Page 170 of Mr. Infuriating

“He calls Gabe ‘Bandit’. You met Gabe. He dropped off my cabinets with his brother when you brought Jake home. Brittany and Brayden are his kids.”

“And why is Gabe making pancakes for my grandson?”

“Well… it’s a long story.”

~~

I spilled my guts to my mom, leaving out the more salacious details, but she got the gist of my dilemma.

“Does it have to be temporary? I mean, it sounds like he’s a great guy and you’re compatible…”

“It does if you want any more grandchildren. I don’t think Andrew and Carrie are going to come through for you, and Gabe doesn’t want more kids.”

“I’m still holding out hope for your brother and sister. Have you talked about it with him recently? It sounds like he came around with Jake. Maybe he’s changed his mind about a baby.”

“I mean, I haven’t come out and directly asked him, but we have talked about how the kids are going to react when things between us end. I think if he’d changed his mind, he’d have said something.”

“Perhaps, but love can be hard to navigate. You might have to put yourself out there and ask him, honey. Let yourself be vulnerable.”

“That didn’t work out so well for me last time.”

“No, but he doesn’t sound anything like Troy. Take a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He could tell me he’s not interested and break my heart.”

“It sounds like your heart’s going to be broken either way. At least if you talk to him and tell him how you feel, you’ll know you tried.”

“Maybe you’re right…”

She raised her eyebrows. “Maybe?”

That made me laugh. “Okay, probably.” Then my expression grew grim when I thought about putting myself out there to be rejected.

“I think I’d need him to say something before I’d be willing to risk it.”

“Love is risky, honey. But when you find the right one, it makes it all worthwhile. The question you have to ask yourself is,is he the right one?”

My heart already knew the answer.

Chapter Seventy-Two

Gabe

I couldn’t help my smile when I saw Gretchen and Jake come through my front door.

I think a tiny part of me had worried she wouldn’t come back. I’m not sure what I would have done had she decided to stay at her parents until she could move back into her house. Fortunately, I didn’t have to find out.

“Bit-nee!” Jake squealed as he ran toward her.

She reached down and picked him up and walked him into the family room. “Hey! Did you have fun at your grandma and grandpa’s?”

He nodded his head. “Dodo and mamo!”

Brittany looked at Gretchen with a quizzical brow.

“We call my parents,daideóandmamó.The Irish version of grandma and grandpa.”

“That’s what my friend Adam calls his grandparents,” Brayden offered from where he sat on the couch with an open textbook.

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