[color=lightgray][right][sub][color=lightgray]TIMESTAMP: Morning time
Introducing: [color=957D0F]Gabriel Darling[/color] and his [b][color=#C9C29C]D[/color][color=#C6BE9D]a[/color][color=#C4BB9F]r[/color][color=#C2B7A1]l[/color][color=#C0B4A3]i[/color][color=#BEB0A5]n[/color][color=#BCADA7]g[/color] [color=#B7A6AA]T[/color][color=#B5A2AC]w[/color][color=#B39FAE]i[/color][color=#B19BB0]n[/color][color=#AF98B2]s[/color][/b]
FT: [color=9f1b3e][b]Miss Belmonte[/b][/color] and her [b][color=#A22D2E]b[/color][color=#AB2241]a[/color][color=#B51855]b[/color][color=#BE0D69]i[/color][color=#C91E6B]e[/color][color=#D32E6D]s[/color][/b] [/color][/sub][/right]
[center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/brutalbx][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/211015/b5878257bfbd9cdd76a67a003c983966.png[/img][/url]  [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/211015/52f6860b6ef04523593be20b787cf5af.png[/img]  [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/lovelycomplex][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/211015/450efa6a0ce5a6f0235bac836bcc1708.png[/img][/url]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230706/4c370dfda265088b6ca47b87586237cc.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/D8KEOUv.png[/img]
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[indent][indent]Joy Darling, the daughter of Gabriel Darling and Naomi Nesta, was standing at the entrance of her new family [url=https://imgur.com/KGqsQlK]home[/url], with a neon green duffel bag hanging over her shoulder watching in complete bewilderment as her father’s girlfriend and her daughters, Sofia and Daniella, were sliding on the wood floor and dancing to Straight Up by Paula Abdul. The VAL system had cued Miss Belmonte’s dance playlist and now was resounding out of the bluetooth speakers that were set up on the kitchen [url=https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fUv6Qvobm9cpfMBpGqaUca.jpg]island[/url]. 

Joy and her brother, Abel, were still getting used to the Belmonte family, which were, in their opinion, or her’s since she couldn’t speak for her twin brother, chaotic and crazy, especially in comparison to their Nesta side. Nestas were cool and collected. Stern and fiercely loyal. Only loose when they drank too much. There were instances when Grandma Nesta was made mad. Those times showed a Nesta could become straight up scary. She knew how to put the fear of God in someone, even worse than they’re unhinged Grandma Temperance Darling. 

A dinner with all of Miss Belmonte’s siblings and Tiziano Belmonte was a lot to process and usually had a lot of screaming, but Joy could tell it was out of love. It was vastly different from a dinner with her whole Darling family, where it seemed a lot was left unsaid and it was routinely traditional. Prayer. Small talk. Papa Jacob gives updates on the farm or sees what his children got going on. Grandma Tempy probes and tries to find out information on her children’s love lives, inquiring who’s going to have kids next. Once they have their three course meals, her grandparents dismiss themselves to read their bibles and the rest of them enjoy a few drinks before dispersing. Well, not her and her brother, since they were not yet twenty one, unless Uncle Elijah sneaks them a little something and says ‘don’t tell your father’. 

Hesitant, Joy didn’t know if she should stay or go inside, thinking about whether or not her mother would be okay with her father moving on and getting back with an old flame. Buying a house together too. She was happy for her father, of course, and her mother didn’t seem too bothered but still, she didn’t know how she should feel about it. Most of them weren’t even children anymore, Franco Belmonte being the only one required to stay in the nest since the rest of them were in college. Speaking of Franco, he was on camera duty, capturing this moment in film so his mother could post the milestone on her socials. 

Was it selfish of her to be unsure of all this? She loved both her parents dearly, but change was always weird for her and this was the biggest change she’s experienced ever before.  From Pinehurst to Edenridge, her father started his own practice away from her mother and built a life with another woman, who had her own little family. Cat and her kids went about life unburdened by worry and absolutely carefree. Or maybe that was just how she perceived it. She didn’t know Miss Belmonte’s story nor did she know her future siblings well enough either. They were all unbelievably friendly and accepting, and here she was stuck at the doorway, overthinking taking a step forward. Joy wasn’t one to dance through life, not like her father’s new family. 

