"Do you normally make-out with the people you're hired to kill? It doesn't strike me as very professional."
"Put the gun down," Gabriel panted, not answering her.
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"Because you're not going to shoot me," Gabriel rep...
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Four years later
Ash eyed the assortment of food set out on the island of the kitchen: Taco dip, spinach-artichoke dip, hummus, guacamole, at least a hundred slices of cheese, buffalo chicken dip, eggplant parmesan dip, queso, salsa, and crab dip alongside bags and bags of chips, crackers, and breads. They had a large fruit tray, a large veggie tray, and two trays of wings cooking in the oven. And then, of course, the surprise ice cream cake in the freezer. But it somehow felt insufficient.
Gabriel's arms around her waist and head buried into her neck momentarily tore her focus away from the food.
"Do you think we have enough?" she asked. Gabriel groaned as she pulled away from him to study the spread again, concerned.
"Mi vida, we made enough for an army."
"With Kyle and Levi coming, that might not be enough," she responded.
"We can always order pizza love. But it will be enough."
Ash nodded, though she was still worried.
"You said this morning that there was something you wanted to ask me?" her husband prompted, lifting her and setting her on the counter.
"Right," Ash acknowledged, finally distracted from the food. She had told him she wanted to talk to him eight hours ago, but this was the first moment they weren't rushing since then. "I'm supposed to travel to Jakarta for work in a few months. We're meeting with the President of Indonesia to discuss a contract for air pollution reduction technology. But that should only take a couple days, and it's so close to Bali..."
"You want me to come with?" Gabriel asked skeptically. "What about the kids?"
"Gabriel, your parents have been begging us to go on vacation for a year now just so they can have the kids to themselves."
Gabriel looked at her, unconvinced. "You think they can handle it?"
As if to emphasize his point, Juanita, who had been watching the whole interaction, shouted "No way," and then proceeded to throw some of the cheerios she had been snacking on across the room. She was only two, so Ash sincerely doubted she was responding to Gabriel's question. Yet Gabriel still looked at Ash as though the toddler had vindicated his point.
People thought Ash's job as a CEO of a multi-million dollar company was hard, but she knew that Gabriel's job as a forensic social worker was much harder. Every day brought him into direct contact with people in crisis – victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and assault. The level of empathy and mental strength Gabriel had to do his job never ceased to amaze her. And she had that same empathy to thank for bringing her Salvador, Aniyah, and Juanita – her three adopted children.
Gabriel's colleague Terry had been originally assigned to the family after the mother had been hospitalized from a drug overdose. The police suspected the mother was being trafficked, but she had passed away before they could do anything to help her, leaving behind eight-year-old Salvador, four-year-old Aniyah, and baby Juanita.
