The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 36

"So, what are you looking for?" Gia and Jessica sat in the back seat of Jimmy's car. After weight training, the girls cleaned up in the locker room and met Jimmy outside in front of the lobby.

She'd spent a lot of time with Gia in the gym over the last few days. Seeing her in casual clothes sparked Jessica's girl crush all over again. With her impeccable fashion sense, Gia exuded an aura of confidence. She looked chic in her trendy camouflage crop top and baggy jeans.

"I want to get a gift for my parents to give to them on Friday," Jessica responded to Gia. "Are you growing your hair out?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get braids. So, are you thinking food or what?" Gia looked out the window at a group of teenagers on the sidewalk. One of the kids wore a banana costume while his friends did a weird arm dance around him. The silly display made Gia giggle as she pointed them out to Jess.

"Well, my mom is undergoing chemo right now. I want to stock her up on some comfort items like her favorite mint tea," Jess said as she giggled at the kids.

"What about Target, then? It's just around the corner." Gia stuck her thumb out, motioning behind them.

Jessica agreed with Gia's suggestion. It was so close that the girls could have walked the distance in five minutes. Yet, Tristan had insisted they not go anywhere alone. Ever since finding out that Liam was having Jess followed, Tristan became hypervigilant. There was an empty parking spot on North McClurg. Jimmy joined the girls inside instead of waiting for them. Jessica didn't like this. Jimmy was not a bodyguard and, as far as she knew, had little to no training. If something happened to him, Jess didn't know how she'd ever face Emma again. Still, Gia and Jimmy overruled her concerns, and the trio entered the store.

Since Manuel was busy working and Heather's care required her to relax, she didn't get to the store much. With Gia's help, Jessica compiled a care package to give to her parents. She included necessities like laundry detergent and Clorox wipes, but also fun things. She found a fidget toy set that contained several pop-its and spinners. Gia had an eye for sales and found a beautiful Chenille throw blanket half off. Jess grabbed it to replace Heather's threadbare one. Jess knew why her mother loved Abbi's throw blanket, but it was becoming worn. If they weren't careful, the handmade throw wouldn't last much longer.

"You know, my grandma passed away while battling cancer. She always said the worst part wasn't the chemo itself but how dry her mouth got," Gia explained. Jimmy nodded and agreed; his great-uncle dealt with the same thing.

"So I should add more tea?"

"Hard candy, suckers, and lozenges are good because they stimulate the salivary glands. Have you noticed if your mom has a favorite candy or anything?"

Jessica thought back over the years since finding out her mom had cancer. Heather used to love chocolate but had started enjoying tart and sour candy over the years. She made a habit of stopping by the dollar store for candy that she couldn't find at their regular grocery store. What was it? Jess recalled the familiar yellow packaging. She jumped up and down, excited she'd remembered but sad that she had to.

"Lemon drops!"

"Okay there, Princess," Gia teased. "Let's head to the candy aisle."

The girls spent a long time in the store. They picked out a bunch of things for Jess to take back to her parents. Jimmy suggested that Jessica wrap everything up like a care package. It was much nicer than taking over plain shopping bags. Gia latched onto the idea.

Flush with excitement, Gia dragged Jess over to the wrapping aisle. They picked out a cute box and some tissue paper to present the goodies like a care package. Gia insisted that Jessica didn't pick out something flowery and sentimental.

"Trust me; cancer patients get enough of that crap. Sometimes a simple "this sucks" is better than "I'm sorry." They've heard it all a hundred times."

Jessica wondered how much her mom had shielded her. Shouldn't she know these things by now? No, Heather was stubborn and wouldn't let her daughter see her struggle. Jessica realized how much her mom put her first and began to cry. Jess had to admit that the O'Sullivans forcing her away from her parents was for the best. Heather would put Jess first until it killed her.

