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“No wonder she loves her job so much,” my brother-in-law jokes, earning him a slap on the chest from my sister.
“James!”
“What? She always says so.” He shrugs like Gia’s silly to chastise him.
“Because it’sfulfilling!”
Damon and I both make eye contact, and I spot a little twinkle in his eyes.
“So Damon, what about your family?” Gia asks, changing the subject.
“It’s me and my mom.”
My sister nods, and I know she wants to tease out more details from him.
Good luck.
“No extended family?”
I can tell by the slight added pressure of his hand over mine that Damon doesn’t want to answer. If it were me asking, he wouldn’t answer.
“We’re not that close.”
“Can we have ice cweam now?” Athena asks, hopeful. It warms my heart to watch her grow. Everything about her changes so quickly—her personality, her height, her ability to speak properly.
Gia and I head to the kitchen to load the dishwasher.
“James didn’t know he was my boss?” Skepticism drips from my voice.
She sighs. “I told him. Sometimes I wonder if he ever really listens to me.”
In James’s defense, Gia can talk—a lot.
“You know,” Gia continues, “I might’ve misjudged him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gemma, the man hangs on to your every move. I think you two have something beautiful together. It’s soft-spoken and secretive, but there’s beauty there.”
“Sure, sure.” I hand her one more plate. “Every morning when I wake up in his bed I ... I can’t believe it. It feels surreal. I’m afraid he’ll slip through my fingers.”
She puts the plate in the dishwasher rack, drying her hands with a towel before grabbing my shoulders. “Hewantsyou here or you wouldn’t be here. You have to believe in what you have, Gem. No one else can do that for you.”
I simply nod.
I meant it when I told Damon that my family’s opinion wouldn’t change what we share, but it’s nice to have Gia’s support. It makes things easier.
I’m so far gone on this love train I wouldn’t even know how to force my way out.
I ask Gia about the baby, knowing she’s dying to give birth so they can find out the sex. They agreed to wait, and it’s been killing her ever since.
“Do you think Dad met someone in Seattle? He’s been spending a lot of time there.”
I shrug. “For work though.”
She gives me a deadpan look. “A bit more than necessary, if you ask me.”
I smile, knowing this is her odd way of saying she misses him.
