Bet On Love

Part Four-the end

---------------------------------Scene Thirty-Three------------------------------

“I was locked outside for an hour!” Enya insisted.
“It was barely even ten minutes.” Gavin said, exasperated.
“In the freezing cold.” she continued as if he hadn’t spoke.
“You were wearing velvet.” Gavin pointed out, “And it was not freezing cold.”
“It was snowing!” Enya cried. From the chair across from them Paige chuckled.
“I don’t think you ever really told me, Enya, what did you say that made him lock you out of the house in the first place?” she asked. Enya and Gavin looked at each, then both burst out laughing. Paige raised a brow.
“Never mind.”
“Are you sure you have to leave today?” Enya asked, yet again.
“Yeah, I miss Brian and Nikki, and I’m sure the house will be a disaster.”
“They’ve only got home yesterday.” Enya pointed out.
“Oh, you lucky innocent,” Paige said with a wry chuckle. “Trust me, that’s all it takes.”

Enya sat in her empty apartment and looked around. It seemed quiet now with Paige gone. Gavin had been called out to the office. The house seemed so…empty. She looked at the clock, ten. She’d taken Paige to the airport at seven. With a sigh she flopped into bed, resigned to a quiet night.

He scribbled the note quickly, the minutes ticking off in his head. He reached the end and, almost without thinking wrote: I love you. He stared, horrified. Had he really almost told her he loved her. Now? So soon? And in a note! A few paragraphs scrawled on a sheet of paper and he’d just added that he loved her. He glanced at the clock again. No time to write another note, he had to leave-now. With a growl at his own stupidity he scratched out those three little words. Too soon, he told himself, much too soon. And unplanned. No style, no finesse. Enya deserves more than that. Furious with himself for no good reason he signed just his name and left the note at the foot of the stairs. He dashed out the door. He had just pulled his BMW around to the front of the house and gotten out to throw his suitcases in the trunk when Enya came out.
“Gavin?” She was holding his note in her hand. He jerked his head up.
“Hey.” he stood awkwardly. “I didn’t want to wake you up. So I left a note instead.”
“Yeah.” she glanced back down at the note. “Something about a restaurant you’d owned a share in burning down?”
“Yeah, last night. I’ve got to fly out there now. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
“Is there anything I can do to help.” It touched them that she’d offered. There had been a time when she would have said good riddance and walked back inside-no matter how she really felt. Progress. Those dangerous three little words scratched out on his note flitted though his head but he pushed them away.
“No, thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He stared at her. Wearing the robe he’d given her, loosely belted so he could see the matching sleep set peeking through. Hair tumbling over her shoulders. Sleepy eyes. Leaving right now was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Cursing all fire in general he bounded up the stairs. One arm hooked around her waist, the other cradled her neck as he kissed her desperately, longingly. When he felt himself being sucked in he released her abruptly and with a muttered curse ran for the car.
“I’ve got to go. Goodbye.” Enya watched him leave, dazed. She sat in the doorway and listened to the silence. She’d never felt so empty. She wondered when he’d be back.

---------------------------------Scene Thirty-Four-------------------------------

Enya scowled down at the answering machine, then glanced at the phone in her hand.
“He’s a businessman for goodness sake’s, what kind of businessman doesn’t have a phone with caller ID?” she muttered under her breath. She played the message for fourth time-that day.
“Hey Enya, it’s Gavin. I guess you’re out, working. Things are worse here then I thought, I should be back soon though. Maybe over the weekend, hopefully by then. I…that’s it, just…checking in, I guess.” There was a long period of silence. “All right, well, I’ll see you later.”
That was it, no phone number, nothing else. She didn’t even know what hotel he was staying at. She didn’t even know where he was! She’d gotten the message three days ago, and she was going insane. Gavin had been gone for seven days now. And she’d been miserable. She’d thrown herself into planning and work. Theo and her had hired an enormous amount of people. They had also rented a theater downtown, and we’re preparing for a production of Grease. Enya had snagged Josie to play Sandy and Jonathon to play Danny. Both had excellent voices, and everybody was putting full effort into the preparations. In particular Enya, to fill in the empty hours. She did some serious thinking in that week. Thinking about the past, the present, and what she wanted for the future. She was pretty sure she knew what she wanted for the immediate future at least, except at the moment he wasn’t there. She’d also realized what was possibly the biggest thing that had ever happened to her. She looked around the empty room as if to make sure she was really alone, and took a deep breath.
“I am in love.” She said it slowly and it still terrified her. She’d repeated it over and over in her mind, as if she didn’t really believe it. But no matter how many times she said it, it still rang true. She dragged a hand through her hair. Of all the things to happen to her it just had to be this. It’s okay, she told herself. It doesn’t mean anything. You can fall out of love-can’t you? I don’t have to do anything about it. She was afraid that of all those lies the last one was the biggest. She shook her head and played the message again.