[color=AD95B4]“It’s all good, Joy.”[/color] From behind his sister, Abel placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed his forehead to the back of hers, connecting them as he had done for years and years when the younger twin got that look on her face, that look of uncertainty and trepidation. [color=AD95B4]“They’re harmless white folk, they ain’t gonna be no problem.”[/color] He looked up past her ear at the dancing women who had her to clock either of the Darling twins in their disco haze. [color=AD95B4]“Then again I’m pretty sure our new grandpa is actually Vito Corleone or Tony Soprano so it might be worth you dropping your bag and shaking what Gramma Nesta gave ya.”[/color] 

If Abel was honest, he had little care for his twisted family tree up until fairly recently. As a boy, beyond his mother, father and sister, he knew only his Gramma Nesta and Uncle Courtney and had heard stories of his late Uncle Elijah. There was Destiny, Courtney’s daughter and then there was Xavier or “Prof” as he preferred, a boy whom his uncle Courtney treated like a son. He knew very little about the Darlings until during high school their school had to merge with Edenridge High, which his father took as a sign to try and reconnect with the family he left behind. 

Meeting Grandma Temperance was a terrifying experience, not least because of her religious fanatical beliefs and an entrenched racism bubbling beneath the surface of her glamorous farmer's wife exterior. He could almost imagine his teenage father telling her that he was running off with a black woman and now understood why they had never met this side of their family until that point. Besides the Darling grandparents, his aunts and uncles were all quite fun and his cousins Ezra and Mercy were cute little things. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t take long for Temperance to plant the seeds inside Abel’s mother’s head. She had this way about her, this ability to sow discord. He didn’t know for sure but he was pretty confident that his Grandmother was the main reason why his parents were no longer together.

Abel wasn’t too shocked when his father decided to stay in Edenridge post divorce. He had grown up here, he had roots here and being back in Pinehurst would likely bring up many memories that he didn’t want. He was surprised however when Gabriel brought home his new girlfriend, Cat, or should that be old girlfriend since apparently they also dated in high school? Either way, everything came at a great time of flux for the Darlings as both Abel and Joy were about to start college. The Belmontes did seem like a nice family and they had been nothing but welcoming to them since their father first introduced them. He knew over time they would get used to this strange new world of theirs but that didn’t make it any less intimidating, which had been written all over Joy’s face since Abel picked her up from that all girls’ school in Atlanta, Georgia. Spelman College.

[color=AD95B4]“Couple of hours here and I’ll take you to see Mom before the party, how’s that sound?”[/color] He was most definitely his sister's keeper, despite her being infinitely smarter than he was. Hell, the only reason Abel was even in college was because he got a basketball scholarship to Duke. He knew sports, he knew music and he knew fashion, whereas Joy had the worldmind and knew everything about anything ever. Despite this, there were days he still saw her as the little girl who fell out of their tree house and broke her leg and whom he had to rush to the hospital on his pushback, so innocent and helpless. [color=AD95B4]“I’m sure Granny will make us some Jerk Chicken.”[/color]

[color=c9c29c]“I want my mom now…”[/color] Joy whispered to her twin. Dropping her bag, like her brother had suggested, she took a step in but instead of joining her new family she ran upstairs to find a private room away from it all. As she ran off, she took her phone out and tapped speed dial one: Mama. It wasn’t long until there was a resonating slam on the door announcing the young lady’s departure. This caused Cat to stop dancing and turn down VAL’S volume, genuinely concerned if she and her family were being too much. 

With the tradition done and over, Daniella pulled her sister by the arm to check out the backyard. Really though, she wanted to have a moment alone with her big sis who was finally home, taking a moment from her busy sports schedule to be with the family and to attend Beau’s retirement party. It wasn’t even game season so it wasn’t like she needed to compete with the UCLA Bruins right now. Whether she was with her team or not, Sofia Belmonte was always playing football. Or soccer. Whatever you prefer to call it. Practice, practice, practice. It was a never-ending cycle. It was her life. At times it felt like a sad life. Sometimes Dani did worry about her big sis, like what does she do outside of the game? Did she have friends in Cali? Did she party? Did she have a life? …Outside of kicking a ball? Was she happy?

Before they exited, both girls grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. When they walked on the back porch, closing the screen door behind them, Dani clapped her right hand on her bottle, [color=bf0e69]“Okay!”[/color] She excitedly chirped, demanding Sofia’s attention. [color=bf0e69]“Now that you’re home. You’re finally going to confess to Ricky, right?”[/color] 

Sofi didn’t expect the question and the sudden bluntness from her usually timid sibling. Granted Dani’s first year at SCAD really opened her up and made her [i]vocal[/i] in general and unapologetic when it came to her opinions. Still, Sofia was not used to this side. At all. And was in the process of drinking her water when suddenly, the shock took over her and she spat what was in her mouth to the side, missing Dani by inches. [color=a22d2e]“…what?”[/color] Sofi choked.

