Page 33 of Tangled in His Embrace

Chapter 9

Gabby led him into the living room and over to the bookcase where she stored their movies. “All the more adult stuff is up here.”

He snorted.

“What?”

His eyes sparkled with amusement when he looked at her. “I didn’t know you owned those types of movies.”

It took her a moment to understand what he meant. She straightened her shoulders and looked him squarely in the eye. “So what if I did? It’s not as if I’ve had a man around to take care of my needs.”

The humor left his face and a part of her regretted snapping at him. She needed to let the past go if they were going to try and make this work.

He started to release her hand, but she held firm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay. And you’re right in any case.”

They stood not really looking at each other or anything else for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts. “Maybe I was right, but I still shouldn’t have said it.” When he remained silent, she decided to try a different tactic, one she’d perfected since having a three-year-old. “Do you see a movie you want to watch?”

Jax glanced briefly at the row of maybe ten movies she had on the shelf. He selected one and held it out to her.

She took it from him and walked over to the entertainment center. Once everything was set, she picked up the remote and went to join him on the couch. He’d made sure to stay at one end, leaving plenty of room for her. Gabby considered her options. She could sit on the opposite end, letting the physical separation widen the emotional one, or she could be the bigger person and work to repair the damage she’d done to what they both had said they wanted to try and rebuild.

He met her gaze as she stood in front of him for a long moment before lowering herself down next to him. She curled her feet under her and snuggled into his side. Jax had no choice but to either put his arm around her or push her away. Luckily, he chose the first option.

As the movie played on the television, she gradually felt him begin to relax. Halfway through, she got up and removed the lasagna from the oven and fixed them both a plate. By the time the credits were rolling, their empty plates were on the coffee table and she was cuddled against his side while he played with the ends of her hair.

Gabby leaned into him and sighed. “That feels good.”

“You used to like it when I played with your hair,” he said, his lips ghosting along her forehead.

“I still do.”

They sat there until the movie returned to the main menu. He continued to run his fingers through her hair. “I want to make it up to you, but I don’t know if I can. I don’t—”

She grabbed the back of his neck and brought their lips together for a hard kiss. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Will we?” he asked.

Releasing his neck, she lowered her hand to rest on his chest. “I hope so.”

“And what if we can’t?” The look on his face was full of pain. His decision to leave had hurt him, too. Not in the same way it had her, but it hurt him nonetheless.

Even still, his question was a valid one. The hurt wasn’t going to go away overnight. Even if her body was more than willing to forget the past and pick up right where they’d left off, her heart still had scars that needed time to heal. “We’ll figure that out, too. Taylor needs both her parents whether we’re together as a couple or not. One way or another, we have to figure out how to make it work.”

This time he brought their mouths together for a kiss. It was soft and breathy and had her longing for more. It was so easy to forget everything else when his lips were on hers.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I want to make you happy again... to see the side of your mouth lift into a smile when I walk into the room.”

She lowered her gaze to his chest and then looked up at him once more. “Give me some time.”

Jax nodded.

After a long pause, Gabby eased herself off the couch. She crossed the room, removed the movie from the DVD player, and put it back on the shelf. “How about a board game?”

“Sure.” He stood. “What did you have in mind?”

Gabby motioned for him to follow her down the hall to the closet where she kept all the board games. Over the last year her collection had grown. Granted, most of them, like with the movies, were geared toward children. Still, it was something to pass the time. “Pick your poison.”

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