Enya was sitting at Gavin’s bar eating lunch that afternoon. She wasn’t really sure why she was using his kitchen instead of her own. Well, she was sure, but she didn’t want to think about how much she was hoping he’d come home today. Home. Back up, En. she told herself. But he had to come back today! She glanced at the calendar on his refrigerator again. While she had been making herself a sandwich she had realized that today was exactly three months from when she had made her bet with Gavin. This was the last day of their bet. She told herself over and over that he wouldn’t remember. There was no reason to. It wasn’t like they’d applied the bet anytime recently. He probably didn’t even remember what day he’d made the bet. Why should he? Why do you? the nagging little voice in her head asked. She pushed away. Just because she loved him was no reason to remember a stupid little bet. She polished off her sandwich and put her plate in the dishwasher. She walked toward the front of the house, planning on going back up to her apartment. She had reached the front door when Abbot started barking like mad. Enya started for the back of the house, then, on second thought, looked around the hall quickly. The only handy thing she saw was an umbrella in the umbrella stand by the front door. She grabbed and walked quietly back down the hall. Her mind raced. Abbot never barked. Thoughts of break-in’s and murder ran through her mind. It’s the middle of the day, she reminded herself. But when Abbot started barking again, louder, she walked quickly to the back door. She saw the outline of a person through the frosted glass, with their back to the door. Holding her breath she flung the door open, umbrella raised. She and Gavin both yelled at the same time.
“What are you doing?” he shouted. Enya pressed a hand to her heart, then hit him on the arm with the umbrella for good measure.
“You scared me to death!” she muttered. “You idiot, what where you doing?” Rather then answer he pulled her against him and kissed her.
“Last chance.” he murmured against her lips. She couldn’t help but grin. He did remember! And he was back! She decided it was pretty sad when a perfectly mature woman turned to mush because a man remembered a stupid bet. Gavin raised a brow and gave to all too familiar know-it-all grin.
“What were you going to do with the umbrella?” he asked, chuckling. She pulled away and whacked his arm with it again. He plucked it out of her hands. She shrieked and dashed into the house. He came running after her, a step behind. He chased her through the kitchen, what Enya now called the “party room” and across the hall into the living room. Enya fell back on the couch laughing hysterically. Gavin fell on top of her. She was laying there gasping for breath and laughing. Finally she calmed herself down some.
“Missed you.” Gavin said, leaning down to kiss her nose.
“Missed you.” she replied. “You’re kinda heavy.” she joked softly. So he placed an elbow on either side of her head and propped his chin in his hands, then stared down at her.
“Hi” he said. She smiled. He wiggled his toes through his socks on the bottom of her foot. She jerked under him. He did it again, enjoying having her squirmed under him.
“Gavin, stop it!” she laughed, “My feet are very ticklish.” Suddenly he pushed himself up off of her. She was too busy noticing the empty feeling she got without his weight that she didn’t pay attention to what he was doing. He went to the other end of the couch, picked up one of her legs and sat down on the other one. He put his foot in her lap.
“What are you doing?” Enya asked, confused. She caught the mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Oh, no, Gavin, don’t.” He gave an evil grin to match the look in his eyes. He picked up her foot.
“Gavin, wait!” she managed to get out before he started to tickle her foot mercilessly. She squealed with laughter. She tired to pull herself up but Gavin was sitting on her other leg. She was laughing so hard she was gasping for breath. She couldn’t stop.
“Gavin!…Stop…please,…” she couldn’t hardly talk between the laughter. “Evil!” she choked out. He stopped but she was still laughing.
“You…are…evil.” she gasped out between helpless giggles.
“Evil?” he asked with a raised brow. “Mwahaha” he gave an exaggerated laugh. He growled playfully and pounced on her. She was laughing again. He started tickling her sides. She screamed and laughed. Finally he stopped. He kept his hand on her waist though. He kissed her suddenly and the laughter died on her lips. She let herself sink into the kiss. It was like a storm, she thought. There was the hot flash of lightning, the heady roar of thunder, and underneath it all the comforting drum of rain. She didn’t realize her shirt was gone until his lips were on her skin. She tugged his shirt off, gliding her hands over his skin. He tangled his hands in that glorious red hair he couldn’t get enough of. Abruptly he pulled his head back, to study her face carefully.
“We’ve been dancing around this so long, I just want to get this straight. This is what we both want, right?” he said.
“If you’re having doubts now then-” he cut her off by kissing her hard, desperately.
“No doubts, babe. Not from me.” he said, cupping her face in his hands. She got his meaning and pulled his face down for a deep kiss of her own.
“Not from me either.” she assured him. He kissed her then, urgently. As he slipped her jeans off of her they both lost themselves in each other.

