Picking them up, I tossed them back on the desk and an envelope fell out from one of the files. I didn’t recognize it, but the handwriting was familiar and stopped me. Gia’s handwriting.
Ripping it open, I unfolded the contents and found a regular eight-and-a-half-by-eleven piece of paper with a few typewritten lines centered in the middle. There was also a yellow sticky note attached. I read that first.
I hope you like the dedication for my book. Only we’ll know how our story ends and be able to fill in the next sentence.
My eyes drifted up to the words typed in the middle of the page.To Rush. Fortunately, I was a horrible bartender and caught the eye of the mean owner whom I fell madly in love with…I had no idea when she’d stuck the envelope in my office or if she’d hoped I’d find it today or not. But I mentally started to fill in the words that came next.Unfortunately, he was a douchebag who didn’t love me enough back.
Unfortunately, he ran away when life threw us a curve ball.
Unfortunately, he never got to meet Gia’s son.That last part really fucked with my head. How could I possibly not meet her little boy? It didn’t feel like her little boy…he felt like our little boy.
I reread her note again. Only we’ll know how our story ends and be able to fill in the next sentence. Was this really how our story ended? It sure as hell didn’t feel like it was over.Unfortunately, he never got to meet Gia’s son.Fuck that. What the hell was I doing? He wasn’t Elliott’s kid; he was my son. Pat had taught me better than anyone that paternity may be biology, but acting like a dad is a choice. And that meant a hell of a lot more than donating some sperm. I wanted to be with Gia. I wanted that baby. I wanted to be a family with them. No matter how much I hated my brother, Oak was right—I loved Gia more than I could possibly hate anyone.
I started to panic. Holy shit. What the hell did I nearly do? Grabbing my keys, I ran out of the office and straight to the parking lot. I wasn’t even sure if I locked the door to the restaurant, but it wasn’t important enough to go back and check. Nothing was more important than getting to Gia.
Jumping into my car, my hand shook as I put the key into the engine. I was really going to do this. Get my girl, have a baby, and live happily ever after. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember one valid reason why I had been holding out. I turned the ignition and my car started to make a choking sound, right before it sputtered out.
No fucking way. This couldn’t be happening. Gia’s old car was the steaming hunk of shit, not mine.
I turned the key again. It started to roar to life and then quickly sputtered out again.
On the third try, it didn’t even attempt to start.
Click-click.
Click-click.
The fucking car was dead.
I banged my head against the wheel a few times before taking out my phone to call Gia and make sure she didn’t leave.
Her phone went to voicemail.
Fuck!
I had Tony’s number from when she’d been in the hospital. Scrolling, I tried him next.
Straight to voicemail.
Fuck!
There wasn’t time to call an Uber and wait. So I got out of the car and started to run. It was a good two miles to her house, but what choice did I have.Tony was loading a box into the back of his car when I raced up the driveway so winded that I could barely even talk. Bent over with my hands on my knees and panting, I held up one finger to Tony and gulped in a few mouthfuls of air.
“Need...” Breath. Breath. “...to talk to Gia.”
Tony smiled. “I’ll take a walk around the block.” He nodded his head toward the house. “Doors open. She’s staring at some creepy-looking new doll in her room.”
I let myself in and walked to her bedroom, trying to catch my breath as I cooled down. When I got to the doorway, her back was to me. She must’ve heard my footsteps and assumed they belonged to her father.
“This is the last of it. I’m sorry. I know I’m going at a snail’s pace. But it’s just so hard to seal up the last box and know I’ll probably never be back. This place really started to feel like home.”
My heart physically ached. God, I’d fucked up so royally. I hoped she could even forgive me.
I cleared my throat. “Unfortunately, the mean bartender had his head stuck up his ass and nearly let the love of his life slip through his fingers.”
Gia’s head whipped up and around. She stared at me and clutched at her chest. “Are you really here?”