“Mee-Ma!” I giggled. She was still cheeky at the ripe age of eighty-five.
She let out a hoarse laugh before making her way to a nearby server for a glass of prosecco and a flaky croissant that made my mouth water. I grabbed one from a nearby tray, thanking the server, and looking around the room. I took a bite, the buttery layers tasting heavenly as I took in everyone who had come to celebrate.
There was Erica, her husband, Marco, and their daughter, Josie, munching on desserts near the large window that overlooked the park. There was Sadie, her husband, Jeremiah, and their daughter, Ayah, playing peekaboo on the plush rug of the living room. Greg, Sandy, my mother, and father were laughing and sipping on cocktails near the bar. It seemed like they had hit it off, which made me smile to myself.
“Sparkling cider?” asked Chandler, as he stepped up beside me holding a champagne glass of bubbles.
“Thank you,” I said, standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “For everything.”
“Of course, babe,” he said, stroking my cheek with his thumb.
I leaned my head against his shoulder and saw Juliet greeting someone at the door. She looked nervous, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears and straightening her flowy, floral dress. I had never seen him before, so my curiosity was piqued. If she had brought him to an event like this, then things must be getting serious. I was surprised she hadn’t told me about him yet. I didn’t want to pressure her when she already seemed nervous, so I stayed put. We would talk later.
The rest of the baby shower was filled with silly games of the men chugging beer through baby bottles. Nathan won by a landslide, while Chandler looked ridiculous holding this tiny bottle in his big hands, trying to drink from it. Everyone had to guess how big my bump was by cutting a strand of ribbon. My mother came the closest, with Erica in a close second. We looked at baby photos of Chandler and me that he had worked with my mother and his mother to get copies of.
It was the baby shower of my dreams. Completely unexpected and perfect in every way. I hadn’t even thought about having one in the midst of my responsibilities of being co-CEO, moving in with Chandler, and Sandy and Greg’s wedding. It had completely slipped my mind. But it hadn’t slipped Chandler’s and I loved him for it.
Once everyone had gone home, Chandler and I fell into a heap on the couch, completely exhausted from such a special afternoon. We looked around the apartment, still covered in roses and littered with tissue paper and gift tags.
“It looks like the baby fairy threw up in here,” he said.
I laughed and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
“We can clean it up later…Right now, I have a better idea…”
“Oh?” asked Chandler, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
“Not that.” I laughed. As tired as I was, I stood from the couch and held out my hand. He looked up at me curiously, before placing his hand in mine.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“You’ll see.”
Chapter 58
Chandler
I could hardly keep up with Gabriella as she waddled to the elevator and hit the button for the parking garage. The excited look on her face had me wanting to ask so many questions, but I also didn’t want to spoil her fun. Whatever she was up to was big. I could tell by the way her hazel eyes danced to some unheard beat, wild and free.
“You have your car keys, right?” she asked.
I patted my pants pocket and heard the familiar jingle.
“Good.” She nodded as the elevator descended several stories, the red numbers ticking by quickly on the screen overhead.
When we stepped out into the parking garage, the valet attendant took off running to retrieve my car, as he always did. I appreciated his efforts, but it made me laugh, like there was some sort of fire he was on his way to put out. I assumed my callousness and coldness in the past had earned me the reputation of being feared. While I once loved that intimidation factor, I was regretting my previous behavior now.
Gabriella showed me that I didn’t need to be feared to be respected. She had shown me a lot of things. I reached for her hand now, giving it a grateful squeeze for helping me see the kind of man I want to be. It felt like I had gone through multiple transformations in the past several months, learning to be a better son, brother, boss, lover. It was funny how one person could make you want to be better.
My red sports car turned the corner and came to a stop at the curb. I stepped down, opening the passenger door for Gabriella as the attendant hopped out of the car. She shook her head, her brown hair swaying with the movement.
“I’m driving,” she said firmly.
I jerked my head back in surprise. She had never driven my car, and I had never let anyone drive it outside of this parking garage.
“What? Don’t pull that whole ‘women can’t drive’ thing,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. She looked so cute with her round belly and furrowed eyebrows. I knew there was no arguing. I put my hands up in surrender and climbed into the passenger seat for the first time ever. Gabriella smiled in victoryand rounded the car where the driver door was being held open by the attendant. She thanked him and slid inside, her bump skimming the steering wheel.
Once she adjusted the seat and mirrors, she gripped the steering wheel with her manicured hands and looked at me with a coy smile.
