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“Allowing Haley to choose where she wants to live…you said she had a child, how old?” Maggie inquired.
“Gabby didn’t say, she didn’t say much about the baby but I’m not surprised, she only told me about Graves because he upset her and I think scared her. Until Graves gets what’s coming his way I’ve added security to the house and told Gabby that Andre will drive her wherever she needs to go. I don’t trust Graves and I won’t let anyone hurt Gabby,” Wyatt promised.
“Wyatt, haven’t you learnt by now that no one tells Gabby what to do?” Owen laughed.
“Absolutely sir, but in this regard I think Gabby was only too happy to oblige me. She’s seen firsthand what he’s capable of and she’s promised to keep herself out of harm’s way.”
“That’s good,” Maggie said. “I’m sorry we couldn’t help you with finding Haley. Gabby’s kept her friends to herself for years really, ever since she was sixteen. I think that was the last time she had one of her sleepovers.”
“I’ll give you a warning now,” Owen stated, “if you have a girl buy lots of ear plugs when they get old enough to start having sleepovers. All of those high pitched squeals of laughter at all hours of the night…give me a newborn any day over it.”
Wyatt laughed with the older man as the thought crossed his mind that he might never get to enjoy those times, not unless he could convince Gabby to start over. Every time he thought he’d finally gotten her into a corner where there was no other optionbut to admit the truth, she’d find some way to finagle her way out, slipping through his grasp and sending them back to step one.
He didn’t know how she did it but sooner or later, she’d make a mistake, maybe she already had with the false trail and the scheme to destroy Graves, not that he had any qualms about it now that he knew the truth about the man. If he ever found him near Gabby again he’d probably tear his limbs from his body, no one threatened his family certainly not some piece of garbage who thought beating women up was acceptable.
They heard Gabby announce dinner and made their way through the house to the dining room where they found Viola carrying in a dish and dropping a kiss on Gabby’s cheek as she walked past her to sit leaving Wyatt the space beside her.
“Should we be scared?” Sam joked catching the exchange. “You know like this is the calm before the storm sort of thing?”
“Actually, I think it’s the first sign of the apocalypse, isn’t it?” Nate added.
“Ha, ha, ha,” Viola said sticking her tongue out at them.
“Did you seriously just stick your tongue out at me?” Sam asked incredulously. “What are you? Thirty-one going on thirteen?”
“New rules for tonight,” Gabby said, “no name calling, no chewing with your mouths open, and no regressions back to teenage pranks please.”
“Teenage pranks?” Wyatt inquired.
“Let’s just say that I can remember when those three would gang up on me because they weresomuch older and when I’d tell mom what they were doing she’d just put it off to them being teenagers,” Gabby told him with a smile.
“It was too much fun not to pick on Gabby,” Nate admitted.
“It was Gabs. You were always a little princess, I’m surprised you didn’t marry a prince,” Sam teased.
“Maybe I did,” she said with a wink to Wyatt. “Come on dig in…I didn’t cook it for its looks.”
“Uh Gabby,” Sam said opening the lid to the main dish, “what the hell is this?”
“Dinner, before you argue that that’s not dinner, remember the doctor said no red meat for Dad until they had all the test results in and that he needs less salt in his diet,” she replied. “Just try it; if no one likes it I’ll call Gus for a pizza with all the toppings.”
Everyone agreed to try the food and she knew they were just begging for it to be bad in order for them to call for that pizza. She took a small bite letting the flavors linger on her taste buds as she watched their faces. Sam and Nate took tiny bites and then larger second ones while Viola sent her a skeptical look before giving in and trying the meal. Her parents were more gracious and took regular sized bites and Wyatt having had it before took another helping from the dish before the others could make a determination on it.
“Well? Should I call for a pizza?” she asked with a grin.
“Holy crap Gabby, what is this?” Nate said around mouthfuls.
“My own creation, so does it satisfy your picky tastes?”
“Did you make more?” he countered. “Cause I want some of this to take home.”
“Get in line,” Sam stated reaching for the dish for another helping.
“You’re telling me this has no salt or red meat in it?” her dad asked.
“Not one drop,” she assured him.
“Then what is in it?” Viola asked.
