16
EMERSYN
“What are you doing here?” It was Molly who answered the door. She stood with her arms crossed and a look of disdain on her face.
I held up the package. “Just dropping something off for Amelia. Gabe was supposed to, but he was late for work.”
“Sounds like him. Thanks. I’ll take it to her.”
Molly reached for the package, but I pushed past her and into the house. “It’s okay. I wanted to stop by and say hello anyway.”
Amelia was lying on the sofa, hands resting on her stomach, eyes closed.
“Oh,” I said as I walked in. “Molly didn’t say you were resting. I’ll call back later.”
Amelia smiled and sat up, covering a yawn. “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t getting much rest anyway. All I was thinking about was needing to use the bathroom again. No one told me I’d need to pee this much during pregnancy.”
I handed her the package. “Gabe asked me to drop this off.”
Amelia’s face lit up. “Perfect! I’ve been waiting for this. Mol! Mol! The mobile arrived.” She turned back to me. “This is the final piece of the nursery. Do you want to come see it?” She hoisted herself off the sofa and waddled down the hallway. “It was awfully nice of you to drop it off. I was in no hurry.”
“I think Gabe was worried about what Jake would say if he didn’t.”
We walked into a mint green room. One wall was dotted with gold stars. There was a cream crib against one wall and a restored rocking chair in the corner. The other side of the room looked like a bomb had gone off, with clothing strewn all over the bed.
“So pretty!” I exclaimed, turning my attention back to the other side of the room, even though I had zero interest in what people chose to do with their décor. “So the decision’s been made? You and Jake are staying here?”
Amelia looked over at me, surprised.
I screwed up my nose. “Gabe mentioned it, sorry.”
Molly sauntered into the room. “She hasn’t decided if she’s kicking me out for good yet, have you, Meals?”
“No one’s kicking you out. Don’t be so dramatic.”
Molly flopped onto the bed, on top of all the clothes. “So you expect me to sleep in the same room as a baby?”
Amelia rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning back to me. “Want a cup of tea?”
I smiled brightly. “I’ve got a few minutes, so sure, why not?”
We walked back down to the kitchen, where Amelia opened a cupboard and started listing off tea flavors. “Raspberry and rhubarb, ginger, lemon and ginger, chamomile, peppermint, or just plain green?”
“Oh wow. You take your tea seriously. Umm, just whatever you’re having would be great.”
“Ginger it is then. It’s my latest kick. Helps with the morning sickness, which no one told me lasts longer than the first three months and doesn’t only happen in the morning. It’s like women don’t want to let other women know just how horrible pregnancy can be or something. Maybe they’re scared it will endanger population growth.” Amelia dipped the tea bags into the hot water. “Honey? Sugar?”
I shook my head, and she handed me the cup. We went into the lounge, where Molly was waiting. She rolled her eyes dramatically when Amelia made her move over so I could sit down and then left the room. I began to doubt if she was actually past the age of a teenager.
“I don’t think she likes me,” I said, looking down the hallway where Molly had disappeared.
Amelia laughed. “Don’t worry about her. She’s got her nose out of joint because of you and Gabe, but those two aren’t right for each other.” She blew across the surface of her tea while glancing over at me. “He seems pretty smitten with you. Didn’t stop talking about you after you left the other day.”
I replied with the familiar refrain, “We’re just friends,” while pondering her usage of the word ‘smitten.’ It was the same word Drew had used. Gabe didn’t seem like the type to be ‘smitten’ by anyone.
“That’s what he said too.” Amelia said it in a way that implied disbelief.
After taking a sip of tea and fighting the shudder that went through me, I placed it down, got to my feet, and wandered over to the wall of photos. They were carefree and happy snapshots, mainly taken when people were unaware—natural rather than posed. Each photo was filled with smiles and laughter. There were none of the man who claimed to be her father.
“Are these your parents?” I pointed to a picture of a couple sitting inside a housebus and surrounded by plants. I turned to watch Amelia’s reaction, hoping she’d give something away. But she just smiled and nodded.
“They love that bus.”
“Do they live in it?”
Amelia nodded again and got up from her chair to look at the photos with me.
“You have another sister?” We were staring at a photo of three girls with their parents in front of a waterfall.
“Sort of.” Amelia turned to sit again.
“Sounds intriguing,” I offered, trying to get her to open up.
“It’s a long story.”
I sat back down on the sofa, hesitantly picked up my cup of tea, and grinned. “I love long stories.”
Amelia sighed, and I wondered if I was prying too much.
“I grew up believing she was my sister, but I recently found out she’s actually my mother.”
“No way!” The pieces were beginning to click into place.
“Not really a long story after all, I guess.” She shrugged.
“And do you know your father?”
Amelia had been sitting in the chair, legs tucked beneath her and leaning forward as we spoke, but as soon as I asked her about her father, she straightened her back. The tension was palpable.
“Sorry,” I said, knowing I’d pushed too hard too quickly. “It’s none of my business. I guess I just have a thing for dysfunctional families.”
“Yours is too?” Amelia took a sip of tea, her body relaxing a little.
“Not in the same way. My parents are still together, but the dysfunctional part stems from the fact that they probably shouldn’t be. There was a family rift between them and my uncle, whom I adored, and, well, you get the picture.” I rolled my eyes dramatically.
