CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
GAbrIEL
March
The sight of my mother hugging Jake like he was a part of my family reached that special place next to my heart. I needed him to feel like he belonged because I hated that he’d been alone most of his life.
“I’m so glad to see you again,” she said and kissed his cheek.
He fidgeted and said meekly, “You too Mrs.—I mean Martha.”
My father shook his hand. “I share my wife’s sentiments. We have a lot to make up for and I promise things will be smoother this time around.”
“Oh, I—”
“Jake! Jake!” Amelia screamed and tugged at his sleeve, pulling him toward the living room. “You have to see my new fairy shoes. They’re sparkly!”
“She colored all your drawings, and we hung them up on the wall,” Mom said, looking delighted.
I’d talked to my parents about certain things, stripping Jake’s terrible start to life to the absolute basics so they could understand his shyness and anxiety a bit better.
We both agreed that it was good for Amelia to be around someone who knew what she was going through.
I did worry about my family overwhelming him again, but he passed me a look that suggested he was happy to be here.
Besides, he’d help set up the dinner date with his friend Maria and her family, so everything told me that he was okay doing the family thing again.
It would take some time for me to learn his signs of distress, but I was looking forward to knowing him in a way no one ever had.
“Is that my little brother I hear?”
I gasped as my older brother crashed into me and slapped my back like a brute. It was strange not seeing him in his fatigues or ASU. I held him at arm’s length, noting the crow’s feet and dusting of silver in his hair. “Damn, you’re getting old.”
“Which is why no more tours for me,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Mom pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Are you retiring?”
He was a source of pride for the family and only getting to see him once a year was hard. Having a sibling in the military was always difficult, even in times of peace and him being here now made me realize how much I’d missed my brother.
He tipped his head up. “I wanted to wait until Gabe arrived to tell you all, but you’re looking at newly promoted Captain Harris Northcotte. I’m to be stationed at rock island. It’s a desk job for me now, but I’ll get to boss around some underlings at least and I won’t be far from home.”
Mom burst into tears and Dad hugged him tightly.
“I’ll be around more often,” he said against Dad’s shoulder, misty-eyed.
“Congratulations,” Jake whispered, and I understood he was pushing himself to be social.
“Harris, I want you to meet Jake,” I announced, my soul filling with happiness.
“The boyfriend,” he said and pulled Jake into a hearty hug that made me wince. “And hopefully soon to be brother-in-law.”
“Sorry, he’s a bit beefy and doesn’t realize his own strength,” I said and wrestled Jake from him. “And don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“It’s tradition that the one who catches the bouquet be the next to marry,” Mom said, and I knew she was already planning our wedding.
Jake passed me a quizzical look.
Harris laughed. “He didn’t tell you about that, huh?”
“At Danny and Jere’s wedding, I caught the bouquet,” I explained to Jake. “Accidently, of course. I was just standing there, kibitzing when the bouquet walloped me in the face.”
A slow smile spread across his cheeks as if he were thinking about the implication. We hadn’t had that talk yet because I figured it was too soon. But it was a nice fantasy, one that I hoped would become reality down the line.
“Can I be the flower girl for their wedding, Gama?” Amelia asked.
Jake blushed and bit back his smile.
“See what you started,” I accused, but it was hard not laughing about it.
“I think they're here!” Jake said suddenly and went to look out the window.
Maria and her family were right on time.
She filed in with her two kids and her elderly parents.
Mom was thrilled to have more guests over and Amelia hit it off instantly with Jazmine and Manny.
My mother and Maria’s own worked in the kitchen making an ethnic fused dinner while Dad talked with her father.
I squeezed Jake’s hand, beyond happy that he’d set everything right with her. As he’d said, this dinner felt like introducing our families to each other. Despite the happiness, Bev was a hole in our lives. She should be here with her daughter and meeting Jake.
“Are you…okay?” He asked and took my hand.
“Yeah,” I muttered, entwining our fingers. “Just, you know… I wish things were better with my sister.”
He rested his head against my shoulder. “I understand. Even now, after all my mother has done, I wish I had her in my life in some form.”
I’d promised to help him find her when he was ready.
We’d talked a little more about it and he’d admitted his biggest fear was finding her alive, healthy and with a new family because all the pain of abandonment might come back.
It was a tricky situation, but I’d take care of him when the time came.
Dinner was served at four and we enjoyed a feast of Mexican and American dishes.
The conversation was animated, with my brother regaling our guests of strange things he’d seen abroad.
Maria’s parents told us about their emigration from Mexico and jokes were made about the culture shock of coming to America.
I held Jake’s hand under the table, stroking his skin with my thumb.
I was so proud of him for doing this. We couldn’t have hoped for a better day.
The only thing that could have made this better was Sean being here.
The day after the fundraiser, we’d met for lunch, and we’d talked like we had the previous year.
We’d always be friends and we’d mutually come to the conclusion that double and triple dating was in our future.
It was nice chumming it up again with him.
After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room, continuing the conversations while the kids colored drawings. I sat with Jake on the bottom of the staircase where it was a little quieter. His head was against my shoulder, a little smile on his lips as he watched the kids play.
I tipped his chin up and pecked his lips. “Love you.”
He smiled beautifully. “Love you too. Ah, do…”
“What? Tell me,” I prompted.
He blushed and shrugged. “Have you ever thought about…having kids of your own?”
“Oh, lots of times. I want to say I was sure in my position that they were not for me but Amelia being born changed that. When I held her that first time, I don’t know… something shifted. To answer your question, I wouldn’t mind being a dad.”
He bit his lip in contemplation. “I always knew I wanted kids, but I never thought I would have the opportunity. But I’d want to adopt and give a lonely child the opportunities they never had before… Know what I mean?”
I beamed at him, supremely happy he’d opened this part of himself to me. I took his hand and kissed his palm. “We will definitely talk about this in the future, okay?”
He returned his head to my shoulder, our hands linked, and we celebrated simple things like family and friends.
A bout of laughter drifted from the kitchen.
From our point of view, we could see Maria leaning against the kitchen counter, laughing as my brother joked with her.
Jake didn’t miss the twinkle in her eyes either because he passed me an amused glance.
“There might be a wedding in the Northcotte family, after all,” I teased.