Just Breathe

Epilogue

                             Gavin
                     Two years later

“Babe! Logan!” I call out into the house as I walk in through the garage door. I’m met with silence, and the panic in the pit of my stomach roars to life. When I went by the bakery Ash told me that Bailey went home early since she wasn’t feeling well.

Since the grand opening of Sweet Things, nearly over a year ago, Bailey has been working nonstop. Oh, you didn’t know. Bailey and Ash went invested in opening a bakery together. Just five minutes from our little work hut, there was an abandoned shop at the corner that had been closed for years, and the building was just sitting there, empty.
The town was planning on demolishing it to build who knows what, when Bailey and Ash decided to take the plunge and open up their own shop. It’s been going strong for nearly over a year now, and let me tell you, the people in town and outsiders passing through are loving having a place where they can have some really good homemade breakfast and sweets, I included. What I wasn’t loving was my woman working herself to the bone to ensure that everything was always in order. Another thing I learned real quick about Bailey is that she is a really hard worker, and doesn’t know when to let her employees take over, even knowing they are very well capable of working without her there.

Which brings me to today. The fact that Bailey went home not feeling well and not calling me to let me know worried me, but what really freaked me out was that when I went to pick up Logan at school, his teacher had said Bailey had come to pick him up earlier that afternoon. When I tried calling her, her phone went right to voice mail. Now, usually, that wouldn’t freak me out too much as Bailey is a disaster with her phone. For one, she never knows where the damn thing is. Second, when she does know where it is, it never has battery. But right now, that shit had me a second away from calling Uncle Marcus and getting a search party out looking for my wife and kid.
Just as I’m about to pull out my phone, Zeus comes running into the kitchen to greet me. Okay, I found one member of the family.

“Hey, boy. Where is everybody?’ I give him a head rub before he’s off running towards the great room to stand by the door.

“We need to find Bailey and Logan before we go outside, buddy. You gotta help me find them.” I start towards him when Logan comes running through the great room doors.

“Dad! You’re home!” Logan jumps in my arms and hugs me tight. Thank fuck! Okay, Logan is here, that means Bailey is here, too. She might be in our room sleeping, and I’m here yelling up a storm.

“Bud, you alright? Where’s mom?” I look him over to ensure he really is okay, before he wiggles to get down.

“Yeah, I’m great! Now, come on. We have a surprise for you, but you gotta put this on.” He reaches into his little pockets and pulls out a silk blindfold. Not just any blindfold the same one I gave him to use on his mom the day I proposed to her. What the hell is she up to? I raise an eyebrow at him in question, when he bursts out laughing and Zeus barks a couple times eager to get back outside with us.

“Please! Dad! You’re really gonna love this surprise.” It never gets old hearing him call me dad. I breathe out and bend down in front of him so he can blindfold me.

“Yes! Okay, let’s go!” He shouts in excitement as Zeus barks to join him. He slips his little hand in mine and he gives it a tight squeeze as he guides me out the great room and towards the back of our home. I can hear the birds chirping and Zeus running close, and then away from us. I’m trying to figure out how far away from the house we are, but I’m too focused on wanting this shit removed so I can see my woman.