Page 119 of Forking the Billionaire

Gabriel twirled and dipped Layana as the couple continued dancing. Her laugh came out loud and uninhibited.

“I never would have guessed from watching his TV interviews that Gabriel would be such a softie,” Juno said. “They’re just so cute together.”

“He’s reserved, not cold,” Oscar said.

“Theyarecute,” Morgan agreed. “And you’re not really cold, either, are you?”

He scowled at the fire.

“I think it’s adorable that you have a marshmallow center, Oscar,” Juno said.

“I don’t,” he said.

I wished I had it in me to laugh, to be a part of the fun.

I could never be the father that the baby would need me to be. I couldn’t be the partner that Esme deserved. I had nothing to go on, no guide for how all of these pieces were supposed to fit.

Plus Esme wouldn’t want me doing any of that. She’d see how messed up I was. There was no space for me in her new, free life.

Still, now we were having a baby. My tiny pea brain still couldn’t get over that fact. No matter how terrifying the prospect was, it remained true.

And when I’d thought there was a chance I’d lose my new family, I had been even more terrified than before.

I’d do whatever Esme wanted me to do to make up for my mistake.

If emotional fortresses like Gabriel and Oscar could embrace vulnerability, if Oscar could get past our shared upbringing to be a good partner, maybe there was hope for me.

I prayed there was.

I glanced back toward the bathrooms for any sign of Esme. I didn’t see her.

The song ended, and another started. Layana bounced over to join her sisters with Chester. Gabriel joined us at the fire.

He sank down onto the palm log beside me, cheeks flushed from dancing and drinking. He took a long pull from his beer and let his contented gaze drift to his new wife who twirled barefoot in the sand with her sisters.

“You’re married.” I gave him a playful nudge. “How’s it feel?”

“Like I’m the luckiest man in the world.” He looked me up and down. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You helped me realize what I had with Layana,” he said. “I’d like to see you find happiness, too.”

“I’m happy,” I said, even though I felt miserable. “I’m happy fixing my houses. I’m happy surfing, hanging out with you right now.”

“What happened with Jules?”

Oscar choked on his drink and pounded his chest.

I bristled at Jules’s name. “Nothing.”

“Come on,” Gabriel said with a skeptical look that called me right out on my bullshit. “I’ve never seen you with the same woman more than once. You brought her across an ocean with you. That’s a big step.”

“It’s…not.”

“I’m not judging if it was too much,” he said with so much sincerity it hurt.

“I shouldn’t have let her come,” I said.

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