, so she nicknamed him Donnie, and it stuck.

Gucci loves her baby brother.

Probably about as much as I love mine. Tate’s doing really well. When his residency finished, Presbyterian offered him a permanent job, which he took, even though I offered him money to set up his own private practice. I still offer the money on a regular basis, and he knocks me back every time.

Stubborn asshole.

But, one of these days, he’ll say yes. I’m sure of it.

Tate is also heavily involved with the charity that he, Speedy, and I set up.

I came up with the idea for it a couple of days after I did the live video.

It went viral. My story was in every newspaper, and the video was playing on every chat show for weeks after. I received thousands of letters and emails of support. And almost every celebrity came out to support me. A lot of the messages I received were from people whose parents had gone to prison, and they had been left either in the foster system or with relatives. I heard stories that were very similar to Tate’s and mine. Kids who’d ended up on the streets. People who had turned to prostitution to feed themselves and their siblings. People who’d had it worse than I had. And I knew I had to do something to help.

So, I came up with the idea of Healing the Breaks.

It’s a nonprofit charity designed to help kids and young adults whose parents have gone to prison. Whether it’s making sure they have somewhere to live or if they need counseling or support or even money to help get them started, we provide that for them.

Speedy does the day-to-day running of Healing the Breaks. She was running that and still working at the theater where she had gotten the job, but as the charity expanded, she decided she wanted to dedicate all of her time to that. Tate and I do most of the fundraising along with Vaughn, Charly, and Julian, who are heavily involved with the charity, too.

I’m still making movies.

I did the espionage thriller that I’d signed on to do before I met Speedy. I had half-expected the studio to pull me from the role. But, with the positive response I’d gotten from the fans and media after the video, I guess they would have looked bad if they’d pulled me.

Also, five days after I did the live video, I went to a rehab center and stayed there for thirty days.

It was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do.

The first seven days, going through withdrawal, were fucking horrific. And being away from Speedy made it even harder.

But I did it.

And, when I came out, I got myself a therapist to continue on with the counseling I’d received in rehab, and I joined AA, where they assigned me a sponsor.

I’m now one year and ten months clean.

Do I still want to drink?

Every fucking day.

But I fight the urge.

Because I have too much good in my life now to ever go back to using alcohol to make me feel better.

After rehab, I went home and spent a few days with Speedy, and then I went straight into filming the movie. When it was done, I didn’t sign on for any others even though the offers were rolling in, and Gil wanted me to take them up.

Also, I had the issue of Bradford Digby and Sandy White to deal with. While I was in rehab, Martin was able to track down where the bugs had been purchased from and who had made the purchase. Seems Sandy had been stupid enough to pay for them with her credit card. And, with the fact that she’d had access to my apartment, it was enough to contact the police. But, after speaking to the police, they said that it would be hard to make a charge stick, as all they could really potentially charge her with was spying. They advised us to go the civil route and sue her with invasion of privacy. So, my lawyers slapped her and Digby with a lawsuit.

Surprisingly, Digby settled out of court—for both him and Sandy. It shocked the fuck out of me when the offer came through. I’d like to think he grew a conscience, but I highly doubt it. The bastard just didn’t want to have the negative publicity, especially after all the support I had been receiving.

Part of the deal with Digby was that he would hand over all the recordings made in my apartment, and he would erase any copies he had.

I received them in the form of five USB sticks, filled to the max. I didn’t listen to them. But, that night, Speedy and I had a bonfire on the terrace.

After everything was done, I just wanted to spend some time with my girl. But, first, she wanted me to meet her family, so we flew to New York for a few days, and I met her mom and dad and her brother, Jayce. They’re really great people. Her mom fussed over me and fed me some incredible food. And, don’t tell Speedy I said this, but her mom’s cooking is even better than hers. Her dad and Jayce are really cool, too. They’re both Lakers fans, so we had plenty to talk about.

Then, from New York, we flew straight to the Maldives for our first vacation together. We spent two weeks relaxing, eating, and fucking.

