The thought comforted him.
Kelly had introduced a seed of suspicion that their father was not the monster he’d thought. Gabriel’s memories and dreams were mixed to such a degree that it was possible he’d confused one with the other. Still, the facts he knew for certain about his father were damning enough.
What kind of man abandons the mother of his child and disowns his son?
His throat tightened as he thought of himself.
“Did you see your grandmother?” Julianne blinked up at him sleepily.
“Only from a distance. She was walking from her house to a car, with someone who is probably an uncle. At least, I think she was my grandmother. She lives in the same house.”
“You didn’t speak to them?”
“No.” He moved his hand to the small of her back, spanning the twin dimples that were above the curve of her backside. It was one of his favorite parts of her body.
(Privately, he contemplated planting a flag there in an act of corporeal colonialism.)
“Why not?” Julia was puzzled.
“They aren’t my family. Standing there, I realized I might as well be an alien to them. There was no connection. Nothing.” He sighed. “At least when I met my sister I recognized her eyes.”
Julia gave him a questioning look.
“She and I have our father’s eyes.”
“Don’t you need to speak to your grandmother to find out about your mother’s medical history?”
“Carson was able to get the autopsy report for my mother. He was also able to get information about her medical history, through dubious means.”
“And?”
“Heart disease and high blood pressure run in her family, but there wasn’t anything especially worrisome.”
Julia visibly relaxed under his fingers.
“That’s good news, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Gabriel sounded strangely underwhelmed.
“What about your father’s side?”
“Kelly told me there was some heart disease on their side.”
“So you don’t want to meet your grandmother or your other relatives?”
“I have my mother’s diary and a few anecdotes from Kelly. That’s enough.”
“Kelly knew your mother?” Julia sat up next to him.
“She remembers meeting her when she worked for our father. And she recalls her parents fighting, presumably over my mother and me. I’d like to introduce you to Kelly. She and her husband have invited me to dinner tonight and then Friday night we’re supposed to go and visit our Aunt Sarah in Queens.”
“I’d love to meet your sister. But you might have to take me shopping for something to wear to dinner. Rebecca packed for me, so I have a carry-on full of lingerie and only one dress.”
Gabriel’s eyes grew heated. “Clearly, she doesn’t know you very well.”
“Why do you say that?”
He leaned forward, brushing her ear with his lips. “Because you sleep naked.”
Julia thrilled to his nearness. She began playing with the few strands of his chest hair.
“Did you finish your mother’s diary?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It’s about what you’d expect. As time wore on and she realized she would never have a life with my father, she grew more and more despondent, until finally, she stopped writing altogether.”
Julia rested her hand over his tattoo, gently pressing into the skin.
“Are you glad you came to New York?”
“Yes. Because of Kelly, I have some good news. Professor Benjamin Spiegel of Columbia was my grandfather.”
“Benjamin Spiegel,” she murmured. “I don’t recognize his name. Was he a Dante specialist?”
“No, he specialized in Romanticism. We read some of his work in grad school.”
“Katherine Picton despises the Romantics. She accused me once of giving a Romantic reading of Dante.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Not everyone appreciates the Romantics. But Professor Spiegel did. His writings were the gold standard for decades. He published in German, mostly, but a few of his articles are in English.”
“And he was your grandfather?”
“Yes.” Gabriel wore a look of pride. “Kelly tells me he was much loved at Columbia and well known for his charity work and his leadership in the Jewish community.”
Julia’s eyebrows lifted. “Why didn’t you know about him?”
“He and my father had a falling out. My father changed his name, turned his back on Judaism, and didn’t speak of his family. Kelly knew, of course. She’s in touch with our cousins.”
“Did she know him?”
“Unfortunately, he died before she was born.”
“I guess we know where your passion for literature came from. And your interest in kosher sex.”
He laughed. “My interest in kosher sex is derived from other things, but maybe there’s a connection.”
His face grew serious. “Learning about my grandfather was the saving grace of my visit.”