In response, Dani sassily rolled her eyes. [color=bf0e69]“I’m serious. You two need to stop whatever highschool teen drama you both had going on and move on and just admit you both loved each other. Maybe, [b]still[/b] love each other. I’m a firm believer that even if you’re traveling, he will always be thinking about you and waiting for you to come back home. Or hell, maybe he’d travel with you during game season!”[/color] 

[color=a22d2e]“I can’t ask that of him, that is expecting too much. We’re not kids anymore and we kind of… grew apart. For all I know, he’s married to Flora,”[/color] Sofi deflected, having avoided keeping up with Ricky’s socials out of fear of finding out something she didn’t want to know. Finding out he was happy with a life that didn’t include her.

[color=bf0e69]“[i]Please[/i]. Flora gently broke up with him to taste pussy,”[/color] Dani scoffed at her sister’s doubt. Sofia Belmonte sucked at showing her heart and speaking out her truths. Out of fear of something. Rejection? Or maybe she thought she didn’t deserve to be [i]that[/i] happy. Maybe she thought she was giving Ricky a better life by distancing herself. Maybe she thought she couldn’t love. Or maybe it was just as simple as Sofi was scared. And terribly inexperienced. Whatever it was, she needed to stop and Dani was going to force her to take a chance, for herself, even if it was a scary place for her to be in. Even if she would have to be completely and utterly vulnerable. Even if she wanted to be stubborn as fuck and fight her feelings. Ricky was worth it and so was she. Plus if it led to dick, Dani could stop teasing her poor older sister who never tasted that good life of sex. [color=bf0e69]“You’re going to spend the rest of your life asking yourself: What if. You might be thinking, what if he is taken? What if he doesn’t like me back? What if he hates me? Stop thinking about those what ifs. Start thinking about the what ifs that are positive and could also happen. What if he isn’t taken. What if he does like you back. What if he does [i]still[/i] love you. You will never know, Sofia Elena Belmonte, until you fucking TALK and communicate with him.”[/color]

[color=de3f70]“And,”[/color] Franco interjected, entering the conversation, having slipped outside when neither of his sisters were paying attention. [color=de3f70]“Isn’t closure better regardless? You’ve had a crush on him for years and I’m sure just getting an answer would be a relief. You’ll get to move onto the next chapter, and we’ll be here for you no matter what, you know?” [/color]

With this weird intervention, Sofia’s eyes began to water, [color=a22d2e]“You two need to stop growing the fuck up. I missed when you both were twerps who wanted to watch mom’s favorite movies over and over and joke about the local gossip.”[/color] She went for another sip of water, feeling her mouth dry up because of the anxiety that was building up inside her.

[color=de3f70]“Oh, and I have a girlfriend,”[/color] Franco bashfully admitted, which was rewarded with Sofia spitting out her drink again. This time away from anyone. Dani smirked, knowing all the details already. She loved watching her sister react. Pressing her buttons was always a favorite pastime of theirs. Honestly, Dani just loved being home again. As beautiful as her college was, and how fun it was too, there was no place like home. 

[color=a22d2e]“What the heck?”[/color] Sofia coughed, patting her chest and putting her bottle down on the patio table. 

Before she could interrogate, Dani was back at it again. [color=bf0e69]“I totally just texted Ricky too, with your phone, telling him you really needed to see him. You’re welcome,”[/color] Dani giggled, pulling out Sofi’s phone from her dress pocket and offering it to her, [color=bf0e69]“Really? His birthday as your passcode? Not clever, sis.”[/color] 

[color=a22d2e]“SHUT UP!”[/color] Sofia ripped the phone out of her sister’s hand and rushed down the back porch stairs and far, far from the house to sit under a tree. Once she was settled, her back leaned up against the bark, she nervously stared at the text that Dani sent waiting to see if he would respond.

[indent]To: [color=2da2a1]Dimples[/color]
[color=bf0e69]Hey, I’m in town… can we talk?[/color][/indent]
Part of her hoped he didn’t. 

