The Widow and the Orphan

by J. Thomas-Like

  Pepper’s head pivoted faster than the blades of a fan on high. “Duh, of course.”

  It didn’t matter how he’d gotten there, it was obvious that he was Gabe’s son. The resemblances were too stark to disregard. It’s those ears, really. She studied both sets from man to boy and had to keep from laughing out loud. The longer she observed Gabe and Gavin discussing the toy he was building, the clearer it became. The eyes, the nose, the mouth, the chin. The kid was Gabe’s mini-me.

  And it hit her like that. Gavin was here to stay.

  * * * * *

  Riding in a limo back to their house was about as fascinating as it got for a ten year old boy. Gavin opened every compartment he could find, played with the windows, and even stuck his head out of the sun roof once when they were stopped at a red light.

  He’s gotta think he’s in another universe. Pepper watched his eyes light up with each new discovery and she felt the joy herself as her heart beat faster. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. But that didn’t stop her thoughts from racing in all directions.

  Not having spent a lot of time with kids, the naked joy on Gavin’s face was a new experience for her. With that came all of the frightening aspects of adding a child to their home. And how would it affect Gabe? Maybe it’ll make him fight harder. Pepper considered the possibility and hoped it would be true, though she wondered if asking him to fight any harder was cruel. He was already struggling and becoming more exhausted as time went on. Could he really be expected to take on something as monumental as fatherhood? The ride home took much longer than expected with L.A. traffic being worse than usual for a late Saturday afternoon. She tried to listen as Gabe and Gavin talked, the boy asking the man questions about everything under the sun. Pepper could only fixate on how tired Gabe looked. His smile was as quick as ever, when Gavin would give his opinion on something he saw. She knew Gabe better than anyone though. His shoulders sagged and he wasn’t sitting up straight. Exhaustion was the gravity pulling him forward. Pepper’s insides clenched knowing she would have to learn to walk a delicate line between caring for Gabe and his health needs and not stifling the budding relationship with his newfound son.

  When the car pulled into the driveway, they climbed out and Gabe and Pepper led Gavin into the house as the driver followed behind them carrying the luggage.

  The cats came bounding up to them and the little boy smiled with delight. “Kittens!” he yelled, falling to his knees to pet all of them.

  Pepper kneeled down beside him and laughed. “Yep. This here’s Wolfie and that one is Smudge. This gray striped one is Crank. Watch him, he bites.”

  “I never had a cat,” Gavin said softly as he stroked the fur on Smudge’s head.

  Gabe directed the driver where to put the bags, handed him a sizeable tip, and then closed the door. He ambled over to stand beside Gavin, smiling as he watched him play with the kittens.

  “Well, you have fun with ‘em then.” Pepper waggled her fingers to encourage the kid to play the felines.

  Pepper and Gabe moved about the main floor, keeping an eye on Gavin and pretending they had things to do. Gabe checked his phone. Pepper shuffled through a pile of old mail. She didn’t know exactly what was going to happen or what they should be doing, so they stayed out of the way until Gavin seemed comfortable. Gabe ended up sitting on the sofa, thoroughly entranced with watching the boy. Pepper stayed in the kitchen and wiped an already clean counter with a rag.

  After a while, he did stand up to check out his new surroundings. His eyes were wide as he took in the open floor plan. “Your house is nice.”

  “Thanks.” Gabe rubbed the back of his neck and Pepper’s heart winched from his discomfort. And for her own. Neither of them really knew what to say or do.

  “Are you hungry, Gavin?” Pepper asked. All kids are hungry all the time, right?

  “Nah.”

  Gabe glanced at his watch. “Full of M&Ms and Coke still?”

  Gavin grinned and nodded his head, then jogged over to the glass wall of windows to look out at the pool. “You’ve got a pool!”

  “We sure do. Maybe later we can go in?” Pepper grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, uncapped it and took a drink. “Can you swim?”

  “Yep. But I don’t have a bathing suit.” Gavin’s eyes dulled with disappointment.

  “So what?” She flapped a hand at him. “You can wear some shorts or something.”

  “Really?” Gavin’s excitement reappeared in a millisecond.

  “Sure, no worries.”

