Gabe walked in freshly showered. “Morning. How’d everyone sleep?”
“Wonderful. I think we were glad to be out of the hospital and able to sleep in the same bed,” Francesca said before she took a bite.
Raising his voice in a cheer, Carson added, “Here. Here. And getting crepes for breakfast. I think we may give up our beach house and live here.”
“Not a chance, buddy. In two days I have the all clear,” I quipped.
Everyone’s forks froze halfway to their mouths.
“Oh shit. I can’t stop thinking about sex.” I dropped my fork. “I mean, yes, sex is good, but I’m not counting down. No sex for me.”
Gabe’s shoulders silently shook with laughter.
I threw my napkin at him. “You’re not helping. It’s your fault I’m addicted to you. And all your teasing hasn’t helped.”
Carson dropped his fork and he looked like he was going to be sick.
“I’m stopping now.” I put my fingers to my mouth, locked it with an imaginary key, and threw it away. The heat rose to my cheeks. Never in my life had I been this bad.
Carson shook his head. “Pregnancy has lessened your filter.”
“I know. Trust me, I know.”
I chanced a glance at Gabe, who winked at me. “Stop it. I blame you because of my current state.”
Fingers snapped to my side. I looked at Carson. “What?”
“Let’s change the subject before we get more details on a part of your life I don’t need to know about.”
Mashing my lips together, I nodded. I had almost slipped, again. I checked the time. The plan was to leave for Gabe’s mother’s in about thirty minutes.
“What are you guys doing today?” There, that was a safe subject.
“We’re going to take Carson to the doctor for a checkup and maybe get some baby furniture from that store we looked at last night.”
With Rosie being locked away, the threat to Francesca had been eliminated. “That’ll be nice. I need to start laying out the murals in the room to paint next week. I picked out my color scheme finally.”
Francesca nervously pushed a piece of crepe around her plate. “I was wondering… well, we were wondering if you would be willing to paint a mural in our baby’s room. I loved the idea of what you’re doing and it would be so special to have a piece of Aunt Willow with the baby.”
I loved the thought. Ideas swirled around almost immediately. “Are you serious? I would be so honored. Once we have your colors and theme picked out, I’ll start drafting.”
Francesca and Garson grinned, and Francesca got up and gave me a hug. “Thank you. It’s going to be perfect.”
“Anything for my little niece or nephew.”
Francesca gave Carson an imploring look and his smile grew. Something else was up. “Francesca and I have something else to ask.”
They looked back and forth between Gabe and me.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Carson set down his fork, nearly done. “Would the two of you be the godparents to our child?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I would be honored. So honored.” I stood, my chair scrapping back in protest. Being asked to be a godparent was one of the highest honors to bestow on someone.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m… this…” Gabe seemed a little taken aback. For the first time, he was at a loss for words.
I squeezed his hand as I said, “I’m not the only one who sees how wonderful you are.”
Francesca leaned forward and laid her hand on Gabe’s. “I’ve watched how you’ve taken care of Willow and watched over me while Carson wasn’t able to. The love and dedication you’ve showed and still do is incredible. To have someone like you pledge to watch over our child with Willow would be a blessing.”
Though Francesca seemed to be out of the loop most of the time, she was actually more perceptive than I gave her credit for. “I would be honored to be your child’s godfather.”
Hugs were given. I grabbed Gabe’s hand and he chuckled when I nodded.
I looked at Carson and pointed my finger. “Just so you know… you stole my thunder.”
Gabe cleared his throat before Carson could fire back. “Willow and I talked some time ago after we first found out we were having twins.”
Francesca’s eyes widened. She held out her hand. “Wait… you’re having twins?”
The shock registered on Gabe’s face and he muttered a curse only I could hear. We were terrible about slipping.
I answered for him. “We are. We haven’t told anyone yet. You guys are the first to know.” Well, Carson already knew because of our earlier slips. I elbowed Gabe. “I’m not the only one with word vomit.”
