Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
NICO
Gabe’s entire body went rigid. I didn’t have to turn around to know that one of his brothers was standing behind me. I looked up, meeting his gaze. I would take my cue from him.
Whatever Gabe saw in my expression made him smile. He placed a warm kiss on my forehead and then narrowed his eyes at the person behind me. “I’m hugging my boyfriend, Nathaniel. What does it look like I’m doing?”
I was lucky I’d learned to control my reactions because the place on my forehead where Gabe’s lips touched me was like a brand. I felt the heat of it down to my toes. What was more surprising was how the label of “boyfriend,” even though it was fake, made me stupidly wish for more.
Gabe eased his hold on me so I could turn around but kept an arm around my waist, and I did the same. It was weird to be face-to-face with an older, slimmer version of the man next to me. Except this guy looked like he’d swallowed a whole lemon. No wonder Gabe didn’t want anything to do with him.
“Don’t be obtuse, Gabriel,” Nathaniel snapped. “What are you doing here at this party? You are no longer part of this family.” His voice was dripping with condescension. I wanted to punch him right in his smug face.
The arm Gabe had around my waist tightened, but when he spoke, his voice was as cold as ice. “Believe it or not, Nathaniel, the world doesn’t revolve around Alistair Warner Sr. He doesn’t own this hotel. Why I’m here and who invited me are none of your business. So why don’t you run back to your other brother so you can report to Daddy that I’m here and making you sad.” I barely held back my snort of laughter.
Before Nathaniel could express his righteous outrage, a young man, also clearly related to Gabe, came up to him and said, “Dad…” Whatever he was going to say was forgotten when he saw Gabe. “Uncle Gabe?”
Gabe’s brother turned to his son. “Nathaniel, go back to your mother. I have business here.”
To my surprise, the younger man shook his head. “No way. She asked for you. She said to tell you she needs you right away. Besides, I want to talk to Uncle Gabe.”
“You will not,” Gabe’s brother commanded.
Nathaniel looked at his father with an expression I’d only ever seen on Gabe’s face. “We’ve talked about this, Dad. I’m an adult. You don’t get to order me around anymore. I’m only here tonight because Blaire and Alistair begged me to come so they wouldn’t be bored out of their minds.”
I bit back a smile. He even sounded like Gabe. He wasn’t quite as tall or broad, but judging by the way his tuxedo fit, the young man was most likely an athlete. I glanced over at my friend and saw a look of surprise on his face.
Nathaniel Sr. looked between his son and his brother, his expression thunderous. “We’ll be discussing this later, Nathaniel,” he hissed before he stalked off, presumably in the direction of his wife.
Gabe blew out a breath, eyeing his nephew warily. “Are you okay, Nathaniel? You don’t have to stay here if it will get you in trouble.”
“It’s Nat,” the young man replied. “And I’m fine. Dad keeps trying to tell me what to do, and I keep telling him he can’t. He used to threaten that he wouldn’t pay for college if I didn’t toe the line.” Nat shrugged. “So I applied for athletic scholarships for baseball and cross country and academic scholarships with my SAT scores and my work in robotics. I pretty much got a full ride to Columbia University. He can’t take that away from me, and it pisses him off.”
A proud smile curved Gabe’s lips. “Damn, you’re fierce.” His eyes got misty. “You’re all grown up.”
Nat got a little teary himself. “I’ve missed you, Uncle Gabe.”
Gabe withdrew his arm from around me and held out both arms to Nat. “How about a hug?”
I stepped back to give them privacy and to continue watching the ever-growing crowd of revelers.
Nat fell into his uncle’s embrace. Gabe held him close and murmured quiet, soothing words. When they finally parted, they were both blinking back tears. I grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins from a nearby high-top and handed them to Gabe.
After wiping their eyes, Gabe said, “I didn’t think any of you kids would remember me. You were all so young when I left.” He playfully tugged at Nat’s bow tie. “You were only four.”
Nat grinned and lightly elbowed Gabe in the ribs. “But we do remember you. Well, Alistair, not so much. He was only two. But Blaire remembers. You were at her seventh birthday party, and we all had so much fun. And then you were gone.”
