Coming Home to Love (Lakeside Porch Series Book 2) (32 page)

Joel turned sideways on the bench to see her face. She was biting her lower lip. “That’s all he’s offering?” Joel prompted.

Gianessa breathed out a laugh and shook her head. “I don’t know if it’s a grand gesture or buying me off or what, but he’s offering me a million dollars a year for life, no conditions.”

Joel laughed from his belly.

She was shocked by his response.

He held up a hand. “Sorry.” When he’d sobered, he said, “I cannot believe what he comes up with sometimes.” He shook his head, and another laugh escaped.

Gianessa pressed her fingers to her forehead and chuckled. The chuckle turned to a laugh. They laughed together until tears came to their eyes.

“Seriously, he offered you a million a year?”

“Seriously.”

“Now that you’ve had a good laugh, what do you think it means?”

“I think everything about the child support probably came from the lawyer, but the personal money, I don’t know. It might have come from That Woman Sydney in New York, the one he talks to about the college. But no matter. Joel, I don’t know how to proceed. I’d really like some support while I figure out the career thing. I can’t be involved with Manda’s holistic rehab if Justin is backing it. But this is over the top.”

“You think?” Joel snorted.

“Okay, Justin’s over the top, we know that. I don’t want to take it, Joel, but I don’t want to use the baby’s money to make ends meet. I’ll be okay for a year, given the proceeds from the sale of the necklace, but I’d really like your take before I decide how to respond.”

Joel contemplated her face for a moment then gave her an honest answer. “I agree the million would never have come from a lawyer, particularly since you made a very specific request for support for a finite number of years. I believe it’s several things.” He raised one finger with each explanation. “It’s a grand gesture, a test, and a statement that he holds you in the highest regard.”

“You’re right, it does feel like a test. But a test of what?”

“Well, first, when I said ‘grand gesture,’ what did you think I meant?”

“I thought he wanted me to take the money and go away like a good girl and not bother him again.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“If you were divorcing each other, that would be the lawyer’s idea. Pay the lady off and be done with it. Since it wasn’t the lawyer’s idea, it’s Justin being over the top, making a grand gesture.”

“I see now. And that’s all you think it is?”

“No, it’s a test, too.”

“Of what?”

“What do you think?”

“I— Maybe if I take the money, he’ll believe I was only interested in his money all along.”

Joel squeezed her hand. “No, that’s not it at all. He got the message a long time ago that you don’t operate that way.”

“Hmm, so what’s the test?”

Joel grinned. “He’s baiting you. He wants you to ask him what he’s up to.”

That sparked her anger. She jumped from the bench and put her hands on her hips. “Well, that stinker. Of course you’re right.”

Joel laughed and tugged on her arm.

She plunked down next to him.

“And I mentioned a third part. Remember?”

“You said it means he holds me in the highest regard. Does he?”

“Yes, he does. He loves you, and you’re the mother of his child. If you take the money, he’ll know you’re protected for the rest of your life, and that’s very important to him. If that’s the best you’ll let him do for you, he can go forward without worrying about you.”

Gianessa’s gaze was probing. After a full minute, she seemed satisfied he was being completely honest with her. “Why couldn’t I see that, Joel?”

Joel pressed her hand. “You’re still pretty angry. That can blind you. And remember, I’ve known him all my life. I mostly get him.”

“I just thought of something.”

“What?”

“Suppose my baby is just like him?”

“Could happen. But Justin didn’t have a reliable, spiritually fit mom. You’ll do fine, and so will your baby.” He drew her into a hug. “Decided what you’re you going to do?”

“I’ll definitely take the baby money.” She drew back and winked at him. “But not yet.”

“Why the delay?”

“It’s a test. If he wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me.”

“He’ll want to talk to you, bet on it.”
And he’s going to flip for the haircut
.

Chapter 14

“How have you been feeling?” Dr. Bowes asked Gianessa after the ultrasound.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” the doctor assured her. She placed a hand on Gianessa’s arm. “That’s a standard question five months into a pregnancy.”

