Текст книги "Mine"
Автор книги: Dimon HelenKay
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
She knew he was coming but she couldn’t help him. Didn’t have the strength to do anything. Spent, her hands fell back against the pillows with her palms open. Her legs curled around him but she could barely feel his skin. Her body had turned to mush beneath him.
She lay there, gasping. When she turned her head to the side, the room came back into focus. The picture of Gabe and Brandon on the end of the dresser. Gabe smiling and so proud. The big wall mirror where she could have stolen peeks of him during their lovemaking before she lost the ability to think. It all registered, slow at first but then with greater clarity.
Gabe’s hot breath blew across her collarbone. His weight pressed her deeper into the mattress but she didn’t care. It anchored her. Filled her with an odd sense of security.
“Holy shit.” He mumbled the words against her skin.
She couldn’t help but laugh. Her body still tingled from the joint caress of his mouth and tongue. He’d been gentle at times and so determined at others. His hands had readied her until every cell begged for release. And when that release came . . . damn.
“You are a man of your word.” She could barely get the words out because her breathing refused to return to normal.
He lifted his head then. Balanced his elbow against the bed and pushed up a bit. “And you are pure fire.”
From him it sounded sweet. She was about to tell him that when he reached up and massaged her tight arm muscles. Feeling came back in bursts, like being poked with tiny needles. She gasped from the shock as he untied her arms and lowered them to drape over him.
His brow wrinkled. “You sore?”
She rubbed a hand over her opposite wrist then smoothed out the lines on his forehead. “Are you asking about my arms?”
His eyes roamed a little then. “I was, but now I want to know about all of you. You okay?”
He couldn’t think he hurt her. That never happened and she would never pretend he did. “I’m great.”
She meant that. He gave her so much. Treated her both as precious and as an equal. He had her head spinning and her thoughts jumbled. She wasn’t sure what to say or how to handle the rest of her life but she knew, with absolutely certainty, she did not want to leave him yet.
“Are you planning to take me to another safe house?”
“We’re staying here.”
He didn’t say “together,” but she heard the word anyway. Couldn’t believe she filled it in. That the panic stayed away. For some reason she needed him to know. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
His finger traced the line of her jaw. “You’re safe here.”
The words he didn’t say kept playing in her mind. He knew about her father. Understood that she’d never been really safe.
“I trust you.” She delivered the truth with more than a little shock.
His eyes closed for a second. When he opened them again they were clear and matched his grin. “Thank you.”
The perfect response. Not a surprise he knew what to say. He always seemed to. He hit life head-on and fought for what he wanted. The only bump to his peace was this Rick issue, and it loomed large. She wanted nothing more than to hand him an answer so he could move forward. His needs meant more than her own. Her life carried on in a confusing mess, not knowing what came next. But he deserved to know.
She brushed her fingertips across the line of his shoulders. “Would it be possible to arrange a meeting with Eli?”
“For what?”
“Lawyer stuff. He can pass messages to Bast for me.”
“About taking off?”
“No.” The thought of that sent bile rushing up the back of her throat. “You said I can stay, and I’m going to.”
“Good.” Gabe hesitated for a second then nodded. “Eli can come here. He understands safety protocols.”
“Not here.” For some reason the idea of breaching that line had anxiety swelling inside her. Gabe deserved his sanctuary. She didn’t want to take that away. They could use that cabin or somewhere else. “Don’t change your life for me.”
“Maybe I think you’re worth the effort.”
No one had ever found her to be worth the effort. “I’m not looking to make your life difficult.”
“You’re staying here. With me.” Gabe placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Andy can get in touch with Eli.”
She knew the history. Talking to Eli involved Andy, which meant her deception moved out in circles, swallowing up the very people she wanted to protect. “Is that a good idea?”
“This is about what you need.” When she started to protest, Gabe put a finger over her lips. “You come first.”
Every word he said tied them tighter together. She’d spent her life pushing and clawing. With Gabe, she cuddled in close. The realization scared her and excited her. Had her brain ticking with denials and plans for a future she never thought she’d have.
She turned it all off and let herself feel.
“Speaking of that . . .” She lifted her hips and rubbed against him.
A spark of heat flashed across his face. “Naughty girl.”
She slipped her arms around his back and tugged him in even closer. “I was thinking we’d try it without the ties this time.”
If possible, his smile grew even wider. “You’re in charge.”
She felt that vow to her bones.
