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“You okay? You blanked out for a minute,” she says.
“Yeah.” I shake my head to clear it. “Just thinking that we’ve got a lot of work to do. But at least now, I can do it without Thomas around.”
“Looking for ways to undermine you,” she adds. We start toward my car that’s idling on the curb. “The car will take you back to work, if you want,” I tell her.
“Yeah, that would be great.” She rocks up on her heels and presses a kiss to my mouth.
“Thanks for being here today. For being here every day.” I circle my arm around her waist and kiss her back.
“Hayes,” Gigi says from in front of us. She stands up from the bench she’s been sitting on. My heart hurts to see her. I haven’t let myself think too much about her. Last night when Confidence asked me to talk to her, I’d said no. I had nothing to say. She gave birth to me, but that didn’t make her my mother.
I’d said it so flippantly last night, but when I see her standing in front of me, I know it’s not that simple. Like a reel of film on a screen, flashes of our life together in Positano run through my mind. Our fights. The first time we picked figs from the tree we planted together. How she slept in my bed with me the night before I left for college and talked to me all night about growing up in Rivers House.
My stomach churns, and I slide my eyes to Confidence who has gone very still beside me.
“Gigi, why are you here?” I ask her. I don’t want to do this in public.
“Because you are,” she says simply. She looks tired. And for the first time, I can see age creeping along her pale, drawn face. Her hands are clutched in front of her and she looks so frail.
“Listen, can we talk—”
“You’re dead, Rivers.” A loud voice booms over the courtyard, and we all turn back to Smith Street to see Barry Jimenez walking toward me, a pistol in his trembling hand pointed in my general direction.
“Oh my God, it’s Barry,” Confidence calls just as the first shot rings out. I grab both women to put them behind me and hustle them into the building. The armed security man is already rushing out, and after a second shot, Barry is tackled to the ground.
But something happens, and Gigi doesn’t end up behind me. Instead, she slumps against me and cries out in pain.
“Gigi,” I call out and let go of Confidence to lay Gigi on the ground. Her light blue dress is soaked with blood that’s gushing out of a small wound in her shoulder. I pull my tie off and knot it around her arm and press my hand to the wound. She winces.
“We need an ambulance!” I hear Confidence screaming in the background, but it’s muted by the sound of the blood that’s rushing through my ears.
Gigi grabs my hand and pulls me down to her. “Hayes,” she groans, and her eyelids flutter.
“Oh no you fucking don’t.” I shake her and her eyes open.
“Don’t use that kind of language, Hayes, especially not in public,” she says weakly.
“Well don’t you fucking close your eyes after you’ve been shot!” I shout at her.
She laughs weakly. Now I can see how much I look like her.
“God, Gigi.” I shake my head in denial that this is happening.
“Listen to me, Hayes. I know I wasn’t your mother in your heart, but in mine, it’s all I’ve ever been. You have been my every prayer, every dream, every hope. All of my love has always been yours. All I want is for you to be the man you were born to be,” she says.
“Don’t talk like you’re going to die. I’m still pissed at you,” I say.
She reaches up to pat my cheek. Her bloody hand is sticky against my face. “Of course you are. You’re a Rivers.” And then her eyes close.
EPILOGUE 1
GIGI
“Just rest, Gigi,” Hayes whispers down at me. His big hand smooths the hair off my face and I have to stop myself from nestling into his touch. I haven’t earned that. It’s too soon. I know that what happened outside his office is why he’s here. I hope it means that I’ll be able to persuade him to stay. To give me a chance to ear
n it.
“I—” My throat is parched. I had a tube inserted while I was in surgery and the words I want to say are caught there.