  “Can we do it now?” Gavin reached for the handle on the door to pull it open.

  “Whoa, hold on a sec!” Pepper crossed the room and put her arm around his shoulders. “Why don’t you grab your stuff first, and come with me upstairs? I’ll show you the spare rooms and you can pick the one you want. Then we can find something for you to swim in.”

  “Okay.”

  Pepper turned to Gabe. “Are you okay?” Her brows furrowed with concern and her eyes dared him to lie.

  Gabe gave her a lazy smile and reclined back on the couch. “I’m fine, love. I’ll rest here until you get back.”

  Leaning down, she kissed him on the forehead and caressed his cheek. “You do that. We’ll be back in a jiff.”

  Turning back to Gavin, crooked her finger at him. The little boy hefted his two tattered backpacks and a scuffed brown suitcase near the door, and Pepper grabbed her suitcases as well. He followed her to the second level, choosing the room kitty corner from the master. It wasn’t like it mattered. All three of the spare bedrooms were pretty much the same: beige walls, neutral rugs, plain sheets and blankets on the bed. It had never occurred to Pepper to change anything in them because they rarely got used. The only guests who’d ever stayed overnight were a very drunk Will and Viv long before Jane came into the picture.

  Pepper dropped her luggage off in the doorway to her room, then came back to begin opening the drawers of the dresser. She removed all the extra sheets and blankets. “I kept this stuff in here because I didn’t need to put clothes in them. You can put all your stuff away. And there’s the whole closet, too.” Not that Gavin had all that much. He had more toys than clothes. “Just make yourself at home, all right?”

  Gavin stood next to the bed, examining the room. He looked utterly amazed. “It’s so nice in here. It’s big, too. I’ve never had a room I didn’t have to share.”

  Pepper smiled at him, but felt a pang of sadness, too. “It’s all yours now, kiddo. When you’re done, just come find me and we’ll take that swim. Okay?”

  “Yeah!” Gavin grinned. “Thank you, Mrs. Seigal.”

  Pepper shifted her load to one arm and raised her other hand up like the kid had thrown something at her. “Whoa, whoa. You won’t be calling me that. I haven’t been married twelve hours and I’m way too young to be a missus anything. Just call me Pepper, okay?”

  Gavin grinned. “Okay. Thanks.”

  “See ya in a bit.”

  Pepper hugged the linens and walked to her own room, nudging her suitcases further inside with her knees. She dumped the bedding in a chair then carried her bags into the walk-in closet.

  Trying to parse out the feelings in her heart and thoughts in her brain, Pepper meandered around the closet putting clothes away and tossing shoes back onto the rack. What the hell am I supposed to do with a kid? She fingered the wedding night lingerie she hadn’t gotten a chance to wear and sighed. She wadded it up in a ball and shoved it to the back of the drawer. It’s January. Shouldn’t he be in school? Pepper began to move faster in the space and the walls seemed to close in on her. She was slamming drawers shut and slashing hangers onto the rack. Instead of organizing her accessories and jewelry in their nice, neat little compartments in the vanity, she dumped the case upside down and let all the items fall inside, clumped together in a tangle. I’m not supposed to be a mom, for Christ’s sake! When there was nothing more for her to take out her frustrations on, she kicked at the suitcases unti
l they were back against the far wall in their normal spot, albeit a little cockeyed.

  Pepper sighed and placed a hand on either side of the island in the middle of the closet where Gabe kept his ties, cufflinks, and the like. Dropping her head down, she took several deep breaths. Having a fit wasn’t going to get her anywhere. How often had life changed on a dime for her in the past? Plenty. She always managed before, so she’d do it again. She would face it all one day at a time and not continue to get herself worked up over things she obviously couldn’t control.

  “Miss Pepper?”

  She yelped at the sound of Gavin’s small voice. Clutching her throat with one hand, she turned to see him peeping inside the door. “Sorry, kid, you scared me!”

  Gavin’s face paled and then two bright spots popped out on his cheeks. “I-I’m sorry.”

  Pepper flashed him a brilliant smile. “Hey, it’s okay. No worries. What’s up?”

