by Lucy Score
Phoebe smiled. “Not only do I enjoy digging into projects like this, it’ll give me the chance to spend a little time with my handsome boyfriend’s daughter. And —” she glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen. “The woman who makes my son’s face light up.”
Gia blushed. “I don’t know what to say to that. Beckett and I aren’t … pursuing a relationship. We’re not exactly a good match on paper and prefer to keep our relationship professional.”
“I see Facebook and I see the way you two look at each other,” Phoebe said knowingly. “Just because you don’t like the way it looks on paper doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a worthwhile adventure.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but right now I’ve got a lot on my plate … and my dresser and my bed. A boyfriend is pretty low on my To Do list. And even if it wasn’t, a man who takes over and makes decisions for me wouldn’t make my list.”
Phoebe patted Gia’s arm. “Well, maybe we can take care of a few of those higher priority items and then you can spend some time figuring out what kind of a man does belong on your list.”
While his mother and Gianna dug into the debris in the bedroom, Beckett measured, cut, and ripped his way through the dishwasher installation.
“You must really like this girl,” Jax puffed as he shoved the dishwasher back so it was flush with the cabinets.
“It’s a kitchen. It needs a dishwasher,” he said mildly.
“Bullshit.” Jax opened a bottle of water and drank deeply. “You like her.”
“Of course, I do,” Beckett said, annoyed. “What’s not to like? She’s the perfect tenant.”
Jax grinned. “I bet you spend a lot of time looking out your kitchen window, don’t you?”
“Shut up, Jax,” Beckett warned his brother.
“What? I’ve got eyes, don’t I? I see the way you look at her. You’re like the big bad wolf just waiting to get the jump on Little Red. Hey!” His brother’s gray eyes lit up. “Have you two picked out your couples Halloween costume yet? Because that would be perfect.”
Beckett shoved Jax. “I liked it better when we were busting on Carter for Summer.”
“Yeah, but picking on him now when he’s all gooey like this is pointless. He doesn’t even know we’re making fun of him. You, on the other hand …”
Beckett wiped down the countertop. “Hold on. Let’s talk about you for a second. If Joey would bother giving you the time of day, you’d be gooier than Carter. You’ve been back since June. Why the hell haven’t you made a move on her?”
“You think I like sitting back, letting her ignore me?” Jax tossed his empty water bottle into the sink with enough force to have it ricocheting back out. “I’m taking Summer’s advice. I’m giving Joey time to get used to me being back.”
“You’re taking love life advice from Summer Lentz?”
Jax shrugged. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Look, I love Summer. But the woman refused to tell anyone she had cancer. Then she falls in love with Carter and what does she do? She runs for the hills.”
“Yeah, but she came back. She’s happy now.”
“Jax, Jax, Jax.” Beckett shook his head. “You already had Joey and then you ran away. Don’t you think it’s time for something besides sitting on your ass waiting for her to fall for you again? Is that how you’d write one of your screenplays?”
Jax frowned. “Don’t take this the wrong way and get a huge, bloated head, but you may have a point.”
“Pierces don’t wait around and hope for the best. We get in the way and we make sure we stay on their mind,” Beckett said, poking his brother in the chest.
A slow grin spread across Jax’s face. “We install dishwashers when they didn’t ask for one.”
Shit. He’d walked into that one.
“Shut up, Jax.”
“You shut up. You set yourself up.”
“Don’t you have a woman to hide from or something?”
Eyes closed, Gia sighed blissfully and rested her head against the back of the couch. Her house actually smelled clean. And organized, too, if that was possible.
After dinner, she loaded the dishes into the newly installed dishwasher, packed the kids off to bed, and was now enjoying a second glass of wine and some exquisite quiet time.
She spent the afternoon purging and organizing. And when her bedroom was spotless — she’d had to secede some territory in the shed — she’d enjoyed herself in the kitchen making chicken panzanella for her family. She’d invited Beckett and Jax to stay for dinner, but was relieved when they both declined.
She could use some space from Beckett, she decided. Her resolve wavered every time she looked into those deep, searching eyes of his. In fact, her desire to stick to her resolve was practically non-existent by this point. He was a good man. A kind-hearted one who was a protector and a provider by nature. Family was so important to him, and that was part of the attraction.
Gia had fired off an email to her sisters after Franklin and Phoebe left. She liked Phoebe. The woman was smart and sarcastic, full of energy. The way she paid attention to Evan and Aurora made them feel important and interesting. She never once flinched at Aurora’s unending questions or Evan’s pre-teen smirks.
Phoebe was a solid match for Franklin. They seemed comfortable, yet still flirtatious with each other. And it was great seeing her father so happy after so many years. He deserved this. Her sisters were going to get quite the detailed report this weekend. She hoped that Beckett would come around sooner rather than later. It didn’t make sense to fight something that was so obviously good for both his mother and her father.
Gia took another deep breath and relished the fact that she didn’t have to do anything in that particular moment. The house was clean, the dishes were done, groceries were bought, and she had a whole day off tomorrow to spend with the kids.
Life was starting to look pretty perfect.