“Is it?” Gianessa asked nervously.

“It is. Your pregnancy is becoming obvious now. Any day now, the babies will start kicking. They’ll keep you busy.”

Gianessa nodded. “Manda and Lyssa both guessed I was pregnant at Manda’s wedding, over a week ago.”

The doctor reminded her, “I do need to know how you’ve been feeling lately.”

“Tired.”

“You’re pale, probably anemic. The blood tests will tell us more. Are you able to work?”

“I’m functioning. Joel is taking it easy with his therapy after the strain of the wedding. I’m doing more massages at the spa. I’m concerned about what comes next professionally.”

“Did you enjoy the wedding?” the doctor asked cheerfully.

“Manda was a gorgeous bride. Her gown was stunning. It reminded me of our shopping trip to New York City for the gown. That’s when Justin and I made this baby. Manda flew back early, and Justin and I stayed another two days and screwed our brains out.”

“Sounds like fun.” The doctor laughed.

“Actually, it was,” Gianessa admitted.

“But you don’t see yourselves getting together for the sake of these babies?”

Gianessa shook her head sadly. “I don’t see that happening.” Belatedly, she heard the plural in the doctor’s question and raised her eyes.

Dr. Bowes smiled broadly.

Gianessa sank back on the exam table. She placed both hands on her belly.

“You’re having twins,” Dr. Bowes said. She patted Gianessa’s belly. “We have a boy and a girl in here. I was fairly sure when we did the amnio, but I wanted to see how things developed before I sprung it on you. And when I say ‘how things developed,’ I didn’t just mean the babies’ development. I meant your relationship with the father.”

“I can’t,” Gianessa said plaintively. “I can’t do this alone.”

“I agree, Gianessa. Having financial support is important, but raising twins as a single mom is daunting, particularly when you’re not established in a workplace with childcare and health benefits and don’t have family you can call on. It’s foolish for you to let your pride stand in the way of your happiness and the babies’ welfare.”

“Oh, dear god, what am I going to do?”

“I suggest giving yourself sixty seconds to finish moaning. Then get up, get dressed, and call the babies’ father for a serious talk. Meet him and show him the stills from the ultrasound that we’re sending home with you. See what happens when you and he both fall in love with them.”

Gianessa heard the wisdom in her doctor’s words. She thought about her pop trying to raise her alone and calling Ariella to come all the way from Italy to help. She thought about Lyssa telling her to forgive the man who loved her with all his heart. She thought about Justin asking for the same. She thought about Joel explaining why Justin offered her the million.
Ohmigod, he is too much sometimes
.

Joel believed in Justin’s recovery. Maybe she needed to do the same. For the babies. So they would have their daddy, too. Could she and Justin really make a happy marriage and raise a healthy family together? One day at a time, with both of them in recovery.

“Yes.” She sat up, let her head adjust to being upright, swung her legs over the side of the exam table, and nodded decisively. “I will do this.” Still, she couldn’t launch herself from the table.

The doctor added, “Gianessa, it may help to know he has called here several times checking on you and the pregnancy. Of course, we’ve refused to give out information about you because of the privacy laws. He’s forceful, as you know, and he’s looking for a way to be part of this pregnancy.”

“I didn’t know.” Gianessa sensed a softening inside of her.

“We didn’t tell you, because you were dealing with enough stress as it was. We hoped the two of you would talk to each other, without our interference. And now the time has come.” Dr. Bowes reached out a hand and helped Gianessa down from the table.

She steadied her and directed, “Get dressed, use the conference room at the end of the hall and make your call while you’re here with us. We’ll talk after to make sure you can get home safely.”

Justin answered on the first ring. “Are you all right?” he asked. He must have seen her cell number in his caller-ID window. She could tell he was at work. Voices surrounded him, debating, arguing.

