When none of us speak, she stops walking and spins around, clapping her hands on her hips. “Oh boy, not again. For heaven’s sake, we were just freed from the elevator only a few hours ago. Let me guess… someone left the toilet seat up again?” She snickers, circling back to Emilee and handing her a bottle of water.
“You’ll get used to it, Em,” she explains, dragging my daughter down the sweeping hallway. “There’s a gay crisis every weekend in this house. One time, Papi misplaced his pearl necklace and?—”
I cringe as the bedroom door slams shut.
Gabriel blushes and rubs the stubble on his chin. “I take all the blame for her foolishness.”
“You lost your pearl necklace?” Elijah quips.
“Misplaced,” Gabriel sputters. “And it was a long time ago.” He swings his eyes back to me and chuckles. “Leave it to my daughter to tell all of my?—”
He pauses, lips pulling tight, as he surely mistakes the awe in my face as discomfort. Now that we all know the truth about Ana being my biological daughter, he probably assumes I don’t want him referring to her as his daughter anymore. But that’s far from what I want, and definitely not what has me all choked up. It’s the interaction between thethreeof them that has me all up in my head, wanting to cry and laugh all at once. They’re freaking hilarious. I’m not even sure they realize it. The sheer joy and mutual affection they have for one another are so transparent. You’d have to be blind not to see it. They literally bounce right off each other. They’re a complete package—the perfect family—the whole enchilada. Ana may have my blood running through her veins, but everything else, and I meaneverything, comes solely from Elijah and Gabriel.
She belongs tothem.
I swallow down tears and clear my throat, placing my palms down on the island between us. “You were saying? Tell all of your…”
Stubbornly, Gabriel shakes his head. “Don’t do this, Alex. Just?—”
“We’re going to Emilee’s!” Ana announces, skipping back into the kitchen. “We forgot to pack shoes for the party this weekend,thanks to Papi.” She rolls those dazzling green eyes.
I look away.
“What did Papi do?” Elijah inquires, taking a bite of a powdered donut.
“Never mind,” Gabriel snickers, fingers sailing through his shoulder-length waves. “Come on, girls. I’ll take you back to school. Let’s skedaddle!”
“Who the heck says skedaddle?” Emilee pipes up.
Gabriel turns toward my daughter and grins, admiration in his eyes. “You sound like my daughter.”
Ana runs her hands over her neck. “Papi, pleeease. This is embarrassing. First,boogie,and nowskedaddle?Can you get any gayer?”
Exasperated, he drops his chin to his chest and blows out a breath; hair fluttering in front of his face.
“Anyway,” Ana turns toward Elijah. “Steven is waiting downstairs with the car.”
A slow smile crawls across Gabriel’s face as he walks over and kisses the top of her head. “Okay, sweetheart. Te quiero mucho.” He runs his palm lovingly up and down her spine.
I fold my arms across my chest, observing the interaction between the three of them. It all flows so naturally. They’re literally the perfect family.
“Te amo, Papi,” Ana replies, pressing her smile into her father’s cheeks. She blows a kiss to Elijah, who’s licking the powder from his lips, and he winks.
And then, she turns to me with an adorable grin. “Bye, Mr. J.”
“Alex, wait.”Gabriel grabs ahold of my elbow as I’m turning to follow Elijah to his office. “I’m just wondering… now that you have the missing link to the puzzle, what exactly does it form?”
I pull my arm out of his hold and shove my hands into my pockets. I’m not sure I have the energy for this conversation right now. This whole thing is exhausting. Meera, the puzzle, the letter, Ana, and, of course, Gabriel and his secrecy. It’s all too much. But they deserve to know too.
“It’s another puzzle piece,” I answer somberly.
“You’re kidding?” They both gasp simultaneously.
“Wish I was.”
“Oh, Alex,” Gabriel exhales, walking over and placing his hand around the back of my neck, massaging the muscle along my traps. It’s so unexpected and done in such a caring way, I can’t even complain about it. “It’s going to be alright. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at the puzzle piece? I don’t know… I just feel like we’re missing something. Of course, I could be wrong, but…”
But he also could be right. I get it. As much as it bothers me to admit it, Meera had been a part of his life too. In a big way. Just not one she chose to share with me. And obviously, he knew a different side of her than I did, which infuriates me to no end.