Meanwhile, Cat approached Gabriel’s son, Abel, and frowned, [color=9f1b3e]“Was I too much? I’m sorry if I was.”[/color] Gabriel Darling had yet arrived, having gotten a call from his own mother, who was doing what she did best, which was check on her kids. More recently, him. Ever since he came back into the picture, Temperance called at least once every other day and as always, she had impeccable timing (not). Abe was left with his future step-mother, seeing how the rest of the kids ran off to do anything else. He was left to do damage control and there was no doubt that the Italian woman standing before him was growing increasingly insecure by the second. [color=9f1b3e]“... I’d check on her but I’m unsure if she wants that from me. Everytime I try to connect with her, she doesn’t receive it well. Are you okay with this?”[/color] Cat gestured around them, showing what she meant by ‘this’ change. The change that his dad had just bought a house with her. A new woman that wasn’t his mom. 

[color=AD95B4]“Try not to worry yourself, Miss Cat.”[/color] Abel placed his bag down onto the floor as he looked up at the beautiful woman he had no doubt his father would soon call wife, [color=AD95B4]“Joy struggles with any kind of change, even minor ones. She once locked herself in a bathroom for three hours because a pack of cookies had seven bites in it instead of eight.”[/color] The young basketball star wasn’t lying, Jovie had always had great difficulty when things in her young life didn’t go the way she planned or at least the way she thought they would. There was a time when Gabriel and Naomi thought it best to have their daughter seek help for her aversion, believing it a medical issue such as an adjustment disorder. If life was a highway, even a small bend in the road would send Joy careening off of a cliff and into shark infested waters. [color=AD95B4]“It’s nothing personal, really.”[/color] Lucky for her, even in spite of their obvious differences, she’d always had Abel to pull her out of the deep waters.

Pulling up and parking behind his son's car, Gabriel Darling paused for a moment before entering his new home, where his new family would be waiting for him. Life finds a way of coming round again when you least expect it. Gabe was happy with his life in Pinehurst, he was happy with Naomi, Abel and Joy. Yet when his mother called, telling him that his sister Serenity was pregnant and that she needed him home, he knew that he had to be there but he really didn’t want to be. It was Naomi who convinced him to go home again. He didn’t expect that when he did, the cracks would begin to show and those cracks would turn into fissures. Life on the farm changed the Darling’s world and eventually the chasm between Gabe and Nomes became too hard to cross.

He hadn’t thought that by moving back to Edenridge that he would end up meeting old faces and friends and slotting back into a world he thought he’d left behind. His childhood friendships with the likes of Bobby Osso, Jonah Steen and Lydia Anderson carried on like he had never left but it was when Gabe bumped into a recently divorced Cat Belmonte, the one that got away, a woman that he once believed he would marry, that the world came around again. In her presence, Gabriel was sixteen again and a love he thought once lost, was found.

Walking into his new home, his large six foot three frame nearly forcing him to head butt a pretty chandelier in the entryway, Gabe ruffled his oldest child’s dreadlocks. He knew Abel hated this. There were only two things that his boy considered sacred, his hair and the basketball court. [color=957D0F]“Why don’t you drop your stuff upstairs and then when Joy’s ready we’ll make a plan for the day?”[/color] He watched as Abel followed his suggestion and departed the room, his duffel bags slung over his shoulder. Gabriel stepped forward and slid an arm around Caterina’s slender waist. Even after all these years, she was still one of the most beautiful woman on the planet. [color=957D0F]“You ok?”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“I think so,”[/color] Cat leaned her head on her lover’s chest, contemplating the course of events that had transpired and her short interaction with Gabe’s son. [color=9f1b3e]“Your son reminds me of someone who is wiser than people give him credit for.”[/color] She smiled to herself as she thought of a dear friend that to this day still came into her shop for the Costigan special. Though now he had a wife and a daughter, and Cat couldn’t be happier for him. She loved seeing those she cared about become exactly who they were meant to be. For Clay, he always was a loving person. Cat saw that in him at such a young age and now he was surrounded by exactly that. Love. 

As for her, she closed her eyes and took in her boyfriend’s scent. Content and at peace. [color=9f1b3e]“Joy ran upstairs,”[/color] she admitted, still wondering what she could do to make it better. [color=9f1b3e]“I know her trusting me will take time. I just hope I can do it.”[/color] Going quiet briefly, she held her first love and now forever love, still surprised that time brought him back to her. What she and Gabe had in highschool was simple. They were two kids extremely attracted to one another that found an escape from their hardships and struggles when they were together. They were each other’s safe place and way back when they were each other’s biggest fantasy. Unfortunately, Cat was deeply insecure when she was with him and when his mom didn’t immediately accept her or gaslit her because of how Cat presented herself, both her and Gabe decided it was best to call it quits. For each other’s sake. 

