Page 196 of Gabriel
She’ll forgive me. She has to.
“I’ll make it right,” I tell her. “I’ll fix this.”
She shakes her head against my chest. “You can’t, Gabriel.” Her voice is soft. Defeated. “You can’t.”
I refuse to believe that, but I don’t argue. Instead, I hold her close, feeling her tremble against me as silent sobs wrack her body. Her tears soak through the material of my shirt, but I don’t care. All that matters is that she knows she’s not alone.
The fight drains out of her after that, and despite her earlier anger, she allows me to hold her close, her hands now clinging to me as she continues to shake.
Fuck.
This girl is killing me.
“Don’t cry,” I tell her, holding her impossibly tighter. “I’ve got you. We’re going to get through this.” I walk her back towardthe couch and pull her into my lap. Thankfully, she doesn’t fight me this time. Her soft weight settles against me, and Cecilia curls into me like a cat, tucking her legs close to her chest.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No matter what, I’ve always got you.”
Rubbing her back, I do the only thing I can, and wait for Cecilia to tire herself out.
It doesn’t take long. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops.
Her cries cease, and her tears dry on her cheeks. Looking down at her, I can see the exhaustion in her eyes as her lashes slowly begin to flutter closed.
As she drifts off to sleep, her breathing slow and steady, I hold her close, vowing to do whatever it takes to fix this. To make things right.
CHAPTER 60
CECILIA
My mouth is dry and my head aches when I wake up the next morning. Sun filters in through the windows and I squeeze my eyes shut against the bright rays.
Where—? Realization dawns on me. Everything that happened. Austin trying to drown me. Parker and Gregory standing guard close by and … letting him.
Bile rises in the back of my throat.
Not a dream.
Fuck.
Shifting, the body beneath me lets out a soft groan.
What?
Oh.
I’m still in Gabriel’s lap. His arms cage me in, his head thrown back against the sofa and lips slightly parted. I can’t believe he fell asleep sitting up like this. That can’t be comfortable.
Carefully, so as not to disturb him, I climb out of his lap, stifling a groan of my own as my body screams at me in protest. Fuck, just moving hurts. My entire body feels like one giant bruise.
A floorboard creaks, and my head jerks up to find Julio beside the stairs.
“Morning,” he says, his voice soft as he brings a mug of coffee to his lips.
“Hi. Umm … Morning.”
He tilts his head, a silent suggestion to follow him, so I do. Julio leads me into the kitchen where he pours a second cup of coffee before handing it to me. “Milk and sugar are on the counter,” he says.
“Thanks.” I curl my fingers around the cup, the warmth seeping into my skin. “What time is it?” I ask.
