"Come on. Let me make sure I feed my baby before I leave," he said.
"Okay." I made a motion to walk past him when he quickly pulled me back towards his chest kissing me long and slow. Deep enough to make me lose my breath.
"Damn—what was that for?" I exhaled against his lips.
"I love you, Gianna Taylor. I just want you to know that."
"I love you too, Remel Robinson."
Smiling, he gave me a final kiss before we headed in.
Hours later, everything was moved to storage, and the keys were returned to our landlord. Ronnie was at Siren House, and I was alone in our hotel suite scrolling on my phone absentmindedly as my mind moved from one thought to the other.
My brooding was interrupted by a phone call. Sitting up in surprise, my heart leaped to my throat when I saw Ms. Betty's name. Breathing down my anxiety, I answered tentatively. "Hello?"
"Gianna—hi. It's Remy's mom."
"I know. Hi, Ms. Betty."
"Hi. Did I reach you at a bad time?"
"No, not at all. How can I help you?"
She paused for a second. "Would you be free to meet for breakfast tomorrow? There's this little café I love that serves the best chicken and waffles. Would you join me?"
"Sure. I would love that." I rubbed the tightness in my chest. "Just give me the time and I'll be there."
"How does ten a.m. sound?"
"That's perfect," I agreed.
"Wonderful. I'll text you the address and see you in the morning."
"Yes ma'am. Looking forward to it." I managed a smile.
"Be safe, Gianna." She paused. "And…would you mind keeping this between you and I?"
I paused but agreed. "Sure, Ms. Betty."
'Thank you. See you tomorrow," she said before we ended the call.
I slowly let the phone drop on the bed. I was sure she wanted to talk about Remy and me. I was just praying that this time it didn’t wind up being a total fiasco again.
The next morning, I was fifteen minutes early to meet Ms. Betty. She strolled in five minutes past ten, and I was instantly on edge.
"Good morning, Gianna," she greeted me softly taking her seat.
"Morning, Ms. Betty." I gave her a warm smile.
The waitress came over to take our drink orders before we resumed.
"How are you?" she asked looking into my eyes.
"I've been better," I admitted.
She nodded slowly. "Yeah—I'm sure."
I took a deep breath. "Ms. Betty, I just want to apologize for what happened last time. That whole situation was out of my control, and I feel horrible you had to see that."