Who would’ve expected Temperance would accept her after years and with her son already having a wife? Cat was still unsure where that woman stood with her but what she did know was she wanted to be with Gabe and she would do her part to make sure he wouldn’t run away. He’d stay by her side like they always were meant to be. She opened her eyes and glanced up at Gabriel. Gently caressing his face, she smiled, burying her worries and focusing on the moment with the love of her life, [color=9f1b3e]“Welcome home, baby.”[/color]

[color=957D0F]“It’s good to be home.”[/color] Gabriel leaned down and kissed his beautiful girlfriend's face. He smiled like a Cheshire cat as he caught a glimpse of her pretty hazel eyes. God he loved those eyes. [color=957D0F]“Trust me though, Cat. Joy will come around. Yeah it’ll take a little while but she’ll see in you what we all do eventually. Give her her space. You know she likes you after our trip to New York together but this whole moving in together thing is unprecedented ground for her.”[/color] Gabe wandered deeper into the kitchen and picked up an apple from the freshly set basket on their dining table and tossed it into the air, only to smoothly catch it behind his back with his other hand. [color=957D0F]“Couldn’t do that again even if I tried.”[/color] He chuckled before taking a crunchy bite. [color=957D0F]“Where are your kids? I was half expecting them to have already burned the place down?”[/color]

Her gaze softened as she watched Gabriel move around their house casually and freely. There were times she felt like they’d gone to the past and the boy she was staring at was the nerdy, goofy kid that made Edenridge feel like home. She strolled to the kitchen and gestured toward the sliding glass double doors that led to their backyard. Franco and Dani were sitting at the patio table texting on their phones and Sofi could be seen at a distance by a tree, hitting her head on the trunk, likely out of nerves. The two adults watched as the eldest brought her attention back to her phone, waiting for something. [color=9f1b3e]“Gotta’ love technology,”[/color] Cat commented, rolling her eyes and taking a seat on a stool by the island. Inhaling and exhaling, she closed her eyes and took in the peace and quiet. All the kids were doing their own thing and she could finally rest her mind. The hard part was over. Or so she thought.

Opening her eyes, she surveyed their home, already thinking of ways of decorating it and making it their own. She was getting excited at the mere thought of buying items that suited both her family and Gabe’s. This was a new chapter for them. A new chapter for her. Though underneath all the excitement part of her was nervous. Part of her was scared. She wondered if they jumped into things without thinking about anyone but themselves. She had dealt with Tommaso for far longer than she should’ve and now that she was grabbing onto something, clinging onto it for some sort of happiness, she could feel her insecurities creeping up on her like she was a teenager again. Cat was finally taking the steps she needed for her own happiness. That didn’t change that this was something daunting to her. It wasn’t the change that scared her, like it did Joy. It was the risk of falling incredibly in love and not feeling like she deserved it. [color=9f1b3e]“We’re not moving fast, are we baby?”[/color]

This was typical of Caterina. For as long as Gabriel had known the beautiful woman, she had long held the deepest of insecurities within her heart. She was an anxious person, her nerves often dancing on a knife's edge but all hidden beneath the facade she had painstakingly built around herself. [color=957D0F]“Cat, we've known each other for over twenty years.”[/color] He leaned into his elbows, securing a position on the same kitchen island that his girlfriend had perched herself at. [color=957D0F]“Some might say we didn’t move fast enough.”[/color]

Gabe knew where these feelings of hers were coming from. Both of them had been married previously and both of them had fallen into each other's arms again quicker than they might have suspected. Yet that was the key as to why it was the right thing, Cat and Gabriel had been together as teenagers and had only really ended things because of outside forces and naivety of youth. Now they were older, wiser; a little greyer and had more life experience to allow them to make the positive choices that they neglected the first time around as well as ignore negative influences. This was Edenridge and people liked to talk. The word homewrecker had been floated, the question of Sofi’s paternity had been asked and racial prejudice had been fired at them by a select few. 

