Ties That Bind (21 page)

“We have an appointment to keep,” he
explained.

“You mean work?”

“Nope. Not the office anyway.”

“The event my job hinges on is next Monday.
You’ve got to be joking.”

“I know you. It’s all in place. You can check
email on your Blackberry if it makes you happy. Now get dressed –
and wear something warm.”

Curiosity piqued, Kate did as she was told.
He drove them to the marina and ushered her onto a large white boat
with blue trim. Kate noticed he’d brought his camera. She wasn’t
sure that boded well for her. There were about ten other people on
the boat she didn’t know. Kate could sense their excitement. It was
catching. That is, until she caught part of their conversation.

“Did I just hear them say…?”

“Don’t worry. I just booked us as topside
observers.”

“Excuse me?” Kate swallowed as the boat
roared to life.

“I thought expecting you to do a cage dive
might be pushing it. Of course, when I booked this you weren’t a
convicted felon. Maybe you could have taken it,” he teased.

“I am not a felon,” she whispered fiercely.
“We’re going looking for sharks?”

“Not just any sharks. Great whites.”

“This is totally not a fair trade for hiring
a maid,” Kate protested.

“Maybe not, but Jack thought it was a great
idea. Don’t worry; you’re on the clock today.”

“Don’t bring Jack up right now—I’m feeling
murderous enough as is. Come to think of it, are you trying to kill
me? Did he offer to give you a pay raise if you got rid of me?”

“So dramatic,” he tsked and shook his head.
“Relax. Have some breakfast—they have a continental breakfast you
know—and if you keep your eyes open, you’ll probably see some
porpoise or whales.”

“I don’t think I want to play anymore,” Kate
pouted. Gavin simply laughed and pointed at some porpoise that had
either shown up to swim in the boat’s wake or prove Gavin’s point.
He draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him and Kate
felt herself relax. Occasionally Gavin released her to take
pictures of her or the marine life around them. Otherwise, she
spent the day wrapped in his arms.

She was terrified when four of the other
passengers on the boat voluntarily got in a large metal cage in the
water with the great sharks. Her heart stopped the first time she
saw one of the creatures break through the choppy water. Having
only seen them on the Discovery Channel before, she’d never
realized just how massive the Great White was. There were so many
of them in the water, and they were so huge, Kate found herself
wishing they had a bigger boat. The mental Jaws reference made her
giggle nervously, which seemed to amuse Gavin.

They had lunch on the boat and Kate enjoyed
the wine, even if they served the wrong label. It was hard to
believe this untamed, rugged place with its jagged islands was so
close to the city. Kate wasn’t sure if Gavin had booked the trip as
an over-the-top way to get her to loosen up, or because he’d known
how breathtakingly beautiful it was out there, but she was glad
he’d done it.

“Your stunning right now, you know that?”
Gavin’s eyes seemed to devour her.

“I’m probably a complete and total mess right
now,” she corrected. There was no escaping the wind that whipped
her hair about her face and had assuredly turned her cheeks bright
red.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you more
exquisite. And I didn’t think that green dress could be topped.” He
brushed a wild hair out of her eyes and caught her lips with his.
“I love you more than I could ever possibly convey.”

“You have my heart, Gavin. I think you have
since I first laid eyes on you.” She closed her eyes, relishing the
feel of the salty spray on her face, mingled with his breath, the
smell of the sea, the beat of his heart so close…

“I hadn’t meant to do this here. Now. Like
this. I have reservations at a little French restaurant later.”

“What are you talking about?” She opened her
eyes to meet his. There was something in the tone of his voice.

“Marry me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Marry me.” His jaw was set, as if he was
ready to argue his case. But his eyes were tender, hopeful.

“You have turned my whole world upside down,”
Kate stated softly. “You seem completely determined to forever
alter my way of thinking.”

He took a breath, as if to say something
before thinking better of it. He watched her quietly instead,
seeming to know that she needed to talk through this.

“You have become everything to me, Gavin. It
scares the hell out of me.” She bit her lip for a second, an almost
pained look flitting across her face. “But it’s too late to come
out of this unscathed, isn’t it? Yes.”

