Page 65 of He Falls First

I must not be hiding it well, because Gabrielle notices the look on my face and rests a hand on Harper’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go to the playroom for a bit so the grown-ups can talk?”

“Okay, Mommy,” Harper replies with a little nod, skipping off down the hallway.

“Elizabeth, I’ve been wanting to say I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about my connection to Hendrix,” Gabrielle says once Harper is out of earshot. She shoots me a knowing glance. “My past with Tobias—Hendrix’s brother—has been difficult, to say the least. Me and Harper wouldn’t have gotten through it without Hendrix’s support.”

She goes into some of the more infuriating details of her history with my brother, and by the time she finishes, tears are glistening in Elizabeth’s eyes. She pulls Gabrielle into an embrace, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” Elizabeth says softly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. I’m glad Hendrix was there for you.”

Gabrielle returns Elizabeth’s hug. “And we’re glad to have you in our lives now.”

When Elizabeth pulls away from Gabrielle, she turns to me, leaning in. Our lips meet in a soft, tender kiss.

For a moment, I forget we have an audience, pulling her in to taste her sweetness. When I remember we’re not alone, I jump back, face flushed with embarrassment.

Gabrielle chuckles. She didn’t miss a thing. But she’s not supposed to know any of this is real. I told her our engagement is all for show. I brace myself for her disapproval, but instead, I see a warm, knowing look in her eyes.

“Maybe,” she suggests gently, “if the two of you have real feelings for one another, you should consider making your relationship real.”

Now, why’d she have to go and say a thing like that? I go still, worries rising at the thought of Elizabeth seeing the truth behind my desire to keep her close. But I can’t let it show. I square my shoulders and force a laugh, trying to play it off as nothing as I scramble for an excuse.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Elizabeth and I have an agreement, and we’re sticking to it.” The words come out forcefully.

Gabrielle raises a brow, unconvinced. “Are you sure about that?”

I want to sink into the floor. I’ve never been able to hide much from Gabrielle, so I should’ve guessed that she’d see right through me.

“May I suggest that you stay out of my business?” I say sharply.

She just chuckles again, shaking her head.

Later that night, I’m alone in my home office, tidying up. Napkins have gathered on side tables from Elizabeth’s snack sessions, and there are random blankets from nights when she and I have curled up on the sofa in here together. It’s the same in my bedroom, where the sheets on my bed are crumpled and twisted.

Usually, I keep my personal spaces tidier than this. But Elizabeth and I have been tumbling around so much with sex and cuddles, there’s no point anymore.

I don’t mind at all that my spaces feel more comfortable now. More lived in.

My phone buzzes on my desk and I glance over, expecting it to be Matt, or maybe Gabrielle confirming that she and Harper are home. Instead, the caller ID displays a number I haven’t seen in years.

My stomach drops. Of course he would call now, when my life is complicated enough as it is.

I debate not answering, but if I don’t, he’ll just keep calling. With a sigh, I pick up.

“What do you want, Tobias?”

“Well, hello to you too, little brother,” Tobias says. He sounds as smug as ever. Just hearing his voice is enough to make my blood boil. “I hear congratulations are in order. Taking over Nexus Tech? That’s just perfect. You steal my wife, and now you want to take my image as a family-friendly CEO?”

“Jesus, Tobias,” I groan. “How many times do I have to tell you I didn’t ‘steal’ Gabrielle? She chose to leave you after you showed your true colors. She’s like a sister to me. And you abandoned her, remember? You abandoned both of them.”

“Everything you have is because of me,” Tobias says coolly. “Don’t forget that.”

I grunt.

“Don’t think I’m just going to let you keep playing house with my family. I’ll get them back, Hendrix. Mark my words.”

“Listen,” I warn him, my voice low and cold, “if you even try to come between me and the people I care about, you will be sorry. They deserve so much better than the crap you put them through.”

“They belong with me.”

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