“My parents are still stupidly in love. It’s sickening, really.” Amelia gave a small chuckle. “I’ve met my biological father, but he’s not part of my life. The family I’ve got is enough to handle without adding a father who is about as far from a father figure as you can get.”
I deliberated probing further, but I wasn’t sure what to say without coming across as too nosy.
My features must have schooled themselves into something sympathetic, though, as she added, “It’s okay. I’m fine with it. Some people you’re just better off without. Bran was one of those.”
“So you don’t hear from him at all?” I sipped my bitter tea, trying to appear nonchalant even though she’d just confirmed his name.
She shook her head.
What I wanted to ask was, why did Jake beat him up? Why was she okay with it? Had he hurt her? Did she realize the trouble Jake could get into if her father reported it? But I needed to change the subject.
“Do you want a hand putting up the mobile?”
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on. I can manage. Besides, I need to head into work and get a few things sorted before Jake gets home.”
“Too late.” Jake walked into the lounge and wandered over to kiss Amelia tenderly and touch her tummy. He looked so large, leaning over her small frame. They were chalk and cheese when it came to body types. He was tall and muscled; she was petite and dainty. Jake nodded at me but didn’t say anything. Did his eyes narrow ever so slightly? Did he suspect I was here under less-than-honest pretenses?
“What are you doing home so early?” Amelia asked, unable to contain her delight. It made me a little sad to watch them. Their relationship was the sort I’d always imagined having—someone who made me smile when they walked in the door, rather than feeling apprehension.
Jake flopped onto the floor in front of Amelia, sitting between her legs. Instantly, her hands began playing with his hair. I wasn’t sure if she was even aware of it.
“It wasn’t busy, so Gabe told me to come home.”
Noticing the parcel, Jake picked it up and tore open the packaging. Untangling the mobile, he held it up. It was a collection of little pastel-colored hot air balloons floating in clouds.
“So cute!” I exclaimed, feigning enthusiasm.
Jake looked over at me curiously. I’d definitely worn out my welcome. I got to my feet, pretending I had somewhere to be, something to do, and said my goodbyes.
On the drive home in Brittney’s car, I wondered if my heart was really into writing the story. Getting to know Gabe had changed my opinion of the Thorntons. I’d always considered them beyond sympathy. They were rich, handsome, and had their lives handed to them on silver platters. They deserved any truth about their deeds to be exposed. But at the end of the day, they were just people—people who got hurt, made mistakes, and changed.
There was also the knowledge of the traffic it would bring to my site. And traffic equaled money. Anytime I wrote about the Thorntons, the views, comments, and engagement came flooding in. I needed it. Already, I dreaded the next update I’d need to write for my advertisers. I’d posted too many filler articles. Chances were, the Thorntons would never discover it was me.
Hopefully.
* * *
It was late at night before Gabe crawled into bed. He was warm and smelled of soap and fresh forest rain. He wrapped his arm around me and cuddled close, sighing contentedly. I hated how affectionate he was. I also loved how affectionate he was.
“Thanks for dropping that package off to Amelia.” His voice was already deep with sleep. “Jake’s in training for his next fight and was in a brutal mood. It quite possibly would have been my life at risk if you hadn’t done it.”
“Fight?” I rolled over to face him just as a yawn overtook him. “What fight?” My curiosity was piqued.
“He does this sort of underground fighting.”
“What?” I sat up. “Where? Here in the city? There’s an underground fighting ring here?”
“Yup.”
“Why didn’t I know about this?” To Gabe, it might seem normal for me not to know about it, but if he knew what I wrote about, it was unusual that this had passed under my radar.
“I’m guessing it’s because you don’t fight or like watching fights.”
“I like watching fights,” I lied.
“Okay, you bloodthirsty thing, you.” Gabe chuckled.
“What? I do. I watched a boxing match once. I think. At least I think it was a boxing match. People punched each other, anyway.” I crossed my arms as though the information had annoyed me. I guess it had, in a way. This was the sort of thing I should know about.
“They keep it fairly quiet. Illegal betting and all that.”
“Can you take me?”
“To watch a fight?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes. “Swimming at the beach. Of course, to watch a fight. To watch Jake fight,” I clarified.
“I didn’t think you’d be into that sort of thing.”
“Well, I am,” I huffed. “Take me. Please?” I batted my eyes.
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yes, fine. I’ll take you. Now can we please get some sleep? I’m shattered.”
I lay back down, and Gabe snuggled behind me again. It was strange how well we fitted together. His arm didn’t feel heavy slung over me. Not like Conrad’s did. His touch wasn’t demanding. Not like Conrad’s was. It was as though he was content just to be around me. No expectations. No demands.
“Did something happen between you and Molly?” I asked the darkness.
It was Gabe’s turn to sit up. “No. What makes you think something did?”
“Just a vibe I got.” I pulled the sheet tighter to my chin.
A slow smile passed over Gabe’s lips. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”
“No,” I huffed.
“It’s okay.” Gabe snuggled back down. “I know it’s hard to resist my magnetic pull.”
“Dick.”
Gabe hugged me tighter. “It’s okay, my little green-eyed monster. You’re only human, after all.”