18
It had been six long days since he’d seen her last. Sure, Beckett had caught glimpses of Gianna hustling the kids out the door in the morning and one night had the unfortunate timing to witness her shucking off her yoga clothes in her curtain-less bedroom.
That had been a long, sleepless night for him. To be honest, he’d been missing a lot of sleep lately thanks to Gianna. He was starting to wonder if avoiding her since he showed up unannounced with a kitchen appliance was making him think of her even more often.
He’d wanted to get some space, some perspective. Every time he was near her, his judgment clouded. He was distracted to the point that Ellery had suggested that perhaps he needed another vacation. The woman didn’t just occupy his backyard, she occupied his mind. If he wasn’t thinking about how much he wanted her, he was analyzing why he wanted her more than any other woman to date. And he’d been pretty damn excited about Moon Beam Parker at sixteen.
It felt unhealthy. He was used to dating and enjoying women who didn’t run in an obsessive loop in his head all day, every day. But Gianna? She was on his mind on his morning run, in the shower, during conference calls. He’d even had a few colorful dreams about her that left him disappointed when he woke to find himself alone in bed.
He briefly considered confiding his confusion in his brothers, but immediately rejected the idea. They’d only tell him to embrace the attraction … and then tease him mercilessly.
There were two choices. One, stay the course and leave Gianna as just a tenant and neighbor. Or two, explore the attraction that kept growing while risking it all. If it didn’t work out there were the kids, the town, and a year’s lease to think about.
All weighed heavily on his mind.
Beckett was still pondering his options over the sink as he washed his lunch dishes when he caught a glimpse of Gianna walking from the driveway to her front porch. Even with her head down, he could tell she was crying.
He was out the back door before she even made it to her porch.
“What’s wrong, Red?” he asked, climbing the steps be
hind her.
She hid her face as she dug through her bag looking for her keys. There was a definite nip in the October air that would transform to a real chill by the carnival that night.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t find my key.”
Beckett reached up to the porch rafter and slid the spare into his fingers. “Here.”
Gianna finally looked up at him and frowned. “Where did you find that?”
“I had a spare made when you left your keys in my office. There’s a spare for your studio, too.”
“Do you think I’m some bumbling idiot who can’t survive on her own?” She sniffed indignantly.
“No, Red. I think you spend all your time taking care of others and you don’t leave any room in that brain of yours for yourself. You feed the kids lunch and forget to have any yourself. You stay late after class to listen to a student who needs to talk and forget where you put your keys. You prioritize your day by what’s important to you and that’s other people, not things like keys and lunch and probably your cellphone.”
Gianna glanced down in her bag and frowned. “Shit.”
“It’s probably with your keys.”
“Did you lock your studio?”
She winced. “I can’t remember.”
“Baby, this is Blue Moon. We could leave the bank vault open and send everyone out for lunch and no one would think to walk in and help themselves.”
She was tearing up again.
“Okay. Let’s get you inside.” Beckett took the key from her and let them in.
He put her bag on the floor by the door and pulled out a chair from her dining room table. “Come here, Red.”
He sat and pulled her into his lap.
Sitting stiffly against him, she sniffled. “That was a really nice thing to say, rather than calling me flighty and scatterbrained or stupid,” she sniffled.
“Gianna, anyone who would call you stupid is a fucking idiot.” He stroked a hand down her back.
She laughed.
“Now, talk. What’s wrong?”
As the tears came back she sank into him. Beckett grabbed the tissue box off the table and handed it to her.
She buried her face in a tissue and took a shaky breath.
“It’s mostly good. Mostly happy tears,” she sniffled.
“Tell me.”
She rested her head against his chest and hiccupped. “Evan’s teacher emailed me at lunch. She said there’s a new girl in his class who’s been having a hard time at home and today Evan brought her flowers and a homemade card to cheer her up. And then he and his friends invited her to sit with them at lunch.”
She ended her explanation on something close to a wail.
Beckett continued to stroke her back. “That’s very thoughtful and considerate.”
Gianna nodded against his jacket. “You’d better check your mums. I think I have a feeling I know where he got the flowers.”
Beckett chuckled.
“To know that the boy I’m raising has that much compassion and empathy is just incredible. He’s going to grow up to be such a good man. Despite everything.”
“It’s not despite everything, it’s because of how you’re raising him,” Beckett said softly.
“Just when I think I’m doing everything wrong and turning them into monsters, they go and do stuff like this. And just when they go all awesome on me, I fail them spectacularly.”
“How did you fail?” He let his hand slide up to the back of her neck where he gently rubbed.
“Paul called. Said he’s losing his job. Again. He asked if I could put Evan on my health insurance.” Gianna hiccupped again.
“But because he’s not your biological son …” Beckett filled in.
“Exactly. And even if he was, the premiums are astronomical. I need to think about a part-time job. The studio is too new to start pulling money out of it.”
Beckett frowned. Gianna was the hardest working businesswoman and mom he knew. She didn’t have enough hours in the day to do it all alone.
“What about your ex? Can’t he contribute?”
