“I don’t think so. You’ve never mentioned any family at all. I asked you about your parents once, but you were very vague. You said you hadn’t seen your mother in over ten years. I didn’t know what that meant. You didn’t want to talk about it.”
Rowan and Ophelia interrupted. At least they weren’t fighting. They were doing some sort of dance move, turning in a circle twice, and then kicking with their right legs. A-freaking-dorable!
Tricia took care of the food, setting it up outside. I was right. I hated Chinese. All but the vegetable lo mein, and I didn’t love that. It was just okay.
“Tricia, am I a vegetarian?” I questioned. I felt like I was. It had nothing to do with chicken or Chinese. It was the meat. I didn’t like meat.
Tricia shrugged her shoulders. “You weren’t before you wrecked. You always ate burgers and hot dogs.”
“I did? Where?”
“Here, my house, Shayla’s house, Candace’s, when we go out. You ate it before.”
“So we’re friends? We do stuff together?”
Tricia smiled a crooked smile and angled her head. “Yeah, we do. Of course we’re friends.”
I smiled and bit into a green pepper. I was glad I had friends, even if they were fake friends. Anything was better than knowing all I had was Paxton.
“Don’t listen to a word she says. She’s a liar,” a voice assured me from behind. I turned enough to see a very attractive girl walking toward me from the side of the house. Blond hair, legs that went on for miles, and boobs. Wow. Those were unquestionably fake. “Oh, my God, Gabriella. You look awful. You poor girl. Your beautiful face,” she dramatically said as her hand brushed down my hair. I didn’t know her either. Not a clue.
“You really don’t remember me?”
I smiled and hunkered my shoulders. “Sorry.”
“Oh, my God. What’s that like?”
“Jesus, Shay, give her some space,” Tricia said. Shay made herself at home and her kid jumped in my pool. A boy around ten. It was the strangest thing ever. I had no idea how to be me around these girls. How to be normal.
“I’m getting in the pool, too,” Ophelia decided as she slid from her chair. I just watched her go. I didn’t know what to say.
“You should probably make her take a nap first,” Tricia said with a nod toward Ophelia.
I looked to Ophelia and back to Tricia. “How do I do that?”
“Wow,” Shayla said while the word dragged on and on. I was a freak show.
“I’ll take care of it today. Shay get your kid out of her pool so the girls will lay down.”
“I want to visit. I have a million questions for Gabriella.”
“Gabriella will answer your questions later,” the deep voice said. Paxton stepped out the door and scooped up Ophelia.
“I’m going to go swimming with Collin, Daddy,” she whined through a yawn. Paxton kissed her little cheek and rubbed her belly. He moved behind me and kissed the top of my head. “You can go swimming later with me and mommy. You need a nap first.”
“I’m not tired.”
“You can just rest for a little bit. You okay, Gabriella? It’s time for more pain medicine if you’d like.”
“I think I will,” I replied. I wasn’t really in pain. Maybe my right hip a little from sitting. It was more of a needing my mind to rest. Step back for a minute and take this all in. It was a lot.
“I’ve got to go pick up Phoenix. I’ll call you later. Oh, wait. Did your phone survive the wreck?” Tricia asked while coming to her feet. My eyes shifted back to Paxton for the answer. I didn’t know.
“She has it. It’s in your purse,” Paxton explained with a hand on my shoulder
Shayla yelled at her kid, telling him to go get in his own pool. Collin dove in one more time. Cannonball right off the edge. Rowan instantly yelled at him, gasping from the cool water splashed all over her.
“Collin! This is my new dress,” she complained in a loud shrill voice.
“Oh, you’re fine. Come on. Let’s go rest for a little bit.”
“I’m not tired,” Ophelia too, whined. She knew from experience she was next on the nap list.
Paxton took her hand anyway, still carrying her little sister.
“I want, mommy to come, too,” Rowan cried with open hands reaching toward me. My heart swelled with love and I lifted myself from my chair, using the table ledge to help pull myself up.