Page 40 of Marry Your Best Friend

Holden laughs. “Look, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I did tell Cat that there’s no way you’d hurt Chrissy. You need to fix this.”

“Oh, I will. I have—” I lift my arm and look atmy watch. “An hour and twenty-five minutes until my shift is over and then I’m going straight to Chrissy’s.”

He sits back down in his chair. “Listen, you're my brother, I support you, but you gotta handle this. This is our family you’re messing with.”

“I’m not messing with anything. I promise I’ll fix this.”

He searches my face and then nods his head. “Okay.”

Holden and I hang out until it’s time for me to clock out, and then I drive across town to Chrissy’s house. I barely put my truck into park before I jump out and run up to the front door. I knock almost frantically, and Chrissy comes to the door. “Gabe! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She’s blocking the door, and I gesture inside. “Can I come in?”

She moves to the side, and I walk past her, not stopping until I’m inside her house and across the room. I know I need to keep some distance because we need to talk, and if I put my hands on her, it’s over. I need her more now than I ever have.

She has on short shorts and a tank top without a bra, and her hair is up in a high ponytail. She looks beautiful, and I clench my hands at my sides.

When I don’t say anything, she looks at me worriedly. “Gabe, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

I look at her and only now notice her red-rimmed eyes, swollen lips, and red nose. “Have you been crying?”

She shrugs without answering.

I take a step toward her. “Answer me. Have you been crying?”

She just purses her lips and stares at me.

“Chrissy, I’m not dating Lainey.”

She gasps, and I continue. “I’m not interested in her. She wanted to go with me to pick up the food, that was it. She’s new, and I was showing her the ropes.”

Finally, she responds. “Our family talks too much.”

I take another step toward her. “You should have asked me. If you thought something like that, which is insane by the way, you should have talked to me about it. I don’t know how to convince you of this, but I don’t want Lainey.”

Chrissy puts her hand to her chest. “I knew it would hurt, Gabe. I mean, I thought I knew how it would hurt, but I had no idea it would be this bad.And okay, maybe you don’t want her, but there will be some woman, some day, and then—”

I can’t take it another minute. The insecurity on her face is killing me. I take the last few steps and then cup her face in my hands. “You are the woman for me, Chrissy. I love you. I love you. You’re the woman I want.”

I lean in to kiss her, and when she kisses me back, it’s like a shock to my system. We need to talk, but I think we both need this. I pull my lips from hers, and in between kisses, I tell her, “We can’t go on like this.” Kiss. “You can’t avoid me.” I lick that soft spot on the side of her neck, and she moans. I whisper in her ear, “You talk to me if you’re upset.”

I pull back, and she whimpers. “Are you going to talk to me if you’re upset?”

She throws her arms around my neck. “If I tell you yes, will you do something for me?”

I lock my hands at her back and pull her flush against my body. She presses her hips against my erection, and I groan. “You know I will do anything for you.”

She releases her hands from my neck. “Prove it.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me down thehallway. We’re walking into her bedroom when I pull her to a stop. “Honey, we need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk. I want to make love to you.”

Even though she didn’t say she loves me, hearing her say the “L” word has my heart beating wildly. “Take your clothes off.”

She lifts her chin up defiantly. “You take my clothes off.”

I don’t waste any time removing her clothes. When she’s naked, I lift her up in my arms and lie down on the bed with her. I lift her chin to look at me. “You are so beautiful, Chrissy. I could look at you like this all day, every day.”

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