Later Paige rang the doorbell for the third time. Enya finally yanked the door open. She glared at the friend she hadn’t seen in a week. Paige crossed her arms and ankles, leaning back against the doorframe lazily. She studied Enya up and down. Her hair was tousled and messy and her face was flushed. Enya blushed.
“Your shirts inside out.” Paige finally commented in a slow drawl.
“Shut up.” Paige laughed.
“Sorry to uh, disturb you, but Brian and I wanted to know if you and Gavin wanted to grab some dinner with us tonight. We’ll have Nikki with us so it will have to be somewhere kid friendly.”
“Uh, sure, that’s fine. I’ll uh, ask Gavin and call you. Later.”
“Have fun.” Paige said with a wink.

Enya walked back into the house, saw Gavin still on the couch, half asleep. She flopped down on top of him and kissed his nose.
“That was Paige. I forgot they were moving today.” She trailed a finger up his bare chest. “Guess I had other things on my mind.” she murmured.
“I’m glad you’re back.” she stared, then stopped and grinned.
“Actually,” she said instead, “I was happy you were gone. You’re a pain to have around.” Catching on Gavin grinned and kissed her quickly on the lips.
“You’re horrible.” The next kiss stretched out longer. He pulled back. “Irritating.” she murmured quickly, leaning her head back down to his. He rolled, bringing her under him.
“I can’t get enough of you.” he said against her lips. When he pulled away again her brain was fogged.
“Gavin.” she groaned when his lips hovered inches from hers.
“That doesn’t sound very mean.” he murmured, tormenting them both.
“Stupid bet.” she muttered hazily. “Stupid you for coming up with the stupid bet.” He kissed her instantly. When he pulled back again she was past coherent thought.
“Bet was a good idea.” she managed. “Guess you didn’t bet on love.” Gavin’s head snapped back.
“What?” Her own words had jolted Enya out of her haze. She stared at him in horror.
“Nothing. I mean, not nothing, well,…just…” she let out a long breath. “Oh boy.” she said. Gavin couldn’t believe it, couldn’t think straight. She loved him. This wasn’t supposed to happen yet, was it? He just didn’t know anymore. And that definitely scared him.
“Let’s uh, let that sit for the time being.” he said finally. It hurt, Enya realized. Bad. But what had she expected? She hadn’t even meant to say it. And so she brought his lips to hers, wanting desperately to be beyond thought. He took them both there quickly.

-----------------------------------Scene Thirty-Five------------------------------

