21. The Pesto Party
“He knew about Aiden,and he left anyway?” Carla asked, the concern in her voice snapping Gia back to reality.
“Yep.”
“I’m so sorry, Gia. I wish I’d been here to help. If I’d known, I would have figured out a way to be there for you.”
“Carla, you were off doing your own thing. We were young! By the time you came back, I’d already met Steve. And he was great back then. We hit it off immediately, and things just fell into place. He took Aiden in as if he were his own biological child. We were fine.”
“So, you married Steve… but you loved Ben?”
“It was complicated. Steve and I rushed things, knowing Aiden was well on his way—but I wouldn’t give it all up for anything, even with how things worked out with my marriage. Ben”s choice led me to Steve, which gave me my other children. They’re my world.”
“What about seeing Ben now? Do you think there’s anything left to explore there?” Carla peered quizzically at Gia, wondering whether she held onto any lingering emotional attachment. The look that flashed through her eyes indicated something was there, but Gia quickly brushed her feelings aside, her features becoming stony once more.
“After the pain Ben caused, I’ll never feel that way—or any way at all—about him ever again,” Gia said, folding her arms across her chest. “Even after I met Steve, healing from that took a long time. I’m still processing everything, many years later. A lot of it resurfaced when Steve left, honestly. It’s a consistent nagging feeling that I’ll never be enough for anyone.”
“You’re enough for me. And Matt loves you, too, right Matty?”
Matt was caught off-guard by the question and had a mouthful of the bread and pesto he was devouring, so he nodded his agreement while chewing.
“Matt!” Carla prodded him in the ribs with her elbow. “That’s for everyone. It’s not Matt’s personal pesto platter.” She rolled her eyes at her husband, grabbed a piece of bread, and dipped it into the bowl, hurrying to get her share before the rest disappeared.
“Oof, sorry.” Matt chuckled, wiping away the green herbal concoction that had escaped his mouth and was now running down his chin. “It’s just so good. So, so good.”
“And, in case you were wondering,” Carla reverted to her original train of thought, “that’s man talk. Translated, it means he loves you… and your garden… and your always-incredible food contributions.”
“Well, thanks,” Gia said, smiling.
“Who needs a Steve or a Ben when you have a Carla and a Matt right next door, anyway?!” Carla patted her friend on the shoulder playfully, hoping her mood was improving.
Gia
Gia grinned at her friend. Despite Carla’s inability to mind her own business, she could cheer Gia up even under the worst circumstances. And your child’s biological father returning from an entirely different life in a foreign country when your child doesn’t even know he exists is pretty bad.
“Anyway, I’m meeting him tomorrow morning at the café on Main,” Gia said, fidgeting nervously.
With a mouth full of bread, Carla appeared stunned and chewed faster to get her words out. “That’s fast! Are you going to let him meet his son? How are you going to tell Aiden? What about Steve?” The questions came out in rapid fire. Gia had to brace herself to respond as calmly as possible.
“Yes, I can’t keep him from Aiden. I mean, I could. Ben abandoned us—but I don’t think it would be right to stand in the way if he wants to meet him. I haven’t figured out what to tell my son. That’s a conversation I’ll need to have with Steve before anything else. Steve has always been Aiden’s father and remains so. I want to talk to Ben first to determine his true intentions with all of this. And… that’s happening tomorrow!” Gia took a deep breath as the rush of emotions built back up.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Carla asked. “Like, for moral support or something? Matt could come, too, in case you need someone to kick his ass.” She grinned, trying to lighten the mood. Matt folded his arms across his chest and firmed up his features, trying to look more intimidating.
“No, I’m okay. This needs to be a one-on-one meeting. I have a doctor’s app?—”
“We could sit on the other side of the café. We can be stealthy!”
“Carla, don’t start this again!” Matt nudged his wife. “We’ve been through this. You’ve done enough. We’ve done enough.”
“Thanks, Matt. Carla, promise me that you won’t show up. Please.” Gia glanced at her friends as she made the request, feeling calmer knowing they had her back—even if she didn’t want their physical presence at the café the next day. Now, she thought, if they could just learn to mind their own business.
“What if I need coffee?” Carla asked. “I love coffee. I love café coffee!”
“First off, you don’t leave the house by nine ever. If you feel compelled to do so tomorrow, you wait. Until ten. Before nine or after ten, the café is all yours. Just don’t appear during that one-hour window.”
“Why ten? What happens at ten?”
“I was trying to say this earlier. At ten, I bail for my doctor’s appointment, regardless of how things are going. Ben gets one hour, tops.”
“Ooh, that’s convenient,” Carla said. “What do you think he wants with Aiden? Like, does he just want to meet him as a friend of yours? Does he want him to know everything about who he is? How much does he want to be involved?”
“You’re asking the same things floating around in my mind. I have absolutely no idea. I won’t know anything until after tomorrow. I’ll fill you in, I promise.” A teasing smirk crossed Gia’s features. “Especially given that this is all your fault.”
“Ugh. I know, I know. You don’t have to rub it in. And anyway, Ben would have found you eventually. And, hey, maybe your—well, my—chance meeting on Only Gardeners was the hand of fate pushing you two crazy kids back together!”
Gia groaned. “Trust me. It wasn’t. It was merely a friend who couldn’t keep out of trouble. And, for the record, we are not getting back together.”
Carla leaned over and placed her hands jokingly over Matt’s ears and fake whispered, “But he got really fucking cute, though! Wait until you see him to decide.”
“I can still hear you, you know?” Matt said, removing Carla’s hands and wrapping them around his neck in an embrace. “But the guy is attractive. From a heterosexual male perspective, anyway.”
“I saw his pictures,” Gia acknowledged. “I admit, he’s good-looking. He certainly grew up while he was in Brazil, that’s for sure. But I’m not interested. I’ll never be interested.
“What’s that they say about famous last words?” Carla chuckled.