Page 33 of A Little More Forgiveness

I didn’t reply out loud, not sure I trusted what would come out of my mouth.

“Gabe?” I tried not to soften at the anguish in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

I half shrugged and took a large drink of my wine, tasting the iron and berries of the merlot as I swallowed the flavors to try to rid my mouth of the bitterness his words left behind.

“Christ,” Leo murmured to himself. “Why do I always fuck things up? It’s always the same. Always.”

What the hell? About to ask him to explain his comment, the door handle rattled Mitch’s arrival and put a swift end to the conversation. The blast of cold air as he let himself in seemed to release all the heat from the room, giving me goose bumps.

The dogs loped in behind him, light flakes of snow clinging to their fur as they made a beeline straight for us, demanding attention, their cold noses snuffling at my jeans.

“Hey, boys,” I greeted them and scratched Norris under the chin. Yep, I’d figured out the differences between each dog. His face turned into a picture of contentment, eyes closed, chin up, tail wagging. Chuck received the same treatment from Leo, making our actions feel domestic and comfortable, like we made a fuss of them every day. Not that I was going to get comfortable. Tomorrow was day three, so we should both be getting out from under Mitch’s feet, something I’m sure he’d gladly welcome. Deciding I’d get nothing more out of Leo and still smarting over his comments, I stood and headed to the kitchen, leaving my wine on the side table.

I turned to Mitch. “You go change and I’ll organize some food and water for the dogs. I have to start dinner anyway.” He side-eyed me, probably wondering who this version of Gabe was, especially after I’d poked the bear earlier, so I made sure to school my features so as not antagonize him further. A first for me, but after Leo’s explanation, I realized I might possibly have been a bit over the top in my heated conversations with him, and a teensy bit pushy. I nodded to my glass on the side table. “You can finish my wine too.” I didn’t wait for an answer and left them to chat. I had a lot to process, and mindless food prep and some privacy would allow my head to assimilate what I’d learned so, hopefully, I’d figure out what to do next.

Chapter Fourteen

Mitch

I had no idea what happened to change Gabe’s mood in the time I’d taken the dogs for a walk, but I refused to question his motives too hard. I still didn’t trust him completely, but going forward, I’d see how things went before I made any further judgments.

“More wine?” Leo asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Please.” He poured me another glass, my fourth, including the remainder of Gabe’s, and the heat from the fire and the few lamps on around the room were making me extremely mellow. Satiated from the amazing food we’d had for dinner, I reclined comfortably in my favorite wingback chair right next to the fire.

“So how come you left Boston?” Gabe asked Leo. They were both lounging on the couch looking completely relaxed, causing a warm feeling to bloom in my chest at how well they fit in my home.

Gabe had discarded his sweater, button-down shirt, and jeans and now wore one of my old white T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. As with Leo, the idea he was dressed in items of my clothing with my scent all over them released something primal deep in my psyche.

The neck of the oversized T-shirt sat low, giving me a good view of the top of his chest, the play of smooth muscles fascinating me every time he moved, and his olive skin provided a mouth-watering contrast to the starker white material.

“I didn’t really have a choice.”

“How come?”

Leo hesitated, causing my focus to reluctantly shift from my perusal of Gabe to him. For some reason, he appeared to be tempering his words with us, deciding carefully what he should or shouldn’t say, and his reticence caused me to study him even more closely. I had a vague idea of why he might be so cagey. I’d had the misfortune to speak to his father a few times over the years—there was no way to avoid him when he had his fingers in almost every pie in town. He was a complete and utter bastard who, I suspected, ruled his family with a vicious temper and an iron rod…or possibly fist.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” I added, keeping my gaze on Leo, instinctively sensing the questions I’d see in Gabe’s eyes if I turned to him.

Leo’s smile was weak and half-hearted. “It’s pathetic really. I had to come home and set up a practice here because I had nowhere else to go.”

We waited silently for him to continue.

“I was fired.” He looked down into his wine, clearly embarrassed by his admission.

“Why?’ Gabe asked softly.

His harsh laughter sounded so bitter and out of character. “I’d been picked as part of a team to help defend one of our partners in a rape case. Criminal law is my specialty, though, naively on my part, I hope the people I defend are innocent…” he trailed off.

“And the guy wasn’t?” I asked.

Leo shook his head. “I found some evidence he tried to bury, a video.” He took a gulp of air, likely reliving the scene in his head. “The things he subjected that poor woman to.” His eyes closed as if trying to erase whatever horrors he’d seen. “I know I should have done my job, but I point-blank refused to defend someone so callous and despicable. When I told my bosses, they fired me.”

“What?” I uttered, disbelieving any reputable company would be so reprehensible when one of their own employees stuck to his principles.

“And made sure no other law firm would hire me.” Another laugh, darker this time. “I couldn’t get a job anywhere. Boston, New York, Chicago, LA, anywhere. And because of lawyer/client privileges, and a watertight NDA, exposing the partner wasn’t an option either.”

“Jesus, Leo.” Gabe rested his hand on Leo’s leg, sending an unwelcome dart of jealousy through me I wasn’t prepared for.

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