“Oh, I’m sorry!”
“Don’t be silly. We’re family. Have a seat.” Marlowe’s mother, Genevieve, smiled and moved over, offering Bella the easy chair closest to the new mother. Bella was struck by Genevieve, Payne’s third and current wife. The woman’s grace while enduring so much personal suffering thanks to her husband’s shooting and coma was awe inspiring.
“I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I opted for food.” Bella placed the balloon arrangement on the crowded bedside table and held out the platter of bright fruit.
“OMG, let me finish this side with him and I want one of those chocolate strawberries.”
“I thought you had to avoid caffeine when you nursed?” Genevieve spoke up, her gaze glued to the baby. Her grandson.
“One little bit won’t hurt.” Marlowe grinned at Bella.
“He’s so beautiful.” She looked around the room again but as she’d first determined, Bowie wasn’t here. “Where’s the happy father?”
Bella watched as Marlowe lifted her son from her breast and proceeded to burp him. The little peanut complied almost immediately and all three women laughed. A warmth of belonging and peace filled Bella. This was living life to the fullest, as Gio would have wanted her to do. Enjoying each and every moment.
Marlowe laughed. “I sent him to get a shower, and to bring back some real food. Would you like to hold him?” Marlow held out her bundled babe and Bella tried not to blanch. “Um, I’ve never really been around such a new baby.”
“It’s fine. Here.” Genevieve took the baby and handed him to Bella as she sat in the chair. “Keep his head supported, yes, like that, and just enjoy his precious little face.” The grandmother love radiated from her.
“Thank you.” Bella stared at little Reed Colton Robertson, and allowed herself the simple pleasure of holding him.
“We read your piece in the Mustang Valley Gabber.” Marlowe spoke as she readjusted her bedclothes. “It was fantastic, and what an honor to your best friend. Gio would be so proud of you, Bella.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” She’d decided to write about why she’d initially joined the pageant, her change of heart about the lack of pretentiousness, save for Selina, and why pageants that offered scholarships and ways for women to improve themselves were important. “I’ve learned a lot from volunteering at the MVED clinic. They’re always looking for volunteers, if you’re ever interested.”
“Thank you. I like how you gave all the resource links for people seeking help for eating disorders and how you explained that while Gio had suffered from an awful disease, it wasn’t possible to blame it on pageant culture per se. It was so wonderful how you presented Ms. Mustang Valley as an opportunity for every woman. You handled it so well, Bella.” Genevieve’s sincerity made the lump in her throat grow.
“It’s my job to tell the truth.” She adjusted Reed so that she could look into his sweet, tiny face. “Right, little dude? Truth and trust. It’s the only way.”
“You forgot one thing there, cuz.” Marlowe lay back on the bed, beginning to wind down.
“What’s that?” Bella handed Reed to Genevieve. It was time for her to depart. New moms needed their rest where they could get it, she’d read.
Marlowe smiled, close to drifting off. “Love.”
* * *
Later that night, Bella opened the front door to her two brothers, each wearing dress shirts and jeans.
“This is a surprise. What’s going on? Come in.” She walked back into her living room and shut off the crime series she’d been bingeing. It was too difficult to watch her favorite shows, mostly romantic comedies. The happy endings were still hard to stomach.
“We’ve been trying to reach you for the last three hours, sis.” Jarvis took the lead while Spencer tapped on his phone. Police business was never over.
“Oh, sorry. I turn my phone off when I get home. It’s the only way I can unwind from my job.” And stop obsessively checking for a text or call from Holden.
It hadn’t happened in over three weeks. It wasn’t going to. Why torture herself more?
“Do you want something to drink?” She noted that Jarvis had a cooler in hand. “Or did you bring your own?”
He smiled enigmatically. “This, dear sister, is a surprise.”
She mentally checked the date. Not their birthday, not a holiday she’d forgotten in the flurry of the previous weeks.
Spencer shoved his phone in his back pocket. “That was Katrina. She and Boris will be by in a bit.”
“Okay...” She looked down at her old T-shirt and jean shorts. “Do I need to change? Oh wait, is this about celebrating for you and Katrina?”
Spencer slowly shook his head. “Nope.”