by Kaia Bennett
James just shook his head at her, the sardonic smile he’d inherited from their mother turning up the corners of his lips as he held out two plates for her.
“Better not let dad catch you looking at him like that,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
James had always been the protective older brother with a smartass flare. He had gotten in more trouble than all her siblings combined, and as the brother closest to her in age, he felt it was his sworn duty to protect and torture her. He was very good at his job.
“I’m allowed to look at my boyfriend, J.”
“Not like that, you’re not. It’s just gonna remind dad of what you got planned when you move in together, you little sinner.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes as she headed towards the driveway to bring Flynn his food. How embarrassing to have what she was thinking be that obvious on her face. She would have to be a little more careful, especially with her father around watching his baby girl and the man that stole her away like a hawk.
The truth was her father actually liked Flynn, but he hadn’t been particularly thrilled with the idea of his Gia moving across the country to live with him. The fact that she was going to UCLA for grad school had only slightly amended his discomfort. In her father’s eyes she wasn’t supposed to live with someone until she was married, and she wasn’t supposed to get married until she was in her sixties. Needless to say, he had been a little disappointed.
Thank God for her mother. She managed, as she always did, to talk a little sense into him, though she didn’t agree with Gia’s decision either. But even if her mother hadn’t been on her side, Gia would have already been too far gone. She called out to Flynn and he turned, flashing her that perfect smile.
Yes, an ice pack for the crotch would be a wise investment.
***
The evening was drawing to a close and they were all sitting outside on the deck, watching as the sun finally set behind the house.
Flynn was sitting across from Gia’s father and mother listening to them tell stories about when she and her brothers were younger. They’d gotten on the subject of kids because Gia was cradling her sleepy three-year-old niece, Monica, in her arms. The girl looked like a miniature version of Gia, from the big doe eyes to the cute little nose, which wasn’t surprising since her brother Calvin and Gia both looked so similar.
She was starting to look as tired as her niece, having gone straight from her graduation ceremony to her graduation/going away party. She spent most of the day getting reacquainted with relatives and introducing Flynn, which had been an exhausting ordeal for him, too. Now, she was sitting in a chair next to him, her head resting on his shoulder while Monica leaned into her chest, rubbing her little eyes.
One story turned into another as the sun began to go down. The lanterns were lit, the music was mellow; the few guests that were still present were full from a day of good barbecue, and Flynn had enough embarrassing ammunition from Gia’s childhood to last him a lifetime. They sipped on wine coolers and beer and Flynn sat back, content to laugh as her family let themselves remember.
He was relieved to have them take the reins and do the talking. For most of the day he’d been fielding questions about his job, his plans for the future, both independently and with Gia. Some of her more brazen relatives had flat out asked him if he was planning to marry her. It was funny and daunting, and there were times when he felt utterly uncomfortable being the center of attention, surrounded by so many people that were related and therefore at ease with one another.
He did his best to relax for Gia’s sake, because he knew she would be disappointed if he wasn’t enjoying himself. The truth was that he was having fun, but he couldn’t help but compare his family to hers. He could count on one hand the number of people that gathered around the dinner table for holidays when he was growing up, and yet Gia had a small army roaming around the house for just her graduation party. This is what she grew up with and it made him wonder sometimes if they weren’t from completely different planets.
How had he ended up with a girl that actually knew what it was like to grow up in a loving, healthy household? It was foreign to say the least, but he was enjoying getting a glimpse of what it must have been like for her as a kid.
He could almost see a tiny phantom version of Gia running around this backyard, growing up in this house while he was three hours in the opposite direction, oblivious to her existence.
He wasn’t oblivious now though. There wasn’t a moment where he wasn’t holding her hand or leaning close to her. He spent the entire day stealing kisses in between meeting her small country’s worth of relatives, counting the hours until he could take her home and unwind with her the way he wanted to. In the meantime, he was enjoying her parents reminiscing about the quirks of her childhood.
“The girl couldn’t stand to have anything on her hands,” her mother said, turning to her husband with a shake of her head.
Her skin was the same flawless golden brown as Gia’s and she wore her laugh lines proudly as she remembered the early days of motherhood. Flynn had grown up around a lot of men, so he’d been sure that Gia’s mother would be the most difficult person for him to build a rapport with. But she’d always been kind to him, treating Flynn like he was her surrogate child. He’d liked her right away.
“You remember that, Marcus?” Mrs. Kessler asked and Gia’s father nodded and grunted with a little smile.
“She was the only kid in the sandbox that would come running to me when she was done playing and say, ‘Mommy, I need to wipe’,” Mrs. Kessler continued.
She held her hands up palms facing the sky as if she were a toddler begging for a wipe to clean her fingers, just the way Gia had all those years ago.
“Would point out where I missed a spot too, even if there was nothing there. And heaven help you, if she got a spot on her dress or her shoes!”