"Jess, oh no!" Gia put her arm around Jessica. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No, no," Jess waved her off. "You didn't make me cry. I just realized that I should know the things you and Jimmy do. This isn't a new diagnosis, but I didn't know any of these things. I thought I was helping my mom all this time. But, I think, she was hiding how much pain she was in. Even when she was sick, my Mom put me first. How do I live with that? How do I tell her how much she means to me?"

Gia wiped away Jess's tears. She was at a loss and didn't know how to comfort her.

Jimmy piped up, "You know, Jess, if your mom did that for you, the best thing you can do is not let her efforts go to waste. Live the life she hopes for you. If you speak up about it and let her struggles impact you, then what was it all for?" Once again, Jessica wondered if Jimmy was the smartest person in the O'Sullivan Group.

"How'd you get so smart," Jess laughed as she sniffled. Jimmy shrugged.

"My dad wasn't what most people would consider masculine. Don't get me wrong; he was a good man. But he got teased a lot for being more emotional than was acceptable. In some ways, I think he was the most masculine person I know. He didn't let convention and other people dictate who he was. What's more masculine than not caring what other people think?" Jimmy said all that while moseying down the aisle. Jess knew he meant what he said, but anyone looking in would think it was a passing comment. "I'll get Emma a gift; the baby's been fussy lately."

"You know, Jimmy," Jessica said as she composed herself. "You haven't told me anything about your baby yet. All I know is that you and Emma have one."

"What do you want to know," he asked. The girls followed him to the gift aisle.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Gia jumped in to ask before Jessica could. "When the baby was born, all with got was an email that baby Dunn had arrived. No other information."

"That's because Emma and I wanted to spend time with the baby before making the announcement. They were just born into this world. Before we thrust the weight of names and gender norms onto them, we want to spend time with the baby. Expectation free, you know?" Jimmy's answer left the girls stunned.

"It's official," Jessica declared. "You're the smartest person I know." The trio laughed.

"I don't want to pry, Jimmy. But will you tell me how old the baby is?"

"Three weeks. They were born the week before we met."

Jessica pulled out her phone and snuck a text to Gia. While Jimmy was circling the store and gathering treats for Emma, the girls decided to get the Dunns a baby gift. They settled on a cute stuffed elephant and a practical diaper-changing pad. Jessica passed her credit card to Gia to make the buy. Gia announced that she needed to use the restroom and bolted away. When Jimmy gave Jessica a sideways glance, she explained, "Female trouble." Jimmy nodded and didn't think much of it.

Meanwhile, Gia collected the items they wanted to buy and rushed to the register. With practiced stealth, she avoided Jimmy and Jessica. Gia took the items to an abandoned aisle and wrapped the items. Jessica had collected so many things to give to her parents that Jimmy didn't notice the extra gift bag. When they returned to the building, Jessica asked Jimmy to park. She explained that she needed help carrying things upstairs.

"Woah! This is your place? It's beautiful," Gia exclaimed when she saw Jessica's condo.

"I know. The O'Sullivans treat me well. They put a lot of thought into making sure I'd like it." Everything Jess said was the truth. She left out that it was done before she ever met them.

Jimmy set Jessica's bags on the table, tipped his hat, and made to leave.

"Wait!" The girls shouted at the same time.

"What?" Jimmy jerked his head left and right. Thinking there was a problem, he went on high alert. His reaction made the girls giggle.

"We got you a gift!" Jessica looked at Gia. Gia picked up the pale green gift bag and handed it to Jimmy.

"This is for you and Emma," she said.

"What's all this?" Jimmy felt stunned. He didn't know that the girls had gotten him a surprise right under his nose. Jimmy worried that he needed to practice paying better attention to his surroundings. Then he remembered that Gia trained the security team and let the mishap slide.

"It's a baby gift. Wait until you're with Emma to open it," Jessica told him. Gia agreed and showed him to the door.

"Now, are you ready to make all this pretty?" Gia bounced back into the dining room. She was ready to get her hands dirty with some crafting.