“Enya hurry up, I think that’s them.” Gavin yelled up the stairs as he made his way to answer the door. It was Paige.
“Uh, hey.” Gavin said awkwardly as he stood in the doorway waiting. Enya had told him about what Paige had said when she’d answered the door. As Paige considered him slowly, he got the odd impression of a parent surveying their daughter’s date before they managed to leave. He resisted the urge to shuffle his feet. Finally Paige’s stern expression faded into a grin.
“Don’t get sheepish now.” she commented wryly. Enya came sailing down the stairs.
“Leave my man alone, mom.” she quipped as she looked out the door. Gavin breathed a bit easier. Things had been strained between him and Enya since that moment this afternoon. He’d been in a constant state of uncertainty the rest of the afternoon, unsure of what he should tell her, how much. He told himself it wasn’t a matter of not trusting her feelings, per say, he just wanted to be sure she was sure. And, of course, that made so much sense.
“Where’s Nikki?” Enya demanded. Paige rolled her eyes.
“If I didn’t know you so well I might start to seriously worry about kidnapping. He and Brian are in the park across the street waiting.”
“Well, let’s go.” Enya demanded impatiently, racing out of the door. Paige smiled and looked up at Gavin as they followed behind at a slower speed.
“Enya is absolutely obsessed with my son.” she told him. Good, Gavin thought. He’d always wanted kids, and the idea of having them down the road had been in the back of his mind, but he hadn’t known how Enya felt about them. It didn’t take him long to find out. He spotted them up ahead, just a silhouette against the sun. A man with a boy beside him.
“Nikki!” Enya shouted, and took off running.
“There she goes.” Paige murmured. The little boy had time to say “Aunt Ennie” before Enya had scooped him up. He let out a joyful shriek as she swung him around and around in circles. Finally they both collapsed on the grass, a mass of giggles and laughter. Enya blew the hair out of her face.
“You went and grew up on me.” she said.
“Yep.” Nikki replied with a grin.
“His new favorite word.” Paige said dryly from behind her. It was so good to see him, and Enya really couldn’t believe how much he’d grown.
“Did ya miss me?” she asked, tweaking his nose.
“Yep.” Enya chuckled, then stood up and hauled Nikki up with her. She stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders as they both faced Gavin. He felt something tighten inside him as he stared at her and the child, the obvious love and joy. I want. The thought zipped through his head and he took a deep breath to steady himself. All in good time. He realized abruptly that Enya was speaking.
“Nikki, this is Gavin.” Gavin crouched down and stuck his hand out. Enya barely contained a laugh as, delighted, and feeling very grown up, Nikki tried to make his face serious as he solemnly shook Gavin’s hand. He looked up to Enya and grinned.
“I like him.” he stated. She laughed and grinned back.
“I like him too.”

------------------------------------Scene Thirty-Six------------------------------

Enya took a deep breath of the fresh air rushing around her. Change, she thought with a smile, change was in the air. Spring was in the air too. The fresh April breeze that blew through her open car windows and teased her hair smelled of spring. She grinned as she took a turn. Having Paige and Nikki and Brian here now was a change. A wonderful one. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed Nikki. Or what a relief it had been to see how easily Gavin had interacted with Nikki the previous night.
Another one of her changes, she was riding in. The sleek black Honda Accord she’d just bought that day. Of course, it had been bought used, but that didn’t diminish her excitement. She thought briefly of the car she could have gotten with her inheritance. She laughed and shrugged it off. She’d stashed a small portion of her inheritance in her bank account and the rest had quickly been sunk into her troupe. She blew into the driveway of Lyon’s house and laid on the horn with a grin. Finally the door burst open.
“What the-” Lyon broke off when he saw Enya in the car. He grinned.
“How’s it feel to have wheels again?” he asked her.
“Absolutely fabulous, and long overdue.” She stepped out of the car.
“Want me to pop the hood so you can look at the engine and make manly noises and pretend like you know what the heck’s going on under there?” she asked with a wicked grin. He raised a brow.
“We’ll skip that process if it’s all the same with you, just don’t tell anyone.” Enya laughed, then remembered the other half of what she’d dropped by to tell him.
“Hey, Gavin and I are…” she dropped off as she searched for the right word.
“Engaged.” Lyon supplied with relief. He didn’t catch Enya’s shocked look before he plunged forward.
“Thank God. It’s taken him long enough. You’ve got no idea how hard it’s been knowing and not being able to say anything. When he asked me to be his best man I didn’t think it would be so long. But now-”
“When did he ask you to be his best man?” Enya asked quietly. If she appeared calm it was only by way of her acting skills. Inside a thousand different things were racing through her and she couldn’t separate them.
“Oh, forever ago, it feels like.” He paused for a minute to think. “Oh, that night when you went over to Jamie’s house, you remember.”
“How could I forget.” Enya murmured. The night after the bet. He’d asked Lyon to be his best man and he hadn’t even given any indication he felt anything toward her. Scenes from the past three months raced through her mind, playing back, as she remembered things she hadn’t noticed before.
“Oh my God.” Lyon caught her tone and looked up sharply.
“Lyon,” she said, dazed, “Did Gavin ever say he loved me?”
“I don’t know if he ever said those words exactly, but I’d swear he did. I mean, it was implied, but I suppose he never used the words. I mean, I know he’d been planning on marrying you so, I guess, it’s sort of a give-in.” Enya gave a dry chuckle.
“Yeah, a give-in.” she muttered. “I gotta go.” Lyon caught the furious flash in her eyes.
“En, wait-” But she’d jumped in her car and was gone. “Now what’d I do?” he muttered as he stared at his empty driveway.