Flynn heard Gia groan against his shoulder and mutter, “Oh, this story never gets old.”
He chuckled and took a swig of his beer, glad to see her being put on the spot for a change.
“Meanwhile,” her mom continued, “Marcus Jr. and Calvin were trying to discover as many new ways to cover themselves in dirt as possible. They used to have her screaming because they would chase her with mud or food on their hands, or put caterpillars in her hair. They were so evil until their father got home. Then they’d scatter and she go climb in his lap and have a big cry.”
“As you can see,” Gia said drolly, “I had a miserable childhood.”
Calvin snickered and Flynn could almost feel Gia’s evil eye burning a hole through his shoulder.
“We were trying to loosen you up, but there was no breaking you,” Calvin said. “Probably got disinfectant in your purse right now, don’t you, Gia?”
“She does,” Flynn chuckled, and then yelped when she pinched the soft flesh of his underarm.
“Tia, I’m about to make you a widow,” she said turning to her laughing sister-in-law. To Flynn she said, “And you’re supposed to be on my side. Don’t encourage him.”
“My bad, baby. You want me to wait till you’re not around to tell the truth next time?” Flynn asked, sharing a laugh with her Calvin.
Her other brothers and her father had needed some time to warm up to him, but for some reason Calvin had taken after his mom, getting along with Flynn since the first time Gia brought him home to meet her family. They had already shared quite a few laughs at Gia’s expense.
Conversation breezed easily by until they started to talk about her impending departure and the work Flynn had waiting for him when he got back home. He felt Gia nuzzling her head softly against his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him as he once again found Mr. Kessler’s eyes on him.
“So how’s the job been treating you, Flynn?” Gia’s father asked.
She shared his upturned nose and a softer version of his mouth, and Flynn noticed once again that she was a complete mix of her parents in terms of facial features.
He took a sip of his beer and nodded, clearing his throat.
“It’s been good Mr. K. Working on set was easier this time around. Barely had time to think on the first one.”
“You couldn’t pay me enough to take orders from someone sixteen hours a day, man,” Calvin scoffed. He owned his own business, so he had the luxury of turning up his nose at standard employment.
“Is that supposed to be shocker, honey” his wife Tia asked sardonically. “You’d have to stop running off at the mouth long enough to take orders from someone.”
“I know that’s right,” her father said with a snort.
“You shouldn’t talk to the father of your unborn child like that. Hurts the baby’s feelings,” Calvin said, rubbing Tia’s belly while she rolled her eyes at him.
To Flynn he asked, “Seriously though, you meet any movie stars yet?”
Flynn smirked and shrugged. “A couple. Kinda get used to it after awhile.”
They dished about which one’s he met on set, which one’s he’d seen out and about, and which one’s they’d all like to meet if they could. All the talk of L.A. and celebrities made her father ask about his own contribution to the entertainment industry.
“So, are you still working on your own films, or are you too busy for that now?”
He’d already told her mother and father what his future plans were. He had saved up money before his move to put away for his first full-length independent feature, and was already garnering buzz in a few film festivals for the short film he made before finishing up college. The last time they talked he was in the process of writing his own script, and seeking out the connections he’d made when the time came to start filming.
Things had worked out quite well in terms of gathering up a list of people that could help him get his foot in the door. It really was about who you knew in L.A., but he also had talent on his side, which was why his short was doing so well.
“I finished the script about a month ago and now I’m just saving up that last bit of money. But I’ll be ready to get started some time in the fall.” Flynn said. “I’ve already cast the parts.”
Mrs. Kessler smiled and gave him a wink while her husband gave his signature nod. Flynn was more than positive she had talked Mr. Kessler down from a rage when they found out that Gia planned to move for him. Flynn listened to the arguments for why it was a bad idea: she was getting too serious with him, he was too green and just getting his career started. Basically, Mr. Kessler had found every way imaginable to say that they were too young and they weren’t ready.
The thought that they might be moving too fast had honestly crossed Flynn’s mind, too. Not too long ago he was the guy that didn’t need anyone, the guy that wouldn’t change for anyone. But when he asked himself if he would rather be separated from Gia for another two years while she finished up grad school, or if he would rather keep her close to him, the answer was obvious. He’d never had a problem figuring out what he wanted and then getting it, and that especially applied to Gia.
One of the things that had been thrown up as a reason for them to take things slower was Flynn’s rather precarious choice of employment. Flynn just respectfully told her father he was wrong, that he was talented and hardworking and in a few years time he was going to be well on his way to making a name for himself. And then he had proceeded to prove that he was no liar by plugging away towards his destination of making his own full-length film.
