“I’ll come with and navigate,” Katie said.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“I’m not missing this for the world.”
I followed the women out to my sister’s car, and they helped me inside.
Waverly
IT TOOK ME a little longer than I would have liked to get myself under control, and when I called Gio back, he didn’t answer. I tried twice more, and nothing.
This brought on a whole new batch of tears, realizing that he’d probably decided he didn’t want to talk to me after all and we were done. This was probably why, when my doorbell rang, I was too overwrought to check my camera and just pulled open the door instead.
“Hey,” Gio said, and I nearly crumpled in front of him. “Jesus, baby, you’re still crying?”
“No, these are new tears,” I admitted as hehobbled in, closing the door behind him.
“Okay, come here,” he said, holding his good arm out to me.
“Can you stand without the walker?” I asked.
“I’m gonna try.”
I slid my arms around his waist, and he engulfed me as he wrapped his around me. I wasn’t sure who was holding who up as I sobbed into his chest. “I thought you weren’t answering my call because you weren’t going to let me apologize.”
“No, I was going for a dramatic entrance,” he said.
“Well, you did that.”
“I’m sorry I made you cry.”
“I deserved it.”
“Ah, no, you did not,” he growled.
“I’ve kind of been a bitch, so, yes, I did.”
“Take it back.”
“Take what back?”
He gave me a squeeze. “Never call yourself a bitch again.”
“Well, I’ve been unfair in my treatment of you, and I’m sorry.”
“After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable.”
“Maybe. But once I got to know you, I should have given you more grace.”
“That can be said about a lot of situations,” he said, raising my chin. “I should have told you the truth at the beginning.”
I sniffed. “Can we start fresh?”
“Yeah, baby, we can start fresh.”
“Can you stay for a little while? Ask Katie to come back?”
“My sister actually drove me.”
