All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: I know...so soon! I'm on a roll! The honest truth is I'll be too busy to update next weekend so this is my way of making up for it. As stated within the chapter, the paragraph in the last part comes from J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and it belongs to her and no one else.
Gaby -loved your review! Hope this one makes you sorta happy with me...maybe not.
Inosolan - thank you for your reviews! Can I have one more?
Chelsea, Lette, Blondi, DripDrop and all you others -please, more reviews. This is what happens when I get so many reviews!
Ppani -you're falling behind girlie!
As always, enjoy as you read and please review...and now, I'm off to the gym!
Chapter Thirty-Four
First Week of May
"Was this a good idea or what?"
"A year in the making," Rachel shook her head as she watched her girls playing in the dollhouse set on the Clearwater's front yard, one year old Eden Marie sitting amongst the flowers, happily yanking them out –good thing Embry had Emmie busy somewhere else or she'd be throwing a fit, "A Birthday Festival –brilliant idea Leah."
"Of course," Leah carefully set out the individual cupcakes she'd made for Gabe, Emmie and Zaky's birthday, Emily on the front yard next door setting up two cakes, one for the twins and the other for Lili, "I'm always the one with the brilliant ideas."
"I'm sure it has to do with all the brainpower in your home," Daisy opened the small box that contained her daughter's birthday cake –she was yet to turn two but this was a celebration of birthdays for the year so why the heck not. It's not like her one year old was going to know the difference.
Rachel and Kim laughed, both of them sitting on lawn chairs as they watched the plethora of kids running to and from yards, riding their bicycles on the street.
They had been planning this Birthday Festival for over a year now, gotten permission from the council to close off the street Rose and Seth lived in, got eager cooperation from the neighbors to allow the use of their front yards to set up stations for cake, punch and games.
Brandon and Paul where on the neighbor's yard, manning the grills for hot dogs and hamburgers while Daisy and Rachel set up the cake and punch on a table in the driveway between the houses.
"So when's the construction going to get done, Lee," Kim looked over her shoulder at her friend, watching as she carefully finished placing all the green, blue and purple cupcakes on the large round platter.
"It's all done, we just need to get the painting finished," Leah looked up at her with a smile, licking frosting off a finger as Rick came up behind her, laughing as he whispered into her ear, "Do that again."
Taking a bit of frosting from one of the cupcakes, she turned around, giving him a teasing grin as she sucked it off her finger.
"Oh," Collin walked up the driveway, several wrapped gifts in his arms, "Are we going to be having baby number seven soon?"
"You're lucky I'm holding this," Rick gestured towards the cake in his hands, the twins' names written in red frosting across the top –Granma Sue had baked and decorated that one.
"Oh, come on, Rick," Collin set the gifts on the table assigned for them, turning a big grin towards the other Alpha in the reservation, "Don't you miss it? We used to have something, you and I…then you tied me up in a tree."
Lyn laughed as she set the gifts she held on the table, one of them tumbling down to the grass, "I still find it so funny, them tying you to a tree."
"It wasn't funny," Collin frowned at her, dancing brown eyes letting her know he wasn't really upset, "It was traumatic."
"Did you like tying him up, Rick," Lyn wrapped her arms around Collin's as she gave Rick a teasing smile, Leah taking the cake from him to set it beside the cupcakes, "I know I do."
Rick actually blushed, Leah laughing as he turned and walked back into the house, Tyra following after him as she usually did whenever he was home.
"I knew you would turn out to be a sexual deviant," Rachel shook her head at Lyn, pushing herself to her feet –she was so tired, not sure if it was because of her very energetic two year olds or because there was a possibility she might be pregnant again, "It's what happens when you're made to wait so long to lose your virginity."
They all laughed, Zaky running up to the table to look at the cupcakes and cake, "Mama, can I have a cupcake?"
Leah chuckled, taking one of the blue ones and handing it to him, "Here you go, baby. Where's your sister?"
Zaky gave her a smile because he knew she was just testing him, "With Daddy."
She laughed, reaching across the table to tousle his hair, "You're a good big brother. Go play with your friends."
He nodded, biting into his cupcake, frosting on his upper lip as he turned to run back to his friends from school.
"That's one sweet boy," Daisy said with a smile, standing up to run to the flower beds where her daughter was, "Eden, no! Don't eat that!"
They all laughed, watching as one year old Eden, with her mother's big blue eyes and her father's dark hair and complexion, gave her mother a startled look before she started to cry.