He shook his head and deadpanned, “You’re contagious.”
“Twins! We’re going to have so much fun with three babies! Twins! Oh, how wonderful!” Francesca’s burst of excitement stopped our playful banter.
It felt good having her know until we told the world, and it would be nice having a female to talk to. I touched my stomach.
“You saw the trouble Willow and I got into from the scrapbooks you made. And there were only two of us. Payback’s going to be a bitch,” Carson added.
More laughter. Gabe and Francesca had no idea what they were in for.
Gabe squeezed my hand and got me back on track. “While Carson was in a coma, Gabe took me to the tree we’d carved our initials into. We talked and decided to ask you two to be the godparents to our children.”
In a fluid movement, Carson picked me up and hugged me. “Thank you, angel.”
Happiness flowed as I called, “I’m getting the ice cream to celebrate!”
In the car, we were about thirty to forty-five minutes from Gabe’s mother’s house. Two SUV’s followed us with our security team. The air conditioner was on high to combat the mugginess that had settled over the area. The weather felt like Gabe’s mood. For most of the ride, he had been relatively quiet.
I laid my head against his shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m worried about you meeting my mom.” The tension in his voice was tight and his muscles contracted at the thought.
I rubbed my hand over his chest to connect. “What is her name?” All this time, I hadn’t asked.
“Chasity.” The word was filled with hate.
The name was less intimidating than I imagined. I put my hand on his knee. “It’s going to be okay, Gabe. We’ll get through this. Don’t let her cloud that beautiful heart of yours. She can’t touch you now. And you have me.”
A few minutes passed. “Are you nervous?”
Was I nervous? The thought of meeting Chasity unnerved me more than anything. “I’m worried about you.”
He took a deep breath and looked out the window. All life left his eyes and I hated the power this woman seemed to have over him.
“Sweetheart, I’ll be fine.”
Andre slowed the car as we turned on a dirt road. Clouds of dust surrounded us. “Gabe, you’re about to come face-to-face with your mother who mind fucked you through your childhood.”
“Yes, I am.” His voice was steel, but I sensed the trepidation. After all I had heard about this woman, she had to be the definition of a nightmare.
“We’ll get through this.” I hoped facing her allowed Gabe to deal with it so he could truly move on.
He smirked, some of the sparkle returning to his depths. “I think that’s my line.”
“We’re a team. And when one needs support the other one is there.”
Leaning farther back in the seat, he raised the partition for privacy. Trent and Andre had been discreet, appearing to pay no attention to our conversation. We had been talking low, but I should have been more aware. “We haven’t discussed much about Alex Junior since we found out about your dad.”
“No, we haven’t.” I wasn’t sure where this was going.
This morning Gabe seemed all over the place mentally.
He closed his eyes before he reo
pened them, burning with an intensity. “Willow, I saw my nephew and he seems like a good kid. And now that De Luca is somewhat sorted, Harley will be sorted, and Candy is not plugged in. There is a chance we can get to know him someday once Alex is taken care of.”
I hadn’t thought about it, but it made sense that his nephew was on his mind. If I had a nephew or niece, I would want a relationship with them. Alex wasn’t officially my nephew, and my heart ached at the thought of never being part of his life.
“If there comes a time we think it’s safe, I want to know Alex Junior, too.”
“I want that more than I realized.” He blew out a ragged breath. “When Carson asked us to be godparents, my thoughts went to Alex Junior. I want to give him a family.”
Not having a family gave Gabe a need to have one. I got it. And he never wanted someone he loved to go through that. “We’re on the same page, Gabe. I understand the need you have. I have it, too. Has Candy had any contact with him?”
“No. I don’t understand how a mother can do that to a child.” Gabe let out a frustrated breath. Seems like Alex had found an uncaring mother like his own. “Willow, I… fuck… I don’t want to see my mother.” And we came full circle to the crux of Gabe’s problems.