TWENTY-TWO
Andy saw the outline of two heads through the conference room’s shaded glass. Two men at the table, not one. The realization deflated him. It shouldn’t. He knew the score. Wade had been clear. Hell, people lined up to talk about Eli being with Wade now.
Fucking message received.
He shoved open the door, letting it bang against the far wall as he walked in. “We meet again.” His gaze lingered on Eli’s dark hair then zipped to Wade. “I called Eli in.”
Wade lifted his hands off the chair’s armrests. “Which means you get both of us.”
The headaches that rolled over Andy so often after he got back from deployment and after Eli had died down. One ticked up now, threatening to swamp him with a debilitating migraine. “I’m not trying to—”
“Okay.” Eli thumped a palm against the wood table. “Let’s stick to work.”
“Sure.” That was the right answer. Andy understood the need to keep the conversation on track. He kept veering off because he didn’t want it to be true that Eli finally committed to someone and it wasn’t him. He blocked the rush of disappointment and listened to Eli’s suggestion. Work only. “Natalie would like to see you.”
Eli frowned. “Good God, why?”
“Not the reaction I was expecting.” Since she asked for Eli, Andy assumed this would be a welcome bit of news.
“Look, I respect her.” Eli leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “What she did to make it possible for me to leave the CIA in one piece is not something I’ll forget.”
Andy knew buildup when he heard it. “But . . .”
“I owe her. That doesn’t mean she likes me. The idea of her calling me for anything is more than a little stunning.”
“How could anyone not like you?” Andy joked.
A slight shift had Wade’s chair squeaking and all eyes going to him. “And that is why I’m here.”
Andy hadn’t intended to flirt or touch on an issue that would set Wade off. They sat in the middle of the Tosh offices, and Gabe would be pissed if he came in to find blood on the walls. “Just kidding around.”
Eli cleared his throat. “Are we still talking about work? If not, let’s get there.”
Time to man up, and that meant backing off. Andy’s instincts told him to keep fighting but his eyes told him the truth. Wade and Eli wore how comfortable they were with each other in how close they sat together, the stolen looks. The calming change in the way Eli handled everything, problems big and small. There was an intimacy there. More than sex. Something Andy wanted to grab on to but would never try to steal. He had to earn it, cultivate it.
“We’re good.” They were. He wasn’t, but at least now he could turn the corner. Stop picking up guys and limiting every interaction to sex in hope of Eli coming back.
“About Natalie,” Eli said, his dark eyes intent and his expression serious. “Is she okay?”
“She’s with Gabe.” Andy thought that told them everything they needed to know.
“Didn’t we already know that?” Wade asked. “They left the safe house, and Gabe has her somewhere else. Rick filled in Bast.”
Andy knew about Bast’s commanding presence. Knew all about Rick’s stubbornness. “I bet that was an interesting conversation.”
“Imagine lots of yelling when Bast found out someone in the CIA was having Natalie followed, despite the existence of an agreement that promises that sort of shit wouldn’t happen.” Eli being Eli, he laid out the issues clean and clear. No tact or waffling.
For some reason Andy felt the need to defend his difficult older brother. “Rick said he’s trying to work this out with his client.”
Eli nodded. “And Bast is applying pressure.”
“You mean threatening the release of whatever information they fear Natalie holds.” Andy didn’t blame Bast or Natalie. She had leverage and should use it. A file of information didn’t do anyone any good if the person holding it died before they could release it.
“Something like that.” From Eli’s tone it was clear he meant exactly like that.
“Is this why Natalie wants a meeting?” Wade glanced over at Eli. “Maybe we should talk with Bast.”
Before he could answer, Andy jumped in. “She asked for Eli specifically.”
“You’re sure she’s okay?”
The genuine concern intrigued Andy. The Eli Andy remembered didn’t do a great job with putting other people’s feelings first . . . or even third. Which probably explained how Andy ended up on the wrong side of the door the second after he floated the idea of them not seeing other people. But this version, the new and improved one, didn’t gloss over other people’s pain. That realization brought a fresh wave of disappointment washing through Andy.
“Did something happen between her and Gabe?” Wade asked, his voice echoing Eli’s confusion and concern.
“Nothing bad, to my knowledge.” But some things were private, so Andy stopped there.
Wade laughed. “Interesting answer.”
Andy pretended not to notice how good the guy looked and sounded. He turned to Eli before he figured out what Eli saw in Wade. “Gabe wants me to take you to Natalie.”
