Page 84 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

He hadn’t talked to her since he’d texted that he was moving. Months ago.

He’d been so close to them once. It felt like a sting to ignore them now.

His finger slid across the bar to answer. “Hi, Susan.”

“Luca,” Zoe’s mom said. Her voice was always so soft. Just like Zoe’s was. “Merry late Christmas. I wanted to call yesterday but didn’t know what you had going on. I think I assumed you might be off today.”

“I am.” No reason to go into his schedule. It didn’t matter. They didn’t need those details. Not anymore.

“Did you have a nice holiday?”

“I did,” he said. “And you?”

“As good as it could be,” Susan said. “I don’t know that it gets better as much as people say.”

He swallowed hard. “I know.”

“I hope you’re getting out again. Or trying. Zoe would want that. I think she’d be happy you took this step to get away.”

He wasn’t sure why he needed to hear that.

Maybe it was the guilt he’d been feeling lately.

This thing with Gabriela. Yeah, it was a relationship in his eyes for sure, but fear kept him from agreeing.

She’d thrown it out like a joke and sometimes he just wasn’t sure if she was testing the waters, or testing him, maybe testing herself.

“I hope so.” It was the best he could say. He wasn’t sure he was ready to admit that he was seeing someone.

That he was happy for the first time in years.

Maybe even happier than he was when Zoe was alive andthatguilt was even worse.

They’d had a great marriage. He’d never say otherwise.

But the pressure of starting a family was getting to them. They had options, but Zoe hadn’t been open to anything other than a child the old-fashioned way.

And since it was her body, he didn’t feel right telling her to try something else.

“Is Chuck doing well?” he asked. “How about Tiffany and the kids?”

“Everyone is doing great,” Susan said. “Missing Zoe, but that will never stop.”

“No,” he said, his voice lower than it needed to be.

He had to stop doing that. It was why everyone was so afraid to bring her name up around him.

“I talked to your mother the other day,” Susan said. “She said you really love your new job and were adapting well to the island.”

“Both those things,” he said, more confidence in his tone now. “I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but I’m glad it’s working out.”

“I’m glad too,” Susan said. There was silence, as if they were only holding on because of Zoe. Maybe if he still lived close by it’d be different, but states away, that ease didn’t feel so comfortable now. “I guess I’ll let you get back to your day. I think of you all the time, Luca. I really hope that someday you find what you’re looking for. You deserve it.”

Which meant his mother said nothing. Not that he thought she would.

“Thanks. Tell everyone I said hi.”

He hung up after that and threw his phone down.