She breathed out. “Yes, I’m all right, but I need to see you. I need to talk to you.” She heard a door close, and there was quiet. “Are you there?”

“I’ve just left a meeting. Where are you? I’ll meet you or pick you up.”

She exhaled in relief and then drew in a big breath. “I want to make a pizza with you for supper,” she said. Suddenly her plan sounded so silly. She kept her voice light. “Can we do that together?”

“Gluten-free pizza?” he asked with a laugh, his voice skeptical.

“Yes, of course. It will be delicious. You’ll see. What toppings do you like? I’m stopping at the store on the way home.”

“From where?”

“The doctor’s office.”

“You’re in Clifton Springs?”

“I am.”

“You can drive all right?”

She took a steadying breath. He was caring, not criticizing, she decided. “Yes. Yes, I’m okay to swing by the store and come to your place. About an hour?”

“Call me when you get to Lakeside Terrace, and I’ll come down to help you.”

“Thank you,” she said, touched. She reminded him, “Toppings?”

“Whatever you like, sweetheart. I don’t care.”

“Please care. It matters what you want.”

She heard him turn the impatience into indulgence. “Mushrooms. Some kind of cheese. Maybe two kind of mushrooms and two kinds of cheese. Spinach or something green. You decide. I’m too befuddled right now,” he confessed. “You’ll be careful driving?”

“I will. I promise.”
Where did that come from?
She laughed at herself with disbelief.

“And call me when you arrive.”

“I will.” She ended the call and sat still for a moment. She liked it that he sounded excited. She liked hearing his concern for her, for them.
Does he know it’s twins?
She checked her watch. Just enough time to swing by the Canandaigua Wegmans. She’d get a packaged gluten-free crust this time. Next time she’d plan ahead, get some buckwheat flour and learn to make crust herself.

“Next time,” she said out loud. “Please, God, let there be a next time. Don’t let me mess this up. You know I’m terrified.”

A tap sounded at the door. Dr. Bowes entered. “Sounds like it went well?”

Gianessa nodded.

“Vitamins with iron,” the doctor told her, holding out a giant bottle of organic capsules. “They are gluten free,” she said in anticipation of the question. “And the first photos of your twins.” She held out an envelope with the images. “Wait and open them with the father. Have you been eating well?”

“Yes, out of discipline.”

“Good. Keep it up. Watch the sodium with that pizza,” she said with a wink.

Gianessa laughed. “This was supposed to be a private conference room.”

“I never said it was private.” Dr. Bowes gave her a hug. “We’re all concerned about you, Gianessa. You call us anytime, even if you have the silliest question or the tiniest twinge. We’re in your corner, and we want your man to be there with us.”

“I do, too,” she said. “We need to make this work.”

“Then you will. Believe it,” the doctor said decisively.

“That’s usually my line.”

“I know. I borrowed it. You need to start applying it to your own life.”

Why was it harder to call from the street outside 14 Lakeside Terrace than from the doctor’s office? Gianessa sat for a moment looking out at Chestnut Lake, thinking about the last time they climbed up to the birches on the Cushman property. She wanted to channel the love and promise of that moment, to make it work for them all—her babies, their daddy, Justin, and all of them as a family.

She pressed his speed dial and waited. After two rings, she began to worry. Someone opened her car door, and she whirled around in fear. “Oh, my god, I’m sorry, I was frightened,” she said and let Justin draw her out of the car into his arms.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” he murmured and held her close.

Gianessa rested in his arms and felt how right it was, how well they fit together with two babies between them.

“How is the baby?” he searched her face.

He doesn’t know
. “That’s what I need to talk about.”

Fear filled his face.

She touched his lips with caring fingers. “No, don’t worry. Let’s get these things upstairs and have some privacy.”

But his hands were already tangled in her shorter hair, and his mouth was on hers. She lost herself in the kiss, hungry for him.

“God help us,” she said when his lips moved to her neck and one hand caressed her belly.

