I wanted that person to be me.
It didn’t matter if we were moving too fast. If anyone had a problem with it, I didn’t care. She—we—felt right. I adored Theo, and I knew we were only going to get closer. The thought of being a stepdad didn’t trouble me at all. In fact, I liked the idea. We could be a family. Maybe one day we could discuss the idea of adding to our family.
The thought of that made me smile, and I fell asleep with the idea in my head.
Gabby was quiet in the morning but calm. I didn’t bring up her ex or what she had told me. I knew I needed to give her a little time before asking her more questions.
“Still up for taking little man on a trip to the zoo?” I asked her.
“He would love that so much,” she agreed. “I’ve never been there.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.”
Later, we picked up Theo at my mama’s place. She had coffee and a plate of treats waiting, and we visited with her for a while. When I told her we were taking Theo to the zoo, her eyes lit up. I was thrilled when Gabby asked her if she would like to come along. Mama was out of her chair in a second, hurrying into the house.
“I get ready!” she called over her shoulder. “Theo, bambino! Nonna coming to the zoo!”
Theo threw up his hands in happiness and headed our way, the soccer ball he’d been kicking around forgotten. He ran over, excited, throwing his arms around Gabby. I lifted my cell phone, taking a quick picture of the two of them. His joy, her smile as she held him. It was infectious.
The whole afternoon was great and only solidified the thoughts I’d had the night before. Gabby and Theo were meant to be mine. We fit so well together. I knew Mama saw it as well, the way she smiled and nodded in our direction.
It was a perfect weather day, not too hot, and although the place was crowded, we got to see lots of animals. Somehow, my mama managed to cram snacks into her bag, and between those, the ice cream, the hot dogs we ate for lunch, and the various other treats we indulged in, we arrived back to Mama’s a happy but exhausted crew. We ate leftover ziti, and Theo was asleep before we left the driveway, even though it was still early. He had worn himself out. Gabby dozed beside me, her head on my shoulder, and I hated waking her up when we got to their place. Gabby tucked Theo into bed without waking him, only wiping his face and hands with a damp cloth. We had just sat on the sofa when my phone rang, and I answered it.
“Hey, Brett.”
“We’re a man down for the baseball game tonight. You available?”
“Um, I’m at Gabby’s.”
She shook her head, overhearing the conversation. “Go and play. I’m tired and plan on crashing early. You’ve been ignoring your friends enough.”
“Are you sure?” I asked quietly.
She laughed. “I’ll see you in the morning, Stefano. You’re going to get sick of me. Go and play baseball.”
Brett chuckled. “You heard her.”
“Okay. I’ll drop by the house and grab my stuff and be there soon.”
“Awesome. We’ll have a beer while we wait.”
I hung up and stood, dragging Gabby to her feet. I walked to the door and paused, bending and pulling her close. I kissed her long and deep.
“Just for clarity, I’ll never be sick of you. But I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
“Okay,” she replied, breathless.
“Call me if you need me.”
“Stop fussing.”
“I love you,” I muttered. “It comes with the territory.”
She cupped my cheek. “That means more than you know. Thank you.”
I left with a sense of satisfaction. She hadn’t said it yet, but I knew she was feeling it. And soon, she would say the words.
Then we would go forward.
Except, the next morning, Gabby called early. The sun was barely up. I was lying in bed, thinking. About her. Theo. The future. How much I preferred waking up with her beside me. When my phone rang, I was startled to see her number.
“Gabby? What’s wrong?” I answered.
“I have to cancel today. I’m not well,” she responded, her voice raspy and rough.
I sat up, flinging off the blanket. “I’ll come over.”
“No. Spend the day with your family.”
“I’ll pick up Theo, and you can rest.”
“I think your family has babysat enough this weekend, Stefano. We’re fine.”
Her words disturbed me. “My mama loved being with Theo, and he with her,” I objected. “She didn’t consider it a chore.”
“No, he’s staying home with me.”
A catch in her voice caught my attention. There was almost a panicked tone to it.
“Gabby, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Just too much sun and a touch of the stomach flu or something. I’ll be fine. I just want to stay at home today.”