EPILOGUE
“SHH...” GILLY SAID, holding her stubby little finger against her pursed lips.
“That’s right. We’re quiet when we feed the fish,” Gabriel said in the warm, patient tone he always used with their daughter.
“Gen-tow,” Gilly said, and carefully pinched the food from his palm and released it into the tank he had placed in her room days after she was born.
Luli hung back at the door, heart so full when she watched them, she nearly cried over it, every single day. Gabriel teased her if he caught her, but if he happened to walk in on tai chi practice, when their toddler tried to follow her mother’s moves with her still clumsy, yet determined little limbs, he was as likely to grow misty as he was to step in and join them.
They were both utterly enamored with their little girl, in a state of perpetual wonderment that they had made something so exquisitely perfect from the earthy, greedy hunger that never let up between them.
“Mama!” Gilly noticed her and beamed her teensy white teeth.
“Hi, baby.” Luli moved to catch the sprite as she threw herself from her father’s arms and squeezed Luli’s neck with exuberance.
Gabriel dropped a smiling kiss against her lips.
“She’s been asking for you. I was about to send a search party.”
“Blame your coders.”
“Anything I should know about?”
“No, I can handle it.” She had kept up the modeling for a year, sticking with local shoots unless Gabriel had been able to travel with her. When her pregnancy started showing, she quit and stayed home for almost a year, taking a lead role in some of Gabriel’s charities before beginning work on an app to make donations easier to request, track and disperse.
Gabriel had talked her into developing it with his team and she’d been working with them ever since.
“Pwetty,” Gilly said, drawing back to touch one of Luli’s earrings.
“Let’s wash your hands,” Gabriel said, catching her fishy fingers. “Those are special.”
“Why?” Gilly was at the age when she liked to ask that question a lot.
“Would you like to field this one?” Gabriel invited Luli with a knowing smirk as he took their daughter from her.
“Daddy gave them to me the night I fell in love with him,” she told Gilly.
“Is that what happened that night?” Gabriel teased. “I remembered something else, but okay.”
“That you fell in love with me, too?” she guessed with a sly smile.
“That was it.” He dropped another kiss on her lips. “That is exactly what happened that night.”
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