Page 55 of It's Always Been You
I snort out a laugh. “Don’t I know it. Raising teenagers and running a company doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for, well, anything else.”
“Well, you’re not raising teenagers or running a company anymore, and we’ve got beer and, like, five different kinds of takeout, and the game starts in ten.”
I study the food choices spread out all over the table. “We should probably eat the fries and tacos first. They’re terrible cold and worse reheated.”
When Jordan looks at me, his grin is a mile wide. “Welcome to the family, California. I think you’ll fit in just fine.”
I can’t help grinning right back because…I really think so too.
The next knock on the door comes halfway into the game. We demolished all the takeout and cleared away all the containers. My coffee table is now a mess of empty bowls of ice cream, bags of chips, and, oddly, a couple boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch that Jeremy brought. He insisted I pour it over ice cream, and fuck, was he right. It was amazing.
I pad into the entryway to open the door. Standing on my front porch is a blonde woman who looks to be in her fifties and a little girl with red hair and freckles. The girl is dressed head-to-toe in pink and has what looks like a Harry Potter wand sticking out of her pants pocket.
“Uh, can I help you?”
“You must be Gabriel Sullivan,” the woman says with a sly grin on her face. “I’ve just been dying to meet you.”
“Me too!” says the little girl. “You made the Redwood. It’s so cool. I really want one.” She slides her gaze over to the woman who chuckles and says, “Keep dreaming.”
I have a split second to wonder if this is some kind of stranger danger thing before Ben’s amused voice comes from behind me. “Jesus Christ, Mom, you can’t just show up at someone’s house like this. It’s weird. I told you to text me. Hey, Mads,” he says, bending down and hugging the little girl, who I assume is Emma and Jeremy’s daughter, Maddy.
The woman scoffs. “I show up where I want to. And besides, he’s not a stranger. According to my sources, he’s the reason Molly hasn’t had a serious relationship in all the years I’ve known her. Hi,” she says, turning to me. “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself right away. I’m Rachel Parker, Ben and Julie’s mom, and you are definitely someone I need to know.”
I watch Ben scoop Maddy up and carry her into the house. Then I grin at Rachel, liking her immediately. “It’s really nice to meet you,” I say, putting my hand out.
“Put that hand away, Gabriel Sullivan. In this family, we hug, and I’m pretty sure you’re about to be our newest member.” She folds me into a hug that screamsmom. It makes me miss my mom so suddenly and so acutely that a strange bubble of emotion wells up in my throat.
Do not fucking cry all over this very nice woman who you want to like you.
I manage not to, just barely. But when she lets me go and cups my face in both of her hands, looking at me with a soft expression on her face, I get the strange feeling that if I had, my emotions would have been safe with her.
“You lost your parents, didn’t you?”
I just nod at her quiet question, still not trusting my voice.
“And you left your whole life in California to come here for Molly? All by yourself?”
“I did,” is all I manage.
“You love her.” It’s a statement, not a question, but I answer it anyway. I’ve known this woman for three minutes, and I already want to tell her my entire life story. I briefly wonder if she’s magic.
“I’ve always loved her.”
She studies me for a second before nodding, a wide smile spreading across her face.
“Well, Gabe, I think we’ve been waiting for you. You may have come here by yourself, but you’re not alone anymore. If you ever need anything, you come to me. Molly has been ours since Julie first brought her home when they met in law school. Looks like you’re ours now too. We’re happy to have you.”
“Thanks, Rachel,” I say, still trying to swallow down all that emotion and make sense of this whole encounter. The one word that keeps circling around in my head isbelonging. Aside from when I’m with my sisters, it’s been a while since I felt like I belonged somewhere. When I first saw Molly, I instantly knew Ibelonged with her, and it looks like maybe I belong with all these people too. I like the idea of it.
When Rachel and I come back into the living room, everyone else is still scattered around. I plop down on the couch in the empty seat next to Jeremy, who is now sitting with his daughter on his lap. The second I sit down, she taps me on the shoulder. She’s studying me when I turn to her.
“Are you Molly’s boyfriend?”
Jeremy snickers, and I smile at the earnest expression on her face. “I’m not, but I’d really like to be.”
She nods sagely, and it’s so fucking cute. “I think you should be. Molly’s the best. She’s my favorite person.”
“Uh, what about me?” Jeremy asks.
