Page 175 of Sugar & Shadows

“I’m not sure she’s slept,” he said. “She told me she was going to ‘avenge’ you. I got a bit scared.”

“Eh. That’s her love language,” I said, leaning back against the pillows. The fetal monitor showed healthy activity, but lying here perfectly still for hours was making me antsy, especially with the town vote in less than forty-eight hours.

“We need to be working.”

“Sabrina.” He sighed. “You’re safe. The baby is safe. Please just give me an hour of peace before you start torturing me again.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, which was red and raw, much like the rest of him.

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” I teased.

He shot me a look. “Promise me you will never do something like that again.”

“I won’t,” I said. I’d scared myself. “It’s just…” I sighed, searching for the words. “I’ve spent so much of my life being the villain. And now I finally have a chance to be the good guy. To help. And when I realized there could be evidence, instinct took over; I didn’t even think.”

“You are a hero,” he said, his face softening. “To so many people for so many reasons. Maybe the old Sabrina did some questionable things, but this Sabrina? The one I fell in love with? She cares about her community, and she uplifts everyone around her. Look what you’ve done for Harper,” he went on. “That girl worships you and can now imagine a future that she never thought she’d have.”

“She’s a smart girl,” I countered.

“And Nina. And Marigold. And me.” He swallowed audibly. “You make us all better. No one has more fight in them than you. No one works harder. But for the love of God, don’t put yourself in danger. There are plenty of ways to help that won’t put your life at risk. If there’s evidence, talk to Nolan. Let him handle it.”

I winced. Trusting the police felt impossible some days. But he had been helpful and professional when he’d taken my statement earlier, so maybe I’d consider it.

“Before you, I believed I had to be perfect. Make everyone happy. I was terrified to ask for help or to challenge the status quo.” He ran a hand through his unruly hair. “But now I see how wrong I was. I see how much better we are together. How a team, a community, should function. You helped me realize that I’ve got to be honest and vulnerable and go after what I want.”

He was so earnest and cute. I desperately wanted to throw my arms around him and kiss his stupid frostbitten face.

“So what do you want?” I asked.

“You. Our child. A family.”

My heart seized, and all the words in my vocabulary escaped me.

“I’ll go anywhere. You want to move, I’ll pack the car. I won’t hold you back. But I’ll be damned if I let you go.”

I nodded, unable to swallow because the lump in my throat was choking me.

“I love this town,” he went on. “But I love you more. I’ll always choose you.”

That sentiment cracked my heart open wide, and the tears fell again as I smiled at him.

“I’d say let’s get married, but you’d probably threaten to castrate me again. But you and me? We’re doing this. You can move into my house. I promise I’ll learn to cook and I’ll keep it clean. Or we can look for something else. Or move across the country. But I am not letting you out of my sight.”

His words were so serious, so possessive. This fierceness was not like Gabe at all. No waffling, no hedging, no asking what I wanted. He just staked his claim without apology.

It was undeniably hot.

“I need a job,” I said softly.

He laughed. “After tomorrow, I may also be unemployed. Who cares? We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Together. The word felt so strange. So intense and binding. But I knew as well as he did that it was the only path that made any sense from here. There was no going back to the person I was before. Like it or not, I was different. Maplewood had changed me. Gabe had changed me. And this baby? Well, before long, she’d turn both our lives upside down.

“Together,” I said softly. “As a family.”

Chapter 47

Gabe

The hospital released us midday. Sabrina had a mild concussion, a cut on her forehead that only needed a little surgical glue to close, and a couple of seat belt bruises.