Teagan
Lying in bed the morning after Kane left me, I stared up at the ceiling. Simon lay next to me, his arms folded under his head.
“He didn’t leave you.”
“You keep saying that, but it sure as hell feels like it.”
“He’ll be back. He needs to do this, needs to know he can do it, can manage without you, so being with you won’t feel like helplessness.”
“I get it in theory, but it still hurts like hell.”
“Yes, well, that’s why I suggested eating Sunshine’s brownies.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Simon nearly fell out of the bed. “What?” His eyes moved down to my stomach. “You are?”
“Yep. I took the test before we left Maine. I had planned on telling Kane last night after the party.”
“Kane doesn’t know?”
“Nope, and during his speech about needing to stand on his own didn’t really seem like the best time to drop it on him.”
“You need to tell him.”
“I realize that, but how’s that going to go? He’ll come back because he’s responsible, and then he’ll grow to resent me and our child, since he never did find whatever the hell it is he’s looking for.”
“You’re upset, I get that, but deep down you know what he’s doing is what’s best for him. You’re just upset that you can’t be at his side while he does it.”
“What if he can’t? What if he never finds what he’s looking for?” It was my biggest fear.
“I don’t think—”
Sitting up, I looked back at Simon. “Seriously, what if he can’t? What if his blindness is too much for him to overcome?”
“I don’t know.”
“I agree with what he’s doing. Ever since I returned, I’ve been thinking he needed to do something like this, but I’m afraid that he won’t find his way to the other side. He’s had so much time already.”
“He never had the enticement he has now.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You. He didn’t have you. He does now, and he has that one,” Simon said, touching my belly. “Amazing what a good incentive can accomplish. When are you going to tell him?”
“Don’t know.”
“Don’t wait too long.”
Dropping back on the bed, I really wished I could have two or three of Sunshine’s brownies.
Kane
Two months ago, I’d left a heartbroken Tea. I’d called her every day and, though she sounded hopeful, there was a sadness about her. I wanted her with me, but I understood why she wouldn’t come. She was right. I needed to go to her. And when I did, I’d be a man more deserving of her.
Breathing deeply, my hands actually shook a little, but it wasn’t just nerves, it was also excitement. I was having the first staff meeting for the inn. I won’t lie, when I first returned home the whole idea seemed incredibly daunting—turning Raven’s Peak into an inn given my lack of sight. How did I work with the contractors? How did I create and follow a project plan or check status updates when I couldn’t see? Mr. Clancy and I did a bit of research on the sites left to me by my nurse, into the technology available to aid those without sight—software that allowed for voice commands, apps that actually spoke what was on the computer screen through synthesized voices, other apps that converted documents into Braille. We even had the floor plans drawn up in Braille, tactile graphics they were called. Once we got a system set up and trained the various contractors on the uniqueness of my project management style, it was surprisingly easy to mange the transformation of Raven’s Peak into an inn. I also learned that sighted or not, I was going to need help and more, I had learned it was okay to ask for it.
Kevin O’Malley had helped me hire the contractors, and Mr. Lawson and Mr. Bowen had helped with the legal parts. Mrs. T and Mr. Clancy had helped me interview the staff members who would be assuming their roles now that they were officially retiring.
I hired Kathy to manage the inn. It made me feel good, despite all that had happened, that she was there because I had walked into that fire: The ends absolutely justified the means.
We were meeting in the kitchen. Zeus walked with me down the hall from the library where I’d set up a temporary office. I’d thought about using the study, but I felt Tea in the library, felt her around me, and I drew strength from that.
I could hear their voices and knew that I wasn’t the only one who was excited about this venture. Mrs. Marks had been very outspoken the past couple of months, thrilled at the activity going on in her home and the direction I was taking the place.
The voices immediately softened as I stepped into the kitchen.
“Is everyone here?” I asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Clancy said. He had become my right-hand man. It wasn’t helplessness to ask for help—Tea had been right.
“There are only a few rules that will be strictly enforced: We all help out, because Raven’s Peak is big and can be a handful. If you need something, ask; don’t go without because you’re afraid to ask. The customer is always right, even if they aren’t. We want the experience to be so outstanding that they return year after year and tell their friends about us. And lastly, we eat cake for every staff meeting.”
I could feel Mrs. Marks’s eyes on me, even though I couldn’t see her. Mrs. Rainer was the new chef. Mrs. T raved about her pudding and sauces. From what I had sampled of her work, she was worth the rave reviews. “So, Mrs. Rainier, what cake did you bake for us?”
“Mrs. T gave me her recipe for your favorite: triple chocolate.”
I flashed her a smile, “Excellent.”
Two slices of cake later, I hunted down Kevin. Well, Zeus did. He was staying close to help oversee the contractors.