[color=957D0F]“Get out of your head baby. Take a breath.”[/color] Gabriel reached out and laced his fingers with Cat’s and kissed the side of her head. [color=957D0F]“Be here with me and our family. It’s a brave new world and we’re going to face it together.”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“Our family,”[/color] Cat repeated after her boyfriend, smiling at him, deep in thought. Her hazel eyes went from his face to his big, rough hands. They held her small ones firm, yet tenderly. This was all profound that now, as she approaches forty, she was finding herself and it was with her highschool sweetheart. [color=9f1b3e]“You missed the dance-a-thon, Gabriel,”[/color] she smirked, talking lowly for only his ears, as she glanced back up at him. [color=9f1b3e]“This house won’t feel like home until you dance with me, you know that right?”[/color] 

Never letting go of his hand, she slipped off the stool, turned him to her and leaned her chest against his. Tilting her head down and looking up at her lover, peering up at him all innocent-like, she pushed her worries to the side to be in the moment with him. [color=9f1b3e]“VAL, play Faithfully by Journey.”[/color] As Val responded, Cat led her man to the living room floor. She placed one of her hands on his shoulder, keeping his other hand in her gentle grasp, shifting their bodies intimately and closely, ready for a casual slow dance. [color=9f1b3e]“You remember when no one was dancing at our winter formal and you came to me all nervous-like, asking me to be your first dance?” [/color]

[color=957D0F]“I certainly do.”[/color] Gabe smiled as he began to move slowly with his lover wrapped up in his arms to the music. [color=957D0F]“Though if I remember correctly, I wasn’t the only one asking you to dance. Just the only one you said yes to.”[/color] He looked back on those days fondly, the days where in the throes of youth he found a deep love with a woman that was way out of his league. As he looked back on the day in question, Gabriel let the smile on his lips curl in memory. 

In those bygone days, one would be hard pressed to find a closer group of friends than the ones that surrounded Caterina Belmonte. Cat just always had the ability to draw people to her, she was always surrounded by friends and people that adored and worshiped her. The Heartbreakers, Bobby, the jocks, the nerds like Gabe, hell, even some Pinehurst Monarchs, they all were a little bit in love with Cat. He considered himself lucky every day that she chose him over the rest of them. [color=957D0F]“I also remember Bobby taking his bat to Matty Fell’s car for some perceived slight. Man, Bobby was nuts.”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“Still is, but he has Lydia to be his center,”[/color] Cat leaned her head on her boyfriend’s chest, holding him close, leaving little to no space between them as they swayed to the song they danced to many, many years ago. She closed her eyes and breathed in his warm and spicy scent. For once in her life, nerves aside, she was at peace. It took her years to fight the demons that lurked over her shoulder, especially in regards to her self worth, loneliness and the unbreakable feeling that she was more of an object than a person. Now she could say she was okay. She was doing okay and that she would continue to be okay. Even on days she wasn’t okay, she had Gabriel to hold her, just like he was doing right now, dancing her worries away. 

That didn’t change the fact that Cat still needed to hear time and time again, the reasons he loved her and the reason he came back. She needed to hear those words because without them, she would be lost. She was a good woman. A good mother. A good daughter. A good lover. But her voice never seemed to be loud enough, and she still struggled to convince herself that she was a good person. She wished she could see herself in Gabriel’s eyes. She wished she could see how beautiful she was to a man that absolutely adored her. Sadly, her heart couldn’t believe in that whimsical fairytale. There was too much damage to repair. She, however, would continue to trust the process and trust him. They were okay and they’d always be okay as long as they had each other. [color=9f1b3e]“What made you come back? To me, I mean.”[/color] She opened her eyes to bring her attention back to her boyfriend. [color=9f1b3e]“I know why you came back. For your family. But what made you want to try this again? You’re handsome. Smart. Funny. Loving. A complete catch. You could’ve dated around and found a new girl. Someone fresh that you’ve never experienced. What made you think of me?”[/color] She gazed at him thoughtfully, with so much curiosity in her big, hazel eyes, seeking to hear things her heart already knew the answer to. [color=9f1b3e]“… I never thought you’d come back, honestly. So the fact that this is us now. It’s like a dream come true.”[/color]

Cat had days like this, where the melancholy settled in and she needed to hear why she was loved. For all the distance between them, Gabriel couldn’t help but notice how similar Cat was to his daughter Joy. [color=957D0F]“The main reason I came back was because Matty still had those photos from our senior trip to Calgary and he told me I had to love you, so it’s basically blackmail.”[/color] Gabe was known for his smile. It was big and toothy and even when he was trying to be subtle it was a huge grin that he was unable to hide. Jokes had always been his way of putting people at ease. As a child, with a family like his, Gabriel needed to find a way to deal with the insurmountable pressure that came with being a Darling. For him, humor, the theater and Cat were those emergency exits. 

