Babes Stripping For Love

Bree was nervous when she was getting ready this morning. Mrs. Mancini was in the kitchen with Hazel baking cookies, trying to give the single mom the privacy that she needed.

A couple of days after she found out about Gage’s tumor, she had told the older woman about his condition. Bree cried on her shoulder and then both agreed to keep Hazel from the truth for the time being. Mrs. Mancini had sympathized with Bree and wished everything to go back as they were once before.

That was why she came to keep Hazel busy when Bree told her that she was going for a coffee date with Gage.

“You look nervous,” Mrs. Mancini stated when Bree came out of her room in her comfiest pair of jeans and baby blue blouse. It was one of her favorite blouses, Gage had told her that she looked beautiful in it months ago and Bree wears it just because he said so.

“I am,” she bit her lip while her eyes roamed their small living room, then she smiled when she sees Hazel sitting on the floor and making a mess of herself decorating cookie dough before they go into the oven.

“Have faith in Gage, the man has a kind heart. Though he may not remember you, yet, his heart is the same. I’m sure it’ll be only time until he falls in love with you all over again.” Mrs. Mancini hugged her and Bree had to blink her eyes a couple of times, making sure that she was not going to cry, not in front of Hazel.

“I hope so too.” She smiled and then went to Hazel’s side telling her that she was going out for a bit. “I’ll be back for our little trip to the zoo, make sure you make lots of cookies for our snacks in the car later.”

“I wish Gage can go with us,” the little girl sighed and Bree looked at Mrs. Mancini. She didn’t know how to answer her baby girl with all the feelings that are already swirling dangerously into a big tidal wave. Bree did not want to flood herself with emotions, perfectly knowing that she wouldn’t be able to walk out the door with her nerves already all over the place.

“I think Gage is busy doing his boring adult stuff, why don’t we add more pink drizzle onto the cookies? do you want to make the unicorn batch now?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” she giggled in excitement, and just like that all thoughts about Gage were temporarily forgotten and Bree quickly slipped out of her apartment before Hazel gets back to talking about him again.

Bree quickened her steps until she reach the coffee shop. She was early and she was thankful for the situation, at least she could compose herself before Gage arrived. Or so she thought before the only man in her mind walked into the small coffee shop and smiled when he saw Bree sitting by the window.

“Hey, I thought I was early,” he greeted her, looking handsome in his dark jeans and un-tucked plaid shirt with rolled-up sleeves showing off his casual day outfit that Bree loves so much. “Hold that thought let me get us coffee, what would you like?”

“Hot caramel latte.” Her voice was soft, as she reminded herself that surely he would not remember her preference for hot coffee.

“So, how are you this morning?” he took the seat opposite hers and put her coffee cup in front of her minutes later.

“I’m good, and you? do you still have headaches?” Bree knew she should not be asking the private questions the second the words spilled out of her mouth. “I’m, I didn’t mean to…”

“Bree, it’s okay. I’m okay, headaches come and go. But look, I’ve been thinking, I know my condition could not be any easier for you and I haven’t been sensitive about your… our situation,” Gage corrected and he looked into her eyes and saw a slight sheen of tears that she blinked away within seconds. Not wanting to get caught up in the moment, Gage knew he needed to get his feelings out of his chest.

But what words he had carefully scripted in his head, somehow it all fades away when he got lost in her captivating eyes. He had never seen a pair of eyes that looked so sad yet enchantingly beautiful at the same time. His mouth froze, his mind was not cooperating with his wishes to tell Bree about his intention to apologize to her.

“Gage?” Bree asked thinking he was pausing his words because he had another headache.

“Sorry, your eyes, they looked… you’re beautiful, Bree. Damn… sorry, I had all these words formed in my head but now…” the man smiled when he saw her blushed making her look even more beautiful.

“Yeah, okay, let me try this again, tell me… about us,” Gage decided that he wanted to get to know more about what they had instead of trying to explain what he was feeling or in this case what he forget to remember about his feelings towards her.

“Um, well… it felt like years ago,” Bree started then paused to drink her latte suddenly feeling the need for the hot coffee before she told him about how they met. “My car broke down, then Rocco mistook me for one of the applicants for the pole dancer, stripper position,” she shifted in her seat obviously feeling uncomfortable with herself, but she continues knowing that Gage needed to know this. If he could not remember, Bree was going to have to remind him of their meet.

It took them two cups of coffee and two muffins before Bree ended her story, the last being their seaside getaway and Gage was entertained in some part of the stories and he liked it when she tells him the story of how they spent time with his old buddy Archie and his wife Alice.

“What do you think about telling your daughter Hazel the truth about what happened to me?”

“Honestly, I don’t like lying to her and I don’t want to burden you with her expectation.”

“Expectation?”

“Yeah,” Bree decided to go all out, it was time she thought. The woman had waited long enough for Gage to want to know the truth and from the looks of it, he was not running away from the situation. Bree was even surprised when Gage ordered both of them a second cup of coffee and two bottles of mineral water, and then two muffins. His action told her that he was not avoiding her, it showed her that he does want to hear more of Bree’s version of their relationship.

Gage was showing off his calm, demeanor while on the inside he was stunned several times by the nature of his behavior. From Bree’s stories, it sounded like he was truly in love with her, he had even insisted on Bree and Hazel moving in with him and Gage remembered that he did not even go that far with Jade.

Bree tried to phrase the words when he asked about Hazel’s expectation and she took a deep breath before telling him all about it.

“I told you that you took me and Hazel to the seaside town to cheer me up since my ex saw me at the club.” She paused and waited until Gage nodded his head, “Well that night, he tugged and bruised my wrist,” Gage winced, he knew that her ex abused her and at that moment he was feeling the need to protect her, badly.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“I had put concealer on my wrist, but it washed off when we were splashing around in the water. Hazel thought that you had hurt me then I told Hazel that it wasn’t because of you, that it was her daddy’s doing. And from there she wanted you to be her new daddy telling us that he hated her real daddy.” Bree took another deep breath knowing she was overflowing Gage’s mind with too much information.

“And then, what did I do?” the man asked without any hesitation.

“You kissed her hair and told her that you loved her.” Bree blinked her eyes, forcing her tears to fade away while Gage finished off his coffee and took her hand on his.

“With your permission, I’d like to tell her about what happened to me, I don’t want her to think that I had abandoned her. Aside from where our thing is heading, I think I’m wise enough to not let Hazel down.”

“I think she needs to know the truth,” Bree agreed and soaked in all the feelings that Gage gave her when his fingers subtly rubbed her knuckles and erased all her worries away.