He angled his head, and I could see him connecting the dots. “This the crux of your win-back-Pepper plan?”
I thought about the other stuff I’d taken on this month. “A big piece, but not the only one.” Every step was another chance to prove I’d changed, that I could be the man she deserved this time around.
Gabe nodded. “Okay, then we’ll make a plan. What you’ll need extra hands for and what you can do on your own. You know Clint, Kellan, and I will help. It’s all for the pact.”
“Yeah. Seems like you and Clint are ahead of the curve on that one.” I tried to keep the envy out of my voice.
“We got home before you did.” Gabe rocked back on his heels, shoving both hands into the back pockets of his cargo pants. “Of course, it didn’t hurt that Nana straight up moved Felicity into my house without actually notifying me when her place flooded.”
My lips twitched. “Was that on purpose?” Though I already knew the answer. Dorothy Bishop was a force of nature when she got an idea in her head.
“Of course it was. And apparently it was Austen’s idea. Your sister is sneaky.” He gave me a knowing look that made me wonder what else my baby sister had been up to while I was deployed. She’d always been too smart for her own good, and apparently she’d turned those powers toward matchmaking while I was gone.
“Not sneaky enough to successfully hide the fact that Clint was in her bed when I came by right after I got back.” I shook my head at the memory of walking in on that scene. “She turned about twelve shades of red trying to get me out of her apartment.”
“You okay with that whole situation?”
“He’s crazy about her. And we all know she’s had a thing for him since forever.” I grinned, remembering how she used to moon over him when she was a teenager, doodling his name in her notebooks when she thought no one was looking. “I’ve got no reason to be upset about it, so long as he treats her right, and we both know he will. Hell, the man’s been half in love with her since she graduated high school. Just took getting shot at to make him do something about it.”
Gabe took another sip of his coffee, nodded. “True enough.”
“Now Kellan… this whole being engaged to Tate… I feel like there’s more to that story.” I knew Kellan had made up his mind, but I didn’t think he’d had time to actually act on that between the raid and when he’d actually made it home. But what did I know? I’d been out of commission for that stretch.
“Oh, hell yeah. Clint said she laid one on him right there when he got off the bus. Don’t know what that’s about, but I figure he’ll let us in when he’s ready.”
“Yeah. But let’s circle back to you and Felicity. You finished fixing her place. I heard she moved out and then moved back in with you.”
Gabe flushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I fucked things up and tried to push her away. But the thing is, I’m crazy about her. Like all the way gone. And for some reason, she seems to love me back. So I pulled my head out of my ass and begged her to come back. Can’t quite believe she did.”
His usual stoic expression brightened with a grin I’d rarely seen in him. The change transformed his whole face, making him look years younger and reminding me of the guy I’d played football with back in high school.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man. Truly. You deserve someone like her.” The words tasted bittersweet on my tongue, knowing how badly I’d screwed up my own chance at happiness.
“I’m working on believing it. And you bet your ass I’m gonna work to keep deserving her.” His conviction made my chest ache.
When had I stopped doing that with Pepper? When had I started just taking for granted that she’d always be there whenever I had time for her? Hell, I couldn’t even pinpoint the moment everything started falling apart. It had been a slow erosion, like water wearing away stone, until one day I looked up and realized the foundation was gone.
I managed a sad smile. “Don’t ever stop doing that work. Take it from someone who knows. If she’s the one, she’s worth going the extra mile for. Always.” God knows I wished someone had knocked that lesson into my thick skull years ago.
Sympathy flashed in Gabe’s eyes. “Let’s get started on going the extra mile for Pepper.” He pulled a tape measure from his tool belt. “We’ll get some measurements, figure out what materials you’ll need.”
We spent the next half hour documenting every dimension of that porch. My shoulder twinged a bit as I held the other end of the tape, but I ignored it. The numbers weren’t good. Twenty feet of frontage, eight feet deep, with another four feet of steps. Add in all the structural elements underneath, and this was going to be one hell of a materials list. By the time we finished planning the demolition sequence and mapping out the rebuild, my notepad was full of measurements, sketches, and a list that made my eyes water.
“You sure you don’t want help with this?” Gabe asked again.
“I’m sure.” I folded the list and shoved it in my back pocket. “Thanks for the consult, man. I appreciate it.”
“Any time.” He headed for his truck. “Call if you need anything.”
I climbed into my own pickup, checking the time. Still early enough to hit the lumber yard. First, I needed to swing by my place and grab my tools. Most of what I needed was still in boxes from the move, but I knew exactly which ones to grab.
The image of Pepper’s face when she saw the finished product kept me focused. Maybe fixing this porch wouldn’t fix everything between us, but it was a start. A way to show her I could follow through. That I could put her first.
That was worth every penny this was going to cost me.
Twelve
Pepper
