Beyond Intent

by Karice Bolton

  “You know what I want?” I asked Jason.

  He shook his head. “What?”

  “I want to do things that I’m afraid to do. I want to hold onto you tightly as you turn a sharp corner, and pray that I can hold on. I cherish this life that I was lucky enough to get a second chance at. I don’t want to waste one second of it. I want to feel every emotion, the good and the bad, because I’ve been given that chance. You’ve made me believe that my scar was a thing of beauty because it gave me a chance to be here. It gave me an existence I never would’ve had. Jason, I don’t want to be shielded. I don’t want to be protected. I want to live, and this is living.”

  Jason’s gaze fell to the floor, and I caught him wiping a single tear from his cheek as he looked back up at me.

  “Well then, I guess we’re in for one hell of a ride.”

  Sunny and Tomato went nuts well before the doorbell even rang. I glanced out the window to see Brandy and Lily waving through the glass at me. Lily was holding a vase full of red and white tulips, and Brandy held onto one of my favorite candles.

  I flung open the door and got bear-tackled by both of them as Ayden and Aaron tried to sneak by.

  “I don’t get it. You saw each other last weekend,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

  “What can we say? We’re in love,” Brandy said, letting go of me once she realized she’d squished the tulips a tad.

  “Sorry about that,” Brandy said, taking the tulips from Lily. She handed the candle to me and caressed the heads of each flower in an attempt to fluff them up. It worked, marginally.

  “Something smells delicious,” Lily said.

  “It’s chicken with Asiago polenta and truffled green beans,” I told them.

  “That sounds awfully fancy,” Brandy teased.

  “It’s super simple,” I assured her.

  Aaron and Ayden had already found Jason on the deck, and we made our way to the great room. Jason was turning on the deck heaters, but I wasn’t going to go out there until there was ample heating.

  “How’s Jason?” Brandy asked, touching my shoulder.

  “Surprisingly well.” It bummed me out not to tell them what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours.

  “We’re going to take things one day at a time. I’m sure some days will be harder than others.”

  All three of us sat on the couch as Lily dipped a tortilla chip into the guacamole and popped it in her mouth.

  “Hungry?” I teased.

  She shrugged. “Not really.”

  “So what all has Aaron told you?” Brandy asked, pulling a pillow on top of her lap. She crossed her legs and propped her elbows on the pillow.

  “He hasn’t told me anything. It’s all been through Jason. But it sounded pretty incredible. Some of his pieces were going to be shown at some museum?”

  Brandy shook her head. “Not a museum. It’s one of the hottest galleries in Paris. It could change the entire thrust of his career, but I’ll wait for him to tell you all the details.”

  “That’s so cruel. Give me barely enough and leave me hanging.”

  “I have a nasty habit of taking the wind out of his sails, and I’m trying to work on it.”

  I laughed. “Wow. You must really have it bad. We’ve been telling you that for years and it never stopped you before.”

  Lily chuckled as she ate some more tortilla chips. “So when’s dinner?”

  “In about ten minutes,” I assured her.

  “Looks like someone’s still completely infatuated,” Brandy whispered.

  “Huh? Who?” I asked.

  I glanced outside and noticed Jason look away really quickly, a smile etched on his face.

  “So things are all better?” Lily asked.

  “Never been better. He was only trying to protect me from some stuff. And I think he finally realized that doesn’t work well with me. I need to be completely involved in all parts of his life. I don’t need to be stuck to his hip or anything, but I need to feel like we’re tackling the world together, not independently. I don’t get how I was born with a stamp on my head that says “Protect Me”, but it’s really annoying.”

  “Not the damsel-in-distress type?” Brandy grinned.

  “Hardly.”

  The oven beeped and I hopped up from the couch.

  “Wanna go let the guys know dinner will be ready soon?”

  Both Brandy and Lily got up from the couch and walked over to the door. I noticed the guys discussing something quite intently. It wasn’t until the girls called to them that they came to the surface. I was certain Jason wouldn’t be telling them anything yet. We’d decided we weren’t going to tell anyone until after dinner.

