Angela and Gabby spent the whole day buying balloons, decorations, gifts, and Mika's dress for the party. Gabby went all out despite only having about fifteen guests for the late afternoon celebration.
Gabby bought a couple of collections of warm clothes for Mika from different high-end stores. She said the girl didn't go shopping even though J gave her allowance every month. Mika believed there was no point in wearing nice clothes when she didn't go out so much. The young girl had low self-esteem because of her life-limiting condition, so Gabby always tried to encourage her to live her life more.
While they went shopping around, Angela couldn't help but worry about Gael and J. She already knew the reason why Gael didn't want J to come back to New York at the moment, and she understood how he wanted to keep him safe, which was why not knowing what they were doing made her feel nervous. Did she always have to feel this way every time from now on?
"How do you do it?" she asked Gabby as they got in the backseat of the car. They were on their way to J's apartment where Mika was waiting.
"Do what?"
"How do you not worry…or stop worrying about them?" Angela's voice was low, but with the way Trigger and Rick exchanged glances at the front seat of the SUV, it was pretty obvious they heard her.
Even though Angela didn't clarify her question, Gabriella caught on. The latter looked out the window for a second, pursing her lips as she contemplated. "I don't stop. I always worry. Sometimes I can't sleep when I know something serious is happening. Especially since they don't naturally want me to be included in it, saying they're trying to protect me. I hate that, you know? But it is what it is." A small smile lifted on her lips. "I had to convince my father for years to let me work with him."
"You want in on it?"
"It's a family business, Angela. Of course, I want to be part of it. I think that somehow… If I'm within the circle, I'll worry less. I'll have more control over my life that way, and I'll have more control over my worries." Gabriella turned to the other. "Why do you ask? Are you concerned about my brother?"
"Yes…"
"Every man in my life…everyone I know is part of it. I worry about them all the time. But I trust them too. You trust my brother, right?"
This time, Angela curled the corners of her lips upward. "Yes. I trust him."
Gabriella matched her smile, took her hand, and squeezed it. She was very likable that Angela couldn't help but feel at ease with her. For a short time they had known each other, she could already see her as a good friend—even like a sister.
***
J and Mika's apartment was also in Williamsburg that's a few blocks over Gael's brownstone. It's a mid-rise condominium with top-notch amenities and high security. Their place was on the top floor of one of the buildings with a view of the river.
As soon as they entered the apartment, Mika squealed and gave them both hugs, then gave fistbumps to Trigger and Rick. The teenager was eager to show Angela her home, giving her a tour around the two-bedroom unit.
There was a mixture of personalities in the place, and it wasn't hard to see which ones were decided by Mika and J. The sofa was a plush yellow, and the coffee table was black. Mika's bedroom had bright colors all over while J's had more of a dark and dungy theme—except for his clothes that had more flashy colors than neutrals.
Angela learned that Gael bought them this place in the first year that he took them in. For the first couple of months, they lived in Gael's brownstone before he found a place for them. Angela would learn from Gael later when she would talk about it with him that it wasn't that he didn't like having J and Mika stay with him at his house, but he also wanted the siblings to have a place of their own and not just to have to live with someone.
Gael had hired a private nurse for Mika who stayed with her whenever J wasn't around as he had to work with Gael during most of the day and night. Gael taught J everything he needed to know to thrive and survive in their world.
At around six in the evening, the men arrived, and their party began. Mika really didn't have friends outside of the De Lucas, so her guests were limited to J, Gael, Angela, Gabriella, the female nurse, Trigger, Rick, and some of the guards. Nevertheless, dinner was so much fun with everyone taking turns in entertaining Mika.
After dinner, they gathered around the living room. Gael sat in a wingback chair in the corner of the room. He pulled Angela down to his lap and they watched everyone talk over each other about their adventures in the past. She felt so comfortable being in his arms, feeling tingles all over whenever he'd casually press his lips on her shoulder, her back, her cheek whenever. It didn't seem like he was aware of what he was doing because it felt so natural whenever he did in between talks and laughs.
J was the life of the party. He, along with Gabriella and Trigger, danced to "What is Love" by Haddaway. Apparently, Mika invented a dance to that song when she was eleven and taught it to the three of them. The trio danced in sync as if they had done it a thousand times before, but the moves were silly which sent everyone howling in laughter.
Mika had the most fun among all of them. Her hearty laughter sent her into a coughing fit, but she waved anyone off who tried to help her, wanting to enjoy this occasion. She was so thin that her body looked like it would get knocked over if a heavy wind blew on her. However, her smile was radiant. She was a pretty girl.
When it was time for gifts, they took turns giving Mika what they prepared. Angela's was an advanced Polaroid camera that printed pictures instantly and also stored them in a memory card. She gave it to her a couple of hours ago so she could use it during the party, and Mika was elated as she snapped photos of them every now and then that she'd already used up a few packs of films.
Mika took one of Angela while she sat on Gael's lap and his arms wrapped around her waist. They both looked at the lens with smiles on their faces. The picture looked vintage and warm, like they belonged in it perfectly. Angela tucked it into her wallet after Gael wrote something in Italian at the back of it. She had to remember to look for its translation later.
Gabby's gifts were paper bags upon paper bags of dresses, coats, and jackets. Trigger's was a Yankees baseball cap, in which Mika laughed when she received—it was some kind of an inside joke they had. Rick also got her something—a knitted yellow scarf that he made himself. This surprised Angela, but apparently everyone else already knew about the giant's hobby.
Then J, who couldn't wait for his turn, made a show of raising and waving a long box when he walked over to his sister, bending down on one knee as he offered it to her. Mika's eyes went wide when she realized what it was even before she opened the box. She ripped the wrapper, opened the box, and her jaw dropped. It was a shiny new violin inside a black hard case. Mika had been asking J for it for months. Then Gael decided to pair J's gift with his, so he got her violin lessons from a sought-out instructor in New York.
The party was loud and fun. Angela felt a little jealous that she didn't have this kind of cozy gathering with her relatives in the Su clan, thinking that she missed out a lot growing up despite being born in a wealthy family. She missed her father and Oli, so she called them for a few minutes that night while the others enjoyed the cake and some wine.
When the phone call ended, strong arms circled her waist, and Gael's lips found her neck. "How are they?" he asked.
"They're fine. They miss me, but they're happy I'm having fun over here. Oli met Dad's girlfriend the other day. He said she looked like someone who bakes Strawberry shortcakes so she could eat some for afternoon tea with the Queen of England—whatever the heck that means." She chuckled, shaking her head at Oliver's words. "But she's nice."
"That's good. It's about time your father found someone. Are you okay with that?"
Angela turned to face him and slid her arms up his neck. "Yeah. I don't know what he was waiting for a long time. He deserved to be loved."
Gael stared at her for a few beats then his warm hand brushed against her cheek. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and whispered, "So do you."
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