Page 13 of Between Now and Forever
“I’m going to change the oil in my truck and put some shit up in my garage. The Weatherspoon job kept me running around for the last month. My garage became a drop-off zone for tools and materials. It’s driving me nuts.”
I take my card back from Taylor. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she says. “See you, guys.”
“See ya later,” Lark says, handing her the cash.
We get up and head outside. The sun has slipped below the horizon. Stars twinkle in the clear sky.
“If you and Della get done early, come over,” I say as we reach our trucks.
“I’m going to do my best to make it take as much of the weekend as possible.”
Laughing, I open the driver’s door. “Understood. Have fun.”
“Will do. Try not to organize too much. It’s not good for the soul.”
I shake my head and climb inside the cab, turning on the engine. Now that the sun has set, the air has a bite to it, and I left my sweatshirt at home.Gabrielle has my flannel.
Her waist molded in my hands. Her breath warmed my cheek. The memory of my shirt hanging off her body makes me hard.
I’m sure it was the eventful way we met that makes her impossible to forget. After all, not many exciting things happen in Alden, and seeing a naked woman fall off her porch isn’t a daily occurrence.
Especially when they look like Gabrielle.
My heart begins to pound, and my blood runs hot. I grip the steering wheel and imagine the softness of her skin. I think about how her tits hung off her frame in perfect teardrops. The curve of her hip. Her eyes taunted mine like they held the keys to my inner workings.
I didn’t know I was capable of responding to a woman like that.
Not after what happened with Izzy.
My fingers release the wheel, and I blow out a breath.
And that’s why I have to keep myself in check.
It was a moment with Gabrielle. And it will never be anything but that.
CHAPTER FOUR
GABRIELLE
Igather our plates and the empty pizza box off the table, making a mental note to tell Cricket that the boys ate every single crumb.
The news that Alden still doesn’t offer recycling to the community blows my mind. The waste management company dropped off our refuse containers earlier in the day, and the poor man appeared mind-boggled when I asked about the bin for recyclables. I’m pretty certain no one has ever requested one before.
Carter’s footsteps tap against the floor above the kitchen. He wanted the smaller of the two rooms upstairs. He’s convinced the proximity to the router will give him better ping for his video games.Whatever that means.Occasionally, a laugh will trickle through the thin walls and make its way to my ears. I stop in my tracks and appreciate the sound every time I even think I hear him.
I turn toward the sink as Dylan enters the room. He barely acknowledges me with a grunt. Already in his pajama pants and no shirt, he pads his way across the room.
“Hey, buddy,” I say, dropping the plates into the sink. I try not to look at him like he’s a wounded badger, even though that’s exactly his vibe. “What are you up to?”
“Getting food.”
I drop the pizza box in the trash. “Did you not get enough at dinner?”
“I did. But I’m hungry again.”
He doesn’t look at me as he speaks. He simply opens the refrigerator and peers inside. I’m not sure he’d acknowledge my existence if I hadn’t spoken to him first.
