“I’ve got that covered. I just need you to look surprised and maybe a little giddy.”
“Surprised and giddy?”
Beckett nodded.
“I think I can handle that.”
“Great. I’ll take care of the rest. By noon everyone in town will know that we’re dating.”
By the time her ten o’clock yoga class began most of Blue Moon already knew. Five minutes before class started, Gia took delivery of a huge bouquet of roses so velvety red they were almost purple. In front of her class of fifteen, she fished the card out of the blooms.
I had a great time last night. Can’t wait to see you again.
Yours,
Beckett
After her ten o’clock, Gia checked the Facebook group and sure enough, there were half a dozen pictures of the flowers from the store to the studio.
The captions ran the gamut from “It’s official,” to “About freaking time!”
As she scrolled the posts, a new one appeared.
Beckett Pierce installs car seat to accommodate girlfriend’s adorable daughter. Looks like this is serious, Mooners!
She switched over to text messages and typed a quick message.
Does Facebook deceive or did you seriously just buy a car seat?
He responded a minute later.
I’m being practical here. We can’t all fit in your tiny little clown car.
To him, it was practical. To her, it was a path straight to her heart. Gia found it oddly easy to look giddy for the rest of the morning.
29
Beckett hit send in one window, print in another, and spun his chair around to neatly tuck a stack of papers inside a large envelope. He was an efficiency machine these days. By day, he was filing papers with the courts, structuring trusts, and smoothly sailing the tricky waters of pre-nups.
And in the evenings, he and Gianna eased into playing house. He’d taken to visiting Evan and Aurora on the nights when Gianna was at class. Last night, after a spirited game of laser tag in the yard, Evan had made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. Beckett reciprocated by sneaking them out for dessert at Karma Kustard.
He and Gianna still did some sneaking of their own. Off to bed whenever either of them had a free hour in the mornings or afternoons. He wished they could spend the night together — nothing beat waking up to Gianna Decker wrapped around him — but they had decided that for the sake of the kids, they’d table the sleepovers for now.
She still stunned him. Not just with her beauty, though that hadn’t ceased to affect him, but with the way she moved through life.
Grace, strength, and compassion were her hallmarks. She could never remember if she locked a door or recall where she put her phone, but Gianna could recite entire family trees of her students and always remembered to ask Evan about his friends and teachers.
Everything she did was garnished with an easy physical affection that baffled Beckett. She used her hands to guide her students deeper into poses and to express an unconditional, abiding care for her kids. And for him.
Beckett found himself getting out of bed with a smile every morning. It stayed fixed in place through Ellery’s smug questions about his new tenant. It even held fast — for the most part — when Carter and Jax started speculating how long it would take Franklin to propose to their mother.
Life was good.
He was debating texting Gia to see if she and the kids wanted to come over for grilled chicken that night, when Ellery appeared in his doorway.
“Mr. Pierce?”
With her inky black braids and full-skirted dress, she looked like a 1950s goth Barbie.
“Mr. Pierce?” he repeated.
“Yes, sir. You have a gentleman to see you.”
“I do?” He frowned, trying to recall an appointment on his calendar.
“Mr. Evan Decker,” Ellery said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Evan to see me?” Understanding her game now, Beckett grinned. “Please show him in.”
Ellery gave a mock curtsy. “Of course. Mr. Decker? Mr. Pierce will see you now.”
Evan strolled into the office in what Beckett assumed was the kid’s version of meeting casual, chinos and a rumpled button down with a striped tie. His hands were shoved in his pockets.
“Come on in, Evan,” Beckett said, gesturing toward his visitors chairs.
“Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Decker?” Ellery offered.
“I’m fine, thanks,” he said. “Unless you have Coke?” He darted a glance at Beckett to see if he would argue.
“I think that can be arranged,” Ellery winked. “Anything for you, Mr. Pierce?”
Beckett hid his grin. “I’ll take a Coke, too.”
He waited until Ellery had shut the door behind her.
“So what brings you to the office, Evan?”
The boy leaned forward in his chair. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Beckett’s interest was piqued. “What kind of a proposition?”
Evan interlaced his fingers on the desk in front of him. “As you know, I go to Blue Moon Middle School. What you may not be aware of, is that the school doesn’t have a debate team.”