"She'll eventually learn dirt and grass are the least of her worries as to what her child will eat," Rachel moved towards Rose and Seth's house, Paul having set up a table for the food –it was time to bring out the buns and condiments, "Skye actually swallowed forty six pennies before Paul caught her."
Leah laughed, turning to take the last cake Rick had brought out –the one for Tyra which was interesting to say the least –the three year old had insisted on decorating her own cake.
"Whoa," Sam walked up the walkway, a huge box in his arms. Setting it by the other gifts, he looked at the cake as Leah set it next to the other one, "Lots of sprinkles on that cake."
"Lots and lots of sprinkles," Tyra nodded as she looked up at him, her blond hair tied into pigtails with purple ribbons hanging from them, "I like sprinkles."
"I can see that," Sam leaned down and picked her up, tossing her up into the air as she let out a belly laugh, giving her cheek a kiss before setting her down, "It looks delicious. Did you help?"
"Uh-hu," Tyra tilted her head back to look up at her Daddy, giggling when he tickled her exposed throat, "Daddy helped too."
"Ah, now I understand the whole abstract concept then," Sam laughed as he pulled out a letter from his back pocket, handing it to Leah as Gabe came running up the yard, followed by Marc, Bailey and Brad, "Mama, who's the big gift for?"
"I believe it's for you," Leah looked at the front of the letter, shaking her head with a laugh, "Lian and Julie send it to you all the way from New York."
"Can I open it now;" ten year old Gabe looked up at his mother with a pleading look, "Can I? Can I, please?"
"I guess," Leah opened the letter, reading the words out loud as Gabe ripped into the paper with the help of his cousins, "Dear Leah, recall when I was ten? You made me cry. You laughed when I told you I would get my revenge. Well, cousin, here it is. Enjoy!"
Leah looked up just as Gabe let out an excited shout, "Cool! A drum set!"
Leah's mouth dropped open as everyone else laughed, Tyra watching with interest as Gabe tried to open the box, "That bastard!"
Sam shook his head as he slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, Emily joining them as she shook her head, looking at Leah with a sympathetic smile, "He send the twins trumpets –for making him wear nail polish."
Leah and Emily laughed, both recalling the torture they'd put their little brothers through when they were younger, "We're lucky Seth is so forgiving."
"Nah," Seth walked up the drive, a large cake box in his hands, "I just haven't the genius Lian has for revenge but when you least expect it, I'll pay you back for that."
"Did you pick that cake up from the bakery," Leah took the cake box from him as he nodded, placing it on the picnic table beside Tyra's –they were officially out of space, "Where's Rose?"
"Taking pictures," Seth shrugged as he looked over his shoulder, easily catching his wife –his very pregnant wife –as she walked down the street, occasionally stopping to take pictures of the kids, the families, the cakes –anything that caught her attention, she took a picture of, "She told me to go to hell when I told her she should take a nap."
The laughter was instantaneous, Leah shaking her head as she pulled out the cake –a pink and white combination with Vivi's name across the top.
Marc still refused to have his birthday celebrated –something that just might work considering Rose and Seth were looking into skipping him right into thirteen next year.
"She's turned out to be quite mean," Seth shook his head as he crossed his arms, watching her move down the street towards the swing set they had moved to the front from their backyard along with the dollhouse–Vivi and Nika were sitting on the swings, talking about whatever interested ten year old girls, "Last week, I made the mistake of wrapping my arms around her and commenting how my fingertips barely touched…my balls still hurt."
"She kicked you in the gonads," Leah's mouth dropped open in surprise, leaning back into Rick's arms as he wrapped his own arms around her.
"Punched me," Seth placed his hands on his hips, watching as Vivi and Nika posed for Rose, the little girls pulling out the diva and making his wife laugh, "I think she was aiming for my stomach but she's so damn short, she missed."
They all laughed, Rose moving across the yard towards them, holding her camera in one hand, the other on her belly –the poor girl looked ready to pop.
"Will you hold this," Rose handed him her camera, her free hand automatically going to the small of her back, "I need to pee…I always need to pee –it's like this kid's sitting right on my bladder."
"Emmie used mine as a trampoline," Leah gave her sister-in-law a sympathetic look –it's been three years since she was last pregnant but she could still recall the discomfort of the last few weeks, "I would be fine then out of nowhere, I would need to find the nearest bathroom –fast."