Gabe sighed. “I really didn’t expect them to throw me out. I figured they’d be mad and then get over it. They never did.” He shook his head. “But this shouldn’t be your problem.”
Nat’s frown said he disagreed. “Our parents took you away from us just because you decided to join the Navy. It is my problem. One I intend to fix.”
I couldn’t help it. I had to laugh. “He sounds just like you, Gabe.”
“He really does,” Marco chimed in on the comms.
There was a chorus of “Awww,” and “How cute,” and “I want to see the Gabe clone.”
Of course, neither of us could respond and it was tough keeping a straight face. Gabe cleared his throat. “How did you know I joined the Navy?”
Nat smiled. “Great Grandpa talked about you all the time. He was so proud of you. He had pictures of you in his bedroom. He said you lived with him for a little while.”
Gabe nodded. “I lived with him until I went to basic training. My parents wouldn’t let me stay at home after I graduated from high school.”
Nat looked outraged. “That really sucks. I remember Grandma and Grandpa even tried to get Great Grandpa to get rid of your pictures, but he shut them down flat. I heard him tell Grandma that he was ashamed of her. That he raised her better than that. It made Grandma mad. I don’t think they visited him much after that.”
“How old were you when that happened?” Gabe asked.
Nat frowned thoughtfully. “Seventh grade? So maybe twelve or thirteen?”
Gabe sighed. “I’m sorry it was such a mess for you. But I want to hear all about you. What’s your major? Are you still playing baseball? Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
“Oh my god,” Dante said over the comms. “Gabe is flustered.”
His nephew put up his hands with a chuckle. “Slow down. I’m majoring in computer science. I like robotics, but I’ve been dabbling in cybersecurity lately. I play baseball and run cross country. And I’m too busy to date anyone at the moment.”
“Send him my way when he graduates,” Michael said. “I’ll teach him all he needs to know about cybersecurity.” A small smile curved Gabe’s lips. Nat would learn a lot from Michael for sure.
Gabe’s nephew glanced over at me. “Speaking of boyfriends, you haven’t introduced me to yours.”
For a split second, Gabe looked confused. Then he pulled himself together and gestured for me to come closer. He put his arm around my shoulders. “This is Nico. Nico, my nephew Nat.”
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Nat.”
“Same,” he replied with a smile. He glanced at my hands and added, “Nice tattoos.”
“Thanks.”
“Nat!” a young woman’s voice called out. We all turned to see a beautiful woman approaching with a younger man in tow. She wore an elegant black sheath gown, and the young man, no doubt her brother, wore a tuxedo that matched Nat’s.
Nat grinned. “Blaire. Alistair. Look who I found.”
Blaire’s eyes widened. “Uncle Gabe!” She threw herself into Gabe’s arms. He staggered a bit at the sudden onslaught.
Gabe chuckled. “You haven’t changed much.” He looked over her head at the younger man standing awkwardly behind his sister. “Hello, Alistair.”
He smiled shyly. “Hey, Uncle Gabe. Nat and Blaire talk about you a lot.”
I felt bad for the kid because he clearly didn’t remember Gabe and couldn’t really share in his cousin’s and sister’s happiness.
“It’s good to see you again,” Gabe said. “All of you.”
They all chatted for a while, getting caught up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marco standing by the wall, his gaze focused on Gabe and his family. Gabe finally picked it up too, and I saw him let out a quiet sigh. Before he could figure out a way to end the conversation, Blaire said, “Nat, we have to go. Sarah is here with her brother Patrick, and you promised to introduce me.”
Nat sighed. “Fine, but I’m not setting you up. That’s all you.”
“As if,” she scoffed. “You can’t even get a date for yourself.”
Nat rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for one at the moment. I have too much to do.” He pulled out his phone and turned to Gabe. “Can I have your number in case I don’t get to see you before we leave?”
Gabe took his nephew’s phone. “Sure.” He entered his number and texted himself. Handing the phone back, he said, “I’ll try to find you before I have to leave, okay?”
“Okay.” Nat took his phone and followed Blaire and Alistair back into the crowd.
Gabe watched them until they disappeared from view. “Sorry, Marco.”
“I get it,” our boss said through the comms. “It’s family. But we have a job to do.”
“Yes, Chief.”