Too Close

Chapter Thirty One

Gianna spent the next few days with her family since this would be the last time she visited for a while. She was soon to be engulfed in work and crazy busy, so she got some extra doses of them to hold her over until the book tour was completed.

"Karter, you don't want to hold the baby?" Gianna asked as she sat on the couch next to her with her swaddled niece in her arms.

"That's not my sister." The ten-year-old said, turning up her face at the baby they'd brought back from the hospital.

"Don't say that." Gianna frowned. The whole family made sure Karter felt everything but left out during Devin's pregnancy. She was everyone's baby and the center of attention for her entire life, so they knew the adjustment would be far from easy but they tried to make it as smooth as possible. "You guys have the same nose, see?"

"But she's white."

Gianna's lips curled up in amusement, "Yeah, for now, but you see how her ears are darker? That's the color she's gonna be, you just have to give her time to season and marinate."

Karter sighed, "Okay, Gigianna, I guess." She stuck her arms out and Gianna put Kodi in them, making sure that Karter was holding her correctly and safely.

"Look at my babies!" Devin cooed at her daughters and searched the pockets of her robe for the camera to take videos and pictures.

"Mommy, please, no more pics of me without my lipgloss."

Gianna smiled proudly before going into her purse to get share her lipgloss with her niece. She knew for sure she'd miss Karter the most when she made it back to Atlanta.

*

"Gianna, are you listening?" Dessi looked away from her computer monitor to see Gianna standing in front of her long mirror, taking pictures of herself.

"Of course." She said, still snapping photos of her outfit which consisted of a designer baby tee and stylish jeans with split-toe heels. "You said that we leave for LA in two days and that there's a party the night before the tour kicks off."

Dessi eyed her through cat eye frames, before rolling her eyes at the smirk that resided on Gianna's face. If Dessi hadn't learned anything about Gianna over the past few years of being her peer, and a few months of working as her manager, she was definitely an indomitable person, but still genuine and kind with it.

"I'll pay more attention next time though, I'm sorry." Gianna shut off her phone and sat it beside her.

"Thank you." Dessi smiled, her coffee bean shade of skin glowing from the warm sunlight that beamed through her huge office windows. "And it's a 'late spring soirée'. Ava demands that we call it that."

Gianna thought it was impossible to meet someone who was more dramatic than her, but that was until she'd joined Toussaint Publishing and met its CEO, Ava Toussaint.

When Gianna first joined the company a few months ago, Ava was only the COO, but she was so integrated with the culture of the company that everyone knew her and loved her. At the top of the year, her father, Fred Toussaint, stepped down from his reigning spot, but would forever carry the title of Toussaint Publishing's founder.

Fred's wife–and Ava's mother–Erin always aspired to be a famous author, but her dreams never came true before she passed away from breast cancer. Fred took it upon himself to make his wife's biggest desire a reality by completing her manuscripts to the very best of his abilities and publishing them, which birthed Toussaint Publishing House.

In a sense, his company became the second child he created with the love of his life. Ava also heavily felt connected to the company and could feel the closest to her mother when she worked there. So it was only right that she graduated from the princess to the queen of the House.