Page 98 of Yours To Take
ChapterTwenty-Five
GEMMA
“Thanks again for covering.”
“No sweat.”
I hand over the iPad filled with the new arriving guests and walk over to the bar. Ducking under the counter, I grab a bottle of wine and head to Gramps’s house.
My feet carry me along the well-known path. It’s not until I’m passing Blake’s cabin that I stop.
It’s been two weeks. Two weeks since he left, and I can’t walk by his cabin without wanting to fall into a puddle of tears.
Everyone has been telling me it’ll be okay and I’ll move on. No matter how many times I try to tell them to leave me be, they want to fix the problem.
I rush past his cabin and arrive at Gramps’s at the same time as Mason and Willow.
Mason looks about as miserable as I do.
“What—”
He doesn’t even let me get the question out. “Don’t start, Gemma.”
He stalks off toward the house as Willow grabs my hand and pulls me down to her level.
“Daddy’s really sad.”
“Do you know why?”
She shakes her head, tiny curls bouncing. “No.”
“Then how do you know he’s sad?”
“Whenever Daddy is sad, I get to watch extra cartoons.”
Kids. Always so in tune with everyone else’s emotions.
“Maybe Daddy just needs some of Aunt Layla’s mac and cheese.”
She holds my hand and walks inside. “Aunt Layla doesn’t know how to make anything else, does she?”
“Shh. We like to let her think that she’s better at it than she is.”
Willow’s giggles help calm the raging emotions inside of me.
“Why do you two look like you’re up to something?” Peter grabs the bottle of wine from me and heads into the kitchen.
“Nothing!” Willow gives him a guilty look.
“There’s my little Pipsqueak!” Gramps comes into the room and holds his arms out for Willow. She goes running.
“Hi Gramps!”
“How are you?” Layla wraps an arm around my waist and steers me into the kitchen.
“I’m fine.”
Her blue eyes study me. I hate how intuitive my older sister is. It’s one of the reasons I’ve steered clear of her these last few weeks. I don’t want to open my heart and make it bleed anymore.