With his love in his arms, he pressed his lips to her forehead and left his chin there to comfort her as he continued. [color=957D0F]“I came back to you because no one has ever made me feel like you do. When we were together the first time, whenever I was with you, nothing else mattered. I had no problems, no heartache, no deep fears that swallowed me whole. It was just you and me.”[/color] Gabe raised his fingers to gently caress Caterina’s soft cheek. [color=957D0F]“After my divorce, I was looking for a way to make sure my kids felt that same freedom. Then I took them for a sandwich in your shop and it just clicked. I knew it was you. It’s always been you.”[/color]

Smiling at his words, Caterina didn’t say anything in return. Rather, she pushed herself up to bring her parted lips close to his. She didn’t kiss him immediately, no matter how alluring and heavenly he was to her. Feeling his warmth, staring at him fondly, Cat brushed her lips against his, teasingly. She loved to play just as much as he loved to joke. The way he watched her, the way he openly loved her, unashamed and without restraint, and the way he held her close, needing her, wanting her, made her crave him. This feeling he gave her was something she searched for, all her life, and now she had it. She had someone that loved her and would fight for her, and remind her that she was deserving of love. She was deserving of a happy ending. 

Breaching the small gap, Cat let their hearts collide. No longer dancing to the music, she held this moment like a still photo, loving him beyond reason, beyond words and beyond measure. The Italian woman could hear the thud of their combined heartbeat as they kissed. And they kissed intensely, her mouth melding into his and insisting on more. Like a blushing bride, she felt young again. Only Gabriel could make her feel like no time had passed from now since they first fell for one another; when they were young, dumb and incredibly naive to the world. She loved this man and she was so grateful he loved her back. 

It wasn’t until the back porch door opened that they were pulled away from this feverish dream when Sofi came rushing in, grabbing her bag off the couch, [color=a22d2e]“Gotta’ jet mom. I’m… meeting with an old friend.”[/color] Sofi didn’t care that her parents were in the middle of a make out session. She was quick to kiss her mom on the cheek and sucker punch Gabe in the arm, not ready to show him affection just yet. [color=a22d2e]“Oh and I’m dropping Dani and Franco off at grandpa’s. I’m sure he could use the company.”[/color] Sofi smiled, hinting at potentially giving the two of them much needed alone time. Though she only had influence with her blood siblings. Whether Joy and Abel find an excuse to leave or not, that was their own prerogative but Sofi wasn’t going to waste her time while she was in Eden. She needed to see her once upon a time best friend. [color=a22d2e]“I’ll see you tonight!”[/color]

[color=bf0e69]“Bye mom, bye Gabe!”[/color] Dani gave a Cheshire-like grin as she could feel the heat in the air. [color=bf0e69]“Don’t get into too much trouble while we’re away.”[/color] She simply waved at the two adults before trailing behind her older sister, taking a moment to grab her backpack with art supplies. She wasn’t going to stay at grandpa’s for too long. Dani had a date, but that was neither here nor there. None of her family needed to know what she was getting up to. That was her business and her business alone. 

[color=9f1b3e]“Oh,”[/color] Cat tried to gather herself and think of words to say as her kids rushed out, clearly needing to escape. Before she could say more, she was occupied with her youngest. Her attention completely pulled away from her boyfriend by the sudden departure of all her babies. Well, they weren’t babies anymore. 

[color=de3f70]“Bye mommy,”[/color] Franco intercepted his mother from her lover, embracing her fully and snuggling against her warmth. He let the hug linger for a long minute. Once he was happy, he freed her and ran after his sisters who had already exited the front door, going to Sofi’s polymetal gray Mazda CX-30. 

Cat blinked a couple times, stunned how fast the kids came and went. They all were growing up way too fast. There were days like today she struggled to process it. [color=9f1b3e]“See you later, my babies,”[/color] she whispered, knowing well enough they couldn’t hear her now, seeing how Sofi was already backing out of the driveway. [color=9f1b3e]“Well that just happened…”[/color] She turned to Gabe, wondering how he felt with half of their little army taking the opportunity to not unpack and just leave to do whatever it is they wanted to do. She was hoping she’d get insight on how they felt about the house but nope. They clearly had better things to do. 

[color=957D0F]“We’re old now, Cat. The kids don’t want to spend time with their parents. Especially when they’re making out.”[/color] Gabriel brushed a strand of her beautiful brown locks and tucked it behind her ear. [color=957D0F]“Speaking of…”[/color] As the dentist leaned down to kiss the love of his life, they were disturbed by an all mighty clatter charging down the stairs. It sounded like a rhino charging through the Serengeti preparing to fire them into oblivion. Rounding the corner however was not the gray skinned protector of the animal kingdom. No, it was a different kind of protector, it was his son, Abel, with his twin sister slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

[color=AD95B4]“Will you stop squirming, Joy? Jesus H!”[/color] Abel had a tight grip around his other half’s flailing legs as he paused to stop and look at his father and future step mother. 