“I know.” And this is why I fought to come, I thought. “You love your children unconditionally without seeing them. It’s going to be hard seeing your mother, knowing how she treated you and the lack of love you received from her.”
“It is.”
I took Gabe’s face in my hands. “But… that doesn’t define you or what you’re capable of. Your mother has no power over you.” My hand moved to his ear. “I’ve seen the love you’re capable of and it’s pure, Gabe.”
He touched his lips to mine. “I need you.”
“I’m right here.”
Kissing me again, he pulled me to him in a silent thank you. Nothing else was said as we rode. I became the strength Gabe needed.
Trent’s voice came over the intercom came on. “We’re pulling down the last road.”
Gabe hit a button. “Thanks, Trent. I’m ready. Is everything set?”
“Yes, everything is in order.”
We straightened up as the partition rolled down and Trent looked back. Gabe’s vulnerability diminished and left hard edges forming an impenetrable exterior.
“I need you to listen to everything I say when we get there,” Gabe said.
“I promise.”
The lane was desolate. Tall weeds covered the vacant lots. An abandoned house trailer added to the already eerie feeling. A dog ate from a carcass on the side of the rode. Blindly I reached for Gabe’s hand. He was there to hold mine as I imagined a little boy running down the road. “Were these the conditions you grew up in?”
“This looks much worse. It had been bad, but cleaned enough to keep social services away. Fuck, this is worse than I imagined.”
My heart ached. The man next to me was born to love, and yet he had been deprived of it most of his life. Never again. With me his life would always be filled with joy, love, and happiness.
Andre turned the car down the gravel driveway where a shell of a house sat at the end. A rundown car on cinder blocks was abandoned in the driveway with a few stray cats sunbathing on the hood.
“Stay in the car until we create a perimeter.” Trent’s voice left no room for argument as he exited the car. The paint on the house peeled away as if repulsed by what resided inside. The woman who had done terrible things lived behind those walls. I fidgeted with a loose piece of blonde hair as I watched the men surround the property.
Gabe responded to his earpiece. “Understood.”
“Willow, I’m going to get out. Andre is still in the front seat. When it’s safe for you to come in, he’ll get the all clear. Listen to him. No hesitating.”
Nerves set in. “I promise.” I looked out the window at the men who were almost in position. It was like ants descending on a place.
“I’m going now. Are you okay?”
Too quickly, I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He kissed me and then vanished out the door. The heat nearly swallowed me up as it fought its way inside the vehicle before he closed the door with the whirl of the air conditioner.
Alex might be in the house… waiting. The thought gave me pause as Gabe walked up to the door. I wanted to run to him and pull him back to the safety of the car. Part of me was glad I slept through the De Luca meeting as the sound of my heartbeat speeding up filled my ears.
Please keep Gabe safe. Please keep them all safe.
Gabe’s posture was alert and he moved his head to scan the area. He walked up the rickety steps and knocked three times on the door.
A reflection on the window kept me from seeing if anyone had appeared.
“It’s Gabe! Open up!” Gabe boomed.
I jumped at the complete coldness in his voice.
The door creaked opened. Gabe and four men disappeared inside.
I held my breath as I waited for someone to tell me everything was okay.
The seconds ticked by. The minutes never seemed to pass.
From the front seat, Andre said in a calm voice, “Walter is coming to get you. He’s taking you straight in the house.”
Walter was someone Gabe served with overseas at some point.
A long breath left my body. “I’m ready.” My voice came out calmer than I felt.
Heat hit me as I opened the door. On steady legs, I emerged from the car into the heat of the day. The stench of garbage hit me full force. Please don’t make me sick. Let me get through this, little babies. Breathing through my mouth helped as I walked, flanked by two additional men.
At the bottom of the steps, Gabe emerged from the door. His eyes scanned me with a worried look. Something was on his mind. “You okay?”