“Yes it’s too late to come out unscathed or
yes… yes?” He seemed hesitant.

“Yes… yes.” She smiled.

“You’ll marry me?”

“Yes.” She told him for the fourth time. He
finally seemed to begin to believe it. A grin completely took over
his face and lit his eyes. And then he kissed her. Cheers erupted
all around them. Kate and Gavin looked up to see what everyone was
applauding only to realize it was them.

“Do you have a ring?” someone asked.

“I don’t know, do I?” Kate couldn’t help
smiling ridiculously.

“You do,” Gavin pulled a velvet pouch from
his pocket, producing a delicate gold ring with a perfect, round
diamond set in the middle.

“It’s so pretty.” Tears filled Kate’s eyes.
He’d really put some thought into this.

“Do you really like it?”

“I love it. I love you.” And then she kissed
him. More cheers erupted. Kate hid her face against Gavin’s chest
while he accepted the congratulations. As if to share in her joy, a
whale breached the water in the distance, flying gracefully through
the air before returning to his watery world.

Kate was exhausted by the time the
twelve-hour trip was through, but Gavin insisted they shower and
dress up for their dinner reservations. Instead of proposing as
planned, they talked about the details. Part of Kate wanted to
elope the next week to put an end to his run of chivalry before she
imploded. Gavin was pretty insistent that his mother would have
both their heads if she couldn’t be at the wedding. Kate wasn’t
about to start off on the wrong foot there, so she agreed to plan
an actual wedding.

“So, are we getting married in London or San
Francisco?” Gavin asked.

“Can we have the ceremony at Blue Valley?”
Kate knew instantly that’s where she wanted to get married. “We can
keep it small so we can fly your family in. Heck, let’s just invite
Jessica, Ryan, Liz and Derrick. There. Guest list done.”

“No one else?” Gavin arched his eyebrow.

“Do you think Tara would leave Jack at home?
If so, let’s invite her, too.”

“We’ll figure that one out later. What about
a date?”

“I think Jessica is due in May. We’ll want to
plan around that. Let’s get married soon so she can be in the
wedding.”

“Due?” Gavin furrowed his brow and it dawned
on Kate that she hadn’t told him yet.

“They’re having a baby,” she explained.

“Good for them,” he brightened. “You’re
right, let’s not wait too long then.”

They tossed around possible dates for a while
before giving up. After dinner, they drove to Jessica’s to share
their news with her, then to Liz’s to share the news and pick up
Ty. Kate called Tara, dismayed when Jack answered the phone. After
a few terse words between them, Tara was on the phone and giddy
with excitement. After Kate called her Aunt Joan and Gaston, she
curled up on the couch to listen to Gavin’s end of the conversation
when he called his mother then brothers. It was a happy, dreamlike
evening. It didn’t seem real at all. She was sure that at any
moment she would wake up to the knowledge the entire day had been
an illusion.

“Sing my song for me,” she pulled him to
her.

“Your song?” he smiled.

“The one you sang last Fourth of July,” she
reminded him.

“Ah,” his grin deepened. She snuggled up
against him and let his deep, gentle voice sing her to sleep.

Despite Gavin’s confidence that Kate had
things well in hand, the next few days were a flurry of activity
and phone calls as Kate saw to the last details of the launch
party. She knew Gavin would tell her that there was nothing to
prove, but her nerves seemed to be screaming otherwise.

Still, despite all of the hubbub, she
occasionally paused to stare at her left hand. Whenever Jessica or
Liz caught her in the act they would give her a knowing smile.
Whenever Jack did, his scowl would grow even fiercer. Kate wondered
if it was because even if he fired her, he’d never get rid of
Gavin. That meant she was now a fixture in his life whether he
liked it or not. Whatever the cause of it, she was growing weary of
his scowls. Every other person in the place seemed to understand
the choices she’d made, so why couldn’t he?

Friday night, Gavin declared that she needed
a break, so he took her to dinner at Foreign Cinema. Located mostly
in an interior building courtyard with classic films projecting on
one wall and drive-in speakers at the tables, it was exactly what
Kate needed to get her mind off of the event for a few hours. Gavin
only had to remind her of his “no work tonight” policy twice.

