No One's A Fool (Revised & Complete)

Chapter 8

"She's coming here." Wrenna announced to Gabe, in the hallway, during a break between both of them teaching classes. "Tomorrow morning. Her and Lori – they're both flying in to watch the closing show of the convention. She wants to see my pieces."

"Okay." Gabe nodded. "Are you going to ask her?"

"I have to." She said, simply.

"Okay. It'll be okay." Gabe wrapped Wrenna in a hug. "We'll talk about it tonight. Try to focus on class now. You'll be okay, I'll be with you." Wrenna nodded, taking a few deep breaths before going back into the ballroom, a smile plastered on her face for her next class. Later that night, after Aurora had gone to sleep, the subject came up again.

"How come you never wanted to know?" Gabe asked her.

"A lot of reasons. I always felt like Mick was my dad, in every sense. I never cared to find out about someone who didn't seem to want me. And I was afraid, too. Like what if I found out, and I went looking for him, and he rejected me again? I just always felt like, if he didn't want me in the first place, I wasn't going to go seek him out. Mick was more than enough."

"I get that, Wrenna. Really, I do. But – you don't think that knowing will bring you peace?"

"No, not really." She answered, honestly. "At least not at first. Because if I know, then I have to deal with the knowing."

"And then you make peace with the knowing." Gabe replied.

"That feels like a lot of work." Wrenna said, only half-joking. "I always felt a little rejected, because of him. It took me a long time to work through that. I don't know if I want to open that up again."

"But you know Mick will always be your dad. You're not rejected. Your mom wanted you, Mick did too. Jesus, the man came and held you for hours after you were born, so your mom could sleep. That's real devotion."

"I know. He's always been devoted to me. He's always been my dad."

"And this doesn't change that."

"You don't think it does?"

"No." Gabe answered, quickly and firmly. "No, I don't. Mick wants what you want. If you want to find answers, he'll back you on that. It doesn't make you less of his child."

"I worry about how he's going to feel, thought." She admitted.

"I don't. I know what it's like to have a daughter – a daughter that I adopted. Aurora isn't any less our child because she's not biological. Mick feels the same about you. You're just as much his as Amy and Lucy. And one day, if Aurora wants to find her bio family, I'll be behind that 100%. I can't imagine Mick feels any differently."

"I'm just scared." Wrenna said, her voice quiet. Gabe took her hand.

"Don't be. It'll all be okay. And I'll be with you." He assured her. "For now, let's just see where it goes tomorrow."