Page 26 of Claimed By the Boss

She shook her head. “Imean, not of Trudy, but now that you say that, I can’t help but wonder if Ishould?”

“I’m not going to letanything happen to you.”

He knew the vultures wouldbe circling, but none of them would touch Nora. She was special. He’d known itfrom the moment he met her, he just wasn’t expecting how special she was goingto be to him.

His grandfather had toldhim that when he found the right woman, he was going to know what it felt liketo fear loss. To fear losing it all. Today, listening to one of his exes tellhim she was pregnant, attempting to force him to take responsibility for hisfather’s baby, it opened his eyes.

If Nora hadn’t listened tohim, there was a high chance he was going to lose her. He was never going tolet that happen.

His parents weren’tfinished, but he didn’t know for sure how far they were willing to go to getexactly what they wanted.

ChapterEight

“How did they do this?”Nora asked. “I was in a coma.”

“They discovered a nursewho was willing to sign as a witness to your sudden wakefulness and coherency,and that took away all doubt,” Gabriel said.

“This is insane.” Noralooked through the documents, and none of it made sense. It was all legalterminology, but within a small file, everything that had belonged to her,everything her parents owned, with a few swift signatures, had been signed overto her aunt and uncle.

Waking up from a coma,finding her parents gone, had been eye-opening. There had been so much pain,but it had taken a back seat to the experience of trying to survive in thisworld without anyone.

She felt that feeling inher gut that twisted at seeing what length her ownfamilywent to, fortheir own gains. Tears filled her eyes, and she tried not to cry, but the truthwas, she never truly got to mourn all she had lost. Not financially, butemotionally. Her parents, her mother and father, who had been amazing. Evennow, as she sat there, looking at the pieces of paper that meant absolutelynothing to her.

“Hey, baby, don’t cry.”

She turned to Gabriel.“They’re gone. They’re really gone.”

Nora didn’t know anythingof what happened in the next few minutes, but Gabriel held her, and she justcollapsed. She sobbed in a way she never had before. For the parents she hadlost, that pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Anger at her auntand uncle for taking everything from her. The unfairness and rage flowingthrough her body at being sent to live on the streets.

“I’ve got you,” Gabrielsaid.

And if he didn’t have her,she would have already fallen. The pain was real. The feelings inside her werenot going away. She felt so sick, so alone, and yet there was Gabriel, the manshe had fallen in love with and yet tried so hard not to.

“It hurts,” she said.

“I know. I know.”

The tears kept spilling,and she knew she soaked through his shirt, but she let go. For the first timesince losing them, she finally let go. She didn’t care that she must havelooked a mess. Gabriel held her and kissed the top of her head.

“You’re safe now.”

Nora pulled away. “Thankyou.”

“You loved your parents,”he said.

“They were amazing andwould have adored you.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Ihighly doubt that. A man with my reputation? They would have been horrified atme even looking at their daughter.” He stroked her cheek.

She shook her head. “No,they wouldn’t. They didn’t listen to gossip, and they always gave everyone achance. They would have loved you.” She wasn’t about to tell him she would haveasked them to give him a chance because she loved him.

“I wish I could have metthem, and they should know I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to make sureno one takes from you again. All of this will belong to you.”

She looked down at thepaperwork and sighed. “How?”

“Simple, I’ve already gota lawyer looking over it, and we’ve got the details of the nurse who signed offon your treatment, who was discharged for illegally selling prescriptionmedications. I’ve got this, Nora. You’ll have your family home and everythingthat was once your parents’.”

Nora didn’t know what tosay. Did she feel happiness? Relief?

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