Page 69 of He Doesn't Deserve You

Her gaze drifted to Roman, who was sleeping peacefully. “Okay,” she murmured, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she stood up. She approached his bedside and gently kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered before quietly leaving the room.

Since she had arrived with Roman in the ambulance, Emily went to find Gabriel, hoping to get a ride home with him. She checked the nursery first, but when she didn’t find him there, she texted to see if he was still at the hospital and if she could catch a ride home. He replied that he was and asked her to meet him at the main entrance.

As she stepped out of the building, she sank onto the bench outside, replaying the events of the last twenty-four hours. She didn’t know what the future held for her, but she was certain of the first step. Now, she just had to wait for Gabriel.

Appearing beside her, Gabriel asked, “Ready to go?”

She looked at him, “Yeah,” and slowly got up from the bench. They walked in silence until they reached the car. Once inside, Gabriel broke the quiet. “I’ve made a decision.”

“Me too,” Emily replied.

“You first,” Gabriel prompted.

“Ava and I are moving out.” Just saying the words felt like a lead weight had dropped into the pit of her stomach.

Gabriel slowed the car, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, the silence was unbearable. Finally, he responded with a single word, “Okay.”

Emily tilted her head, taken aback by his calm response. She searched his face for any sign of resistance. “You’re not going to try to talk me out of it?”

Gabriel fixed his eyes on the road and shook his head slightly.

Realizing he wouldn’t say anything more, Emily sighed and tried to gather herself. “Alright,” she said, her voice slightly strained, “what’s your news?”

“I’ve decided to sign my parental rights to Lily’s parents.”

“You’ve seen them?” Emily asked, sounding surprised.

“No,” Gabriel replied. “I met with a social worker to discuss putting him up for adoption. She informed me that Lily’s parents are petitioning for custody.”

“That’s a big decision,” Emily said cautiously. “Don’t you think you should take time to think it over?”

“I’ve thought about it. It’s the right thing to do.”

“How do you know? You haven’t even met them.” She paused, weighing her next words carefully. “They didn’t exactly do a stellar job raising Lily.”

“I’ve made up my mind. Don’t try to change it.”

“I’m not trying to change your mind. I’m just saying that you might not be in the best frame of mind to make such a major decision right now. Why don’t you sleep on it for a few days, meet the grandparents, and consider all your options?”

Irritation mounted in Gabriel, causing him to raise his voice. “All my options? Like what? Raising him on my own? I don’t even have a job right now, Em.”

As Gabriel pulled the car into the driveway, Emily took a deepbreath. “It’s been a long day, and we’re both exhausted. Let’s talk about this tomorrow after we’ve had some rest.”

Emily reached for the door handle, opened the car door, and placed one foot on the ground. Noticing that Gabriel hadn’t moved, she turned to him and asked, “Aren’t you coming?”

“You go ahead. I’ll be in in a minute.”

She didn’t like the look on his face. Emily had never seen him so distraught and broken. She put her foot back into the car and closed the door.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m staying with you.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me. I’m not a child.”

“I know. That’s not why I’m staying. The boys are probably waiting for us, and I’m not explaining this alone.” She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. “I’ll just rest here.”

After several minutes, with a resigned sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly opened the door. “Come on,” he said, stepping out of the car.

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