AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Off you go to claim that VP position, then?” He held her at arm’s length.
“I’ll talk to the executive team about it,” she said. “Taylor. Royce. Brannon.” She poked him in the chest. “Not you. You’re retired, remember?”
“Trying to,” he admitted.
Downstairs, she found her mother in the sitting room on a gray sofa, a blush pink pillow tucked at her back. Macy’s charity work often spilled over into this room from her attached office. Gia took in the spread of papers on the coffee table and smiled.
“How’d it go?” Macy asked.
“He was surprisingly open. And he apologized.” She sat next to her mother. “I’m assuming you two talked.”
“Your father and I might have had a long talk wherein he agreed he had no right to interfere in your marriage.” Macy sipped from her teacup. “Lord knows marriage is hard enough with the two people it involves.”
True story.
“Did you and Jayson talk through it?”
“We argued. He left.” Gia poured herself a cup of tea.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll see him at work later today. I’m still not sure what I’ll say. Daddy’s calling to apologize to him.”
“Good.”
“What are you working on, anyway?” Gia leaned forward and lifted a sheet of paper off the pile.
“A charity for abused women. It’s called HeartReach. They help women who are trapped in abusive marriages with children to create an exit plan. You might recognize the chairwoman’s name.”
Gia’s eyes went to a familiar name. Julia Robinson. Aka—“Jayson’s mother.”
“HeartReach was where she went for support when Jayson was younger—to help her escape Jay’s father. I can’t imagine.”
Neither could Gia. “Daddy said he wanted Jayson to feel worthy. To feel like he fit in.”
“Jayson had a father who didn’t honor him. Jack wanted to cheer him on.”
“The way he always cheered me on.” Gia had always been loved. Had always been wanted.
“You championed Jayson, too, dear. When you announced your divorce, you were adamant about us not shunning him from the family. You didn’t want him to lose us. Even if you were losing him in the process.” Macy patted Gia’s leg. “You have a great big misguided heart, like your father.”
Gia hummed, finally seeing the big picture. This argument wasn’t about roles at ThomKnox or Jayson having a job she’d wanted at one point. Life was about love and what really mattered. Family.
“Remarkable how Jayson turned out nothing like his father, isn’t it?” Macy said thoughtfully as she took the flyer out of Gia’s hands.
“I used to accuse him of being controlling.” Gia shook her head. “He was trying to be accommodating.”
“Well, he could have communicated better. Men assume they know what’s best. It’s our job to correct them. Frequently, it seems.”
Gia smiled, then sighed as the gravity of what had happened weighed on her anew. “I don’t know what to do. I love him. I don’t want to lose him, and I feel like I already have.”
“Being brave is hard. Speak your mind. And your heart. Leave nothing on the table.”
Gia blew out a breath as she swiped fresh tears from her cheeks. “Easy for you to say.”
“Yes. It is.” Her mother tipped her head and swiped a stray tear from Gia’s face. “Can I do anything to help?”
“You already have. It’s my turn to make a few decisions involving what I want. You were right. I need to step out of Daddy’s and my brothers’ shadows. I’ve been trying, but I’ve been going about it the wrong way. That changes right now.”
“Good girl.”
Gia stood to leave and then turned back to ask, “What if...he doesn’t love me back?”
“I don’t know how that’s possible.” Her mother shook her head. “Royce, Brannon, Jack and now Jayson. The men in your life fall all over themselves to protect and care for you.”
For the first time in her life, Gia thought about being cared for by the men in her life. Maybe that wasn’t so bad after all.
