19. Gia
19
Gia
“You don’t think she’ll find it strange?” Mars asks, glancing at the kitchen door. “That I want to stay here for a couple of months?”
“Mars, she’ll think you’re the most romantic guy in the world,” I answer. “If she doesn’t already.”
Mars lets out a bashful laugh, looking down at his feet. I’ve never seen him be so bashful, not even around me. Which makes me believe what’s happening between Abigail and him is the real deal. Like endgame .
I can’t believe after a week and change of staying at the inn together, we’ve managed to not only make peace but, I think, become friends. It helps that both of us are distracted by other things. He’s been trying to woo Abigail and ignore the press over his new album while I’ve been supporting Bryn and Kade as they reunite with their father and enjoy time with my parents as well.
I didn’t anticipate staying in Blue Flag much longer than Christmas, but when Bryn and Kade said they wanted to stick around and spend time with their dad, I wasn’t going to get in the way of that. It just required a little rejiggering of the schedule. Instead of heading home to L.A., we’re going straight to London for the first concert on the second leg. A small price to pay to support my best friend and my… boyfriend.
“Okay, I’m going in to tell her,” Mars says. “Wish me luck.”
“You, Mars Floyd, don’t need luck in this regard,” I reply.
He laughs and kisses me on the cheek. “You’re a gem, Gia.”
“I can be if you play nice,” I say, shoving him on the arm. “Now, go get her.”
Mars grins, then shoulders his way into the kitchen, calling out, “Oh, Abigail!”
I laugh and turn back to the common room where Kade and his father are engaged in a chess match. The inn has been quieter since Ahmad, Andrew, Harriet, and Harold left. However, we’ve all invited them back next year for a do-over of a Christmas at the Lantern.
Sidling up to the chess game, I put a hand on Kade’s shoulder. “Who’s winning?”
“He’s letting me win,” Mr. Bennett, or Bill, as I’ve been instructed to call him since I’m now an extension of the family, says drolly.
Kade lifts his hands up innocently. “I’m just playing. Can’t beat a grandmaster.”
Bill rolls his eyes. “Sure, son.”
Hearing Bill speak to Kade like that warms my insides. I can only imagine how it makes Kade feel.
From the kitchen, I hear an eruption of giddy squeals.
“He told her he’s staying in town, huh?” Kade asks, lifting his hand to mine, our fingers intertwining. Even he’s softened on Mars. Not a difficult task when we are officially together now, and there is legitimately nothing that can pull me away from him.
“Finally,” I say with a smile. “I bet that talk you had with him last night really pushed him over the edge.”
Kade blushes. “Well, I do have some experience with risking it all for the girl.” He kisses the back of my hand, and I swoon so hard that I nearly topple over.
Bryn waltzes in from the front hall, pulling her coat on as she enters. “Car’s here.”
“Already?” I ask, letting my lips bend down in a pout.
“If you don’t want to disappoint an entire crowd at Royal Albert Hall, you bet,” Bryn says.
Bill knocks his king over. “I surrender.”
“Dad—” Kade begins to argue.
But Bill gets to his feet and smiles sadly. “We’ll get another opportunity soon. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
As we follow Bryn into the front hall to get our coats and luggage, Kade’s disappointment is obvious. For a man who avoided his father for so many years, he’s turned into a downright daddy’s boy. I know it’s hard to leave Bill behind.
My parents flank me as we go outside. The snow has mostly melted, resetting Blue Flag for whatever future blizzard might descend. Pines tower overhead, green and lush, offsetting the brown muddiness the snow has left in its wake.
“You will call when you get to London, yes?” Dad says.
“Yes, Dad.”
“And you will eat breakfast every day,” my mother instructs more than asks. “Right?”
“Yes, Mom,” I lie.
Her warm brown lips turn into a scowl. “I can tell when you’re lying, Gia, you know I hate when you?— ”
“I love you,” I interrupt, hugging her tight. I do the same for my dad. “You’ll join us when we get to Rome, right?”
“Of course, as long as you send us the plane,” Dad says with a cheeky grin.
I glance over at Kade, Bryn, and Bill, who are saying goodbye in a quieter, more restrained way than my parents and me. I saunter over, cuddling up to Kade. “You’ll join us in Rome too, won’t you, Bill?”
Bill’s bushy gray brows nearly meet his hairline. “Rome?”
“My parents are joining us in a couple of weeks on our tour, and you’re welcome to join. As long as…” I glance at Bryn and then Kade, their matching blue eyes gazing at me with a mix of surprise and anticipation. “It’s up to them, of course, but you’re welcome on my account.”
“I’d love that!” Bryn says, bumping my shoulder. “What a great idea.”
We both look at Kade. He’s the deciding vote, always measured and careful regarding decisions. In the short week since Christmas, though, he’s softened immensely.
Thanks to me, I think.