“What can I do for you, Kane?”
“I need the name of the uniform cleaners you used for the ice cream parlor—will they handle linens?”
“We’ll call and see. How’s it going?”
“Good, all the permits are in place, plus the insurance and legal agreements with the town. The contractor is making some renovations in the west wing for Mrs. Marks and the others. The new fence is up, and we’ve placed a locked gate on the stairs—legal demanded that. A sign is being made, a few vans purchased to transport guests to town.” I’d finally found a use for the money the town had given me after the fire, and it seemed fitting to use it on the inn, since it was going to bring tourist business to the town too.
“Sounds like it’s all coming together. How’s Tea feeling about it?”
“We talk, but there’s a distance. I hope I did the right thing, that I didn’t hurt her one more time than she can forgive.”
“She loves you, son, I imagine she’d forgive you anything.”
“I hope so.”
Teagan
“If I throw up one more time, I swear to God, Simon, my stomach is going to come out.”
“That is really disgusting. Thank you for putting that visual in my head.” Simon was rubbing my back, which caused a case of déjà vu to wash over me as I remembered the night I’d gotten stupid drunk at Dahlia’s. “You haven’t told him yet. You’re almost three months along, Tea, you got to tell him.”
“I know.”
“So?”
“I think it should be done in person, but I’m waiting for him to come to me. Stupid, I know, since asking him to travel to me is kind of rude, but he left. Every time he leaves, I somehow come back to him. He needs to come to me.”
“I understand, but you’re carrying his child. He has a right to know that.”
“I agree, and every day I reach for the phone and every day I stop myself.”
“We haven’t talked about the shop in Maine. You still want to do that?”
“I think business-wise, it’s a good investment, but if Kane and I don’t . . . Maybe it won’t be Maine, but I think opening a second shop is smart.”
“Me too.”
“I almost told Mrs. Marks about the baby yesterday, but Kane should hear it first. There’s a lot of activity going on at Raven’s Peak. She sounded excited.”
“That’s good news.”
“I hope so.”
Kane
“The florist is here and needs the order,” Mrs. T called, hurrying down the hallway. Opening day was in one week. In five months, we’d turned Raven’s Peak from a private home to an inn. I hadn’t felt this kind of pride in something I had done in a really long time.
“Kane, the inspector needs you to sign off,” Mr. Clancy said as he, too, hurried past me. Moving through the house, Zeus at my side, I felt more like the kid I had been, the optimistic wide-eyed kid. I had driven it, planned it, organized it, coordinated it, seen it through, and countless people had helped. My blindness hadn’t stopped me, hadn’t been the obstacle I deep down feared it would be. And having accomplished this, I was eager to try for some of the other dreams Tea and I had.
I wouldn’t do another thing without her, though. I was done with life without my Tea. There was the very real possibility that she was going to take a play from my book and push me away when I saw her again. Well, she could try to push me away, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I might have a fight on my hands, but I was prepared to fight dirty if necessary. I loved her, wanted her, and I knew she felt the same despite the anger she may have been feeling toward me at the moment.
“Four more reservations on the wait list,” Kathy called from the library.
“The contractor needs you,” Mrs. Marks said, startling me, since I hadn’t heard her approaching.
“Why aren’t you wearing your heels?” I asked.
“Oh, so last year. I am all about Crocs now. I can garden in them, walk in the water and across the sand, and with no squished toes.”
“I don’t have a clue what a Croc is, and I think I will live a very happy life if I never do.”
“They make them for men too.”
“Never going to happen.”
“Your loss. The contractor is in the kitchen. He needs you to sign off on the work done to your house. I like the changes a lot, Kane, and I just know Teagan will too.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with me redistributing some of your things?”
“They’re yours now, yours and Teagan’s, but yes, I am very okay with it.”
I had a surprise for Tea. I’d had the idea since we were kids and, with Raven’s Peak turning into an inn, now seemed like the best time to turn the idea into reality.
“Car’s here,” Sam called from the doorway.
“Thanks, Sam. I’ll be right there.” Time to finish this up. There was somewhere I needed to be.
Teagan
It had been five months. I had a baby bump and I still hadn’t told Kane. I didn’t want to do it over the phone, so I was going home. I planned on purchasing a ticket on Monday. I hadn’t wanted to be the one to go to him. He left, shouldn’t he have been the one to come back? In the long run, I guess it didn’t matter, and yet, to me, it did.
Simon had been off the grid for the last month—he told me it was a guy. Seemed odd that every time I walked in on him talking to this guy on the phone, he got all cryptic. He had never done that. He always shared with me. Was he moving on? Had he found his Kane? I wished him better luck with it. My Kane was slipping through my fingers. Simon was moving on and I was once again alone. Not really alone, though. My hand touched my baby bump. I had this little rascal.