"At least you have longer legs," Rose ambled up the porch steps, slapping Seth's hand away as he followed behind her to help her, "I'm not an invalid Seth. I can walk up the porch steps on my own."
Seth stood on the front porch as the front door closed behind her, turning to give his family and friends a forlorn look, "Please tell me this will all be over soon."
They chuckled, Collin shaking his head as he looked at Seth, "I hadn't seen her in months –she's huge."
"She's not that big," Rachel came back from setting up the food table, Paul following behind her, their twins coming out of the dollhouse as soon as they caught sight of their father, "She just looks big because she's petite."
"That baby's going to be an easy eight pounds," Collin's face was set in a serious look, Paul catching the twinkle in his eye as he replied, "What are you talking about, eight pounds? I'm thinking closer to nine."
"I've got fifty bucks on nine pounds, twelve ounces," Brandon walked up to join them, Eden Marie in his arms, the little girl's face freshly scrubbed from a trip to the bathroom with her mama.
"Oh, I'll take that bet," Sam grinned as he watched Lili playing tag with Emmie and Embry –that guy was seriously whipped, "Fifty on ten pounds even."
"What," Seth's eyes widened, his face going pale as Rick spoke up, "I've got fifty on ten pounds three ounces."
"You okay, Seth," Leah grinned as she looked at her brother –the poor guy looked about ready to pass out.
"There's no way –no way a baby can be ten pounds," Seth shook his head, setting the camera down on the railing, "No way."
"I delivered a ten pounder last week," Collin's face split into a wide grin, Lyn shaking her head as she chuckled, "The kid looked like a two month old."
"Oh God," Seth looked around the front porch before turning to go into the house, "I think I'm going to be sick."
They all started laughing as soon as the door closed behind him, Leah shaking her head, "You guys are assholes."
"Watch your language in front of our child," Rick scolded her, looking over at Tyra who was busy picking up the gifts and shaking them before setting them back down.
"One hundred dollars the baby will be five pounds, ten ounces."
They all looked up as Sue walked up the drive, Charlie behind her holding several gifts in his arms.
"Wow, ma," Leah stepped out of Rick's arms to hug her mother, "Don't you think you're under-guessing there?"
Sue shrugged, setting the gifts she had on top of more gifts before picking Tyra up for a hug, the little girl wrapping her arms around her grandmother's neck before planting a big smacking kiss on her cheek, "It's my prerogative to guess whatever I want. Are you guys in?"
"A hundred bucks," Brandon looked down at Daisy who lifted a shoulder before looking at Sue, "You're on."
"Bring it," Paul tossed Skye up into the air, her laughter making him grin as he caught her and set her down to pick up Marilynn for her turn.
"Easy money, I think," Sam nodded, wrapping his arms around Emily, "There's no way that baby's going to be less than eight pounds."
Rick nodded in agreement, crouching down as Alyx and Andrey ran up the yard towards him, the boys' faces covered in dirt and frosting and Zeus only knew what else, "I'm in."
"Delivery for a…Gabriel Laskaris?"
Leah looked up as the delivery guy walked up the sidewalk towards them, a truck parked at the end of the street behind the barricade, "I'm his mother."
"Could you sign here, please," he handed her the clipboard, waiting patiently as she looked over the sender's information, her mouth spreading into a smile as she signed the delivery note.
"Who's it from?"
She looked over at her husband, "The Cullen's –specifically speaking, Emmett."
"Wonder what he send this time," Rick finished wiping the twins' faces as best as he could, the little boys running off and disappearing into the crowd of kids on the street.
"As long as it's not –"
"A MOTORIZED DIRT BIKE!"
Leah couldn't hold back her response as she watched her ten year old son, his cousins and his friends swarm around a shiny motorized bike with a big red bow tied to the handlebars, "Son of a bitch!"
Tyra looked up at her father, tugging his pants' leg until he picked her up, "Daddy?"
"Yes Tyra."
"What's a bitch?"
"Leah!"
She dragged the toe of her sneaker in the grass as the swing swayed, "He's nice to me one day and then the next, he just ignores me."
Nika gave her best friend a sympathetic smile, slightly pushing herself back before letting the swing take her forward, "Boys are strange, Vivi. Remember the boy that would take my Twinkies?"
"Yeah," Vivi leaned her head against her hand, the chain digging into her palm as she drew patterns on the grass, the white toe of her pink and white Converse sneaker turning green, "Does he still take your Twinkies?"