A smile creeps up on his face. “Yeah, you should join us, Dad.”
“Well, I’ll think about it. I haven’t been on a plane in years,” Bill says, trying to be restrained, but I can tell he’s also excited.
My parents impinge on the conversation. “Gia has her own plane! You fly private! With us!” Dad exclaims. “And we will show you the best of Rome!”
“Oh no, what have I started?” I mutter to Bryn.
Bryn beams, looping her arm through mine. “Something good, I think. ”
“Are you leaving?!” Abigail’s voice cuts through the air in a near shriek.
I turn around to find the blonde chef bounding toward me, grinning from ear to ear, tears in her eyes. She throws her arms around me, embracing me so tight the breath gets knocked out of me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“For what?!” I choke out.
She pulls back and takes my hands in hers. “You know what.”
Over her shoulder, Mars appears on the inn's veranda, his face covered in bright red lip prints, courtesy of Abigail. He gives me a subtle wave and a smile.
“I should be thanking you,” I say, turning my attention back to Abigail. “For being a nag.”
She throws her head back in laughter. “Someone had to get you two to give in.” Abigail throws her arms around me again. “You deserve it.”
“You deserve it, too.”
With a final round of goodbyes, Bryn, Kade, and I climb into the car. I sit next to Bryn at first, but she gives me the stink eye. “What in the world are you doing? Your boyfriend is sitting over there,” she says, pointing a finger at the seat beside Kade.
My whole body flushes.
Kade runs a hand through his dark hair. “Come on, Bryn, don’t make it weird.”
“You two are the ones who have made it weird for years with the dancing around each other. The least you can do is stop pretending like you don’t want to cuddle.” She gives me a tiny shove. “Now, go.”
I drop into the seat beside Kade and look up at him.
“She said we should cuddle, Gia,” Kade says, then slings his arm over my shoulder. “Let’s give the lady what she wants.”
I lean into Kade, putting a hand on his chest. “You two are ridiculous.”
“And you love us,” Bryn says with a big grin.
I sigh contentedly. “Yeah. I do. I really do.”
Kade kisses the top of my head just as the car pulls out of the driveway and onto the road. Outside the window, everyone crowds on the front porch. My parents, Kade and Bryn’s dad, Mars and Abigail, being cute as ever.
I smile to myself. “I told you so.”
Kade quirks an eyebrow.
“I said, ‘I told you so,’” I reiterate. “I knew a Christmas in Blue Flag was just what the three of us needed.”
Kade and Bryn laugh and then descend into a pleasant silence.
This Christmas changed all of our lives more than we could ever have anticipated.
When we land in London, photographers and fans are waiting at the airport. The three of us congregate at the top of the escalator, trying to avoid their ogling.
“Back to the grind,” Bryn murmurs as she taps out a text on her phone.
Kade is back to his old self, straight-backed and dressed all in black. “Stay beside me, all right? If you want to stop, we can stop, but let me know?”
I smile up at my boyfriend. My boyfriend . “Kade?”
“Hm?”
“You’re fired.”
Kade does a double take. “Huh? ”
I grab his hand. “You’re fired! Conflict of interest for my boyfriend to be my bodyguard.”
Kade’s eyes remain wide, his jaw set. “But who will?—”
“Kade, meet Hank Parsons,” Bryn interrupts, gesturing to a big, bald, burly man approaching us. “Former Navy SEAL and Gia’s new bodyguard.”
I smile devilishly at Bryn. We’ve been cooking this up since things played out between Kade and me. I’m so glad she was able to get a SEAL. I know that will keep Kade from being too stubborn about being “fired.”
Kade and Hank shake hands, but Kade stumbles through his words. “But I’m supposed to take care of you, Gia, I’m supposed to?—”
“You can do that without being my bodyguard. And who knows, maybe some time off would be good. Figure out what you want to do,” I say with a tiny shrug.
Kade shakes his head in surprise. “I… don’t know what to say.”
“Kade,” I say, taking both his hands and facing him. “I don’t want you to be my hot bodyguard. I want everyone to know you’re my boyfriend, that you’re mine. Is that okay?”
His confusion melts into a proud smile. He nods, “Yeah, yes. I’d like that.”
“Follow me,” Hank takes over with ease, gesturing toward the escalator.
Kade and I follow Hank and step onto the escalator side by side, a flurry of camera flashes and excited cheers as we do. I forgot how weird my life is, having gotten so used to having a quiet, normal life in Blue Flag. I don’t let go of his hand. In fact, I wrap my arm around his bicep and lean into him. “They’re going to love you.”
“Not more than you do, hopefully,” he says with a chuckle .
I tilt my head back. “Impossible.”
Kade glances at the fans and paps, then back at me. And to my delight and surprise, he leans down and kisses me. The crowd goes wild, along with my insides. Every kiss from Kade manages to set me on fire.
And I cannot wait to see this picture in the news.