I was happy for Kane, happy that he was happy. I could hear it in his voice when we spoke on the phone—hopefulness that I hadn’t heard since we were kids. I couldn’t deny that, as much as I’d hated being alone the past five months, I loved hearing that again. Maybe he was finally finding his way. And maybe that way wasn’t with me. Seemed stupid, but then, with how our lives had been for the past ten years, at this point I didn’t know shit about our futures.
Simon wasn’t home and I didn’t want to be alone, so I went to Sunshine’s. I hung out with her until dawn, before dragging my butt home and going facedown for a while. When I woke up, I called out to Simon, but he was still MIA. It was Sunday, so the shop was closed. Being in the apartment alone was depressing, so I headed off to Christopher Columbus Park. The bench Kane and I had sat on was unoccupied, so I took a seat and looked out at the water. No sailboats. The water was a little rough, the sun bright. There was a boat, docked at one of the slips, with beautiful lines and colors. Kane would have loved that boat; in fact, it looked a lot like the one . . .
And then I stood to get a better look. It didn’t just look like Kane’s boat—it was. I could see the name My Tea, registered in Blue Hill, Maine. My heart pounded in my chest. His boat was here, so where was he? How did his boat get here?
Looking around the harbor, I didn’t see him immediately. And then I saw Zeus, running toward me, and just behind him was Kane. He was here. He’d come for me. He’d come for me in his boat. Tears burst from my eyes. I watched as he moved effortlessly toward me. Impatient, I hurried up the grass toward him. I stopped myself from launching at him, my breath coming out in pants.
“Tea?”
“Yeah.”
“Where the hell have you been?”
Not the reunion I was hoping for. Before I could speak he went off.
“No word? You just up and left. What if something had happened to you? How would we know where you were? How would we find you?”
“You did find me. How did you know I was here?”
“You brought me here—like the pier at home, it’s your place.”
Good guess. “I did call you repeatedly with no answer.”
Some of the ire left him. “Must have been out of range.”
“Really great to see you too.”
“Sorry, I’ve just been a bit worried.”
“I was in my apartment for the past several hours.”
“You must have come back right after we left it.”
“We?”
“Simon.”
Oh, Simon. That was just rich. “Let me guess. You found yourself and now you prefer Simon.”
He chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’m not gay.” His hands reached for me, his fingers running over my face. “It is nice to see you.” Pulling me to him, his arms started around me, until he stepped back like I’d hit him. His hand moved to my stomach. “Tea, are you eating too many sweets again?”
“Are you calling me fat, Kane Doyle?”
“Darling, you are fat.”
I punched him, hard, and he laughed.
“I’m not fat, I’m pregnant.”
His laughter died. “What?”
“I’m carrying your baby, I’m over five months along. I think it was that night after we met your mom, that perfect night. I’m hungry all the time, want to cry all the time, pee all the time, and, for the first few months, I was puking. It has been so exciting.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“We’re pregnant.”
A hardness came into his voice, darkened his eyes. “Why did you wait to tell me?”
“You needed to find yourself. It didn’t seem fair to dump that on you then. Honestly, I didn’t think it would take you this long to find yourself, since I didn’t think you were lost to begin with.”
And then I was in his arms, pressed so tightly against him, and I just sank into him because it felt so good to be there again. I’m not sure how long we stayed like that, not long enough, as far as I was concerned, before he stepped back, his hands reaching for my stomach again.
“A baby.” His head lifted, his eyes finding mine despite not being able to see. “I love you, Tea.”
My hands covered his. I didn’t say it back because I didn’t need to. “Your boat’s here.”
“I came to bring my woman home”—his voice choked up as he added—“and my baby.”
“You drove the boat alone!” Now I was pissed. “Of all the irresponsible things to do—”
“Simon drove it.”
“Simon?”
“Yeah, he came up to Maine to drive it down here with me. I heard a rumor that you got your boater’s license, so I was hoping we could drive it back up the coast together.”
“You want me to drive with you up the coast in your boat?”
“Just like we talked about as kids. Better ’cause it’s the three of us,” he added with a grin.
“I love that idea. My bag is at the apartment. I’m already packed. I was catching a plane in the morning.”
“You were?”
“Yeah, I missed you and I needed to tell you about the new guy,” I said.
The most serene expression covered his face, a peacefulness I had never seen in him. “You okay?” I asked.
“Never better. Really, never better.” Reaching for my hand, he kissed his ring. “We’ll call Simon to get your bag. He’s catching a flight to Maine.” Whistling for Zeus, we started toward his boat. “Shall we? O captain, my captain!”
So this is what it felt like when a dream came true. “Absolutely.”