Page 80 of Your Soul to Keep

He shrugged. “I had a hard time at school. He thought I was lazy. Sometimes he was harsh. Things were tense between us for a while.”

“That must have hurt,” I murmured.

He shifted, the muscle in his jaw clenching. “It’s past.”

I changed the subject. “The whole family is here.”

His mouth quirked up at one side. “It appears so.”

“Your daughter just tucked me in and told me to be a good baby.”

He snickered. Throwing off the blankets, he rolled on top of me. “Being Dilly’s baby and getting sent to bed is my favorite game.”

I looked up at him, completely lost in his happy eyes, I returned his smile. “I could probably get used to it.”

His entire face lit up.

After breakfast, I headed home to Mistlevale with plans to meet Gabe there after he showered and dropped Dylan off at daycare.

By the time I got out of the shower, he was waiting on the porch, hands shoved in his front pockets. With the sun beaming down on his messy black hair, gorgeous face, and ink-covered arms, he looked like a fallen angel.

And I was all set to make him my religion.

He was here. For me.

I opened the door.

His eyebrows shot up in excitement. “Ready?”

“For what?” I asked suspiciously.

Huffing out a laugh, he challenged, “Don’t you trust me?”

“Last time I trusted you, I ended up balanced on a tight rope fifty feet in the air.”

“Do you have any regrets?” he asked softly.

My mouth twisted to the side. “None.”

His smile bloomed. “Well, all right then.” Dipping down, he brushed his mouth across mine. “You’re going to need a clean change of clothes.”

I groaned.

He laughed and turned me back into the house.

Half an hour later, I realized I should have stayed there. “Gabe, no!”

“What do you mean, ‘no’? It’s perfectly safe!”

I pointed at the dirt bikes lined up against the fence. “I can barely ride a bicycle!”

He scowled. “You can so ride a bicycle.”

“I know,” I snapped. “But not one with a motor.”

He moved closer, a sly smile moving across his face.

I held up my hand. “Oh no. You stay back. When your stupidly handsome face gets too close, I make bad decisions.”

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