A movement caught her eye, a neighbor coming from the parking area, trying to slip by unseen on the way to his own Lakeside Terrace apartment.

“We have an audience,” she said to Justin. “Can you help me with the bags? I forgot about salad.”

“Not to worry. Can you manage the stairs okay, or do you need a hand?” He smiled into her eyes. “Or a carry?”

She laughed. “I’m doing well with stairs. Thanks for taking the groceries.”

Comfortable in her favorite kitchen, she took ingredients out of the bags and assembled them on the island. Justin rummaged in the cabinet next to the oven. “Doesn’t a pizza need a flat, round pan of some kind?” he said, puzzled.

“Yes, or a stone.”

He glanced up from his crouch. “A stone?”

“A thick, flat stone.” She squatted next to him. “I’m serious,” she said when his eyes crinkled in a grin. “Do we have anything like that?” She peered into the next cabinet. “Maybe Joel doesn’t do pizza.”

“That would be my bet. We’ll improvise.”

“Exactly.” She felt his hand at her back as she reached for a jellyroll pan standing behind everything else. She got a hand on it and slowly maneuvered it over the top and out. “This will have to do.”

He stood, and she passed it to him. He placed it on the island and reached a hand down to her. “Thank you.”

Justin held her close. “I need to say that I love you, Gianessa. You are precious to me, and I want to make pizza with you every night of our lives if that will make you happy.”

She laughed and put her arms around his neck.

“Let’s see how this one goes for us.” She planted a kiss on his cheek and told him, “I love you, too.”

“There’s no tomato sauce,” he said, as he surveyed the ingredients on the counter.

We’re all over the place
. “I’m not a fan of tomato sauce on pizza. I might use fresh tomatoes, but not sauce. Northern Italian cooking does not use marinara the way most Italian restaurants in this country do.” She held up her hands. “Not that you wanted a cooking lesson. I’m a little nervous here.”

Justin looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “This is our crust?” He held up the packaged crust. “In this package?” She let out a laugh when he sputtered “package.”

“Aren’t packaged foods loaded with sodium? What are you, a pregnant woman, doing with a packaged crust?”

Her hand was on her belly as she laughed away her tension. “Hush. I had to start somewhere, and I didn’t have the time or the presence of mind to make crust from scratch tonight. So I’m . . .”

“Compromising?” He drew out the word and raised his eyebrows. “Say it, Gianessa. Compromising.”

She swatted his arm playfully. “I’m compromising my very high standards in the interest of getting food on the table. Come on. Help me out. We need olive oil and garlic.”

“Coming up.” He produced a gallon can of the finest olive oil along with a decorative stopper bottle half full of olive oil. “Your choice,” he said.

She took the bottle.

“And do you want the garlic as a paste or pressed or chopped?”

“Someone’s been practicing. Let’s have it chopped, but not too much for me.”

“How about your half and my half, because I’d like lots of garlic tonight?” He looked at her. “Unless you mind?”

She shook her head with a happy smile and finished preparing the crust with a thin layer of oil. While Justin attacked the clove of garlic, she set the oven temperature, opened the packages of cheese and took the mushrooms to the sink. They worked in silence for a few minutes.

We have our rhythm back
. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Justin switched on the radio to a jazz station and turned the volume low. After opening the door to the balcony a crack to let in some fresh air, he coated the sauté pan with oil and started slicing mushrooms. “How’s my technique?” he asked her.

She stopped to give him a sexy once-over and then pretended to study what he was doing with the mushrooms. “You’re doing very well,” she approved.

Justin tossed the mushrooms into the sauté pan. “How does one slice a portabella?” he asked.

“Thin strips.” She opened the spice drawer. “Pepper, oregano, and what else?”

“That will do it for me.” He distributed the garlic and mushrooms on the crust, then placed the rounds of mozzarella Gianessa handed him. “Is that fresh asiago?” He pointed to a dish with grated cheese.