  I removed the chicken from the oven and smelled the wonderful blend of herbs and garlic. It was actually a recipe from Jason that I’d tweaked. The conversation from outside now came inside as everyone babbled away, seating themselves around the dining table. This is what I loved about our friends. They just made themselves at home.

  Jason came into the kitchen and helped transfer the chicken to the serving platter as I took the polenta to the table.

  “Looks so pretty,” Lily said.

  “Did you guys want anything besides water?” I asked.

  “I’ll take a beer,” Aaron said.

  “You know where the fridge is,” I teased.

  “Then why’d you ask?” He frowned.

  “You’re my brother. You don’t count,” I laughed, opening the fridge and grabbing an IPA for him anyway.

  “Better be nice to me. I might not return from across the pond and then what?”

  “Whatever. You’re not going anywhere,” I said, as Jason brought the bowl of green beans and the platter of chicken to the table.

  I took a seat in between Jason and Lily.

  “I forgot to tell you that your hair looks really cute like that,” I told Lily. Her hair was gathered in two loose braids, and it was really flattering.

  “Thanks. It’s easier to do than anything else I’ve been trying.”

  “And it works well while she helps me train,” Ayden said, with a glint in his eyes.

  “She’s helping you train?” I asked. “Since when have you loved exercise?” I stared at Lily, smiling.

  She shook her head and laughed. “Oh, no. That’s not what he means.”

  “Never mind,” Brandy said, putting her hand up.

  “Please. I’m not going to go there with his sister sitting at this table.” Lily rolled her eyes. “When he’s doing his speed jumping, I help him count. And with that tire thingy, I help keep them in line.”

  “Whoopideedoo,” I chuckled. “That must wear you out.”

  She smiled. “For your information I love cardio. The elliptical trainer is my new friend. I have to do it to keep up with Ayden in all ways.” She winked at Brandy who shuddered.

  “Not cool. Not cool at all,” Brandy laughed.

  “So tell me what all is going on?” I asked Aaron. “Brandy wouldn’t tell me anything, and I’m dying of curiosity over here.”

  Aaron’s eyes flashed with excitement as he glanced at Brandy.

  “I’ve always thought working on my sculptures was more of a hobby. Well, the time I’ve taken away from the corporate world has allowed me to really spend more time sculpting them. Do you remember that piece I created called Speaking in Silence?”

  I nodded. “Of course I remember. It’s beautiful. Isn’t it at a local gallery?”

  “It is.” He took a bite of the chicken. “This is really good.”

  “Thanks. Now keep going.”

  Jason rubbed my back and chuckled.

  “Cécile happened to be in town and saw the piece.”

  “And who’s Cécile?” I asked.

  “She the curator of one of the hottest galleries in Paris,” Brandy jumped in. She couldn’t help herself. Her excitement was as apparent as Aaron’s.

  “Wow.”

  “So Cécile asked if I would be interested in doing a serie
s based on Speaking in Silence. I actually already had two other pieces that were related, and I have several more pieces planned.”

  “They have an entire gallery devoted to sculpture,” Brandy interjected. “They’re going to do an exhibit featuring Aaron’s pieces. A whole floor devoted to Aaron.”

  I jumped up from my seat and ran to my brother, squeezing his neck. “I’m so proud of you. Like really, really proud of you.”

  Aaron shrugged. “It’s pretty cool.”

  “Did you tell Dad yet?” I asked.

  “No. Not yet. He hasn’t quite cooled off from the whole leaving the family business thing.”

  “Well, he shouldn’t have been such a hard ass or you’d still be there,” I said.

  Aaron smiled.

  “I won’t say a word about it until you tell me it’s okay, but I think you’re going to be very surprised at his reaction. I mean come on, his son’s work is on exhibit at one of the most reputable galleries in all of Paris? Carla’s going to have a field day with the news. I bet she gets half of Seattle to fly over to see it.”

