“Hey, Tesoro. Theo and I were talking about how I fell asleep last night and you let me stay.”

Theo nodded. “He said he fits better on your bed than the little sofa, but it’s still not big enough. You should get a bigger one for him, Mom.” He chewed a mouthful of cereal. “He’s got long legs.”

I tried to stop the laughter building in my chest. Gabby looked as horrified as I felt having this conversation. I stood and rinsed my bowl in the sink. I pressed a kiss to Gabby’s head. “Thanks for the hospitality,” I teased. “I’ll pick you up at eleven.”

“Sure,” she mumbled.

I headed toward the steps, muffling the laughter that threatened to explode as I heard Theo.

“Mommy, Stefo says he likes kissing you. But I think kissing makes him more tired, so he falls asleep. I’m not going to kiss girls if it makes me sleepy.” There was a pause in which I heard Gabby’s fast intake of air. “Do you like to kiss Stefo? Does it make you tired?”

“This conversation makes me tired,” she muttered as the sounds of the coffeepot being moved reached my ears. There was no doubt she was going to want the caffeine. Theo’s inquisition plus the fact that she would be meeting my family? She needed it.

I chuckled all the way home.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Stefano

Gabby looked lovely when I picked her up. Her wild hair was gathered away from her face, and she wore one of her pretty skirts and a blouse. Theo was in pants and a clean shirt, and he looked excited.

His mother looked as if she was going to throw up at any moment.

I helped strap Theo into his car seat, then opened the door for Gabby. I took the large bunch of flowers she held tight in her grip and placed them in the back seat.

“You didn’t have to spend money on flowers,” I assured her. “Not necessary.”

“You said I couldn’t bring food. I had to bring something to say thank you. It’s only polite,” she insisted.

I smiled and kissed her, brushing her ear with my lips. “Relax, Tesoro. My mama is going to love you. They all are.”

I shut her door and crossed over to the driver’s side, sliding in. I reached for her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. “Promise.” Then I lifted it to my mouth and kissed the knuckles.

“Careful, Stefo,” Theo said, sounding worried. “If you keep kissing Mommy, you’ll fall asleep, and I don’t know how to drive yet.”

I laughed and threw him a wink over my shoulder. “It’s all good, little man. I have to kiss your mommy a lot more to get sleepy.”

“Ugh,” was his reply. “I’m not kissing girls, then,” he muttered, looking down at the toy in his hand. “Too much work.”

“Good,” Gabby and I said at the same time, then laughed.

“Worth it,” I said, quietly smiling at her, sharing the joke.

She grinned and looked out the window, but the levity helped ease some of the tension from her expression.

We headed toward Toronto, Theo once again enthralled by the DVD I put in for him. He was engrossed in the show, and Gabby turned to check on him, meeting my eyes as she turned back.

“He’s going to want one of those in the SUV,” she observed.

“You can get them. They hang over the seat.”

“We don’t take a lot of long rides.”

I nodded, taking a sip of the coffee we’d stopped to pick up. Theo was enjoying the chocolate milk I had gotten him.

“What will your family think about you pulling up in a van?” she asked. “Not your usual ride.”

I smirked. “Mama will love it. She hates the motorcycle. She tolerates the Mustang but only because of the fact that it was once my father’s. She would far prefer it if I drove something else.”

“Your Mustang was your dad’s?”

I nodded, changing lanes. “He took it as part payment for something he did for someone. My mom was furious, but he insisted it was a good deal.” I flashed her a grin. “Or at least that’s how I heard the story. He fixed it up and drove it until he couldn’t anymore. Kids and a Mustang don’t go so well together. He bought an old Chevy he used to drive us around in. He kept it and tinkered on it. He convinced my mom that it was worth nothing, so keeping it wasn’t an issue. Truth was, he loved that car and didn’t want to part with it. When I got old enough, I started fixing it up. My brothers weren’t interested in cars the way I was, so they had never bothered.”

“So it has a sentimental value to it. It’s not just a toy.”

“It’s that too. But yes, I love it because it was my father’s. I only drive it in the summer. I use the company truck most of the time or, like today, I borrow this. Maxx is cool with it.”

Tags: Melanie Moreland Reynold's Restorations Suspense
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