  “I’m finished putting my stuff away.” He gripped a pair of cotton gym shorts in his hands. “Can I wear these in the pool?”

  “Yeah, those are fine. Go on and change and I’ll get my suit on too.” Pepper could see that he clutched a large, flat envelope in his little fist, along with the shorts, but didn’t mention it.

  “Okay.” He twisted and ran from the room like his pants were on fire.

  Pepper snickered and then hurried to put on a plain, royal blue, one-piece bathing suit. She grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet and met him in the hallway.

  Together they clomped down the stairs to find Gabe sitting on the couch, petting all three cats. Smudge and Wolfie were next to him and Crank was on his lap. He smiled up at them as they approached, never stopping the hands that stroked the silky fur. “All settled in, I hope? And I see you’re ready to jump right in.”

  “Yep.” Gavin smiled and nodded. He hesitated, then shifted from one foot to the other, the envelope he carried crinkling noisily. “I wanted to give you this, sir.” Finally, he took a few steps forward and shoved the envelope at Gabe.

  Gabe leaned in to grab it, looking from Gavin to Pepper and back again. “What is it, Gavin?”

  “It’s all the papers my mom always made me keep. She said one day we’d give it to you because you’re supposed to be my father.”

  Gabe’s eyebrows perked up, but he didn’t say anything in response. He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. Pepper craned her neck to get a better look, then just plopped down beside him. Sure enough, there was a birth certificate with Gabe’s name on it, as well as a bunch of pictures. A lot of them were Gavin when he was a baby, but there were a few that showed a much younger Gabe with another woman who had long, dark hair and a kiss-my-ass smirk. Only slightly jealous, Pepper sniffed. I guess his type hasn’t changed much, except for the hair color.

  “I’m sorry my grandmother was so mean today.” Gavin looked around and decided to sit on the loveseat opposite from Gabe. “I didn’t really like her all that much.”

  Pepper tried to cover the derisive snort that escaped her nose, but wasn’t very successful. Smart kid. “Well, it sounds like she was under a lot of pressure. We’re really sorry about your mom, Gavin.”

  Sadness washed over his face and he looked down at his feet. “Thanks.”

  Gabe sifted through the sheets of paper, scanning them, and then put them back into the envelope, keeping it on his lap. “I want you to know, Gavin, that no matter what happens, we’ll help take care of you. You’ve obviously been through a terrible ordeal.”

  Gavin looked up at him and shrugged. “I guess. My grandmother said you might not want me and that I’d probably go into foster care or an orphanage or something.”

  Pepper’s blood began to boil in her veins all over again. There was no doubt in her mind that she didn’t like Gladys at all either. “I wish she hadn’t said that to you.”

  “I agree,” Gabe said through clenched teeth. “I have to be honest, Gavin. I don’t know if I am your father or not, but we’re going to find out. And even if I’m not, I promise that we won’t abandon you. We’d like to be your friends.”

  Gavin’s sad little smile said he didn’t really believe that, but he was obviously trying to be polite. “Yeah, sure.”

  Pepper hopped off the couch and she went to sit beside him. “It’s true, kiddo. We might be as surprised as you to be in this fix, but we’ll make it right. Don’t worry about a thing. Okay?”

  Gavin nodded, but Pepper wasn’t as sure as she pretended. She just hoped he could believe it more.

  * * * * *

  Gavin looked much younger than ten, lying in the queen size bed in his room. When Pepper had encouraged him to get ready to sleep, he seemed willing enough. She thought she’d find him in pajamas and under the covers, but instead he looked uncomfortable and more frightened lying on top of the comforter in a pair of too short sweat pants and a tee-shirt that was probably two sizes too small. The afternoon in the pool had gone so well with him laughing and splashing with complete abandon.

  Oh man, look at the little guy. He’s scared shitless. “Let’s get you tucked in.” Pepper stood in the doorway. She walked to the bed and waited for him to scooch his legs up so she could draw the blankets down.

  “You okay, kiddo?”

  “Y-yeah.”

  She flinched. “Doesn’t sound like it. What’s up?” Then it dawned on her what a stupid question that was given the fact the kid didn’t know her or Gabe from Adam, had lost his mother, and was abandoned by his witchy grandmother. I’m such an idiot.

