Page 45 of Forever Mine

“Querida.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means sweetheart.”

“Monica!” Em hisses. I sigh. I know what she’s thinking.

“I know,” I say as I follow Gabriel into his condo. “I’m going to let you go. We just got here, and I’m really tired.”

“Call me later, okay? I don’t care what time. Just call me. And ask Gabriel if I can come over tomorrow,” Emily says.

“I will. Love you, Em.”

“Love you too, Mon. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

We end the call, and I take my first look around Gabriel’s home. I’m surprised at how stark and barren it looks. There’s no personality here. No color. Nothing on the walls. The family room has big comfortable-looking furniture and a massive television, and nice bar stools surround the kitchen island. But other than that, the first floor is not at all what I expected.

Gabriel is bringing in the boxes at the front door, and I giggle, seeing him carry a massive stack of boxes precariously.

“Where did you order all of this?” I ask.

“Amazon mostly. Some are from Walmart because they could deliver them today. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable the first few days,” he tells me. We begin to open boxes together.

“You really didn’t have to do this,” I comment quietly. Gabriel doesn’t respond. As I open the first box, I peek through my lashes at him. God, he’s so damn beautiful. His dark blonde hair is unruly and unkempt, as if he’s spent all day running his fingers through it in frustration. One small lock has fallen against his forehead, and I resist the urge to push it away with my fingers. I know if I touch him, I’ll want more.

“Oh,” he says, his face reddening, “Um, you should probably open this one. Um, I’m sorry. I had to guess what you might like and your size. I wasn’t sure.”

My brow furrows in confusion as I take the box from him. As I peer inside, I realize what he meant. The package includes individually wrapped panties in a variety of colors, styles, and textures. At the bottom are a handful of bras. I can feel embarrassment heating my face as I think of how to respond.

“Okay, I think I’ll unpack this one later,” I say hastily as I push the box to the side and open the next box. We continue opening boxes in silence. Gabriel purchased pajamas, professional attire, and even some casual clothes. I’m taken aback by the care and attention he put into this. So many of the items are either exact replicas or very close to things I owned before the fire.

“Let’s take everything upstairs. Would you like to wash everything? My washer and dryer are up there, as well as the bedrooms,” Gabriel says. Oh shit. We never discussed sleeping arrangements. “I have a guest bedroom,querida. You can stay there if you’re more comfortable. I’d prefer you sleep with me so I can hold you, but whatever you want is fine.”

I let out a relieved exhale, and Gabriel laughs.

“What?” I ask.

“Did you think I’d force you to stay with me in my bed?” he asks.

“No. I just wasn’t sure. We didn’t discuss it,” I tell him.

“If I only had the one bed, I’d be perfectly fine sleeping on the couch,querida. I just want you to be comfortable and content. Whatever you need.”

He leads me upstairs and shows me the laundry room, where we throw everything into the washer. I’m one of those ‘wash it all in cold and don’t bother separating anything’ kind of people. I see no difference in my clothes if I separate light and dark loads. Just get everything clean.

After we get the wash started, he leads me past a closed door and into what I assume is the master bedroom. Nothing on the walls, but a massive bed with an ornate-looking headboard is the showcase of the room. A fluffy navy comforter and tons of pillows are strewn haphazardly across the mattress. He points to the corner, where I see a door leading into the bathroom. I realize now this space is extremely similar to Liv’s condo. I peek in the bathroom and find a huge soaking tub, plus a walk-in shower with multiple shower heads.

“If you’d like to take a bath, just let me know. I think I have bath salts and bubble bath around here somewhere,” Gabriel says as he rifles through cabinets.

“Not right now, but maybe later,” I tell him.

Gabriel takes my hand and leads me out of the bathroom. We walk back into the hallway and over to the closed door. He opens it to reveal a much smaller room with white furniture and a smaller bed.

“This has only been used twice. My mother visited once, and one of my sisters visited once. You can stay in here, or you can stay with me. Your choice,querida,” he says quietly. I don’t respond as I let the choice weigh on my mind. “I need to make some calls and check on the office. I’ll leave you to unwind, take a nap, whatever. If you need anything, I’ll be downstairs.”

Gabriel kisses the top of my head before walking out of the room. I’m torn. I don’t want to be alone tonight. But I’m afraid we are blurring the lines. He’s my boss. If this ends badly, one of us will have to switch offices. It would most likely be me, seeing how he’s the broker and my boss.

I stretch out on the bed as I weigh each option. I close my eyes as I relax and fall asleep before I know it.

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