It was awesome.

Then, we came home and threw ourselves into getting the ranch built and setting up Healing the Breaks, using the money from the lawsuit and some of my own along with donations from some celebrity friends of mine.

I also started writing a screenplay.

Yeah, I know I said I was a shit writer, but I took some writing classes. Turns out, I’m not as bad as I thought I was.

I’m writing a screenplay about my life. I have a lot to tell. And doing it has been therapeutic.

I’m almost finished writing it. When it’s done, I’ll give it to Tate to read. It involves him, so he should be the first to read it.

Whether I’ll shop it to any studios or not, I’m not sure. But, for now, I’m glad I’m writing my story.

“Hey there, handsome.”

I turn at the sound of Speedy’s voice, and I nearly choke on the smoke in my lungs.

She looks fucking beautiful.

She always looks beautiful. But, right now…she’s in a silver satin dress with black lace covering my girls, Pinky and Perky. Her hair is tumbling in waves down her back. The black stilettos on her feet will look amazing while wrapped around my back.

She looks hot as fuck.

My cock is standing to attention, ready to get in on some action with my girl.

I quick a glance at my watch. We’ve got ten minutes before the car gets here to take us to dinner. That’s enough time for a quickie.

I stub my cigarette out, put a mint in my mouth, and walk over to her.

“You look gorgeous,” I tell her.

“Right back at ya, babe.” She smiles, pressing her hands to my chest. “And we’re matching.” She tugs gently on my tie.

I’m wearing a fitted black suit, dark gray shirt, and silver tie.

“Yes, we are.” I slide my hands over her hips and grab her ass. “So…we’ve got ten minutes before the car gets here…” I raise a suggestive brow as I lean in and press my mouth to hers.

The sound of the buzzer for the gate has me sighing. “For fuck’s sake.”

She giggles against my lips. “That’ll be the driver.”

“He can wait.” I start to kiss my way down her neck and cup her tit in my hand.

She moans softly.

The buzzer goes off again.

I stop kissing her neck and growl out a sound of frustration.

“We should go. He’ll just keep buzzing.”

“He’ll get his ass kicked, is what he’ll get,” I grumble. “And the fucker can say good-bye to his tip.”

She laughs again. “Come on, grumpy ass.” She takes hold of my hand and leads me toward the front door. “We can have sex later.”

“You bet your hot ass we will.”

We arrive at the restaurant, and the maître d’ leads us to the private dining room that I reserved.

It’s a new Mediterranean tapas restaurant that recently opened, and it has been getting rave reviews.

We’re seated, and the waiter appears, asking for our drink order.

I order sparkling water. Speedy orders a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

“You can have something stronger,” I tell her. “Champagne? We are celebrating.”

“I’m fine.” She smiles.

She never drinks around me, no matter how often I tell her she can. But, honestly, her doing that just tells me how much she loves and supports me.

Our drinks come, and we place our food order.

I start to talk to her about a fundraising idea I have for Healing the Breaks, but I can tell she’s not fully listening. She seems distracted.

“You okay?” I ask. “You just seem a little off your game.”

“I’m fine. I was just…I have your gift, and I was going to wait until the end of dinner to give it to you. But I think maybe I should just give it to you now.”

“Okay, sure. But, just to let you know, I don’t have your gift with me. I’m giving it to you later.”

She cocks a brow. “It’s not your dick with a ribbon wrapped around it again, is it?”

I give her a serious look. “No. You know I never give the same gift twice.”

I grin, and she laughs, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, which is weird for Speedy because, when she smiles, she smiles with her whole face.

“You’re not disappointed that I’m giving you your gift later, are you?”

“No, of course not.” She picks her clutch up from the floor and seems to hesitate. Then, she reaches inside and pulls out a small white rectangular box. She places it in the center of the table between us. “I hope you like it.”

“You know I will. You have the best taste. You picked me, didn’t you?”

