Read Online Baggage & Buttons by C. J. Fallowfield - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C. J. Fallowfield
Ads: Link
asked and he shook
his head.
‘I’ve already stayed longer than I should, I just hope
there’s no traffic on the way to the airport and that Riley’s in the mood to go
over 50 on the motorway this evening.’
‘Dad’s rather cautious driver,’ clarified Gabe as he
looked at my confused face. ‘I’ll go and take your bags out for you and say
hello.’
I started clearing up the plates and Robert stood to
help me.
‘Mia can I ask you something that I probably have no
right asking?’
‘Please do, though if you don’t think you should be
asking me the question, I’m not sure if it will be appropriate for me to
respond,’ I said, surprising myself at my bravery. Robert had that same air of
authority that my dad did, so when he wasn’t laughing and joking, he came
across quite intimidating, which sent me straight into automatic defensive
mode.
‘Mia I love my son more than anything. He’s been
through a lot and his bringing you here tells me that he’s very serious about
you. He’s never formed an attachment like this to anyone before. Do you love
him?’ he asked, fixing me with an intense stare. I gasped taken aback.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m really not comfortable answering
you Robert, it’s not even something I’ve talked about with Gabe, or my own best
friend.’
‘I realise I’m putting you on the spot Mia and for
that I apologise, maybe it’s too soon to expect you to have vocalised your
feelings for him, so let me put it a different way. Is this just a good time,
or do you really care for him? I don’t want to see him get hurt again. It took
him a long time to get over losing his mother.’
I looked at Robert surprised yet again. He thought
Gabe was over her? Then I remembered the conversation with Gabe in my bath.
He’d said he’d never even told his dad about the events leading to his mum’s
accident. I suddenly felt sick for him, had he really gone through his childhood
and teens not being able to share his guilt and pain with anyone?
‘Robert I can tell you that I’m not just in it for a
good time, I really care for him. At this stage I can’t imagine wanting to end
it, but if I ever did I’d try and spare him any more pain than was necessary. I
can assure you that I’ll never cheat on him, lie to him, or leave him with no
reasonable explanation and that’s the best answer that I can give you right now.
I hope that it’s enough to put your mind at rest.’
‘Thank you for being so honest and eloquent with me
Mia. I can see why Gabriel’s so taken with you. I’ll look forward to seeing you
again, sometime soon I hope.’
‘I’d like that too, thank you for your hospitality and
I hope your trip goes well. Once again, I’m so sorry for the doorstep
incident.’
‘Seeing that smile you’ve put on his face since he
meet you Mia, it’s enough to make me forget anything else.’ He surprised me by
leaning over and kissing me on the cheek, before striding out of the kitchen.
I carried on clearing up the dinner plates. Wow, that
was the first parent of a boyfriend I’d ever met, and to have done it under
such circumstances wasn’t ideal, but I liked him and it was nice to hear about
Gabe’s childhood, given he hardly ever gave anything away about it himself. I
heard Gabe’s footsteps on the tiles as he returned to the kitchen and I ran to
him and threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I just wanted to hug you,’ I whispered as I clung to
him and he put his arms around me.
‘Something’s wrong, I can sense it, what’s the
matter?’
‘You really never talked to anyone about what happened
with your mum?’ I felt him immediately tense up and he shrugged off my hold on
him.
‘O my god Mia, what have you said to him? I talked to
you in confidence.’ He stepped back from me and put a hand over his mouth,
looking at me with sheer panic and terror on his face.
‘Nothing, I promise Gabe. Your dad implied that
his head.
‘I’ve already stayed longer than I should, I just hope
there’s no traffic on the way to the airport and that Riley’s in the mood to go
over 50 on the motorway this evening.’
‘Dad’s rather cautious driver,’ clarified Gabe as he
looked at my confused face. ‘I’ll go and take your bags out for you and say
hello.’
I started clearing up the plates and Robert stood to
help me.
‘Mia can I ask you something that I probably have no
right asking?’
‘Please do, though if you don’t think you should be
asking me the question, I’m not sure if it will be appropriate for me to
respond,’ I said, surprising myself at my bravery. Robert had that same air of
authority that my dad did, so when he wasn’t laughing and joking, he came
across quite intimidating, which sent me straight into automatic defensive
mode.
‘Mia I love my son more than anything. He’s been
through a lot and his bringing you here tells me that he’s very serious about
you. He’s never formed an attachment like this to anyone before. Do you love
him?’ he asked, fixing me with an intense stare. I gasped taken aback.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m really not comfortable answering
you Robert, it’s not even something I’ve talked about with Gabe, or my own best
friend.’
‘I realise I’m putting you on the spot Mia and for
that I apologise, maybe it’s too soon to expect you to have vocalised your
feelings for him, so let me put it a different way. Is this just a good time,
or do you really care for him? I don’t want to see him get hurt again. It took
him a long time to get over losing his mother.’
I looked at Robert surprised yet again. He thought
Gabe was over her? Then I remembered the conversation with Gabe in my bath.
He’d said he’d never even told his dad about the events leading to his mum’s
accident. I suddenly felt sick for him, had he really gone through his childhood
and teens not being able to share his guilt and pain with anyone?
‘Robert I can tell you that I’m not just in it for a
good time, I really care for him. At this stage I can’t imagine wanting to end
it, but if I ever did I’d try and spare him any more pain than was necessary. I
can assure you that I’ll never cheat on him, lie to him, or leave him with no
reasonable explanation and that’s the best answer that I can give you right now.
I hope that it’s enough to put your mind at rest.’
‘Thank you for being so honest and eloquent with me
Mia. I can see why Gabriel’s so taken with you. I’ll look forward to seeing you
again, sometime soon I hope.’
‘I’d like that too, thank you for your hospitality and
I hope your trip goes well. Once again, I’m so sorry for the doorstep
incident.’
‘Seeing that smile you’ve put on his face since he
meet you Mia, it’s enough to make me forget anything else.’ He surprised me by
leaning over and kissing me on the cheek, before striding out of the kitchen.
I carried on clearing up the dinner plates. Wow, that
was the first parent of a boyfriend I’d ever met, and to have done it under
such circumstances wasn’t ideal, but I liked him and it was nice to hear about
Gabe’s childhood, given he hardly ever gave anything away about it himself. I
heard Gabe’s footsteps on the tiles as he returned to the kitchen and I ran to
him and threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I just wanted to hug you,’ I whispered as I clung to
him and he put his arms around me.
‘Something’s wrong, I can sense it, what’s the
matter?’
‘You really never talked to anyone about what happened
with your mum?’ I felt him immediately tense up and he shrugged off my hold on
him.
‘O my god Mia, what have you said to him? I talked to
you in confidence.’ He stepped back from me and put a hand over his mouth,
looking at me with sheer panic and terror on his face.
‘Nothing, I promise Gabe. Your dad implied that
Similar Books
