"Just what?" Her tone softened.
"I don't want Mom to…" He couldn't say it—the word that meant she'd soon be gone. "I don't want Mom to have regrets." Tears stung his eyes. He still couldn't wrap his head around the horrible news they'd received today. "I don't want her to feel like she let us down somehow."
"Of course she didn't." Grace's voice grew husky. "She was the best mom ever. Especially under the circumstances."
"Yes, she was." Gabe's own words were fervent as he scraped the uneaten food from the plates into the garbage. He reminded himself to lower his voice. "But I think she's afraid that because her and dad's marriage failed, and she chose not to remarry, that we believe marriage isn't worth it."
Grace's brow creased as a puzzled look filled her face. "I don't think that. Do you think that?" When he shook his head, she asked. "Why wouldshethink that?"
"Because neither of us are married. I'm pushing thirty-one and you just turned twenty-seven. Most people are married by the time they hit their mid-twenties."
"Yeah, but many aren't." She gave him a look that said "duh" as shepulled plastic wrap from the drawer to cover the still half-full pan of enchiladas.
Gabe folded his arms and looked down at his feet as he recalled Mom's subtle hints over the years about seeing a therapist. "She thinks I have a fear of commitment."
"Well, do you?" Grace mimicked his posture. "I wouldn't blame you if you do after what Harper did to you."
"No, I don't." He scowled at her. "I just haven't found the right person."
Now that I think I have, she's off limits. I may never get a chance to see if she feels the same way.
Grace rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not sure you've been looking all that hard."
"I'm not the only one who hasn't been looking." He pinned her with a glare, daring her to argue.
It was Grace's turn to study her feet. "Mom has mentioned many times how much she looks forward to having grandkids. She often apologizes for being sick when I…you know."
Gabe nodded. He knew exactly what she referred to but didn't want to say out loud. They’d agreed many years ago not to talk about what happened to Grace when she was fifteen because it was a painful reminder of a dark and difficult time in their lives.
Marisol Rivera had a granddaughter that she'd only been able to hold briefly for a few minutes before the newborn infant was handed over to Social Services. And they hadn't seen her since.
"I think she worries I'll never get married because I have trust issues. Or that I'll always punish myself for the mistakes I made."
Gabe could have questioned Grace like she did him by asking if shehadtrust issues or if shewasstill punishing herself, but he didn't. That wasn't the point here. The point was they were going to lose their mom and neither of them were ready for that.
They were silent for a long moment; each lost in their own thoughts as they loaded their plates into the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen. Then Gabe broke the silence. "Did you see how dejectedshe looked when she realized she'd never get to meet our future spouses?"
"She says she has no regrets, but she does." Grace's words were quiet. Then her expression changed, and she pinned him with a glare. "It was still wrong of you to lie to her."
"I know." He let out a heavy sigh and shoved his fingers into his hair. "We don't know how much time we're going to have with her though, and I just want her to be happy and at peace."
"Me too, but making up a girlfriend? Seriously?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Did you really believe her 'thinking'you had a girlfriend would be enough to make her happy?” Grace made air quotes when she said thinking. “Of course, Mom wants to meet her." She propped a hand on her hip. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know." Gabe poured a glass of milk and took a long swig, trying to calm the acids having a heyday in his stomach. "Do you have any friends or coworkers who'd be willing to play the part of my fake girlfriend?"
Grace snorted. "Most of my female coworkers at the radiology lab are married or are considerably older than you. And I'm sure both Natasha and Miley would be all too eager to pretend to be your girlfriend, but mom knows them too well. She would have known if you were dating one of them. Besides, neither of them has blue eyes."
Gabe grimaced. Why did he have to be so specific in his description of his fake girlfriend?
"You really dug yourself a hole, Hermano." Grace patted his shoulder before turning to the sink and wetting a washcloth. "From the way you described this woman, it sounded like you had someone in mind. You almost had me convinced."
For a moment there, he'd almost had himself convinced Paige could be his girlfriend. That they had a future together. Too bad it was all a pack of big fat lies.
Not only was he losing his mom, but he might also miss his chance with the only woman to interest him in a long time because she was a patient.
CHAPTER 10
“Do you think I’m crazy for considering moving back to Providence?” Paige stared into her phone at her cousin Damon.
