Page 42 of Your Soul to Keep

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

A woman close to my age placed two ice waters on our table. “How are you doing, folks? What can I get you?”

Thankful for the reprieve and ready to move on to a different topic, I ordered my food and wracked my brain to come up with something benign to talk about while Gabe ordered his.

My first efforts were stilted, but Gabe easily took over. After that, conversation came easily.

I couldn’t stop looking at him, at the remnants of the boy I loved inside the man I was falling for all over again.

It wasn’t until we were walking back out that he circled back. Backing me up against the passenger door of his truck, he forged ahead. “I want you to meet Dylan.”

My eyes bugged out. “Meet your daughter? Isn’t it too soon?”

He leaned back on his heels, tipping his chin up. “How do you figure?”

“Well, this is our first official date, and you already want me to meet your daughter? It feels like we’re moving at the speed of sound.”

Stepping back until there was far too much space between us, he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Shae-baby, either you want this, or you don’t. I can’t take it any slower.”

“I want this.”

That, I knew.

“Then what’s the hold-up?”

Instead of answering, I challenged, “How do you know you want it?”

His eyebrows flew up as his chin jutted toward me. “Wantyou, you mean?”

I blinked and dropped my gaze. Why did he always have to strip back the fluff to the bald, unadorned, truth?

The toes of his black boots entered my field of vision. Bending close, he dipped and gently lifted my wrists to his shoulders. Wrapping his arms around my back, he pulled me close and straightened.

My hands flexed on his shoulders as I searched for the ground with my toes.

He gently twisted his torso back and forth, rocking me. His face softened, a small smile curved his lips, but his eyes, those were sad.

My fingers flexed into the muscles of his shoulders, the ache in my chest sharpening its claws.

Whatever had happened between then and now, not all of it was good.

I wrapped my arms around him and cupped one hand around the back of his bent head. Closing my eyes, I breathed him in and dipped my forehead to rest against his. As I gave myself over to the inevitable, I melted against him.

“I’ve lived on the wrong side of midnight for so long, Gabe. Life keeps pulling the rug out from under me.”

His big chest rose and fell, taking me with it. He exhaled my name, a question in his eyes. “Shae.”

“I’m here,” I promised.

He nodded but the wariness in his gaze didn’t fade.

I closed my eyes and grabbed hold of those big-girl panties and yanked them up as far as I could.

“I’m in.”

11

Happy Birthday

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