  Gavin’s little mouth bobbed open and closed. Looking away, he whispered, “I think I need a night light.”

  Pepper had to clamp her teeth together from letting out a tremendous “aww.” Gavin looked so embarrassed and adorable at the same time, but she didn’t want to make it worse. “That’s not a problem, big guy.” She went to the attached bathroom and returned with the plug-in nightlight that was in there. She squatted down and popped it into a plug near the floor by the head of his bed and snapped her fingers. “Better?”

  Gavin nodded and relaxed his shoulders against the pillows. “Sorry.”

  Standing up, Pepper gave him an exaggerated eye roll. “Don’t be. It’s okay, Gavin. You’re in a new house, new room. If you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night or need us, you aren’t going to know your way around. I should have thought of it first.” She hoped her usual charismatic Pepper smile would work on him.

  Grinning, Gavin strained to look behind her. “Where’s Gabe?”

  “Right here.” Gabe appeared in the doorway as if on cue. “You all set?”

  “Yes.”

  Not knowing what to do next, Pepper clasped her hands in front of her stomach. “You must be exhausted.”

  Gavin shrugged and then put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “I guess.”

  They had spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the cats, checking out the pool for a swim, and then having a late dinner of pizza and breadsticks. There hadn’t been a whole lot of conversation yet because Pepper and Gabe didn’t want to press the kid into saying anything he didn’t want to say. They didn’t know how to act normal around him and he obviously didn’t know what the hell to think of them. It hadn’t been a bad afternoon, but it definitely wasn’t the way Pepper had seen her wedding day and evening proceeding. Still, her sympathy for Gavin overruled any possible disappointment she might have had. The kid did not ask to be put in this situation and she wasn’t going to make it worse, that was for damn sure.

  “You want to watch some television?” Pepper suggested. Gavin thought for a second, then nodded. She grabbed the remote from the bedside table and handed it over. Gavin pressed the power button and the TV came to life. He began scrolling through the channels and she noticed the tip of his thumb on his right hand finding its way into his mouth. Oh shit, isn’t that precious? She craned her neck back to look at Gabe and he was grinning. He sees it too! A warm wave of affection r
olled over her as she looked from father to son. I don’t know what’s going on, but I kind of like this.

  Gavin looked up at them and smiled. “Wanna watch with me?”

  “Sure!” Gabe moved from around Pepper to lay on the bed next to him.

  Pepper remained standing, unsure of how to proceed. Was this father son time for bonding or did they want her too? Figuring maybe she should leave, she turned to go. Gavin’s voice stopped her.

  “Come on, Pepper. I found a Looney Tunes.”

  Chapter 36

  Vivienne and Pepper lounged on the outdoor sofa, glasses of wine in hand. They watched Will dip little Jane in and out of the water in the pool and Gabe played with Gavin. The scene was enough to make Pepper want to laugh and cry at the same time. If not for the idiotic circumstances, it would have been one of perfect familial bliss. The longer she watched, the more confused she got.

  “I seriously do not know what the fuck is going on,” she finally said, turning to Viv. “I mean, really? When did my life become a reality show? There have to be cameras around here somewhere and some host is gonna pop out to hand me a prize or something.”

  Viv shook her head and chuckled. “I won’t even try to say I know what you mean. As nutty as things got for me for a while there, I can’t even compare it to this. When do you meet with the lawyers?”

  “Gabe made the calls this morning.” Pepper sniffed and downed the last of her wine. “I swear, the one guy, Pete, was falling all over himself to accommodate us. Said he’d be happy to meet today.”

  “Yeah, so he could probably charge you double.” Vivienne smirked.

  “That’s what I said.” Pepper reached over and set her empty glass on the coffee table. “We told them tomorrow was soon enough.”

  Vivienne hugged her own goblet to her chest, and stared at the liquid swirling around inside. “What do you think will happen?”

  “How the hell should I know? I guess we have a kid now.” Pepper sighed and leaned her head back against the cushions. “He’s a sweet little guy and he’s been dealt a really shitty hand. Even if he doesn’t turn out to be Gabe’s, I wouldn’t want to see him tossed into the system.”