Gavin bounded up the stairs to the apartment with a dozen roses in his hands and a grin on his face. He’d seen the car she’d gotten. He was surprised she hadn’t waited for him, but he’d looked it over and it was nice. He opened the door to the apartment and stopped as an uneasy sensation crawled over him. It was…different. He realized things were gone. The little things she’d set out, pictures, knick knacks. It was still. He walked slowly toward the bedroom. He pushed the door open and stopped. It was a flurry of activity her. Clothes were being tossed out of the closet. Enya appeared from it.
“Move.” was all she said to him as she pushed past him in the doorway and stalked down the hall to the bathroom. He walked quickly down to the bathroom doorway, then just stared as she scooped products into a cosmetic bag.
“What are you doing?” he asked, stunned.
“Packing.”
“What do you mean, packing?” He asked. She shoved him out of the way and stalked back to the bedroom. He glanced back at the bathroom. Empty. It was completely empty of everything. Everything except the bottle of perfume that he had given her. It stood left on the counter. He raced back to the bedroom.
“I learned some interested things from Lyon today.” Enya snapped out before he could speak. “Things I had never even heard of. Something about him being a best man in your wedding. Of course, I’m a bit curious about who you’re marrying, as I’ve never heard anything about it.” Panic seeped in as he watched her throw clothes into her suitcase blindly.
“This isn’t the way things were supposed to go.” Gavin said.
“Isn’t the way things were supposed to go?” Enya repeated slowly. Opps. “What, am I not fitting into your five year plan now? I told you I loved you!” she cried out suddenly. “The only other non-relative I have ever said that to is Paige.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve figured some things out. I told you I loved you and you’ve been treating it-treating us, like a business merger. Carefully planning every step. You planned our wedding before you even starting truly dating me! Actually, I don’t guess we’ve even done that yet. You never even mentioned marriage. I didn’t even know if you were thinking in that direction. I didn’t even know you loved me, I had to find that out from somewhere else. You’ve been controlling every aspect of our relationship from the start.
Let me guess, you’d get close to me first, we’d become friends, right? Then, when I trusted you, you’d sleep with me. Next, you’d get me comfortable with routine, right? I mean, we’re practically living together, so you’d casually mention marriage, let me get used to the idea. You’d buy the ring a month in advance, carefully chosen, and then you’d plan the perfect evening, tell me you loved me, pop the question like you hadn’t been planning marriage all along.”
“Wait a minute, let me get this straight, you’re mad at me because I was planning on marrying you?”
“No! Because you were planning. God, don’t you get it? You planned this whole thing around me! Like I’m some idiot who can’t run my own life. I had a right to know you loved me the moment you realized it. As soon as I was sure I loved you I told you.”
“I knew I loved you the day we made that bet. So much sooner than you. What would have happened if I had told you?” he asked.
“I might have realized I loved you sooner!” she shouted. “I didn’t know what you felt-if you even felt anything at all! But I told you anyway.” Suddenly she laughed as she tossed more clothes haphazardly into her case.
“I bet I threw you a real curve when I wanted to start my own troupe. What would you have done if you didn’t have a job that would allow you to travel with me? Would you have told me you couldn’t help me? Made up some bogus reason and tried to convince me to stay put?”
“No, of course not!” Gavin snapped.
“What then?” she demanded.
“It wasn’t an issue.” he said coolly. The more heated her fury the more cold he was. She gave a short, bitter, half-laugh.
“So what? You’re saying you’d have been able to be objective if it had been an issue?”
“I wasn’t objective to start with.” he snapped. “My feelings for you affected my decision anyways. You even said you were counting on our relationship to convince me to finance your troupe. Were you sleeping with me just so I’d fund you’re troupe?” he burst out suddenly.
“What?” Enya took a step back as if he’d slapped her. He didn’t know where it had come from. It had been lurking in the back of his mind, pricking his brain, for the past several days and it had come out suddenly full fledged. Panic was a contributing factor. His panic had grown with each article of clothing she had tossed carelessly into her case. Now it made him mad…and unreasonable.
“How much of our relationship has been because you need me to start your troupe?” he demanded. She stared.
“If you have to ask that-if you could even wonder that about me-then you never really knew me at all.” Hurt dowsed fury quickly. She preferred the numbing fury. She let it build again as she stormed out of the room with her suitcases. She never saw the roses laying forgotten on her bed. She stopped in the doorway of her apartment and turned around to face him.
“I loved you.” she bit the words out. “Did our relationship mean so little to you? That you could even ask me that. Did your love for me mean so little that you could be so controlled? That you could calmly arrange my life-lay out a road plan? Didn’t you leave any room for detours, for spontaneity? Did you ever even consider tossing the road map and telling me you loved me-trusting me?” Without waiting for answers she knew she wouldn’t get she turned and walked briskly down the stairs and out the front door. She threw her cases into the back of the car that had made her so happy just hours before. She opened the door, about to get in, when he spoke. Standing there, blinded by disbelief and terror he didn’t hear the way his words sounded as if he were talking to a wayward child.
“Enya, you can’t seriously be thinking of doing this.” She bristled.
“No, I’m not seriously thinking about doing this.” she said, then slid into the driver’s seat before he could be relieved.
“I am doing this.” She slammed the door with finality and sped away, the setting sun catching the glittering tears she finally let slip down her cheeks.