"Not anymore," Nika shook her head, her dark hair held back by barrettes –it was too straight and too fine for her to be able to keep it in a ponytail, "Now he sits next to me in class and he wants to be in my group for projects."
"I think he likes you," Vivi lifted her face to give her best friend a teasing smile, her long red hair in a braid down her shoulder, "Is he cute?"
Nika giggled, her brown eyes dancing as she lifted a shoulder, "He's okay…but I don't like him. Not like that."
"Maybe if he gives you all your Twinkies back."
They laughed, Nika blushing as she caught sight of the boy coming towards them, "Here he comes. Don't say anything."
"Hey Nika."
Nika smiled at the boy, "Hi Davy. This is my best friend Vivi."
Davy looked over at Vivi, his brown eyes growing wide as he looked into her gold-brown eyes, "You don't go to our school."
Vivi shook her head, giving him a shy smile as she pushed back with her toe, "I go to school in Forks."
"Are you going to be in sixth grade too?"
She nodded, looking over his shoulder to watch Gabriel –he was still arguing with his mother about the motorized dirt bike Emmett had send for his birthday…looked like Aunt Leah didn't want him to have it.
"Do you want a push?"
"Uh," she turned her eyes back to Davy, blushing as he asked again, "Uhm…okay."
Moving between the girls as they looked at each other, he took the chains of the swing Vivi was sitting on, pulling back and letting go before moving behind Nika to give her a push too.
Gabriel was about ready to scream –it was his gift, why couldn't he have it, "Mama, I won't get hurt!"
"You're ten years old –you're still too young for a motorized dirt bike. That's why I haven't bought you one."
"Like you would ever buy me one," he snorted, letting out a yelp when Marc stomped on his foot, "What the hell?"
"Don't talk to her like that," Marc gave him a frown before smiling up at his mother – kiss ass.
"Mama," Gabriel tried another tactic, looking up at her with a serious face, "I won't use it until you think I'm old enough but please, let me just…"
"He wants to explore the bike," Bailey rolled her eyes at her cousin, giving her aunt a hopeful look, "We all do. We promise we won't turn it on."
"Alright," Leah let out a huff as she let go of the handle bars, Gabriel's grip on the back wheel loosening as well, "I'll take the keys, then. Marc, you're in charge of this bike for today, okay?"
"What," Gabriel exclaimed as he reluctantly handed the keys to his mother, giving her a look of suffering, "It's my bike –why is he in charge?"
"Because I know he won't disobey me, unlike you," Leah leaned down to cup his face, whispering for him alone, "I promise, when you turn twelve, you can have it."
Gabriel nodded, giving her cheek a quick kiss, his face flushing as his friends snickered but he didn't care –he loved his mama even when she took his cool stuff away.
Hearing a familiar laugh, he looked over his shoulder, watching for a few seconds as Vivi and Nika swung up into alternating arcs, a dark haired boy from the rez school he knew as Davy pushing Nika's swing.
Turning his attention back to the bike, he gave one of his school friend's a look, "Wash your hands before you touch my bike –it's brand new and still shiny."
"Sheesh," Kevin stepped away from the bike, wiping his hands on his shirt, "Whatever you say…mama's boy."
"And proud of it," Gabe turned his attention back to his bike, finding the kickstand to stand it in place, "You're just jealous 'cause you don't have one of these."
"Like it matters," Ray snorted as he eyed the bike with envy, "You're not allowed to use it."
"But I will someday," Gabe gave Ray a cocky smile, "And when I do, you still won't have one."
"Tia Rosa said I can get one next year," Marc flipped the page of the manual that came with the bike, "I'm already researching to see which would be the best for racing."
"Is this one any good," Gabe asked as he stroked the shiny blue frame, the leather seat smooth under his fingertips.
"Oh yeah," Marc flipped the page, his brown eyes moving over the words, "Fifty-four miles per hour, charges in three hours, clutch less one speed, two piston hydraulic front brakes with a one piston rear break –this is one sweet bike."
"Which one are you looking into," Gabe wanted so bad to get on the bike but he had promised his mother so he just reached up to grip the leather handle bars, imagining himself going top speed.
"This one's a Zero MX," Marc looked up from the booklet, giving the bike an appreciative once over before looking at Gabe, "I want to get the Zero X –its two miles faster than this one."
