Page 58 of Glass & Groundwork
“It was. It has been. But it’s been such a long time, I’ve had moments of doubt, hearing my parents’ voices in my head, telling me the glass thing wouldn’t amount to anything. Only, now… it’s just the beginning.”
“That’s right, Jasper. Just the beginning. There’s so much more to come.”
Ten dollars. It seemed ridiculous, considering the amount of money I would soon have in the bank. But it was mine, I earned it fairly, which made it a treasure, something I wanted to keep. “Here, Daddy, you need to hold onto this for me. I want to frame it.”
Before he could stop me, I was reaching into his pocket, to stuff it safely inside. The outfit I was wearing had been selected in the women’s department, which meant the pockets were a joke. With my hand in his pants pocket, I felt something else in there. Some kind of material.
“What is this?” Curiosity had me grab it and pull it out.
“Shit, wait!” Gio’s eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed that beautiful color. Now I was even more curious.
The piece of material was long, and when I had the whole thing out, I realized it was familiar. I cocked my head as I stared at it. Gio sighed and glanced away.
“Gio? What are you doing with this?”
It was my tie. I’d forgotten about it entirely. I’d been wearing it the last time I saw my parents.
“Shit. Sorry. I don’t know. I took it off of you that night. You looked so devastated and lost, and I didn’t know what to do with it, so I shoved it in my pocket. I didn’t intend to keep it, but I don’t know, I felt this pull to you, and it was something that was yours. I liked having it with me, it was like havingyouwith me. And… well… I put it in my pocket every day when I get dressed. It’s, uh, comforting.”
Gio’s face was beet red and I had never seen anything more adorable. I loved the way this calm, strong, caring man flushed so bright. He kept my tie. He kept my tie in his pocket. It was either creepy and alarming, or the most romantic thing I’d ever heard. I chose to go with the latter.
“Oh, Daddy, that is so fucking sweet.” I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
“You don’t mind?” He asked carefully.
With my mouth near his ear, I whispered. “I would give you a pair of my underwear to carry around if you asked me for it, even the ones I’m currently wearing.”
Gio tensed in my arms, and he sputtered. “No, no, that’s okay.”
When I pulled back, I folded the tie neatly, and slid it back into his pocket, grinning like a fool. “Keep it, Gio. You having it like this takes back the power it had. It was tainted, but you’ve transformed it. Besides, it’s nice to know that having something of mine gives you comfort.”
Relief seemed to pour out of him, as if he worried I would look at him differently. Well, I did, but it was only out of love. Out of knowing he’d chosen me before I had us jumping into marriage. I was reminded of that night. Of the turmoil I’d been in as I rested my head on his lap. I asked if he would marry me and he answered while he was falling asleep. He answered from his subconscious, like the concept was easy. The thought made my heart flutter around in my chest. I thought I’d pushed him into the marriage thing, but perhaps he was the one who’d been ahead of me.
That had been a rough day, one of the worst, but he’d been there to take care of me. Now, I was preparing for another rough day with my parents, probably the roughest yet with what I was going to announce, but I wouldn’t have to face it alone. I would have Gio, my husband, by my side the whole way. If it all goes to shit, then at least I knew he would be there to nurse me through it after.
Jasper
Monday morning came and we were up early, hoping to beat some of the traffic out to Orange County. Gio stared at his section of the closet, while I rifled through my side.
“What should I wear? I only have the one good suit, and that one I wore for our wedding, so it seems weird to wear it for brunch.”
Turning around I met his gaze, and cupped his face. “Wear what you want, Gio. I don’t want you to pretend to be anything other than who you are. Ilikewho you are.”
He quirked his mouth to the side and slid a glance to the casual suit jacket my hand stopped on. “I’d say the same for you, then. Today is about your freedom, so don’t let them box you into something you’re not.”
I first began wearing retro styles to irritate them, but I was planning to go for a more formal approach today like I had the last time. Gio was right, though. I was done trying to please them. Giving him a peck on the cheek, I turned back to my side of the closet, and decided to wear something that was me. Picking out my favorite pair of bell bottom jeans with patchwork flowers that climbed the side, and my favorite purple fur jacket, I smiled. They would hate it, and I didn’t care.
Gio ended up selecting a plaid button-up shirt in hues of brown and tan, and wore them with jeans, looking every bit the farmer he was. It was perfect.Almost.“Oh! I found something for you.”
Running to the bag I’d brought home from Heartcraft, I brought out a small package, and handed it to him. After selling all of my figurines at the market, I couldn’t resist using some of my new earnings on something for my husband.
Gio’s brows pinched as he took the package and opened it carefully. He let out a laugh when he saw the little crocheted bee attached to a pin. “What is this for?”
I took the pin from him and fixed it to the collar of his shirt. “I told you, you needmorebees in your wardrobe.”
Gio looked in the mirror and grinned. The amigurumi bee was made by Collin from Hooked on You at Heartcraft. He was this big, burly guy who looked like he could tear someone in half. He was a total softie, though, having started the crochet business with his grandma. Softie or no, I couldn’t figure out how someone so big could do such small, intricate work. But then, I’d seen it in the glass world, too. Sometimes, the biggest guys had the gentlest touch.
“I love it, thank you.” Gio gave it a gentle pat before raking his eyes over me. “Damn, Jasper, you are so beautiful. Never stop being you.”