---------------------------------Scene Thirty-Seven------------------------------

“We can’t pay that much for advertising!” Enya shouted. “It’s ridiculous.”
“It’s not ridiculous if it’s something we need.” Theo shouted back. The group of actors and actresses that had been rehearsing one of the songs from Grease had paused in their rehearsal when their director’s voices had gotten loud enough to rival their own. Now they all watched the ensuing argument, patiently waiting for it to run it’s course.
“We don’t need to advertise on three different billboards!” Enya shouted back. She stopped, her temper abruptly gone, as she rubbed the line of tension down the back of her neck. God, she just couldn’t take it anymore.
She tossed her clipboard to the floor.
“I’m taking half a day off.” she announced as she walked to the end of the aisle.
“You’re what?” Theo sputtered, still riding on his wave of temper. Enya merely rubbed weary eyes.
“I am taking the rest of today off.” she spoke very slowly.
“You can’t do that! We’re in the middle of working here! You cannot take today off!” Theo shouted. Josie leaped up to stand beside Enya. She’d taken note of how miserable she seemed.
“Enya’s been working harder than all of us for the past three months.” she said pointedly, facing Theo. Enya went very still. Three months. Could it be so short a time? It felt like it had been forever. Three months, almost to the day, she realized. All she wanted to do was go home, close all the blinds in the apartment she’d lived in for the past three months and wallow in misery.
“Someone’s going to have to do what she was supposed to do today.” Theo told Josie, just because he knew it meant she would be working late with him.
“Fine.” was all Josie would say. She turned to Enya.
“Go home, hon. And Enya,…try to forget about it for a while, k?”
A lot she knows. Enya thought as she walked out of the theater. Forget, ha! Yeah, right. She didn’t notice him pacing beside her car until she was almost there. She stopped dead still. Oh God. was all she could think. Oh, God, I still love him so much. He stopped and, very slowly, lifted his head to stare at her with intense eyes. She stopped breathing. Finally she walked the rest of the way to her car. His eyes never left hers, but burned through her the whole way.
When she stopped in front of him all he could do for a moment was stare. She was beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. And in that moment he knew, she could make him beg. And he would, if he had to.
Enya watched as, very slowly, with his eyes still never leaving hers, he got on one knee on the pavement of the back lot of the theater. And later, Enya would think how perfect that ways. He pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket and held up.
“You were right.” he said. “You were right about most all of the things you said. About the planning, about my needing to trust you. But you were wrong about the road map. I thought about tossing it. At least fifty times a day I would ask myself what the hell I thought I was doing here. And I guess it boils down to,…” he took a big breath. “This is a hard thing to say for a macho guy like me.” he said, joking because his palms were sweating with nervousness. As he said it he gave that special, cocky brand of grin that made her heart simply melt.
“I was scared.” he said finally. The puddle her heart had become slid into his hands as let out a long breath. And he doesn’t even know it. she thought as he rushed on.
“I was scared of losing you, of messing up. It wasn’t that I loved you so little that I could be calm, I swear, Enya, that wasn’t it. It was that I loved you so much I was terrified if I didn’t do things carefully I’d lose you. And I’ve learned something these past three months, Enya. I can’t live without you.” She pressed a hand to her mouth and he pushed on before he could think about if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“I tried. I really tried, and I finally realized today, that I just can’t.” He held up the box again, still on one knee.
“I was driving down the road today when I saw the jewelry store. No planning, no thinking. This is all spontaneous. This isn’t a detour it’s a whole new route, and it isn’t on the map. I love you. I’ve never even gotten to say that to you. But I do. I love you so much it hurts.” He flipped the box open.
“Oh my God.” Enya breathed as she stared at the ring. It was beautiful. The most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. An emerald was nestled amid a circle of small diamonds in an antique looking gold setting.
“I saw it and I knew it was for you. It fit you perfectly. Enya….look at me not the ring please.” he said a bit desperately. “I love you. Will you marry me?” She pressed both hands to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around his neck.
“That’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me.” she said.
“Which?”
“All of it.” she said on a watery laugh.
“You, uh…you still haven’t answered me.” She pulled back, eyes wide.
“Oh, yes, I’m sorry. Yes, a thousand times yes. Yes for as long as I live.” Gavin breathed a sigh of relief. When she threw her arms around him again he laughed.
“Don’t you want me to put the ring on?” he asked.
“Oh, right. Of course I do.” Enya watched as Gavin slid the ring on her finger. She looked up with shining eyes.
“It’s absolutely amazing.” she said. “I love you. How many times am I aloud to say it.” He stood up and, picking her up by the waist, spun her in circles.
“As many times as you want.” he told her.
“One hundred times a day?” she asked on a laugh as he set her down. His mouth captured hers.
“It’ll be a requirement.” he murmured against her lips.

