Page 57 of Glass & Groundwork
Marley’s eyes rounded and he placed a hand in front of his mouth, as he drew in a sharp breath. “OMG, is there going to be a baby in the Russo-Maldonado house?”
A year ago, or even a couple of months ago, I never would have considered having kids. Not with how things had been growing up. Being a part of Gio’s family and getting to see what it waslike when love was woven into the fabric, it made me see things differently. I was coming in later in their story, and while I loved the relationships I was developing with each of the kids, I felt like I missed out on a lot of time, too.
A wistful smile stretched my lips. “It’s too soon to talk about it, but… I’m not ruling it out.”
Marley made the action of zipping his lips. “I know nothing, but I am fully on board, and ready for uncle duty if the day comes.”
I grinned and gave him a hug.Uncle.As an only child, it was a concept I didn’t think about if or when I ever had kids. But my kids would have an uncle, uncles, hell, they would have a whole slew of people. Gio was right. All this time I felt so alone, I had a family that was so much bigger than I knew.
Gio returned and Marley gave me a wink, dismissing himself. As he walked away, I couldn’t stop thinking about him being Uncle Marley.
“How’s Theo?” I asked, trying to steer my attention away from the fantasy that could easily take flight if I let it. I bet Gio would look so good with a baby in his arms, though.
“He’s quiet, as always,” Gio said with a smile.
From what I knew, Theo had been pretty reclusive and he wasn’t a big talker, but his partner seemed to open him up a little. His partner was the incredible Onyx, a viral popstar, who I had totally been crushing on. Their style, their voice, God, they were stunning. Of course, that was before I knew they were with Theo, not just with, but now engaged. They seemed an odd pair, but now that I’d found Gio, I understood how someone so opposite from you could be exactly what you needed.
“What did you need to talk to him about?”
Gio’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “It’s a surprise.”
“For me?”
He shrugged. “You’ll just have to wait to find out.”
I squinted my eyes at him with mock upset. “You’re so mean, Daddy.”
“I stand by it,” he said, pursing his lips to fight a smile.
I pushed up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Gio grabbed my waist and pulled me tighter, deepening the kiss. He was always so reactive, like each kiss was the first one. Well, the second one. Not the one where he’d frozen in place when my lips first brushed against his in the courthouse bathroom. The second one—whew—completely different story, and the third, and each one since. Fuck, I hoped he never lost his hunger and desperation with kissing, like he could make up for all the years he went without.
Eventually, he let me go, and we took our places in the booth, ready for the market to open. Between customers, my gaze would float over to him, watching him with wonder. This man with silver and black hair and sexy glasses was mine. Legally, romantically, every which way. I licked him, he’s mine.
A woman was looking through Gio’s booth when she stopped in front of the upside-down crate that held my figurines. “Oh my goodness, are these glass?”
“Yes,” Gio piped up before I could answer. “Handmade by my husband. This is Jasper. He’s getting ready to open his glasswork studio. You can expect to see him with his own booth here in the near future.”
The tone of pride in his voice made my heart soar. I’d never been introduced in such a way by my parents. I had always been this disappointment to them that they begrudgingly had to claim. Not Gio. He happily announced me as his husband, and every word bled with his belief in me. I squeezed his thigh with appreciation before reaching out to shake the woman’s hand.
“Do you do custom orders? I’ve been looking for a new chandelier, something whimsical, not sterile like the ones you find in the stores.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, letting more excitement come through than I meant to. Forcing myself to tone it down, I said, “Yes. I’ll be happy to do custom orders once my shop is up, which should be within the month.”
I looked around for something to write on. Shit, I needed business cards. Gio, reading my mind, silently handed me one of his. I turned it over and wrote on the back.
“Here’s my contact information. If you want to shoot me an email, I’d be happy to send you my portfolio so you can see some examples of what I’ve done, and you can give me an idea of what you’re looking for. I know I can make something special and unique that will be a conversation piece in your home.”
The woman smiled. “Thank you. I’m really excited to have found a local glass person, I’ve been looking for a long time. Oh, and these bees are too precious, I have to get one.”
“Absolutely,” I said, lighting up from inside. The ten dollars she handed me might as well have been gold bouillon for how valuable it felt.
After wrapping the bee in paper to protect it, and putting it in one of Gio’s honeycomb-patterned bags, the woman thanked me, and put my card in her bag. When she was far enough away, I held the bill in front of Gio whose brown eyes gleamed with pride.
“Your first sale.”
“My first fucking sale. Someone actually paid for something I made with my hands.”
Gio reached up and tugged one of my curls. “Of course, they did. You knew they would, that was your plan all along.”