“So, she’s close.” Eli tapped his fingers against the table.
There were limits, and Andy decided now would be a good time to impose them. “I’m not going to answer that.”
“He’s going to be able to see where you’re going,” Wade said.
Eli laughed. “No, I’m not.”
Life operated in a much easier way when people understood the score. “Exactly.”
“Wade comes with me.” Eli sat back in his chair. “That’s the deal.”
Not that Andy had much choice. Natalie was his client, and she asked for something Gabe thought they could give. That meant dealing with Wade along with Eli. “I’m starting to think you two are a matched set.”
Wade nodded. “That would be a wise conclusion.”
Rather than sit through another he’s-my-boyfriend-and-not-yours lecture from Wade, Andy stood up. “Can you be ready this afternoon?”
One of Eli’s eyebrows lifted. “Do we need to pack a bag?”
That seemed safe enough to answer, so Andy did. “No.”
Eli smiled. “Then we’re ready when you are.”
• • •
Gabe grabbed two water bottles off the counter. The fact Brandon left any surprised him. So did the sight of Natalie sitting on the end of the couch with her legs curled up beneath her. She wore those sexy jeans that made him want to drag her upstairs to bed and pull them off. Topped the outfit off with one of Brandon’s bulky college sweatshirts. Looked like the southern girl had some trouble adjusting to winter.
She turned pages and kept her head down. Gabe saw a flash of a photo here and there. The scene struck him as so normal when they’d both lived lives that were anything but.
He walked into the great room and handed one of the bottles to her. “What are you looking at?”
“Thanks.” She tucked the bottle next to her thigh and kept scanning. “Your photo albums. I found them on the shelf by the fireplace.”
He looked at the binders on the coffee table. They stretched back in time to the early days. Brandon learning to walk. Brandon in elementary school. One from around the time of his birth. She had to be bored if she fell back on this entertainment. He paged through them every now and then to remember, but these memories would mean nothing to her.
“I have a television.” He picked up the remote and aimed it at the screen he bought solely so he could experience college football practically life-sized.
“I don’t really have any family photos.” She flipped a page then her fingers and eyes moved down and onto the next. “I’m fascinated by how and why you memorialize all of these moments.”
The comment hit him with the force of a punch. Spoken like a woman who didn’t have much she wanted to remember. He hadn’t really thought . . . insensitive fucker that he was. “Did you have any good ones?”
“Sure.” She didn’t look at him. Didn’t stop looking at the photos. “That’s what lures you in, makes you think things could change. You have dinner outside at the picnic table or go to a family event. For those few hours you have fun and run around. It’s not until you get home that the yelling starts and you realize you had fun the wrong way.”
Every word sliced through him, making him wish he could make it better. He spent so much time being angry at Rick for fucking up everything and for the decisions being forced on him that he’d forgotten how lucky he was. He had a support system. He ached for her not having one.
“I wish . . .” Jesus, he had no idea how to finish that so he didn’t even try.
Her head popped up then. “What?”
The intense stare had Gabe stumbling over his words, but he finally got this thought out. “I could bring him back to life then kill him for you. Do something to make this better.”
He meant every word. If there were a way to take on her pain and relieve her of some of it, he would have done it.
She closed the album and leaned an elbow on it. “Seeing you with Brandon makes me smile.”
Gabe didn’t force the issue. If she needed to change the topic, he would. “He’s a good kid.”
“Your kid.”
An alarm bell rang in his head. Something about the way she said it and how stiff she held her body. He sensed he hovered one step away from danger. “Damn straight.”
“Maybe you should—”
“Don’t say it.” He couldn’t hear it. Not from her. Not from one of the people he’d come to count on to make good decisions.
“I’m just trying—”
“I raised him.” Gabe stood up because sitting made him twitchy. “I fought for him and begged Linda to keep the pregnancy. Actually begged. Paid her money, made her promises. I would literally have done anything to convince her.”
The memories rushed over him. They’d been so young, and Linda wanted out. She’d rethought not going to college and no longer liked the idea of being stuck with a guy in the military. Really didn’t want a crying baby.
She’d been moved around her whole life thanks to her father’s inability to hold on to a job. Maybe that spooked her, or the Rick issue did. Whatever the combination, it took every ounce of strength Gabe had to win the birth battle.
