From Ashes

Gage was bringing the last load of food up to Jesse’s porch when the front door suddenly opened and Jesse stood there staring at us with wide eyes. He’d changed into a fitted gray shirt and low-slung jeans since getting off work, and after a quick assessment, I confirmed that while he was attractive, he had nothing on Gage.

“Cassi, what are you doing here?” He looked down at the piles of boxes, Tupperware, and casserole dishes in between us. “What is this?”

“Please don’t be mad!” I said, and took a step out of a few boxes I’d surrounded myself with. “We just wanted to help in some way, and I love to cook. I just, I just . . .” I trailed off as I saw his dark eyes glisten as he continued to stare at everything on the porch.

What felt like an eternity passed before anyone spoke.

“You really do have a great girl, you know that, right?” He blinked back his tears when he looked up at Gage.

Gage’s voice was soft and low. “I know I do.”

A weak foreign voice came from somewhere inside the doorway and Jesse tilted his head into the house as he answered back in what had to be Italian. “Ma wants to meet y’all. C’mon in.” When Gage and I bent down to pick up some of the piles, Jesse shook his head and began helping us. “I can’t believe y’all did this. Thank you so much.”

“It was all Cass, trust me. If I would’ve helped, it wouldn’t have turned out edible.”

Jesse laughed and led us into the kitchen. When everything was put away, he took us back into the living room to where his mom was sitting on the couch. She murmured something in Italian and smiled brightly; even ill, there was no doubt she was beautiful. “Ma, she heard me on the phone with you earlier, she knows you speak English.” He rolled his eyes when he turned back to us but the love for his mom was obvious. “She said it’s refreshing to see true love in a couple.”

“It isn’t something you see often.” Her voice was still weak, and her English was perfect but held a hint of her accent. “Especially in young couples such as yourselves. I pray I get to see it for my son before I go.”

“Ma,” Jesse said softly, and went to stand next to her. “Cassi and Gage, this is my mother, Isabella; Ma, this is Cassi and her boyfriend, Gage.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Gage and I said at the same time.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet the two of you. And what was that I heard about you making food for us? Darling girl, that is too sweet of you.”

“Really, I wish there was more we could do, but unfortunately all I’m good at is cooking.”

Isabella laughed softly. “Oh, my dear, I have a feeling we would get along very well.”

“Hey, Jesse, mind if I talk to you for a minute?” Gage asked, and when I tilted my head up to look at him with a worried expression he squeezed me tightly and kissed my forehead. “Talk to Isabella for a bit, darlin’, I’ll be right back.”

“Be nice,” I whispered so only he could hear.

Gage flashed his dimples at me. “Promise.”

I watched them walk outside but didn’t have any time to worry; Isabella patted the couch and told me to “talk food” with her.

GAGE

“HEY, MAN, I can’t thank you enough. Ma was an amazing cook—her parents owned a restaurant in Italy up until they passed—but she can’t do anything anymore, and honestly I have to be the worst cook ever. I can heat up soup and that’s about it, so what y’all did is really amazing. Thank you.”

“Like I said, it’s all Cassidy. I understand what you mean though; me and the guys would starve without her.” I laughed and he cocked his head to the side.

“Her name’s Cassidy? That fits her; I like it better than just Cassi.”

I cleared my throat as my earlier irritation with his obvious affection for my girl came back. “Yeah, I agree. But hey, I wanted to talk to you about something, and I want you to keep an open mind. Cassidy doesn’t know about this; I went to the other room to make the call while she was cooking some of the stuff. I figured if you want to tell her, that’s your business. Also, I don’t want you to take this as me thinking you aren’t capable of—”

“Just spit it out, man.” Jesse’s head was still tilted to the side, but now his brows were drawn down and he looked hesitant.

“All right. My family wants to take care of your mom’s medical bills, as long as y’all—”

“No.” His body straightened and his face grew tense. “No way.”

“Jesse, just hear me out.”

He leaned close and spoke through clenched teeth, his voice soft but harsh. “No f**king way. I don’t need your help and I’m not gonna be some charity case for your family.”

“Y’all wouldn’t be charity. Jesus, Jesse. I get where you’re coming from, but don’t be so stubborn that your mom has to suffer even more watching you beat yourself up as you struggle to take care of her.” That may have been a little harsh. I cleared my throat and tried to calm my voice. “Look, my sister Amanda’s best friend died suddenly when we were younger. She was sick, had cancer, and her family didn’t tell anyone. Why? I have no idea, but they didn’t have the money or the insurance to go through chemo or anything like that, so their doctor suggested natural, alternative treatments. By the time even my mom started to notice something wasn’t right, Kasey was gone. Everyone in town flipped out over the issue, and Kasey’s parents moved away suddenly. Amanda was . . . she wasn’t okay for a long time. She was so sure if they had told us, we could have done something. Well, now we have an opportunity to do something. Dad and I, as well as Cass, think what you’ve done for your mom already is incredible, and I respect you for it. But you shouldn’t have to take on a second job while you’re going to the police academy, or even while you’re trying to get on at a department. You need to spend your time with her, not worrying about making enough money to keep you guys afloat. We want to take care of all of her current and future medical bills, as long as y’all need it. Also, if this house isn’t paid off, we’ll cover the mortgage too. It won’t be charity, we want to help.”