"It's not the speed of the bike, it's how you handle it," Bailey twisted the bars of her bike, rolling back on the heels of her feet, her Converse sneakers worn, a hole on one of the toes but she refused to throw them out, "Without a good rider, the bike's pretty much useless."
"It doesn't hurt to have a good bike, though," Brad wheeled back his own bike, his shaggy dark hair falling over his forehead, "We can go to Dry Hill next year."
"Oh man," Gabe looked at his cousin as he let out a long sigh, "For the Northwest Cup Races? That would be awesome but I doubt mom would be okay with it."
"I think you have to be fourteen to compete, anyway," Marc handed the booklet to Gabe, looking over at the swing sets where his sister and Nika were, his eyebrows raising in surprise, "Well, that's something I don't see every day."
Vivi gave Davy a hug, the swing she had been sitting on gently swaying as she pulled back, "Thank you for pushing us, Davy."
"Not a problem," Davy gave her a smile, looking at Nika out of the corner of his eyes but the girl that had stolen his heart was staring at someone else, "Maybe we can hang out some other time?"
"That sounds like f –Gabriel!"
Davy was caught unawares, flying forward into the ground, his hands scraping against the grass as he caught himself before he landed face first.
Pushing himself to his feet, he turned around, scowling at Gabe, "What the hell is your problem?"
"My problem," Gabe growled at him, about to throw himself at the stupid kid but Marc grabbed him from behind, his arms like steel bands around his torso, "Stay away from her."
"This is a free country," Davy stuck his chin out, skipping back slightly as Gabe made a lunge towards him, almost getting out of Marc's grip, "I can hang out with whoever I want…and so can she."
"Free country, my ass," Gabe kicked at a rock, his aim true as it hit Davy in the shoulder, the boy letting out a slight whimper as he grabbed his shoulder, "I see you around her and I'll make you sorry –Marc's not always going to be around to save your ass!"
Davy didn't say anything, just turned around and ran, Marc holding on to Gabe because he knew if he let go, he was just going to run after the poor kid.
"What is your problem?"
Gabe turned to look at Vivi, his blue eyes hot with anger, "My problem? Why were you hugging him?"
"I was saying thank you –he was being nice to us."
"And is that how you're going to thank every boy that's nice to you?"
"Hey," Marc tossed Gabriel onto the ground, moving to stand before his sister, "You take that back."
"Stay out of this," Vivi pushed him aside, glaring down at Gabe, her gold-brown eyes bright with tears she fought to hold back, "You're a jerk."
Marc watched as she ran across the yard, Nika following after her, his jaw tight as he looked down at Gabe, "You know, I really ought to stop trying to keep you two apart –you're doing a great job yourself."
"Fuck you."
"Gabriel Michael Laskaris."
He tilted his head back, the look on his mother's face letting him know he was beyond trouble.
Closing his eyes, he let himself fall back onto the grass, his head hitting the ground with a soft thud, "Ah fuck."
Dear Diary,
Why are boys so dumb? It just doesn't make sense why they're so stupid. Aunt Leah tells me they're dumb and everyone else says so too but no one tells me why.
I wish I could figure out why he's so weird –he makes me cry and sometimes, he's mean. But then he'll be really nice and sweet…it makes it hurt more when he goes back to being mean.
Marc says he's not good for me but…I love him. I know I'm just ten years old and that I don't know anything about love like the kind that Tia and Tio have but I know –I KNOW –that he's meant for me.
Even when he's mean to me, when he makes me mad or when he makes me cry, I can still see it –it's stronger now than it was before.
When I first saw him –I still remember even though I was so little.
We were at the toy aisle in the store and I was hiding behind Tio's legs from Marc so he wouldn't take the marble away.
Tio wasn't my Tio back then but I knew he would be –I knew the moment he and Tia looked at each other that they were meant to be together –he's her sun and she's his moon.
It was the same with me and Gabriel –I looked at him and I felt it…I saw it.
It reminded me of a spider web but prettier…it was gold and silver and so delicate…now, it's still the same colors but they're stronger, darker…not as transparent…
I wish I knew what it mea –
A knock on the door had her scrambling to shove her journal under her pillow, her hair tumbling around her shoulders as she sniffed back her tears, reaching up to wipe her cheeks as she called out, "Come in."
Opening the door, she watched Tio Seth enter with a glass of milk, giving her a smile as he closed the door behind him, "Just came to tuck you in."
