It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 

Oh, Gabby loved Christmas shopping with Carrie. Of course, they didn't go alone. They had Zoey to lead the way.

"She's so adorable," Zoey said about sweet little Carrie. Of course, Gabby had had a devil of a time to get this Christmas shopping scheduled. It seemed Oliver wanted her to not be so worried about him and Carrie, but she couldn't help it.

"I know. Right?" Gabby confessed while they were out seeing the lights on their way home with a back seat full of presents, "I want one."

"You want what?" She thought Zoey might hit something or someone on the snow covered streets.

"A baby, of course." Gabby looked at her as if she needed to get one with the program.

"Seriously?"

"I never wanted a baby until I met Carrie." 

Gabby let slip. She looked back to see Carrie fast asleep. She was glad she didn't hear, because she was practically a little recorder, to her father no less. It was like she was his secret spy so she had to tell her sweet nothings, hoping they reached Oliver.

"But..but Oliver's her father."

"Precisely." 

Gabby's eyes were open with splendor. It was as if she'd been prepping for her own secret gift for Christmas. She'd just have to unwrap herself and hope Oliver fell for it. Of course, a good  strong wine might be in order.

"If only, it was that easy to have a baby," Zoey said she and Alfie had been trying since day one.

Gabby didn't want to hear that. Surely, she could get pregnant. She hadn't been on birth control in a long time.

"Oh, Mommie, Auntie Gabby is the best!" Little Carrie giggled into the phone with her long-distance call.

Oliver shook his head, no. What was Gabby up to? Carrie had fallen for Gabby. It made him tense at the thought they would have to spend Christmas with her. He nursed his bottom lip.

Of course, Carrie's mother wouldn't say much to Oliver. She was cold as ice. It was as if this was the best she could do was charm Carrie just a little.

After she got off the phone, Carrie gave Oliver a big hug. "It'll be OK, we have Auntie Gabby."

"Oh, but you have another Aunt too."

"I do?" She looked at him ever so seriously. She sat in his lap as if she was all he needed. He nodded.

"Her name is Valentina, and she loves you very much." He told her they worked together at the Child Center. He told her she went way back, of course, he left out the part they were very much together after he moved out of the foster home they were in together. Funny, back then he felt like he was her knight in shining armor and then he grew up.

"Are you going to marry her?" Carrie was serious with those big dark eyes of hers.

"Oh, she's already married." He told her as he pulled a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

Instantly, Carrie was in a pout. "Gabby wants to marry you."

Oliver sighed. "Well, that's nice." He hated to let Carrie down, but he didn't really see that happening, he still felt he'd failed with his last relationship with Carrie's mother. 

Of course, he'd asked Valentina about Gabby. Naturally, Valentina's response was that Gabby couldn't be trusted. After all, Gabby had been a mean girl in high school, especially to Valentina, but Valentina confessed that she didn't know anymore. Maybe she'd changed. Maybe there were things about Gabby that could change.