Page 110 of Forbidden Lyrics

“You have a right to be wary. You have a right to be cautious.”

“But I’m not right,” he surmises, pulling away from me. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

I shake my head and tangle my fingers with his. “I’m telling you that I don’t know your father, so I can’t give you my advice on the matter. But I can tell you that I think you’re right about your older brother. Marty’s bad news. The fact that Fen trusts him doesn’t exactly help my opinion of his judgment skills.”

Gibson scoffs. “Exactly––”

“But,” I continue, cutting him off and squeezing his fingers softly. “Marty’s sins shouldn’t affect your opinion of your father, either. Yes, he made a lot of mistakes while you were growing up, but haven’t we all made mistakes? And when we do, don’t you think we deserve the chance to apologize? And maybe explain ourselves? A child’s perspective is different from an adult’s.”

His head jerks back a couple of inches, but he doesn’t let go of my hand, and it gives me hope that I haven’t overstepped my bounds.

“That being said,” I rush out, “if you want nothing to do with him, I get it. If you want to walk back into the gas station and wait for an Uber to pick us up in the middle of nowhere and take us to the nearest airport, I’m here. If you want to get back on that RV and face your fears, I get that too. You have me, Gibbs. Whatever you want, I support you.”

His silence is terrifying, but I try to stay calm while I’m freaking out inside. He doesn’t need my nerves. He needs my patience. My level head. And my support.

After a few seconds, his pained voice almost breaks me. “I dunno what to do, Dove.”

“What’s your gut telling you?”

He laughs dryly and closes his eyes. “That I’m an asshole, but he made me that way.”

“You’re not an asshole, Gibbs.”

His eyes widen in surprise as he looks down at me and cocks his head. “Did you just swear?”

I snort. “When the occasion calls for it.”

With a soft smile, he puffs his chest out and grabs my chin. “Look at me, ruining you more and more, one day at a time.”

“You have no idea,” I quip, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

When I pull away, his mouth is quirked up on one side, and the worry wrinkles around his eyes have softened. It makes my heart melt a little more. This man. He has no idea what he does to me. With a simple look or soft smile, I’m his. Even when we’re in a run-down gas station in the middle of nowhere. He owns me.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“For what?”

“For bringing me back from the edge.”

My brow arches. “Of what?”

“Of losing my shit more than I already did.”

With a grin, I pat his chest. “You’re allowed to be angry. But try not to take it out on Fen too much. He wants what’s best for you, remember?”

“Sometimes I forget that other people are looking out for me. But you’re right. I need to apologize.”

“Only if you want to.”

“Will you wait in the RV for me? I’ll find you after.”

“So, does that mean we’re not calling an Uber?”

He shrugs. “I still gotta see you shine on that stage.”

His leather jacket is soft beneath my fingertips as I grab the collar and tug him toward me.

With another quick peck, I murmur, “I’ll be waiting.”

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