At first Flynn had been pissed. Here was Mr. Kessler, a man that didn’t really know him or what he was capable of, questioning his choice of a career and his ability to take care of the woman he loved. But later Flynn started to realize that it had less to do with Mr. Kessler doubting him, and everything to do with him wanted to see his daughter safe and happy. Flynn understood that more than he knew. He wanted nothing but the best her, too, and he wanted to be better for her. So he worked hard at work, and made the effort to show Gia she would never have a reason to doubt his love for her, no matter what anyone else thought.
He hadn’t done it to impress her father, but the hard work felt that much sweeter when Mr. Kessler had looked in the eye and said, “Good, son. Glad to hear you’re doing well for yourself. But you’re going to be real busy trying to do all that work at one time and Gia’s going to be working hard at school. Are you two sure you’re even going to have time for one another?”
Flynn just gave him a smile and said, “I’ve always got time for Gia. It’s the one thing I’m not concerned about.” His eyes turned to hers and she smiled at him before he said, “Besides, I’m used to being the other love in her life, school being the first.”
“Oh, ha. Ha ha,” she deadpanned. “Is this a going away party or a roast?” Then she cut her eyes at Flynn and said, “You’re lucky I think you’re cute.”
“Mm-hmm,” he said with a nod and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I know.”
Flynn watched Gia smile up at him and then smile down as her niece when she yawned and twisted into her arms, clutching lightly at her shirt as she fell asleep.
The sight of her looking so sweet and maternal made something warm and indescribable swirl in his stomach. It was the type of feeling he had every once in a while when he was having a quiet moment with her, the kind that seemed to stretch on into the future, just waiting for them to catch up. He thought distantly of her holding her own child like that, of her eyes turning to him like they were now, happy and glimmering because that child would be his, too.
Emphasis on the word “distant”.
Flynn obviously wasn’t ready to be anyone’s dad, not by any means. A part of him still had trouble reconciling the fact that he was a decent boyfriend, let alone one day being a decent dad or husband. He was still a little apprehensive that the example his father had set would rub off on him.
The worries weren’t as bad as they used to be, though, and that was partly because his father had made a concerted effort to apologize for the way things went down all the those years ago. They’d talked a few times on the phone since Flynn graduated, and he’d even told his father about Gia and his work.
Things were by no means sweetness and light between them. Flynn was still angry and hurt at the way he’d grown up had and practically fend for himself, and he seriously doubted that he would ever have the kind of relationship with his father that Gia had with hers. But his girlfriend had taught him that he really couldn’t rule anything out. People could surprise you, sometimes for the better.
He’d worked hard to push past those fears of commitment that made things so difficult in the beginning with Gia. He tired to be more open about the way he was feeling and he’d had to grapple with trusting her not to abandon him when he let his guard down. It was still a work in progress, and though things had gotten much better, that didn’t stop him from worrying about his future with her.
He still wanted to strangle her sometimes. He still had trouble seeing her viewpoint when they argued, and he was more than a little concerned that her neat freak tendencies were going to take over his apartment. Yet, there would be times, like now, where the idea of a permanent future with her wasn’t nearly as scary as it should be, especially for a guy that once thought he preferred to be alone. He loved her, everything about her, and that love was stronger than he’d ever imagined.
Plus, he’d spent way too much money on long distance phone calls for this not to work out. That shit had to count for something.
Laughter and more jokes pulled him out of that quiet reverie, grounding him in the present. But he held onto the
image of Gia with that little girl in her arms for safe keeping, saving it for the day when he was ready for it to be more than a possibility of things to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
It was Saturday and they’d just gotten home from a night out with their friends, the last night they would have before they headed for the airport the next day.
It had been nice to see Bobby and Cherise and all their friends again, to visit Proof and see his old coworkers. Even Rosie had been a breath of fresh air, though a chilly one. She was all of five feet and was already starting to get tipsy when she came up beside Flynn at the bar while he smoked.
“I just wanted to say that I’m really happy for you two! I already told Gia,” she yelled over the music.
“Thanks Rosie,” he said, a genuine smile spreading his lips. “I appreciate that, and I know she does, too.”
Rosie nodded and looked out into the crowd where Gia was talking and dancing. Then she said, “If you break her heart again, I’ll fly out to L.A. and cut off your balls while you’re sleeping.”
Flynn blinked and then squinted, a wry smile curving his lips as he turned slowly and looked down at her. She was looking up at him as if he didn’t have at least ten inches on her. She was deadly serious and slightly drunk. Somehow that made the whole situation a little scary and a little funny.
“I’m not going to hurt her again, I promise. I love her.”
“Then your balls are safe.”
He nodded. She nodded. They turned back to the crowd and Flynn took a long drag off his cigarette.
“Glad we had this talk, Rose.”
“Me too,” she said and then walked off in the direction of what she thought was her boyfriend, Mike, before realizing it wasn’t him and then crossing in the other direction.
He still laughed to himself when he thought about that, or the other highlights of the evening, like the toast they had made.