She doesn’t laugh, which bugs me.

I pick the box up and give it a shake. It rattles.

“Okay, I’m guessing, watch.” I go to lift the lid off and pause when she says my name. “What?”

“Look, if you don’t like what’s inside that box, it’s fine. I swear. I mean, I know we both said in the past that we wanted this at some point, but we never said when, and I don’t know when there’s ever a right time, but—”

“Speedy?”

“What?”

“Stop talking, and let me open it.”

“Okay.”

I pull the lid off and stare down at the white stick inside the box.

My entire being freezes.

“You’re pregnant?” The words feel like they rush out of me. I lift my eyes to hers.

She bites her lip and nods. “Seven weeks. I had it confirmed at the doctor’s a few days ago. I thought I’d wait to surprise you. I just hope it’s a good surprise.” Her face is screwed up with nerves as she chews on her lip.

“Babe, it’s a good surprise. It’s the best fucking surprise ever.”

“Really?”

“Really.” I smile so big that I feel like my face might crack. “Jesus, Ava.” I get up from my chair and sweep her up into my arms, hugging her tight. “I’m so fucking happy right now.”

“God, I’m so relieved,” she whispers. “I was so worried.”

I lean back and take her face in my hands. “Why?”

“Because we didn’t plan it, and I wasn’t sure where your head was.”

“You being pregnant with my baby is the greatest thing ever. Babe, it’s the best gift I have ever received in my life. It’s astro-fucking-nomical.”

She smiles big, and my chest feels like it could burst with the love I feel for her.

I move a hand down to her stomach and press my palm to it. “I just can’t believe our baby is inside of you right now.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she whispers.

The waiter appears with our food. I look at it being laid out on the table, and after finding out that she’s pregnant, I decide that I don’t want to wait any longer to give her my gift.

“Speedy, would you mind if we take this food to go? I really want to give you your gift now.”

She looks at me, surprised. “Okay, sure.”

“Can you wrap this up to go?” I tell the waiter.

“Of course, Mr. Evans. Would you like any dessert to go with it?”

“Speedy?”

“I could eat some cheesecake.”

“Two pieces of cheesecake as well. And make it quick.”

The waiter rushes off to sort our food. I reach over the table, get the pregnancy test from the box, and put it in my pocket.

“What?” I say in response to the look on Speedy’s face, which is a mixture of disgust and happiness.

“You do realize that I peed on that stick?”

“And your point is?”

“That it’s kind of weird and gross that you’re carrying around a stick with my urine on it.”

“I’m carrying around a stick that says my girlfriend is pregnant with my baby. You’re lucky I’m not waving this thing around for everyone to see.”

She stares at me, laughter and concern in her gorgeous eyes. “Please don’t do that.”

“What’s it worth for me not to do it?” I grin devilishly.

She leans close and whispers in my ear, “I’ll let you do that thing to me that I said I would never let you do.”

I lean back and stare in her eyes, my blood suddenly rushing south. “You mean, I can punch the starfish?”

Laughter bursts from her. “If that’s slang for fifth base, then, yes, baby, you can punch the starfish.”

“God, you’re fucking awesome.” I grab her face between my hands and press a kiss to her lips. “I don’t know what the fuck I did to deserve you, but whatever it was, I’m glad I did it.”

“You definitely got lucky, big guy.” She pats my hand, grinning at me.

We’re back in the car with our to-go food. And I just can’t stop staring at Speedy’s stomach.

Our baby is inside her right now. A part of her and a part of me. It’s fucking mind-blowing.

A thought occurs to me.

“Speedy, does this mean I have to give up smoking now that we’re having a baby?”

She turns her face to look at me. “Only if you want to. You’ve been doing so well with not drinking, and if giving up your cigarettes would feel like too much of an added pressure, then don’t do it. The last thing I want is for you to put any unnecessary pressure on yourself.”

And this is just one of the many reasons I love her. She always thinks about what’s best for me.