Gianna wiped her eyes. “He’s not exactly reliable. The support he’s supposed to pay for the kids is either late or light. And now that he doesn’t have a job, I don’t see how I can count on him for help. Not that it even matters since Evan isn’t technically mine. He should have been. I asked Paul about adopting him when we found out his mother died. But I just let it go when Paul said he’d look into it. So stupid.”
“Now that I can help you with.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “Really? How?”
“Do you think Paul would be open to making you Evan’s legal guardian?”
She frowned, considering. “Would he have to give up his parental rights?”
Beckett shook his head. “A legal guardian is kind of an additional ‘parent’ in the eyes of the courts. It can be a tricky process, especially if the biological parents aren’t open to the idea,” he cautioned. “But it would allow you to put Evan on your insurance and make schooling and medical decisions for him.”
Gianna perked up. “That sounds perfect! I can’t see why Paul wouldn’t go for it.”
“Some parents aren’t open to other people being legally responsible for their kids,” Beckett warned. “Even though they still have rights, it can get sticky. And if he fights it, the courts often side with the biological parent. If he is on your side, it would make the whole process a lot easier.”
“What do I have to do to start the guardianship process?”
“Talk to your ex first and talk to Evan, too. Make sure he understands that his dad isn’t just signing him over to you. Then come see me and I’ll get started with the paperwork.”
She reached up and held his face in her hands. “Beckett, I don’t know what to say. This would mean so much to me.”
Her tear-stained face was doing something to his chest. Something painful. He shoved her head back down against his shoulder so he didn’t have to look into those watery green eyes.
“Are you and the kids going to the Halloween carnival tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.
She nodded against him. “Will you be there?” Her fingers were toying with the lapel of his jacket.
He dropped his chin to the top of her head. “I’ll be there. As mayor it’s my duty to judge the parade floats.”
“Are you dressing up?”
He heard the smile in her voice.
“I am not.”
“Party pooper. Aurora will be devastated.”
“I take it that means you’ll be in costume?”
“One cannot escort a doctor and a ninja to a carnival in regular everyday clothes,” she told him.
They were quiet for a minute before Gianna spoke again. “Beckett?”
“Hmm?”
“Why am I sitting in your lap telling you why I was crying?”
“Because you like me.”
She nodded. “I do like you.”
He sighed heavily. “And I like you.”
“Things are going to get complicated, aren’t they?” Gianna asked.
“Very.”
Beckett had left her with a kiss on the forehead and a head swirling with thoughts. He’d given her hope. For Evan and herself.
After he headed back to his house, she’d taken out her laptop and opened up the yoga studio financials. She was doing well, better than she’d hoped at this point. But, as she’d thought, it was still too soon to start pulling any extra cash out of the business. She’d find something part-time and flexible. It was important to her to be there for the kids as much as possible. So that left a few hours here and there during the week, at least until summer.
She would make it work.
“Aurora! Wait for me, please,” she called. She’d gone old-school witch in a long sleeve black dress over spider web stockings and knee high boots. It wasn’t creative, but it was comfortable and the cloak and pointed hat pulled the outfit together.
Her
five-year-old ninja danced at the corner, swinging her orange pumpkin impatiently.
“Hurry, Mama! The parade.”
“They won’t start without us,” Gia promised, shouldering Evan’s backpack for his sleepover at a friend’s that night and pulling Aurora’s pony suitcase for her overnight with Grampa and Phoebe behind her.
A night without her kids. The prospect both excited and terrified her.
“I think Roar gets more excited about Halloween than Christmas,” Evan commented through his surgical mask. The scrubs Gia had hemmed for him were smeared with fake blood and he carried a plastic scalpel that looked more like a butcher knife than a surgical instrument.
Gia laughed. “It’s the candy. If Christmas presents were made entirely out of sugar she’d be more excited about it.”
“The last thing that kid needs is more sugar,” Evan shook his head sadly.
“Oh, like you aren’t going to fill up on energy drinks and five-pound bags of sugar the minute my back is turned,” Gia teased.
“Yeah, but I can handle my sugar. Roar just goes crazy and then passes out. Remember the wedding cake incident?”
“Who knew four pounds of cake could result in so much damage?” Gia shook her head. “At least the bride and groom will have the memory of a three-year-old spewing projectile vomit under their gift table forever.”
“Just try to keep her away from any cake tonight,” Evan warned. “I won’t be around to help Grampa and Phoebe wrangle her.”
“I’m picking you up at ten tomorrow, right?” Gia asked.
“Yeah. I left Lance’s address, phone number, and his mom’s name on a sticky note on the fridge.”
“You’re like the best twelve-year-old surgeon in the world,” Gia sighed.
“They don’t call me Dr. Awesome for nothing.”
They trooped to the yoga studio where Gia stashed the backpack and suitcase inside. She planted the kids on the curb with bottles of water and enjoyed the show around them as the residents of Blue Moon converged on the street and square claiming their spots for the parade.
Her neighbors at McCafferty Farm Supply on the next street over had set up temporary grandstands for the parade judges. Gia could just make out Beckett in jeans and a gray wool coat helping to set up the judge’s table.
