Ma and Pop came forward, Pop acting like his grandkids were made of spun glass, the way he tried so hard not to use too much pressure as he touched their little heads. Ma wasn’t saying much; I think she was in shock. “We have to call everybody, your grandparents, Draco. I have to go back to the house and get things started. Anna, Rosa, call everybody, tell them to come to the house, we have to celebrate.”
That’s how Ma came out of her trance. Pop and Lancelot were already down on the floor with the kids trying to get them to come to either one of them, and the twins had their phones to their ears. “Your uncle Garrett is gonna want to look them over, you know that, right.” Pop had a wide grin on his face, but I could tell he was trying to process still.
I appreciated the fact that my family had pulled it together so well in the face of the surprise, but I knew once the dust settled, there’d be some questions. For now, I let them enjoy this first meeting with as much normalcy as possible. Gianna wasn’t saying much; in fact, she looked a little bit afraid. For some reason, I didn’t want her to be, not with them anyway, with me on the other hand; she should be terrified.
GIANNA
This is a very strange moment, one I can’t believe I hadn’t been prepared for. My focus had been on Gabriel and his reaction, but now here in this place surrounded by his family, it hit me that there was more involved than whatever issues he and I had with each other. I couldn’t believe as I stood there that I’d let my anger cloud my judgment to such an extent and for so long that I hadn’t thought of what this could mean to the others.
Of course, I never planned to see any of these people again. Or was that just another lie I’d told myself in order to keep from folding and reaching out? I felt ashamed standing there while his mother, his dad, his sisters, and his best friend all played with the kids while Gabriel stood across the room looking at me.
I felt equal parts shame and anger. How can it be my fault? How can any of it be on me? I didn’t choose to disappear; he sent me away. Am I wrong for not going where he wanted me to? Should I not have had the freedom to do as I pleased? When he sent me away, that was the end of it, wasn’t it?
How was I to know he was trying to protect me? He never said… One of the guys I remembered who used to follow Gabriel around came inside. “There’s a van load of stuff out there; they said it belongs to the babies; where should we put it?”
“Burn it!”
“Gabe!” Lance gave him a disapproving look, and Draco got to his feet, wiping tears from his eyes.
“They’re babies Gabe; everything is closed by now, we’ll get them stuff tomorrow, but for tonight we have to see to their comfort.”
“Ma, where're the twins and my stuff?”
“Oh, it’s in the storage garage. It’ll have to be cleaned off from dust, but otherwise, it should be fine.”
“Fine, Gianna, are there any special toys or blankets the babies can’t live without?”
“They’re still in the bag; I hadn’t had time to unpack really before you came.”
“Let’s go grab the bag and anything else you need like papers and stuff and burn the rest. They can sleep with me tonight. Matthew, take Denver and the others and start unpacking the baby stuff from storage; Ma, you show them. I’ll get them everything else they need tomorrow as soon as the stores open.”
Gabriel started handing out orders like a drill sergeant, and I realized there was one last thing I hadn’t given much thought to. From the way he’d walked in and taken the kids to the way he was acting now, it seemed like Gabriel had all intentions of taking over. Like hell, he was going to waltz in and play hero with my kids.
I was all set to blast him as soon as we were alone, but I happened to look up just then and catch the glare he was sending my way. Oops, I forgot how easily he could read me. Well, things have changed, Bucko. I didn’t spend two and a half years in the Alaskan outback to turn back into that pathetic little girl you threw away.
When he raised his brow, I knew he’d read me like a book. My tummy trembled at the thought of butting heads with him. We were only halfway out of the woods. I can’t forget my reasons for being here. Beyond the anger and whatever hang-ups I have about the way I’d been treated, whatever happens here could mean life or death for Gabriel. That sobering thought brought my anger down a notch.