Page 64 of The Forbidden

“Yeah… shouldn’t be a question at all. I should give the same affirmation. I love you. You’ve shown through words and deeds that your character and heart are bigger than anyone could have imagined. I’m glad it didn’t take any longer for me to see it because I don’t want to waste another moment of this life without you.”

Gabe exhales so visibly, he almost curls in on himself but then his mouth is on mine and he’s kissing me so deeply that he becomes part of me. And in that touch, a new dawn rises for us both, one that is free from the past with the unspoken promise that we’ll only look forward. We’re going to make our family do the same, not just for our sakes but Sylvie’s as well.

Our mouths part and he briefly brushes his lips on my forehead. “We have work to do on your family.”

“At least Ethan’s on our side,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his chest. The steady thump of his heart is reassuring.

“And Sylvie,” he adds. “She’s on our side.”

“And I’m pretty sure my mom is too. She’s Irish and a romantic at heart.”

“The rest is a piece of cake,” he says with a chuckle, and I can’t help but laugh. It’s not going to be easy getting Trey and Wade on board but the one thing I know, Gabe is ready for it. He’s taken control of his life, cut out the toxic portions and bravest of all, faced down my family in a high-stress situation to tell them he loves me.

There’s nothing that can stop us now.

CHAPTER 25

Gabe

Upon opening the storage container, the musty smell of old paper and leather fills the air, almost overpowering the scent of the aged oak barrels that line the walls just on the other side of the open vault door. Sylvie is at a small table we’d moved in here, her head bent over a journal she’s reading.

I grin at her, not able to stop myself from teasing. “How come I’m doing all the manual labor and you’re over there lollygagging?”

She doesn’t even look up at me. “Lollygagging? What type of word is that? Sounds completely made up.”

I pause to consider and shrug. “No clue but it means not doing the task you’re supposed to do.”

Which I don’t mind. I’m just glad Sylvie wants to spend time with me in here and more importantly, that Ethan held true to his word and let her come. While Kat or any other Blackburn isn’t required to be here to watch over us, I’m disappointed Kat isn’t here. But she’s got work to do at the farm, which has been something I’ve found mildly difficult to acclimate to.

Now that we’re in the open, have declared deep feelings and have some family approval, I just want to spend all my time with her. If I had my way, I’d give her a job as my secretary, just so she could sit outside my office and I could stare at her all day long, but I realize that’s a ridiculous fancy. Besides, I could never take away her work because she loves it so much and it just so happens my girl is a hard worker.

We’ve settled into a routine where we take the time given us, mostly in the evenings where I’ll stay at her apartment or she’ll come to my house. We’ve not yet ventured into a family dinner at the Blackburns, although in fairness, Fi has invited me. But Trey is still being a bit of an ass to Kat, insisting she’s making a mistake and of course, I think he’s a moron.

“He needs to let it go,” Kat muttered last night as we lay in bed.

“Well, it’s like a hundred and seventy years of hate between the families,” I pointed out, feeling the need to give her brother some leeway. He’s only protecting her after all.

She scoffed at the notion. “It’s got nothing to do with the original feud. He’s pissed about us seeing each other in college and the way we split apart then.”

“Oh,” I murmured, because that’s a bit harder to overcome. I hurt his sister back then—I’d want to kick my ass too. “Maybe he and I should just go at it. Let him get it out of his system.”

Kat sat up in bed, the sheet falling to her waist, and I had a hard time focusing with her glorious nakedness shining back at me. Her hand on my chin, forcing my gaze to her face, did the trick. She was smirking but I could also see a hint of worry. “I saw the way you destroyed that asshole who hit me week before last. You beat him to a pulp and I’m sure my brother would come out on the losing end.”

“I’d let him win so he feels better about it.”

Kat’s eyes softened at the gesture—which I was very serious about—and kissed me gently. Then deeply, then the conversation was forgotten.

Sylvie’s excited voice from the other side of the room pulls me back to present. “Gabe, come look at this!”

I set aside the bin I’d just opened and walk over to the table where she’s camped out. Our goal for today is just to catalog all the historical journals and other documents that have been kept in climate-proof boxes. I figured it was a good way to give Sylvie some of her heritage so she doesn’t forget the good part of her Mardraggon blood.

Her eyes are wide, finger pointing at a page filled with tight, looping script that at first glance looks impossible to read it’s so small.

“Listen to this entry,” she says, her voice trembling with anticipation. She clears her throat and reads aloud.

June 15, 1852

It is with a heavy heart and a burdened soul that I commit these words to paper, for I am compelled by a force stronger than my own will. My affection for Elizabeth Blackburn, a jewel amongst the common stones of our town, has driven me to actions unbecoming of a gentleman. Yet, what choice have I when faced with the prospect of her union to Henry Mardraggon, a man unworthy of her grace and beauty?

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