  Aaron and Jason laughed, but they knew it was true. Carla was a wonderful stepmom. I gave Aaron a kiss on the cheek and walked back to my seat. For some reason, I felt a little off as I thought about Paris. Normally, I’d assume we’d all go over to check it out, but now I wasn’t so sure. Would that be possible?

  “You okay over there?” Lily asked.

  “Sorry. Totally. Just so happy for my brother and thinking of all kinds of questions to bug him with, like when is the exhibit?”

  “The exhibit is 14 months from now. That should give me enough time to get the other pieces finished.”

  “Wow. That’s incredible. I can’t believe my brother’s going to have art at some fancy gallery in Paris.”

  “That’s really somethin’,” Jason agreed. “I always thought you had talent. But you were so stuck on wearing those suits.”

  “I still like those suits,” Brandy said.

  Aaron smiled and then looked at Jason. “Just like you and the bikes.”

  “Well, I doubt you’ll see my motorcycles in Paris,” Jason laughed. “This is really incredible.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Well, you can get seventy grand for a bike. I doubt anyone would pay that for one of my pieces.”

  I shook my head. “I wouldn’t discount what this show’ll do for you.”

  “We’re so proud of you,” Brandy said, beaming.

  “I feel like a complete outcast sitting at this table,” Ayden laughed. “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”

  “Hey, you’re looking at a wannabe lawyer,” Brandy said.

  “True,” Ayden smiled. “Notice how we’re from the same family.”

  “Good point.”

  “Well, you better keep me posted,” I chided, glancing at Aaron. “I want details every step of the way.”

  “I promise you’ll hear from me or Brandy first.”

  I sat back in the chair and glanced around the table completely amazed at what the last six months had conjured up in all of our lives. At this rate, I couldn’t even imagine where we’d all be in another year. Soon we’d have another person sitting at this table with us. It was impossible not to be scared out of our minds. Jason rubbed my shoulders as if he could sense what I was thinking.

  “Mind if I put on some music?” Jason asked.

  Everyone nodded and shouted out their recommendations. Jason grabbed the remote and turned on the stereo, searching for one of my playlists that touched on all of the requests.

  “Are you still planning on opening up a shop in Vegas?” Aaron asked.

  Jason smiled sheepishly. “No. Bad idea.”

  “I could’ve told you that,” Aaron said.

  “I would’ve been all ears,” Jason said, taking a second helping of green beans.

  “Yeah, right.” Aaron laughed and turned toward Ayden. “So what’s this about a fight I hear?”

  Ayden sat back in the chair and shook his head. “Nothing’s set in stone. I think Mason’s looking at putting one together this summer, but I don’t know. I told him I was out.”

  “He’s not out,” Lily said. “I think it sounds good in theory to him, but this man likes to use his hands.”

  “I can think of a lot of things that would let you do that, dude,” Jason laughed. “They don’t involve getting beaten to a pulp.”

  “That’s the thing. He doesn’t get hit much, really. I can vouch for it.” Lily grinned. “He’s pretty amazing, actually.”

  “Well, we’ll have to check it out,” Aaron said, as Brandy glared at him. The news about her brothers still didn’t sit well with her, and I didn’t blame her.

  Once the conversation had clearly turned in another direction away from my brother, I felt Jason give my shoulder a slight squeeze. I glanced at him and saw the look in his eyes. He was ready to say something, but I wasn’t sure I was, which was ridiculous.

  When a lull in the conversation invited us to say the words, I looked at Jason and he nodded.

  “Hey, guys, Jason and I wanted to talk to you about something special that’s kind of come in to our lives.”

  “You’re pregnant?” Lily asked.

  “No! Why would you say that?” I laughed. “Are you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just popped in.”

  I smiled. “Well…” I looked at Jason unsure of where to begin.

  Jason held my hand and squeezed it.

  “It turns out that I’m an uncle.”

  “Your sister had a child?” Aaron asked.