She’d made the choice based on his promises. He’d never broken them. Never would. Never tried to reach her or make her be involved. Raised a good son, just as he vowed he would. “Linda didn’t want to be pregnant and certainly didn’t want me. I didn’t know then about Rick, but she’d gone from having these intense feelings to not wanting to be near me.”
Natalie put the album on the table with the others. “You loved her.”
“With all the conviction of an overwrought seventeen-year-old who welcomed any way out of his house.” With Brandon’s birth, Gabe lost his father. The old man refused to be a part of what he termed a ridiculous decision.
Over diapers and through deployments and time apart, struggling through the teen years and the times Brandon tried to buck authority. Through it all, Gabe would not have changed one damn thing. Looking at Brandon’s face right after he was born sealed the deal. Nothing else mattered the way his son did.
“Now how do you feel about her?”
Gabe didn’t have any trouble following the line of Natalie’s thinking and rushed to ease her concerns. “My feelings for her faded a long time ago. Trust me, there is nothing left.”
“But you have Brandon.”
Gabe nodded. “Yes.”
“No matter what.”
He gave her credit. She’d circled back around. Sounded so reasonable. He knew he should listen, but the idea of allowing in any doubt, even for a second, had him throwing up a wall and backing away. “The DNA test isn’t happening.”
She eased back into the cushions. “It could prove Rick is wrong.”
“I don’t care what a test says.” He was desperate to make her understand that simple fact. Blood didn’t make a father. Being there, actually acting like a father, made him one.
Without Brandon, Gabe had no idea where he’d be. Dead in a desert in someone else’s war, most likely. Having a son gave him purpose and direction. Too young, sure, but he didn’t really get a choice about whether or not to be responsible.
“But if it would give you an answer, make your life easier?”
He could almost see her mind turn as she analyzed. “I don’t need tests or answers. He is my son.”
“But—”
“End of story.”
TWENTY-THREE
Natalie rarely suffered from an attack of nerves. She decided what had to be done and did it. She didn’t waver or weigh emotional concerns. Everything depended on the intended outcome. Once she determined that it was just a matter of figuring out how to get there.
Applying that logic to Gabe and this situation with Brandon proved tougher. Gabe was so strong and practical, but his commonsense approach to problem solving abandoned him when it came to his son. Understandable, she guessed. Not something she could assess from experience, but for him a very real thing. Talking about the DNA test was like touching a live wire.
So, she’d come up with this solution. Even now she stood with the envelope she borrowed from Gabe’s desk. Inside she had DNA samples in bags. All an expert would need to provide the answer.
She kept telling herself this was the right course, that Gabe eventually would understand and come to appreciate having the suspense over. She’d only known about Brandon less than two weeks and about the parentage issue for days, and it had her tied up in knots. She could not imagine how Gabe got through the day.
But handing over the evidence proved harder than she expected. About a half hour after they arrived she’d asked for a minute with Eli and Wade and dragged them outside with her. Even now they looked over the land, scanning the hills and far fence.
“This is an impressive place. Even blindfolded I could make out the acreage.” Eli’s gaze skipped to the pool and what looked like a pool house right next to it.
Wade went the more practical route and pointed at the motion sensors on the fence. “And the security.”
“Knowing Gabe, no surprise there.”
While their talking gave her more time to mentally walk through her plan, with each pass she became more confused. She just needed to end this.
She turned to Eli as her fingers skimmed back and forth over the sealed top of the envelope. “I need a favor.”
Eli frowned at her. “We are not sneaking you out of here.”
“I don’t want that.” The logic jump . . . okay, to be fair she could see how he got there. The old Natalie would have shunned help like what Gabe provided, no matter the form, and kept moving. She instinctively knew that was the wrong call here.
Then there was the part where she didn’t want to leave Gabe. The idea of walking away made her throat clog. Filled her with a bubbling anxiety that made it impossible for her to even think.
Eli’s frowned kicked up into a smile. “Is this the Natalie I know?”
Now was not the time to debate how much she’d changed and why. She still hadn’t worked that out in her own head. Running through it with these two would not bring clarity.
She jumped to the real reason for their visit. Not about her agreement or her safety. About Gabe. “I need you to get a DNA test done. Quiet. No one can know. Not Bast and not any of the MacIntosh men.”
“This is starting to sound more like the Natalie I know,” Wade mumbled under his breath.
Eli skipped right to the point. “What are you doing?”
She just didn’t know what point he was trying to make. “Meaning?”
