Georgia On My Mind

11

ROME POV

I cuddled with Scout until the smell of garlic and fresh bread forced her awake, her little nose sniffing before her eyes opened with a grin.

Georgia kept surprising me.

It was obvious she didn't know how to respond to my question but the fact that she got the impression I would never be interested made me pause.

Am I really that much of an ass?

Yeah, Probably.

Dad and Mariah came downstairs as my sister was waking up. She ran to our Dad with a giggle as he tossed her into the air.

"Gigi in the kitchen?" Mariah yawned, sniffing the air exactly as Scout had.

Like mother, like daughter.

I nodded, stretching my back then grabbing my laptop. "I'll see you guys in there."

My heart was beating wildly as I paced the living room of my apartment.

How do I fix this?

Something was pulling me toward Georgia.  She had been so relaxed today, most likely thanks to how I apologized and genuinely wanted to start over.

I was still thinking when I returned downstairs to the sound of Scout giggling while Dad tickled her at the kitchen table. Georgia was sauteeing shrimp on the stovetop with zucchini, garlic, and butter while the linguini boiled. Mariah was chopping romaine for a salad and I could smell garlic bread warming.

Damn, this is gonna be a good meal.

Dad opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio and poured three glasses, sliding one to Georgia while she helped Scout get some bread. "Thanks, Max," her voice was quiet and it seemed like she was deep in thought.

I may not have been home   ong, but a good portion of the time has been spent observing Georgia.

Mariah looked at the glass of wine longingly and laid a hand on her stomach with a sigh. "It's gonna be a long 7 months."

"Once baby is here we should check out that vineyard about an hour away, Ry. We can get a room for the night, relax..." Dad offered, smiling at his wife. "Gi has things covered here so it would be easy to sneak away."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, love," she replied with a grin, taking another bite of her meal.

I reached down with my fork to get more pasta and realized my plate was empty.

"Damn, Georgia, this is so good I didn't realize I had finished," I laughed, shaking my head at myself.

Maybe I was more jetlagged than I realized.

She offered a bright smile and shrugged, "It's an easy recipe."

Scout signed "Please" and pointed to the bread so Georgia gave her another slice. Dad grabbed more for himself, chuckling at his little girl. "She worked up an appetite with that nap, huh?"  He paused, "So I'm going to work from home tomorrow. Maybe Duckling here wants a night swim?" He looked toward Georgia, "You get the night off, Gi. You've been handling night shift more lately but we have it covered so you can join us or relax, either way."

She looked between us and then down at her plate, "I'll just stay in for the night if that's okay. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Wanna watch Jane Austen movies and eat chocolate ice cream?" Mariah asked with her eyes wide.

Georgia laughed and gave her a long look. "You know I can't turn down an offer like that, Ry."

"We can watch "Pride and Prejudice" then let these two have swim time with the Duckling," she grinned, taking another bite of pasta.