Page 289 of Gabriel
He spins on his heel, hands in his hair, and curses under his breath. “Fuck. I need you to fight with me, Cecilia. When things get hard, when it’s uncomfortable—don’t shut me out. Don’t just ... disappear. Fucking fight.”
I blink, struggling to keep up. “I don’t— What are you talking about?”
Gabriel’s chest heaves with each breath, his eyes wild with emotion. He steps toward me, then stops, like he can’t trust himself to get any closer. “You pull away when things get tough, and I ... I can’t do that anymore.”
“I don’t pull away,” I whisper, but even as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re not entirely true.
“Yes, you do,” he says, his voice softer now, but no less intense. “You retreat into yourself. You shut me out. And I ... I fucked up with the wedding. I know that. But this?” He gestures between us. “This won’t work if we keep running from each other.”
Tears pool in my eyes, blurring my vision. “I don’t know how to fix it,” I admit, my voice breaking. “I’m not trying to push you away. I went to your house before I came home,” I tell him. “I was going to talk to you. To apologize. I know how we left things last night was not okay, and I wanted to fix it.”
His expression softens, his frustration bleeding into something else. “We fight, baby. We fight together. When it gets hard, we push through. I need you to trust me. To know that no matter what, I’m here.”
His words crack something open inside me. It’s like I’ve been holding my breath, and now, finally, I can exhale.
Gabriel steps closer, his hand reaching out to brush a tear from my cheek. “You’re safe with me, Cecilia. You always will be.”
I close my eyes, leaning into his touch, letting his warmth pull me back from the edge.
“I know,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “I’m sorry. I want you to come with me tomorrow. I want you to be there.”
Gabriel’s arms wrap around me, pulling me against his chest, and I sink into him, letting his presence calm some of the anxious energy thrumming through me.
“There was never any doubt in my mind that I’d be going with you,” he tells me.
I pull back just enough to stare into his honey-brown eyes, “Really?”
Gabriel presses his lips to my temple and takes a deep breath. “Of course, baby. I’m always going to be by your side,” he murmurs against my hair. “Always.”
I sniff, my fingers digging into his skin. “I thought you were breaking up with me,” I confess.
Gabriel draws back, his face visibly stricken. “What?—”
I bury my face against his chest. Hiding, I know. But I won’t be able to get the words out if I look at him right now.
“I went to Adriana’s today and we talked,” I tell him. “She was there when you called and she saw me ignore it. So … she uh … she kind of set me straight.”
“She did?”
“MmHmm.” I reach up and wind my arms around his neck. Gabriel walks me back with him until the backs of his feet meet the porch steps. He drops onto the step, tugging me down with him. He positions me in his lap. My legs straddling his hips. One of his hands moves to behind my knee, the other holds me firm around the waist.
“And how exactly did Adriana manage that?” he asks. I snuggle deeper into his embrace. I like when he holds me like this.
“She reminded me of something really important,” I tell him. Taking a deep breath, I lift my head because what I’m about to say next is the kind of thing you need to look in a person’s eyes for.
“Oh yeah?”
Biting my lip, I nod.
“And what was that?”
Taking a deep breath, I go for broke. “She reminded me of the fact that I love you.”
Gabriel freezes. His lips part, and his eyes grow wide. “Me?” he stammers. “You love me?”
His fingers flex around me, and I nod my head, a stupid grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Yeah,” I whisper the words softly. “I love you.”
His entire face softens. “You mean it?” he asks, almost like he can’t believe the words.