Vivi gave him a smile, sniffing as she looked down at her pajama pants –purple and pink plaid with glittered stars, "I'm too old for you to tuck me in."
"No such thing," he handed her the glass, picking up the book from her bedside table as she scooted over to make room for him, "Remember what chapter we left off on?"
"Fifteen," Vivi took a sip of milk, smiling as she tasted the sugar –Tio Seth knew she liked sugar in her milk…she pretty much liked sugar in everything she drank, even water.
Opening the book, he settled back onto the headboard, stretching a leg on her bed as she sat cross legged, Emmett tucked into her side –she usually kept him on the window seat because she was too old to sleep with a teddy bear but whenever she felt sad or hurt, it always made her feel better to hug him while she spilled all her woes into her journal.
"Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid visible from the castle windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't look right to Harry; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle, where things were so horribly wrong."
"I don't feel like reading right now…can we talk?"
"What would you like to talk about, Vivi," he lowered the book, keeping his thumb in place as he gave her his complete attention –it was why he was so easy to talk too because he never asked or prodded, just acted like normal and gave her time to think if she wanted to talk or not.
"Why are boys so dumb?"
Tio let out a chuckle, looking down at the cover of the book –they were on the second book of the Harry Potter series, which Vivi liked very much, "It's kind of difficult to explain but…would you like to know what drives us to act stupid?"
"Yes," she nodded, reaching up to gather all her hair over her shoulder, her fingers nimbly weaving it into a thick braid.
"Girls."
Vivi's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "It's our fault you guys are dumb?"
"Not…completely," he let out a sigh as he set the book on the bedside table, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair, "See, we're simple…dumb, I guess you could say. We need very little to make us happy –good food, sports…pretty girls. But our problem is that…in being dumb…we just don't get you girls."
"What's to get?"
Tio laughed, shaking his head as he pulled her into his side, dropping a kiss on her head, "You girls can never make up your mind…about anything. You change your mind hundreds of times in one day…you like something then the next day you hate it. You have a crush on a boy and a week later, you can't stand him. It's like riding a roller-coaster when dealing with girls –and all we're trying to do is work so hard at not showing you how dumb we really are."
Vivi giggled, looking up at him, her gold-brown eyes dancing, "But that's all boys do –act dumb."
"Well, that's because just when we think you're going to go left, you go right and there we are, looking like idiots going left…and the worst part is, we know you are thinking we're idiots for not guessing that you were going to go right instead of left."
"You're silly," Vivi shook her head, flipping her braid over her shoulder as a yawn escaped her, "So if I'm going to go left and say I'm going to go left –"
"Then go left, for God's sake," Seth gave her shoulders a squeeze, "And remember…the reason you girls are so insane is because you can handle it…we can't. Have some pity on the poor boys."
Vivi laughed, snuggling into his side as she hugged Emmett, letting out a quiet sigh as she stared off into space, the silence comfortable before she spoke up again, "Tio."
"Yes Vivi."
"Do you think ten is too young to be in love?"
She felt him smile against her hair, "No, I don't…love isn't conditional so why should it only apply to older people? One thing you have to learn though, Vivi…love is an action…a decision you make and that you stick to. Many make the mistake of equating love to an emotion…something fleeting that comes and goes depending on others. If you're going to love someone, you do it with more than just your heart...do you understand where I'm coming from?"
"Mhm," Vivi nodded, his cotton shirt soft under her cheek, "If I'm going to love Gabriel, I love him no matter what."
"That doesn't mean you let him rule over you," Tio nudged her chin up so she could look at him, his eyes serious as he continued, "It doesn't mean you do as he says…Gabriel is learning how to be a man…but it's hard because he still thinks like a boy –that's why he reacts the way he does when he sees you with another boy. He needs to learn to respect you and the only one that can teach him that is you –so you show him you have a mind of your own, let him know when you don't like something he says or does…but don't play with his heart. It'll hurt both of you."
She stared into his dark brown eyes, smiling when he kissed her nose, nodding as he asked, "Would you like to finish the chapter?"
Closing her eyes, she let herself think on nothing else but Uncle Seth's voice as he continued reading, the words weaving a wonderful picture in her head that she looked forward to comparing to the movie when she finally watched it.
Gabriel preferred the movies but she refused to watch them until she read the book so as soon as she and Tio Seth finished this one, she would be able to invite him over for a movie night and some popcorn…and Marc, of course.
Might as well invite Nika, Brad and Bailey too.
