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CHAPTER16
GISELLE
“To family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!”
There are smiles and cheers all around the table after Gabriel’s toast. It was his idea to host a Friendsgiving with our neighbors, his friends from work, and Amelia from the Met. The table is laden with traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Gabriel and I didn’t have much to do because everyone agreed to bring a dish, and all we had to do was plate the food.
The ambiance of the place is one of joy and contentment. Amelia is obviously smitten with Gabriel, but unfortunately, he doesn’t even notice. He’s too interested in being the perfect host to our guests to see that she’s trying to get his attention. I don’t have the heart to tell her to stop wasting her time, because women have thrown themselves repeatedly at my brother and tried to get him to date them unsuccessfully. His resolve never to get involved again is ironclad, and no one has been able to change his mind about it.
I look around the table at the smiling faces as they dive into the sumptuous meal before them. My mind drifts to Miles. Is he thinking of me while he’s surrounded by his family? Probably not. Most likely, he’s thinking about his late wife and wishing she were there. It’s obvious he hasn’t gotten over her. Hastily, I push away thoughts of him to enjoy myself. Obsessing about Miles and wishing I were in the Hamptons with him is pointless. If he wanted me there, he would have asked me to come along.
The doorbell chiming above the low din at the table gets my attention, and I wonder who it could be. All the people we invited are here. Gabriel winces a little because clearly, he hasn’t envisaged anyone else joining us.
“I’ll get it.” I push back my chair and rise as the conversation continues. I stroke Maddie’s hair as I pass by the small table set for the kids.
My eyes widen when I see Pierre on the other side of the door. I’d completely forgotten about him. I stare at him and the bottle of wine he’s holding.
“Happy Thanksgiving, babe. You look amazing!” He steps inside and frowns when he sees the people at the table.
“I’m sorry, Pierre. I forgot to mention Gabriel and I are hosting and—”
“What’s he doing here?”
I grimace at the sound of Gabriel’s voice beside me. He and Pierre used to be casual friends, but they fell out when he broke my heart.
“Gabe, please,” I try to intervene hastily to defuse the tension between them.
The look my brother gives me would have been comical if the situation weren’t so tense. He glares at me as if I’ve lost my senses for contemplating spending such a special day with my cheating ex.
“Let’s be civil,” I quickly tell him.
“Gabe, I came all the way from Paris to apologize to her for the awful way I treated her,” Pierre inserts in a rueful tone.
“You think that’s enough? And do not call me Gabe!” my brother retorts hotly.
I hold Gabriel’s arm. “Gabe, please. Let’s not cause a scene. Today is a day for family and friends.”
Gabriel’s face contorts with a deep frown. “And he isn’t one of them.”
I wince. “I know, but I don’t want to ruin the cheerful mood. Maddie is watching us.”
Gabriel turns around to glance at our guests and his daughter before fixing a contemptuous look at Pierre. “Be thankful we have guests, or I would have thrown you out.”
Pierre chuckles. “It’s Thanksgiving, after all, so I’m grateful for your magnanimity.”
I roll my eyes and shut the door while Gabriel goes to make room for another place to be set at the table.
“I can’t believe you forgot about me,” Pierre says in a hurt tone immediately after he sits beside me.
“You could have sent me a message.”
“I wanted to give you some space, remember? I don’t want to suffocate you, Gigi. I know I messed up terribly, but I really want you to give me another chance.”
I stare at my plate laden with delicious food but lose my appetite with Pierre here, reminding me how men find it hard to commit to me.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that you would refuse me and most likely embarrass me in front of everyone here, I would have gladly gone on my knees right now to ask you to marry me with the ring in my pocket.”
My head makes a dramatic curve to stare at him with widened eyes. “What?”
