“Not a boy. Man. Big and strong. Rich, too. Good job. Nice head of hair. You marry him and give me more grandbabies.”
Sputtering, Gia could not come up with a response.
“I am not going to marry Jake!”
“Why not? You got a boyfriend?”
“Well… no.”
“So, marry Jake. We like Jake.”
“Well, I don’t like Jake.” Gia rolled her eyes, realizing her mistake too late.
“Why don’t you like Jake? He was always your friend.”
Freezing, Gia tried not to panic. Of course, she couldn’t tell her parents what happened between them.
“He’s not who I thought he was.”
It’s the truth.
“Well. You two need to work things out and give me my grandbabies.”
“Mom! I am not going to give you grandbabies!”
“That’s not very nice, Gia Huy.”
Gia pushed off the doorjamb and stomped upstairs. The conversation was over, as far as she knew.
Why her mother seemed so persistent in pushing her and Jaketogether, she didn’t know. She’d never said anything of the sort when they were younger. In fact, she had always felt like Jake was off-limits since he was Thao’s best friend and, well,white.
Gia assumed her traditional parents would have wanted her to marry a young, successful Asian man, like all Asian parents dreamed of. Preferably a doctor, but lawyers were high on the list of acceptable professions as well.
So, at least Jake checked off one of those boxes.
Despite trying to read her new book, Gia could not stop inserting Jake’s stupid face as the hero in the book she was reading. Unfortunately, it was doing strange things to her libido that she did not want to acknowledge.
A while later, she was scrubbing the kitchen floors with an old sponge while wearing smelly gloves. According to Minh, she had a murderous gleam in her eyes.
A frustrating turn of events, since she had been trying purposefully to avoid Jake.
“Auntie, auntie! Play on slide!” At Tuy?t Mai’s pleading, Gia slowed to a stop on her swing. She had nearly forgotten where she was and who she was with for a blissful moment. The present returned with shocking clarity. With it came the painful memories of what had brought her back to her hometown.
Though it had never been far from her mind, she kept herself distracted enough to keep the memories at bay during the day. Nighttime was a different story. Thankfully, the uncomfortable mattress prevented her from falling too deep in her sleep, but often enough the nightmares still found her.
Waking up in her old bedroom was disorienting. The brief moments before she remembered where she was were always harrowing. The phantom fingers of her demons were still trying to drag her back under, back into their depths disguised as sleep and rest, while her consciousness fought to keep the demons at bay. Reminding her of where she was. Ofwhoshe was. And, most importantly, that she was safe.
Safe in Willowbrook.
Words she never thought she’d ever hear until the last couple of weeks, but the truth behind them was undeniable. The small, idyllic town surrounded by the towering peaks of Mount Luna felt magical. The mountains themselves formed a physical barrier from the outside world. Despite its majestic sights, Willowbrook rarely brought in many visitors or tourists. It seemed unfathomable that such a postcard-worthy town could go unnoticed by the rest of the world, as if there were some magical shroud keeping it hidden.
Gia could relax thanks to the safety provided by her family and the good people of Willowbrook. And yes, even Jake had a hand in making her feel safe, even going as far as walking her home the other night.
Okay, she could admit to herself it had been a sweet gesture. Gentlemanly. Romantic, even. If she had been interested, of course.
But she was definitelynot interested. Like, at all. Not one bit.
“Catch me if you can, Auntie!” An insistent hand tugged at hers, pulling her attention back to the present before taking off in the fenced-in backyard.
