If Gage thinks I’m enough, maybe I am.
So tonight, at his request, I’m dipping my toes into the relationship waters and meeting his birth family. It strikes me as strange that though Annie’s been my best friend for more than ten years, it’s not her that makes this introduction. I’ve heard all about Maggie and Kent and Duncan and Callie, from both Gage and Annie, but to be meeting them through the lens of my connection with Gage feels significant.
I have a sudden thought, and the resulting question breaks through the silence in the Jeep. “How are you going to introduce me to them?”
Gage glances at me, a teasing smile on his face. “I was thinking I’d use your name.”
“Olivia or Delaney? And as what? Your friend? Annie’s friend? Your make-out buddy?”
Gage grimaces. “Definitely not that last one.”
“I’m serious!” I pinch my bracelet between my fingers and snap it against my skin. I repeat the nervous fidget again as I wait for Gage to respond.
“How would you like me to introduce you?” he finally asks. I don’t know how he sounds so calm when I’m drowning in a tidal wave of anxiety.
I spin through the possibilities in my head. “Well obviously Maggie talks to Annie, right? So, I don’t want to be too obvious because I don’t want Annie to hear about us secondhand.”
Gage shifts in his seat. “Listen, about Annie—”
I rush to cut him off, my stomach fluttering. “I’m not saying I’m still determined for Annie not to know about us, but I want to be the one to tell her.”
Gage pulls into the parking lot of one of the local restaurants. It’s a concrete building with a red tile roof in high peaks like those on the Alamo. A Texas lone star sign hangs on the covered walkway leading up to the front doors.
“I get that, but—”
“So, I think you should introduce me with my first and last name and as a friend you and Annie grew up with.” The words tumble from my mouth so quickly that I’m left trying to catch my breath.
Gage parks the Jeep and turns it off. As he removes the keys from the ignition, he lets his hands fall to his thighs. He rubs his palms over his jeans a few times while inhaling one deep breath, then another.
I watch him quietly and feel like a self-absorbed brat. I’ve been making this night all about me and how I’m feeling, when Gage is the one facing his deepest trauma. After all he’s shared with me about his conflicting emotions surrounding his adoption, I should have been more sensitive. Of course he’s nervous. It was foolish of me to think otherwise.
I reach over the center console and lay my hand on top of his, stroking gently with my fingers.
“Take your time,” I murmur. “There’s no rush.”
He flips his hand over and interlaces our fingers. I squeeze and lean closer. Gage lets go of my hand to wrap his arms around my shoulders and pull me close.
I wriggle my arms out from between us and rub circles on his back. His heartbeat pulses against my chest as he clings to me.
As the seconds pass, I feel his heart regulate and his breathing even out. His grip on me loosens until he pulls away and shoots me an abashed smile.
I smile back at him. “Ready?”
“Almost,” he whispers before brushing a gentle kiss across my lips. “Now, I’m ready.”
We get out of the Jeep and make our way toward the restaurant entrance. On a ramp near the door, a couple that look like they’re in their late thirties stand waiting with two children. I recognize the family from the picture taped to the wall above Gage’s bunk.
Gage rushes forward and throws his arms around the woman—Maggie. Keeping an arm around her shoulders, he high-fives her husband before ruffling his little brother’s hair. Callie peeks out shyly from behind her dad’s back, but Duncan grins up at Gage with an adoring expression.
His exuberant greeting now is such a change from his uncertainty in the Jeep minutes ago. It’s almost like he’s performing, the entrance ramp is his stage, and I’m the audience, watching the reunion from a few feet back.
Examining Maggie from a distance, it’s disconcerting how much she looks like Annie. Or how much Annie looks like her, rather. Seeing Maggie, I can easily picture what my best friend will look like in twenty years.
Gage turns and beckons me closer. As I approach, he rests his hand against the small of my back. “This is Olivia Delaney,” he says, shooting me a subtle wink. “Annie and I have been friends with her since middle school, and she’s working with me at Camp Prairie Star this summer. Olivia, this is Maggie Gray, her husband, Kent, and their kids, Duncan and Callie.”
“Hi.” I wave, smiling broadly. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m so glad to finally meet you all.”
Maggie looks with amusement between Gage and me. “Olivia Delaney.” She smirks, and now her face is pure Gage, where before I saw only Annie. “We’ve heard all about you, too.”
