Page 38 of Your Soul to Keep

My throat constricted. “Can we not talk about this?” Putting off this conversation was selfish because I was not the only one who could get hurt. I had to tell him. Sooner rather than later. But not yet. “We will but not yet?”

After a pregnant moment, he nodded minutely and released me, his eyes shuttering. “Sure. We can table it for now.”

I reached out and touched his forearm with my finger. “It’s nothing bad, Gabe. It’s just sad. And I can’t handle any more sad right now.”

His face softened, his eyes warming once more. “Okay, Shae-baby. We’ll circle back when you’re ready.”

If the cost was losing us before we began? I would never be ready.

10

I’m In

Exactlyoneweeklater,the obnoxious trill of the house phone woke me out of a beautifully deep sleep following one too many long nights. I fought my way out of the covers I’d yanked up over my chin the night before as the phone assaulted my ears. Whoever designed that thing had been aiming to wake the dead.

Missing Nan so much my heart hurt, I’d crawled into her bed after I got home the night before. I didn’t remember falling asleep, and for the first time in weeks, I slept without tossing and turning into the wee hours of the morning.

It could also have been a direct result of the insane number of hours I’d put in over the last week since I’d seen Gabe.

Leaning over the nightstand, I opened my bleary eyes and squinted at the display. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I picked it up with a smile in my sleep-husky voice. “Why do you insist on calling this phone?”

His low, warm, voice lit a fire in my belly. “Makes me feel like no time has passed.”

I swallowed the lump that bloomed in my throat. Rolling onto my back, I threw my arm over my eyes and sank my teeth into my bottom lip.

Without waiting for a reply, he continued, “Are you off today?”

“Today?” I repeated stupidly, giving my brain time to process.

“Yes, today. Want to wait another 20 years?” He continued more gently, “Don’t you think enough time has passed?”

Apparently, I did because a mere hour and 20 minutes later, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. And it took him almost that long to drive to Mistlevale.

I wore my usual uniform of ripped jeans, long-sleeved T, and a heavy-knit cream sweater to save me from the chilly air. This far north, it took the spring a little longer to arrive.

“Where are we going?”

He slanted me a glance and smiled. “I’m going to lock you into a tower in the sky and have my way with you.”

I mean, okay?

“Does it have running water and is it hot? Also, did you bring snacks?”

Smiling so wide his eyes danced, he joked, “That’s all it takes? I think I can arrange snacks and hot showers. Is that okay with you, Goldilocks?”

“You’re mixing your fairy tales,” I smirked then frowned as Gabe took the exit onto the highway. “Gabriel Evan Kenny, where are you taking me?”

“Shaelynn Elizabeth O’Neill,” he mocked. “Cool your tits, sit back, and relax. We’ll get there when we get there.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes, then the what if set in. I bit the side of my bottom lip. “Gabe, I need to know what we’re doing. I don’t even know if I’m dressed appropriately!”

He ran his eyes over me quickly. “You’re good.”

I opened my mouth to protest further but he cut me off. “And if it turns out you’re not, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you are.”

My brow furrowed. I was the kind of girl who liked to plan for every possible outcome. How could I make a contingency plan B if I didn’t know plan A?

“Shae-baby,” he murmured low. “I got you. I promise.”

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