Midnight River

Plus One

Gemma's pov
Song inspo - change your mind by tori Kelly

"When are you going to come home?" My mother asked, not wasting any time as I joined her out on the balcony, taking the empty chair and leaving the sliding door cracked in case Beans wanted to join us, or if I needed to make a quick escape.

"I'm not coming home." I answered her, meeting her judging gaze.

Sometimes I wasn't sure why she wanted me back so bad. We didn't get along, we'd argue over things. She'd want me to take control of the ranch and then tell me I wasn't doing it right. I'd want to hang up all the pictures of my father while she would want to hide them away.

"Stop being so stubborn, Gemma. You don't belong here." She argued and I couldn't help but pull a cigarette from my emergency pack. She'd judge me on that too, but I needed something right about now. The Nicotine wouldn't be strong enough but it would at least ease the anxiety for the time being.

"How would you know that? You don't know anything about my life here, you don't bother to ask." I retorted, taking a long drag. She didn't say anything about the cancer stick, but her disgusted expression said enough.

"I figured you would have come back after Henry died. But even then you were too stubborn." She said then, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"Don't talk about him." I snapped. I had grieved for my ex fiance, I had moved on but I knew that she saw him just as she probably saw John and I didn't like that.

"I thought you would have learned, I did. People like your dad, like Henry and now this John, they can't stick around forever. They will tell you they can but they always end up leaving."

"Just because you never found anyone else after dad doesn't mean you have to take out your bitterness on the people in my life." I hissed, failing to control myself. My words probably hurt her but I didn't care, and she didn't show any sign that my comment bothered her.

"I'm just trying to protect you, Gemma."

"We'll actually, you're doing the exact opposite right now." I muttered quietly, not loud enough for her to hear me.

I was relieved when John stepped outside to bring us both a coffee and I smiled weakly up at him as he set them on the small table beside us. Mine was light, with cream and sugar, how I liked it. He had guessed correctly in knowing my mother had liked hers like her soul, black.

"Thank you." I said to him, giving his hand a squeeze before he disappeared back inside. I knew he wasn't far, probably leaning against the counter and drinking his own coffee as he watched us carefully.

"He's hovering." My mother commented then, I wasn't sure anyone would be able to ignore his presence.

"Because he cares." I defended him, flicking the ash from my smoke over the railing of the balcony.

"He lives with you now?" She questioned, her voice curious more than judgemental but I knew it was still there beneath the surface.

"Just temporarily, until he goes on to his next op." I explained.

"To leave you here behind." Blake said with a knowing sigh. I knew part of her did understand. The love my parents had were real and she dutifully waited for my father every time he left, all while raising me.

She just hadn't been strong enough to bounce back from his death. And by the time she did, it was too late for a lot of things.

I hadn't exactly bounced back either, having run away instead. But in doing so I found my purpose, my calling in life and now a man I loved very much. I just wanted her to see that.

"How long have you known him?" She asked then, and I could tell her tone had softened a bit. As if she knew arguing with me was futile. It was.

I missed home sometimes. The country, the fresh air, the memories. But I had made a home here too. Maybe if she stopped trying to pressure me into moving back to Montana I would have come to visit by now.

"A few months." I answered. I was pretty sure it had actually been shorter than that but it felt like so much had happened since we met that day on the roof and took shelter together from the downpour.

"Gemma!" Blake exclaimed, as if I had allowed a stranger into my home. Maybe once he had been a stranger, buy he wasn't anymore.

"I love him." I declared, seriously as I pushed the butt of my cigarette into the ashtray.

"Love him? Sounds like you barely know him."

"You and dad got married after only knowing each other for a few months."

"That was different, it wasn't the same back then." She said, sounding a bit sad.

"But you loved him." I pushed, meeting her gaze.

"I did. I still do." She admitted and for the first time she arrived I found myself glad that she had. We argued, we didn't see eye to eye but she was still my mother and I loved her. She was all I had left of my father, and I was the same for her.

"I love John." I repeated, hoping she would believe me.

"What do you love about him?" She asked, raising a brow but her voice wasn't judgy or doubtful, it was curious and suddenly it felt like we were just who we were to each other, having a moment we had never had the time to before.

She'd never known my last love, never met him or never got to hear what I loved about him. But now I could show and tell her everything I loved about John, and how he made me feel.

"His accent." I said and as she looked at me we both laughed. I had to set my coffee down so I wouldn't spill it as I couldn't stop, the sound of her laughing too making it harder to stop.

From behind us I could hear John nearly choke on his own coffee.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again, I'm too far away to be here for you and I know you're too stubborn to come to me for anything."

"I know." I admitted.

"The lives they live, people like us aren't suited for them." My mother added, her expression sad for a moment and I was sure mine mirrored it. It was the reason I had tried to push him away, why I had never wanted to get involved with him in the first place. But that didn't matter.

"I know. I tried Mom, I really did. But he made me realize I can't live in fear of that. Even if I lose him, it'll be worth it. Henry was worth it. Dad was worth it, right?"

She reached over then to put her hand on mine and gave me a nod.

"I'd do it all over again with him even if I knew the ending." She agreed and gave me a soft smile which I returned. I glanced back to look at Soap through the glass door to find his eyes on me and a smile on his lips.

It made my heart skip, the way he looked at me, like he was realizing his love for me and the love I had for him every single time.

"I'd still like you to come home, for a visit. The ranch misses you." My mother said then, bringing my gaze back to her.

"As long as I can bring a plus one."

----

🥹🥹🥹🥺🥹🥺🥹🥺🥹