----------------------------------------Epilogue------------------------------------

Gavin walked in the doorway of his kitchen, then just stopped and watched her. She was talking about inconsequential things with a happy Abbot who sat on the floor of the kitchen in the house he supposedly wasn’t aloud to be inside. Mine. he thought with a sense of amazement. She’s mine. Enya let out a delighted laugh as he snuck up behind her and picked her up from behind to swing her around. She almost dropped the plate she had been drying, but managed to hang on to it. He set her down again, and pulled her back against him to nibble on her neck.
“Hello, Mrs. McGivins.” he said against her ear. She laughed again.
“It’s been one week, regret it yet?” she teased.
“Not a bit.” he said. Then let her go slowly. He cleared his throat.
“Um, Enya?”
“Yes?” she asked, picking up the towel again to dry the dish in her hand.
“I know you said you were okay with not having a honeymoon.” he started.
“I am.” she said, a bit too quickly. “I mean, you’re busy and the musical opens in three weeks. It makes sense.” Gavin cleared his throat again.
“How does two weeks in France sound?” She shriek and this time she did drop the plate. It dropped to the floor and shattered as she threw her arms around Gavin’s neck.
“Oh my God, are you serious? I mean, I know I said I was fine with not going anywhere, but that was just because it made sense but I’ve never been anywhere really and I know I’ll be going different places with the troupe, but that’s different because it’s business and oh, Gavin, I can’t believe this!” She finally stopped talking and let out a long breath. “When are we leaving?” she asked.
“Tonight.”
“Tonight? Wow! Tonight? Oh my God, this is amazing.” He studied her very closely, almost nervously.
“So,…you don‘t mind?” he asked. She stared.
“Did you really just ask me if I minded going to France?”
“Well, I mean…I wanted the whole thing to be a surprise and so I planned it without telling you and…” As he trailed off she finally realized what he was saying.
“Oh, Gavin.” she pulled him down and kissed him long and deep. “I absolutely do not mind, and I think you are the sweetest man on earth. I’m so incredibly lucky.” He kissed her hard then, pulling back, lifted her into his arms and gave the know-it-all grin she could see forever and never tire of.
“Yes, you are.” She shook her head at him.
“You’re-” he put a finger to her lips.
“Careful what you say, or you might have to kiss me.” he told her. She grinned.
“All bets are off.” she told him.