“I’ll think about it and have a chat with my sponsor, see what he thinks.”

“I know you don’t smoke in the house anymore, but you can’t smoke around me at all now that I’m pregnant.”

“I promise I won’t.” I press a kiss to her soft lips.

I see we’re approaching our destination, and my stomach starts to churn with unexpected nerves. And, now, I really could do with a smoke.

I haven’t been nervous all day. Every time I’ve thought about this, I’ve felt happy and positive. But, now that we’re nearly there, I’m starting to shit bricks.

The car starts to slow, coming to a stop outside the studio.

“Why are we at the studio?” Speedy asks me.

“You’ll see in a minute.”

I open the door and get out of the car, helping her out.

Keeping hold of her hand, I lead her past the studio and to the corner of the street.

I pause before we turn the corner. “Okay, so close your eyes.”

“You want me to close my eyes?”

“That’s what I said.”

She gives me a look and shuts them.

“Are they closed properly?” I wave a hand in front of her.

“Do they look closed to you?” She smirks.

“Funny, smart-ass. Okay, don’t open them until I say so.”

I take hold of her hands and lead her around the corner and down the street until I stop her on the very spot where she hit me with her car that day.

The street is lit with fairy lights, giving it a romantic glow. There’s not much you can do to make a street down the side of a movie studio look romantic, but it has to be here, so fairy lights, it is.

I get the blue ring box from my pocket, and then I get down on one knee in front of her.

Fuck, I’m so nervous.

I feel like I’m gonna hurl. My mouth dries. I take a deep breath and moisten my lips with my tongue. “Okay…you can open your eyes.”

She blinks her eyes open. I watch her as she takes in the fairy lights and just where we are. A smile ignites her whole face.

That smile. Fuck, it gets me every time.

It takes her a moment to realize that I’m on my knee in front of her, but when she does, her eyes widen, and her mouth pops into an O before she covers it with her hands.

“Ava…I had this whole big speech prepared, and then you blew me out of the water when you told me that you’re pregnant with our baby. You kinda stole my thunder.” I grin. “But, tonight, you’ve given me the greatest gift ever. And, now, I’m asking you to marry me, with our child growing inside you, on the very spot where we started, and it couldn’t be more right.” I push up to my feet. “So, Ava Simms…soon-to-be mother of my child…my Speedy…will you marry me?”

I pop open the ring box, and her eyes widen further, filling with tears.

She drops her hands, revealing her gorgeous smiling face. “Yes, Gabe, I will marry you.”

My heart explodes with utter fucking happiness. I get the ring out of the box and slide it onto her finger.

“It’s beautiful, Gabe.” She holds her hand, staring down at the ring.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her. “And mine.” I take her face in my hands and kiss her, like I plan to kiss her for the rest of our lives.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be my husband.” Her eyes glitter up at me.

“Believe it, baby.” I kiss her again. “You’re going to be Mrs. Evans.”

“I like the sound of that.” She smiles. “God, tonight is the best night of my life, Gabe.”

“Mine, too.” I take her hand in mine, loving the feel of her engagement ring against my finger. “Finding out you’re pregnant, you agreeing to marry me, and there’s still more good stuff to come.”

“More?” She glances at me with intrigue.

“Well, we have food in the car. And then fifth base, baby, remember? I plan to get you home, strip you naked, hit that home run, and then eat cheesecake off your body.”

Laughter bursts from her.

“What?” I say mock innocently.

She stops and stands in front of me, smiling up at me. “Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Just…don’t ever change, Gabriel Evans. Always be you because you’re perfect, and I love you.”

I tightly wrap my arms around her, finally feeling the acceptance that I didn’t know I’d been looking for all this time. Full of love for this incredible woman in my arms. A love that I didn’t know existed until her.

She might have broken me on that fateful day, right here in this street, when our worlds came crashing together, but she’s also fixed me, too. In more ways than one.

I can’t imagine my life without her now.

Thank fuck I don’t have to.