A Touch of Fate (BWWM)

9 | Forgiveness

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Garrett

When Garrett got back to his family's house, his great-aunt Regina was there to greet him. He followed his nose to the back of the house, where the kitchen and great room overlooked the creek. The scent of coffee and sizzling meat set his stomach rumbling. There had always been a large, open space at the center of the Beaumont property, and for good reason. The area was as wide as the ocean, bright as the sun, and inviting as a warm embrace. And for a pack of hungry kids, it was where food waited.

As Regina sprung into action in the kitchen, she greeted him, "There you are," and grinned. "Your grandfather said you had come home. I just got back from Mobile. Helped a friend move."

Garrett breathed in the tantalizing scents. "It's good to see you again. You didn't have to do any of this."

Without saying a word, Regina simply shrugged and winked.

Garrett took some time to appreciate his surroundings. All the cabinets, along with the shiny countertops and stainless-steel appliances, were brand new. Gone was the brown oak color that he had grown up with. Out with the old, in with the dark cherry pinewood. It was a stylish match made in heaven, standing out against the light cream-colored marble worktops.

As he perched on a stool at the kitchen island, Garrett pondered, "When was everything remodeled? I haven't asked Grandpa yet." Since coming back to Holden, this was his first chance to have a chat with Regina.

She served him a cup of coffee, which he gladly drank, while he observed her fixing him a plate of food. Besides hash browns, cured ham, eggs, and his favorite fresh-cut fruit, Garrett beamed.

"We renovated the kitchen shortly after Valentine's Day." She placed the plate on the table in front of him and immediately continued to tidy up as he dug in.

Damn.

He realized he could make himself at home with this. "I've missed your cooking. I appreciate this."

"Sure, honey."

Garrett observed Regina as she loaded a couple of dishes into the dishwasher. Following the loss of his mother, she became closer to the family and moved to a house only a few yards away. While mourning the tragic death of her husband in a car accident, she found refuge in looking after her great-nephews.

His great-aunt's graceful aging was in stark contrast to that of his grandfather, who was a year older. She was slender, but her hair, which had once been dark, had turned silver, and the wrinkles around her eyes were new. She has done a good job of taking care of herself. Garret often pondered why she never found a new husband. Regarding the fact that she stayed in the house all the time, even after his siblings moved away. His grandfather reached out to him several times, and on each occasion, Garrett could recognize the faint sound of Regina's voice in the background.

While eating, he sat on the stool and looked around. There have been major changes over the past few months. Brand-new suede furnishings around the fireplace. The walls went from beige to light creamy tones with gray accents. The room's luxurious decorations and polished dark wood floors matched the inside.

The entire house felt almost foreign to him.

"I spoke to Eugene's doctor," Garrett stated.

Regina casually disposed of the remnants from his plate, leaning against the counter. "How is he doing?"

Garrett stood up quickly, uneasy. "According to Dr. Sinclair, things aren't looking too good."

"I figured," Regina whispered. Her gaze rested on him. "When are Grady and Gavin coming home?"