to?”
“Now, I’m going to stir some things up and see what
happens.” She stared at Tawny. “She’s getting her fucking money back, first
of all. There’s a good chance she’ll never see her trust fund. Morality
clause …seriously? Then we’re going to make sure she gets her
happily-ever-after. Those are the first two tasks on my to-do list.”
“I love shit-stirring. Sign me up.”
The men joined them with coffee and cheesecake while Riya’s
mind played quietly with her new knowledge.
How she loved to fix things.
Three weeks later, Gabriella was expected to return home for
Thanksgiving.
When she calmly explained, once again, that employees who’d been
working at her job for years had scheduled the time off months in advance, her
mother hung up on her.
The next evening, she opened the front door of her building
to find her parents and Izzy standing in the entry with Camille. She was
shocked as the three of them surrounded her.
“If our girl cannot come to us for Thanksgiving, we
come to her .”
They spent three days in the city, sightseeing while Brie
was at work. They made enough food to fill her freezer, bought gadgets for her
apartment that she didn’t need, and generally staged a full invasion of her
peaceful space.
She and Izzy slept in the living room and her parents slept
in her bed at her insistence.
Gabriella loved her family very much. Having them in her
home had her off-balance and a little irritable. Izzy grinned over her coffee
cup when they managed to go out alone for the first time.
“Hang in there. It’s almost over.”
“I feel…I don’t know…like I can’t do anything right.”
“That’s your insecurity talking. You do so many things right, Brie. Take a deep breath and stop expecting them to change.
They’re old and set in their ways. Just be you and they’ll learn to deal or
they won’t.” Brie’s eyes went huge.
“You wouldn’t be the first child to put distance in place
with overwhelming parents.”
For the longest time, Brie stared at her sister as if seeing
her for the first time. “You…don’t care, do you? How they are?”
“No, I don’t. I knew when I was fourteen that I’d likely
never see my inheritance. Their idea of morality is far different from
mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…I’m not perfect but I live the life that’s best for
me. I make no apologies for that. You shouldn’t either.”
“I want to be like that.”
“You can. Stop giving them so much power. They’re just
people. No more, no less.”
They took their time and when they walked up the steps of
her brownstone, Izzy touched her arm to stop her. “Brie, I’m really proud of
how you handled a situation that would have crippled other people. You look
great and I like the life you’re making for yourself here.”
Tears were unavoidable. She’d always looked up to her
sister. “Thanks.”
“Stop being a crybaby,” Izzy said with a grin. “When they
act crazy, just breathe through it, nod, and smile.” She shrugged. “That’s
what I do. It’s why they think I conform. I smile then do what the fuck I
want because eventually, my happiness relies on my choices…not
theirs.”
Their conversation stayed with her through the rest of her
family’s visit. It made her stronger.
Naturally, men were a common theme since they now
believed she was unable to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. Their mother started listing the appropriate men she knew who
would be perfect for Brie and Izzy smoothly changed the subject.
As frustrated as her parents could make her, she still cried
a little when she saw them off at the airport. They boarded the plane for
Seattle a couple of hours before Izzy’s flight left for Chicago. Their last
words were that she should lose a little weight and put her shoulders back.
Gabriella smiled and nodded but didn’t
“Now, I’m going to stir some things up and see what
happens.” She stared at Tawny. “She’s getting her fucking money back, first
of all. There’s a good chance she’ll never see her trust fund. Morality
clause …seriously? Then we’re going to make sure she gets her
happily-ever-after. Those are the first two tasks on my to-do list.”
“I love shit-stirring. Sign me up.”
The men joined them with coffee and cheesecake while Riya’s
mind played quietly with her new knowledge.
How she loved to fix things.
Three weeks later, Gabriella was expected to return home for
Thanksgiving.
When she calmly explained, once again, that employees who’d been
working at her job for years had scheduled the time off months in advance, her
mother hung up on her.
The next evening, she opened the front door of her building
to find her parents and Izzy standing in the entry with Camille. She was
shocked as the three of them surrounded her.
“If our girl cannot come to us for Thanksgiving, we
come to her .”
They spent three days in the city, sightseeing while Brie
was at work. They made enough food to fill her freezer, bought gadgets for her
apartment that she didn’t need, and generally staged a full invasion of her
peaceful space.
She and Izzy slept in the living room and her parents slept
in her bed at her insistence.
Gabriella loved her family very much. Having them in her
home had her off-balance and a little irritable. Izzy grinned over her coffee
cup when they managed to go out alone for the first time.
“Hang in there. It’s almost over.”
“I feel…I don’t know…like I can’t do anything right.”
“That’s your insecurity talking. You do so many things right, Brie. Take a deep breath and stop expecting them to change.
They’re old and set in their ways. Just be you and they’ll learn to deal or
they won’t.” Brie’s eyes went huge.
“You wouldn’t be the first child to put distance in place
with overwhelming parents.”
For the longest time, Brie stared at her sister as if seeing
her for the first time. “You…don’t care, do you? How they are?”
“No, I don’t. I knew when I was fourteen that I’d likely
never see my inheritance. Their idea of morality is far different from
mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…I’m not perfect but I live the life that’s best for
me. I make no apologies for that. You shouldn’t either.”
“I want to be like that.”
“You can. Stop giving them so much power. They’re just
people. No more, no less.”
They took their time and when they walked up the steps of
her brownstone, Izzy touched her arm to stop her. “Brie, I’m really proud of
how you handled a situation that would have crippled other people. You look
great and I like the life you’re making for yourself here.”
Tears were unavoidable. She’d always looked up to her
sister. “Thanks.”
“Stop being a crybaby,” Izzy said with a grin. “When they
act crazy, just breathe through it, nod, and smile.” She shrugged. “That’s
what I do. It’s why they think I conform. I smile then do what the fuck I
want because eventually, my happiness relies on my choices…not
theirs.”
Their conversation stayed with her through the rest of her
family’s visit. It made her stronger.
Naturally, men were a common theme since they now
believed she was unable to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. Their mother started listing the appropriate men she knew who
would be perfect for Brie and Izzy smoothly changed the subject.
As frustrated as her parents could make her, she still cried
a little when she saw them off at the airport. They boarded the plane for
Seattle a couple of hours before Izzy’s flight left for Chicago. Their last
words were that she should lose a little weight and put her shoulders back.
Gabriella smiled and nodded but didn’t
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