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Staring back at me, on an ID labeled Maria Smith, was the face of the woman I called Mom.
16
Gabe
Itapped lightly on the door and called out to her, “Bella? You called for me?”
“Yes, come in, please,” she called through the door.
As soon as I entered the room, Bella blurted out, “My mom most definitely kidnapped me. I have proof now, and I think we should go to the police and—”
Her eyes were big and bright and she was speaking at a mile a minute, her hands flying everywhere as she spoke. Her laptop was sitting in front of her.It was hard to make out everything she was saying. Stepping closer to her, I held a hand up. “Slow down, please. I only caught half of that.”
She took a deep breath, then another, as I sat down beside her on the bed.
“Okay, so I talked to Charles O’Connell, and I asked him to send a photo of the housekeeper he suspected kidnapped his daughter,” she said, speaking a bit slower now. She turned the laptop toward me and there was a photo of a driver’s license. The name matched the housekeeper that Charles suspected had kidnapped Anabel.
I stared at it for a long time, trying to make sense of it. I had seen Bella’s mother a few times over the years, not that often, but I definitely recognized her.
“It’s clearly my mom. I would recognize her anywhere, even with a bad dye job or wig or whatever she’s wearing,” Bella said.
“I believe you.”
Bella’s entire demeanor seemed to relax. She had previously been in defense mode, thinking she’d have to convince me, but I believed her. I could see it too.
“We need to go to the police, Gabe.” Her voice cracked.
“I agree, I think we have enough information to go to the police, but—”
She opened her mouth to argue with me, but again, I held up a hand. “You only have a few more weeks of the pregnancy, Bella. This is a critical time, we need to keep your stress level as minimal as possible, and I worry that a police investigation and drama with your mom could make things very difficult for you.”
She closed her mouth and appeared to be thinking.
I continued. “I’m not saying we never go to the police, I’m just asking you to wait until the babies are here,” I said. “For both your safety and theirs.”
Bella took a second but nodded in agreement. “You’re right. It’s already been twenty-something years, what harm will a few more weeks do? I want to make sure that we get as close to full-term as possible. I’m just so anxious to get the ball rolling. I might have a family that actually loves me out there, Gabe. Thank you so much for everything, I don’t know what I did to deserve all your kindness.”
I rested a hand on her stomach and she laced her fingers through mine. A small smile pulled at her lips, and in that moment, I was the one struggling to breathe. My heart raced and there was a fluttering in my belly. I had never felt that way about anyone before, just being in the same room with Bella was becoming more and more difficult, because my feelings for her were taking over my body.
I knew it was time.
“It’s because I care about you, Bella. I think I might even be falling in love with you.”She inhaled sharply and stared at me, her mouth open in a small O and her eyes wide. “Gabe, I– I mean, you already know I feel the same about you.”
I nodded. She didn’t have to say the words, I knew how she felt.
“The feeling is definitely mutual, I’m just, I’m scared.”
“You have nothing to be scared of with me, Gabe.”
“I know that I do. I just worry I’ll fuck things up like I always do, and then what? I’ll have both you and Ava hating my guts.”
She leaned forward and put the laptop on the table beside the bed, adjusting her position with my help. Once she was closer to me, she took my face in her hands and held it there, staring deep into my eyes.
“Gabriel De Luca, I’ve known you for most of my life. I know you’re not perfect, I know you’ve fucked up in the past, I’ve heard all about it from Ava. But I know that isn’t the man you are today. I also know that there’s nothing you can do to ever push Ava away. Your sister adores you and even if you and I have a falling out one day, I can assure you that she’s not going anywhere. And I have no intention of going anywhere either. You two are the closest thing to a family I've ever had, and I’m not going to give that up easily.”
Her fingers stroked my cheek, down to my jawline. Bella licked her lips and stared up at me and I knew what she wanted me to do.
Pressing my lips against hers, I let my fingers get lost in her soft curls, holding her face against mine. All the blood in my body moved south, causing an erection to form in my jeans. Mentally, I reminded myself that she was very pregnant, and nothing was going to happen that day, but in the back of my mind, I heard the voice, “Not today, but definitely again someday.”