Monday was a scary blur. Gaston was enlisted
to Ty-sit again since Kate had put Gavin to work for the day. She’d
finally pried herself away from preparations to change clothes when
her phone chirped yet again.

“Hey Justin,” she answered warily. His
constant calls were getting on her nerves. Gavin’s eyes narrowed at
the name.

“Hey Katie…”

“Kate,” she reminded him curtly, earning a
grin from Gavin.

“I was just wondering if you need any help
tonight, before the event. Or after. I could stay after too, if you
needed.”

“I really appreciate that, but Gavin’s here
with me. We’ve got it under control.”

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble,” he tried
again.

“Eight o’clock should be just fine. Thanks.
Gotta go.” Kate hung up the phone before he could try a third
time.

“If that guy doesn’t back off, I can’t be
held responsible for my actions.” Gavin’s jaw was set, his eyes
like granite.

“Not tonight,” Kate pleaded. “Just don’t
start anything tonight.”

“I know how much this night means to you,”
was the closest he came to a promise. “I have to run home to
change. I’ll pick you up here in an hour.”

He was back in 45 minutes, as stylish and
handsome as ever. Kate envied his easy good looks. She’d spent
every bit of the 45 minutes cleaning, shaving, buffing, and
polishing and she still wasn’t done. It simply wasn’t fair. Still,
Gavin’s low whistle of appreciation when he saw her in the frilly
little eggplant dress was worth the effort.

They were the first to arrive for the
evening, but Liz and Jessica weren’t far behind. Larger-than-life
prints of various pages of the magazine were scattered throughout
the room. The lights were low and candles glittered like stars. The
hors d'oeuvres were ready; things like spicy tuna sushi and
crabmeat and wasabi infused caviar sushi sat prettily on their
trays, awaiting their turn to tempt guests. Chocolate fondue
drizzled with white and dark chocolate was set out for the lush red
strawberries. The Irish punk band Kate had hired warmed up
downstairs. She’d gone that route mostly for sentimental reasons;
she felt justified in her choice, though, the group played a wide
assortment of music that was easy to dance to.

“This place is amazing,” Liz looked around
with genuine appreciation.

“You helped me find it,” Kate reminded her
with a smile.

“But you put this together,” Jessica reminded
her. “It’s perfect. Even Jack will have to admit you’ve done a
great job.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll find something… besides,
you guys did the real work of getting the magazine ready. It’s not
much of a launch without the product.”

“It’s been fun,” Jessica grinned.

“It has,” Liz agreed. The three women
surveyed the room. Everywhere they looked reminded them of all
they’d accomplished in their short time together.

“Your guests are arriving,” Derrick nodded in
the direction of the door as people started to pour in.

And just like that, the place filled to
capacity. The downstairs, open to the public, reverberated with the
sounds of a party. The upstairs, with its appetizers and lush
ambience, was open by invite—press, magazine staff, San Francisco’s
celebrities and trendsetters only.

The staff at the Bubble Lounge was amazing.
Kate flit back and forth mostly out of habit. Nothing appeared to
really need her attention by this point. She spent a lot of time
mingling upstairs, as did the rest of her friends. The bash
downstairs was solidifying their reputation for throwing a great
party. The upstairs was slightly more subdued to allow for the
networking that would be absolutely vital to their success. Every
now and then, Gavin would catch her gaze from across the room and
the promise in his eyes would fill her with a new heat that
radiated from the very core of her being. It never failed that
whomever she was speaking to when his eyes caught hers would have
to repeat themselves.

Justin had tried to catch her attention a few
times. She’d always smiled politely, waved, and ducked in the other
direction.

“Funniest thing,” a reporter from one of the
locals caught Kate’s attention. She smiled in invitation for him to
continue while she tried to remember his name. It was Terry. “The
Pinole police blotter has something about a Kate Yager being
arrested for stealing an Audi TT. She was picked up speeding on
Highway 80…”

“Wow, the police blotter huh?” Kate
grimaced.