“Yes. Was Alex here?”
He wrapped his arm around me as we climbed the steps. “No, but he has been. I think we missed him. Listen, it’s bad inside. Looks like she’s started doing drugs at some point. Are you sure you want to come in? This woman is a worse version than the one I knew.”
“Yes, I want to do this.”
Oh shit. How was that possible?
Garbage littered the floor and the strength of the smell nearly overwhelmed me. Shallow breaths. Breathe out my mouth. I pressed my fingernails into the palms of my hands.
“Who the fuck is this?” The scratchy voice sounded like someone who’d smoked habitually for years.
My eyes adjusted to the dimness of the yellow dingy lamp. A bone-thin woman sat in a tattered chair, the color indiscernible. Greasy hair matted on top of her head—dark like Gabe’s. “I’m, Willow. Gabe’s girlfriend.”
A squeeze on my hand reminded me Gabe was here.
“You sent that cocksucker to talk to me this morning. And now you think by bringing me your whore I’ll talk.”
De Luca came to visit already. Of course he had.
The firmness of Gabe’s tone left no room for argument. “I had nothing to do with that man. He’s after Alex.”
She went to stand, but Peter placed his hand on her shoulder as Gabe said, “Don’t move, Chasity, or I will have to restrain you.”
“You fucking bastard. You brought this on your brother, didn’t you?” The hate from this woman was unimaginable.
A deadliness not to be trifled with came from Gabe. “No, Alex fucked with the wrong people. He double-crossed him. I’d say he learned that from you. Where is he?”
Cackling, she threw her head back, revealing only a handful of teeth. “He played you so well. I thought our little games were over until he told me about the rich girl you landed. I never thought I’d get to meet her.” Dragging a hand across her face, she eyed me. “So, looks like my little Gabriel has fallen in love. Do you actually love him back?”
“I do.” I met her stare head on.
She scoffed. “Impossible. Are you sure you didn’t fall in love with Alexander?”
Her power di
minished every time she talked. I felt her lose any hold she had over Gabe, too. “I’m certain I fell in love with the right man. I pity you.” This woman was vile. I had nothing else to say.
“I don’t want your pity.”
The way her gaze moved over me unnerved me, but I kept my spine ramrod straight. How had this woman stayed alive? I never imagined people willingly lived like this.
“We’re leaving, but tell Alex the gig is up. People know about him being a twin. And I’ve visited his son.”
There it was… all out on the line.
“You were always a fool.” She spit on the floor. “Alexander doesn’t have a son.”
Gabe paused. Alex had kept part of his life secret after all. But why? “Alex does have a son and a wife. How did you not know this?”
The woman visibly flinched, showing weakness for the first time. “You lie. I have tried to get him to have a child. We needed someone to continue our game with.”
The thought made me ill and I had to swallow the bile that rose in my throat. If she knew I was pregnant…
“Think what you want. We’re leaving now. Give my message to Alex if you see him.”
“You always were a disappointment, Gabriel.” She stared at him with dead blue eyes, making me wonder if he favored his father’s looks more than his mother’s.
“So were you, Mother. And now you’re a junkie who has no one.” The title came off Gabe’s tongue with complete distaste.
“I have my son! I have Alex!” she screamed. Trying to stand, Gabe’s men held her down without much effort. “FUCK YOU! Leave! Leave my house! Alex will get her!”
Oh my gosh. My eyes widened at her words. It was time to leave. Gabe sensed it too as he led us from the house at a clipped pace to the car. Gabe remained silent as we sped off in the car, leaving a trail of dust behind us.
The tension in the car grew. Beside me, Gabe sat silently as he looked out the window. Trent and Andre were on the phone nonstop. The veins in Gabe’s neck bulged as he reined in his rage. Right now, he needed to gather himself. When he was ready for comfort, I would be there.
Black Truth (A Twisted Fate Series Book 2) Page 18