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Adalynn ignores him. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asks Gemma, staring at her little sister like she's never seen her before.
"You know why," Gemma whispers sadly.
"Gemma."
"Please just go. We can talk about this later."
"When?"
"I don't know. Just later."
Adalynn hesitates, clearly reluctant to leave. It's obvious that she loves Gemma. It's equally as obvious that Gemma idolizes her older sister. But they aren't going to talk this one through in the middle of a restaurant. I think Adalynn realizes that because she sighs, her shoulders drooping.
"Please call me," she whispers, letting Razor lead her away.
Gemma waits until they're out of sight and then releases her death grip on my hand. She takes a breath, exhaling it slowly.
"Are you okay, beautiful?" I ask, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
"No," she whispers, pressing her face to my shoulder as hers begin to shake.
I don't wait for her to ask me to get her out of there. She doesn't have to ask. I grab my wallet, tossing a few bills onto the table, and then scoop her up into my arms. I carry her out with every damn eye in the restaurant following us the whole way.
Gemma cries herself outon the way back to my place. By the time we get there, her tears have run dry, and she's sitting quietly. I lift her into my arms, carrying her inside.
I head straight for the bedroom with her, letting her go only long enough to strip her naked. She doesn't make a sound. Not even when I have her bundled in the bed, my arms around her.
She simply clings to me, her head against my chest. I run my hands through her hair, waiting her out.
"I didn't want them to find out this way," she says an hour later. "When I told them about you, I wanted it to be something to celebrate. I didn't mean for it to be this. It feels like I was trying to hide you, and that's never what I wanted."
"Hey." I flip her over onto her back, rolling with her. "I'm not mad about it, Gemma. I know that's not what you were trying to do."
"I feel like I'm messing everything up, Bronx." Tears well in her eyes again. "I just want to be myself and have my own life and be in love. But I feel like I'm losing my family."
"You aren't losing them, Gemma. I saw the way your sister looked at you tonight. She isn't mad that you've been going to the club. She's sad that you felt like you couldn't share part of yourself with her."
"I wanted to share it," she whispers. "When I went to that stupid meeting yesterday, I planned to tell them. But then they started grilling me, and I didn't because I didn't want to remember telling them the best news of my life because they forced it out of me. I wanted it to be my choice." She sighs. "I should have just told them and then none of this would have happened."
"You're allowed to make the memories you want to make, Gemma. That's not wrong."
"It feels wrong."
"Well, it's not."
"Razor looked so mad."
"I'll handle Razor," I say firmly.
"Garrett's going to be even madder."
"Baby, stop." I place my fingers gently over her mouth. "I can handle your brother and your brothers-in-law. There's nothing they can say or do that's going to change a damn thing between us. All you need to worry about right now is yourself and resolving things with your sisters. You won't be happy until the five of you work through this."
"What if…" She swallows hard. "What if we can't, Bronx? What if they decide they don't like this me?"
"That will never happen," I say without hesitation. "I know this you, Gemma. I've spent every waking moment of the last four days falling more and more deeply in love with this you. They're going to love every single thing about this you."
She may not realize it yet, but this version of her has been there all along, peeking through the cracks. I don't think it's as different from the perfect little angel as she believes. Maybe this version is a little more grown and a little bit braver and a little bit uninhibited, but it's the same Gemma. She simply set herself free.