  “She did. I wasn’t aware that she had a little girl until this morning.”

  “Where is she?” Brandy asked, her eyes darting from mine to Jason’s. “Who’s taking care of her?”

  “She’s in foster care,” I answered. “In Alabama.”

  Brandy was well aware of the local foster-care system’s faults as well as successes. A lot of the cases she’d helped with over the years had been focused on children’s rights so I knew she had an opinion. She was choosing to keep it to herself.

  “My sister, Bethany, never actually had custody of her.”

  “She’s been in foster care for how long then?” Lily asked.

  “About four years,” Jason answered. “It never occurred to me that my sister had any children.

  I found myself biting my lip far too hard. I glanced around the table and saw nothing but love and support from our friends and family sitting here. There wasn’t anything to be afraid of, but it was like once I voiced it to them, it made it real. It needed to be real.

  “We’ve decided to apply to become her foster parents,” I said. Brandy’s mouth dropped open before turning into a huge grin.

  Lily wore a wry smile, and Aaron sat at the end of the table, beaming.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Aaron said, smiling. He glanced at Jason briefly, but his gaze stayed focused on mine. “I’m blown away.”

  “It feels right, really right,” I said, our gaze still connected. “She needs a home that is stable, filled with family who’ll love her, and friends who’ll do anything for her.”

  Lily hopped up from her chair and came toward me, tears streaming down her face, as she gave me a huge hug. “Anything you guys need, you better call me. It’s a perk of working for Ayden.”

  “With Ayden not for Ayden,” Ayden laughed, his voice closer as I felt another set of arms embracing me.

  The next thing I knew Jason and I were entangled in one huge group hug, and I knew we had made the right decision. She would be loved not by one uncle, but by a whole team of uncles and aunts.

  “Guys, it’s a little hard to breathe,” I laughed. The arms started to fall away as everyone walked back to their chairs, but Aaron remained.

  He kneeled next to me, his eyes fastened on mine. “Gabby, you make me proud to be your brother.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, giving him one last hug. “Means so much.” And it really did.


  Aaron slapped Jason’s back and walked back to his chair.

  “Are you really sure about this?” Lily asked.

  Everyone started laughing, but it was a serious question.

  I nodded. “I am. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

  “When will she arrive or how does that work?” Brandy asked. “I’m familiar with the in-state process, but I’d imagine it’s a little more complicated since she’s in Alabama.”

  “It sounds like we’ve got a lot of things to do. Interviews, home checks, classes, all kinds of things that we need to complete before we’re even approved,” Jason replied.

  “They mentioned they’d try to speed up the process, but I don’t know if they really can,” I added. “I guess it’ll give me time to get her room together.”

  Jason started laughing. “I didn’t even give that any thought.”

  “Well, I hope she likes pink because I’m going to princess it up.”

  “What if she doesn’t like princesses?”

  “Then we’ll paint over them once she tells me what she does like.” I grinned suddenly feeling like I just might be able to handle this. It certainly was going to be interesting, and that was what I always said I wanted in my life. I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk pulling numbers about cheese, and I got my wish and couldn’t be happier.

  “Well, that explains a lot. There’s been nervous energy crackling off you two all night,” Lily said.

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  “Yeah. You did,” Brandy agreed.

  “I didn’t notice,” Ayden said, giving me a half grin and throwing up his hands.

  Lily glanced at Ayden and I caught a special moment between them and looked away quickly. It was so wonderful to see them still together and loving every second of it. When everything happened over the holidays, I’d hoped with all my heart that their love would only grow, and by the looks of it, it had.

  “This dinner was fabulous, but not as fabulous as the news you shared,” Brandy said. “I know I speak for us all, if you guys need any help to get things ready let me know. If there’s anything in the legal department that you have questions about, I know my mom would be more than happy to help.”

  “Thanks. We appreciate that,” I said. “I’m sure there are going to be bumps in the road, but you guys will make them smoother. That I know I can count on.”