“Gabe is a good guy,” Wade said, moving in closer as the double-team began in earnest.
She thought about stepping back but didn’t bother. They’d be on her and rapid-firing questions in a second. She’d trained Eli, and Wade had innate skills of persuasion that impressed even her. “I agree.”
“Then why are you setting him up?” Bigger than most guys, tall and broad, Wade loomed over her as he asked the question.
She shot one back. “For what?”
“I have no idea.”
They’d gotten off track. Somehow they’d gone from her risky idea to something she didn’t even want to know. “This isn’t about my case or even about me. This is a personal favor.”
“Sounds like you might be in the middle of something it would be better for you to step out of,” Eli said, drilling right down to the point that pulled at her.
“I can’t.”
Wade shook his head. “Won’t.”
Time to bring out the big guns. Make this a bit more personal. She turned to Eli. “How many times have I asked you for a favor?”
His shoulders fell. “Never.”
“That should tell you how important this is.” She was calling in a favor she never expected to use. The only thing that made it tenable was that she made this choice for Gabe.
Eli blew out a long, slow breath. “Shit.”
“Okay, but be sure,” Wade said, as he stepped directly in front of her. “Because whatever this is, you can’t undo it.”
A breeze blew over her and the trees swayed as she tried to think of the right words to explain. “You ever hide from something so long that it twists up everything else in your life?”
Eli glanced at Wade then back to her. “I spent months doing that and most of my relationship with him trying to un-fuck it.”
Wade moved in closer beside Eli. “You succeeded.”
Then she saw it. What everyone else who knew them described. The closeness. How in sync they were. The former CIA agent and the crime gang enforcer. Two of the toughest and most lethal guys she knew, next to Gabe. They’d fought, gone after each other until they ripped emotional wounds in each other. But they’d found a way through it. That made her happy for them. “You two look good together.”
Wade winked at her. “Thanks.”
In her rush to get down to what she needed, she’d messed up . . . again. She looked at Eli. “I didn’t mean to throw you and Andy together to get you up here.”
She tried to keep the wording neutral in case Eli watched how much he shared with Wade. She had no idea how normal people handled their secrets. She’d spilled her biggest one to Gabe. He’d shared his biggest fear with her. Things that should have made her feel vulnerable while she plotted for a way to use Gabe’s weakness, but neither happened.
“You don’t need to be careful,” Eli said. “Wade knows about our past, mine and Andy’s.”
Wade frowned at her. “Why do you think I’m here?”
That sounded ridiculous in light of what she could see, right there, so obvious in front of her. “Oh, please. Anyone looking at you or who is with you two for ten seconds can see that Eli belongs with you.”
Wade slapped the back of his hand against Eli’s chest. “Grant her the favor. Whatever it is.”
She held out the file to Eli. “I need to know if these two people are parent and child or child and uncle.”
“I think that’s two different tests.”
“If the paternity test fails, I’ll have my answer.” Or Gabe would. Her feelings for him, as complex and confused as they were, would not change, no matter the outcome. She’d witnessed his love for Brandon. Let it color and support everything she’d figured out about the man on her own. The real question is what Gabe would do when he found out. How he would feel about her . . . after. But she had to push that aside. This was what she did. She solved problems and this was a huge problem, whether Gabe wanted to deal with it or not. “I have some contacts—”
“This one is on me.” Eli tucked it under his arm. “I’ll handle it. I probably need two days.”
A mix of relief and dread fell over her. “Thank you.”
Eli looked thoughtful. “I don’t think you’ve ever said that before.”
“There’s a lot of things I’ve never done before.” Including getting tied to a man and not wanting to undo the knots again.
Wade smiled at her. “Like sneaking around to get paternity tests.”
The answer was so much broader than that. “Like caring what the answer is.”
• • •
Andy sat on the stool in front of the kitchen island. Gabe stood on the other side. Every now and then, one or the other would take a peek out the matching sets of double glass doors to the backyard. Watch Wade and Eli and Natalie as they huddled in conversation. Something intense had them drawn close and had them ignoring the cool air.
“It’s not like you to give away the location of your house to anyone.” Andy decided if he couldn’t know about the outside conversation he could at least ask a few of the questions sitting on his mind. “I’m just saying first Natalie and now Wade and Eli. Seems like you have a new habit.”
Gabe grabbed the pot of coffee and poured each of them a fresh cup. “Is there something you want to ask me?”
“I don’t need to.” Andy settled for holding the mug instead.