[color=c9c29c]“Put me down!”[/color] Joy protested. Her brother had interrupted her phone call with their mother, telling her to just meet them at grandma’s. That he got it covered. She didn’t need his help. She had everything handled and she was completely fine. 

[color=AD95B4]“…She got a case of the sads. It’s all gravy, I’m taking her to Gammas for some breakfast and to hopefully sort out whatever silly shit she’s got going on in….Joy stop fucking with my hair!”[/color] The basketball player waved at his father and Cat before carrying on out of the front door, leaving the new family home silent.

As they slowly made their exit, Joy stared at her father and future step mother defeatedly. She didn’t say goodbye though. She was obviously in a mood and wasn’t ready to accept Cat as her new mother. It wasn’t that the woman was a bad person. It was just no one would replace her mother and it was extremely hard for her to accept that her parents didn’t love each other. Abel said she would come around but she doubted it. In her heart, there was only one mama. 

The lack of acknowledgement from Joy Darling caused Cat to frown. She knew what was going on in that little girl’s head. She knew how hard it was to accept change especially in regards to her parents splitting. Cat would never replace her mother, she would never dare to try. And she was sure her children would never consider Gabe their father. But part of her hoped their children would still look at both of them and accept that their parents were happy. That even if they weren’t blood related, Cat would be there for them, just as she hoped Gabe would be there for her kids, including Sofia, who he was made aware was Dexter’s daughter. 

After years of believing Sofia was Tommaso’s, when Dexter came back into the picture to question it, she realized that there was a huge possibility that Sofia could’ve been his, Gabe’s or truly, Tom’s. She was young and was in over her head, with support from Lydia but having no idea how to move forward, afraid her father would disown her. She didn’t think about questioning her first baby’s DNA. That is until Dex tried to make amends and put food for thought in her mind. She was afraid to find out and part of her hoped Sofia’s was Gabe’s. Of course, that was wistful thinking and the results came in. Sofia was Dexter’s. With that knowledge however, Cat found herself seeing the boy she once loved. The one unchained by his past. The one that wanted to be present and live in the moment. The one that wanted to be there, and have people lean on him. Dexter slowly but surely rebuilt the bridge he had burned years ago, co-parenting and putting any bad history between them behind him. He wanted to be there for his child and that meant the world to Cat. In addition to that, Sofia gained a friend in Frankie, her half sister. 

[color=9f1b3e]“They really do grow up too fast,”[/color] Cat heavily sighed. 

[color=957D0F]“Maybe.”[/color] Gabriel’s handsome face was soon crossed by that smirk of his, the one that Cat had first fallen in love with amongst the horrible moss green lockers of Nathaniel Carlisle Hall at Edenridge High. [color=957D0F]“But the benefit of them growing up is that we have our brand new house to ourselves.”[/color] The tall man placed both of his hands on his lover's beautiful face and caressed her perfect lips with his thumb as he lost himself in her hazel eyes.  [color=957D0F]“Miss Belmonte, I believe you have an emergency appointment with your dentist.”[/color]

Cat couldn’t help but chuckle at Gabriel’s roleplaying. He knew how to brighten up the mood and have fun doing it. That was her Gabe. The man she loved when they were teens and the man she still loved as adults. Humor was his gift and she adored that about him. With their collective troubles and thoughts, he continued to lift her up, putting her first before himself. He never stopped carrying her and making her feel like she was in heaven on Earth. She hoped she did the same for him, in her own way. She hoped he knew how much he meant to her.

She’d play along. 

She always did. 

[color=9f1b3e]“Oh, I almost forgot, Doctor. I am long overdue for a… filling,”[/color] she impishly batted her eyes at him before looking around, pretending to be lost, [color=9f1b3e]“Where’s your office again? I don’t want to postpone. I can’t possibly, if it’s an emergency.”[/color]

[color=957D0F]“Don’t fret!”[/color] Gabriel took a step back to bow to his lady. His voice changed to his best impression of a classic golden era Hollywood impression. [color=957D0F]“We will find it together because in this house I’m not yet entirely sure where it is either.”[/color] Taking his girlfriend's hand, Gabe slapped her well toned butt as he led her away from their kitchen and deeper into their brand new home where they would finally be the family they were always meant to be.

What goes around….
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