“This conversation is annoying as shit.”
“Try being the youngest brother in this family.”
“Want to explain that?”
He had to be kidding. The stress between them right now bordered on back-breaking. “It should be self-evident.”
Gabe frowned. “How are the headaches?”
Andy almost reached for the base of his neck to massage the area, but he didn’t have to. The usual ticking that blurred his vision hadn’t started. Not yet, but who knew.
“Under control.” That topic could take them to a conversation about Eli, and Andy wasn’t in the mood for that. “I’ve already texted with Brandon.”
The kid was so excited about the smile on his old dad’s face. The fact his father snagged someone as pretty as Natalie seemed to be something Brandon wanted to brag about. The reaction filled Andy with relief because he knew if Brandon didn’t like Natalie Gabe would likely walk away from her. And Andy sensed that Gabe needed to stay by her side.
Gabe must have known that Brandon couldn’t talk about anything other than his dad’s new relationship at the moment because he rolled his eyes. “That’s just great.”
“He likes her. Likes you two together. Said you didn’t hide the fact you guys were having sex or that she meant something to you.” Andy took that opportunity to take a sip. He knew he could count on Gabe to make it really strong.
“I should have sent him farther away to school.”
Andy knew the truth—that Gabe hated Brandon being even an hour away. “Which brings me to the next topic—”
“Don’t bother.” Gabe’s mug hit the counter with a smack and he held up his hand to stop the flow of words. “I know Rick is trying to get Brandon to meet up. I guess Rick thinks he can just drop the DNA issue in the middle of dessert, the dumbass.”
The idea of Rick taking the choice out of Gabe’s hands made Andy sick. Gabe might need to come around on the DNA test since Rick wasn’t giving one inch, but not this way. Not with threats or by using Brandon. “He just doesn’t stop trying to do this in the most underhanded manner.”
“Nope.”
Andy almost hated to ask. “What are you going to do?”
“Damned if I know.” Gabe put his palms against the counter and pushed back, straightening his arms. He looked down at his feet. “All of the options suck.”
“Brandon is a tough kid. You can explain it to him.” The words sounded right and the idea so easy, but Andy had to admit if he were in Gabe’s shoes he would want this all to go away, too.
“He’s already had to hear about how his mom didn’t want him.” Gabe pushed off from the counter and stood up straight again. “Not that I said it that way, of course.”
“You sure this is about him and not about you?” There really wasn’t a delicate way to ask so Andy didn’t try. His relationship with Gabe remained strong. It could survive some tough love.
Gabe exhaled. “You think I’m being selfish.”
“I think you’re worried you are going to lose the most important person in the world. Understandable, but it will never happen.” Brandon idolized his dad. And Gabe had managed to be a pretty great one. Without a strong fatherly influence of his own or the wisdom that came with age, he’d muddled through and raised a great kid.
“The idea of him not being mine . . . fuck.” Gabe started pacing. Went back and forth two times on the kitchen floor before stopping. “Natalie thinks—”
“Wait.” This time Andy dropped his mug. It slipped from his fingers and bounced. He caught it before it fell off the counter. “She knows?”
Gabe watched the moves without saying a word. “Yes. It felt right to tell her. I can’t really explain it.”
Neither could Andy. He didn’t know what to do with that information or how to assess it. The news of Gabe sharing such intimate details, with a client no less, qualified as a pretty big shock. Gabe didn’t open up much. If he did with Natalie, then whatever they had went well past sex and dating. It was more than just fun for Gabe.
“Huh.” Andy didn’t know what else to say so he went with that.
“What?”
Brandon’s excitement. Gabe’s insistence that he work Natalie’s job. Bringing her back to this house and keeping her here. All the pieces started to come together in Andy’s head. “Maybe there’s someone else who’s pretty important to you these days.”
“Well, I usually like you.”
Andy didn’t let Gabe laugh this off. Not after so many years of playing it cool with women and holding them at a distance. “Could be you more than like when it comes to her.”
Gabe’s mood sobered. “I want her safe.”
They weren’t saying the same thing, but Andy was pretty sure Gabe knew that. Felt like a pretty calculated move. “Okay.”
“She drives me insane.”
That sounded about right. “After years living with you I can say with some certainty that’s probably a mutual thing.”
“Is it so weird that I don’t want anything to change? From right now. Right here forward. I love where my relationship is with Brandon. I want Natalie here.”
