Page 97 of Between Now and Forever
“Hey, can I have a piece of candy?” Carter pokes his head out the door. “Just one.Pleaseee?”
Gabrielle grins before turning her attention to her son. “No. Dinner is almost ready.”
“Fine.” He perks up. “Hey, Jay! Why don’t you eat with us?”
His little eyes are trained on me like he’s watching for me to slip up.
“Thanks, Carter, but I can’t—”
“Why?”
Gabrielle holds up a hand before clearing her throat. She pivots slowly to me with a hefty dose of hesitation in her features. “You know, we do have plenty if you want to come in and eat.”
“Yeah. Come on, Jay. You can sit by me. And if you can’t see out of your eye, I’ll help you eat.”
Gabrielle giggles.
“Carter, my man, that’s a great offer. But ...”
I’m ready to turn them down again. Gabrielle and I agreed to take things slow until we knew what we were doing—if anything. But the way she looks at me, like she hopes I say yes, stops me in my tracks.
Is this her way of declaring her intentions? Is she trying to tell me she’s ready to be more forward about our relationship than we planned?
My mind races nearly as fast as my heart.
I have two choices. I can retreat, backing out of this and going home. My life will be what it’s been for the last four years. Or I can take the invitation, go inside, and share a meal with a woman who intrigues me. The only woman who’s made me even consider something like this.Does that say something?
“But you have to help me do dishes,” I say, hopping over the rail.
Gabrielle’s smile could light up the sky. Carter’s emphatic attempt at negotiating dishes echoes across the lawn. And the beating of my heart is so hard that I’m sure Gabrielle can hear it as she gets in a quick hug once Carter’s back is to us.
I brace myself, but I’m not sure why. Am I nervous this is going to go terribly wrong?
Or am I excited it might go terribly right?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
GABRIELLE
Ihope you aren’t expecting anything fancy,” I say, turning on the tap. “We’re having burgers and potato chips for dinner. And before you come for me that there isn’t a vegetable on the plate—I know, and I don’t care tonight.”
“Are we eating now?” Carter asks.
“Go wash your hands and face. And change your shirt,” I say. “Then get Dylan and tell him he can come down to eat.”
Carter screws up his face. “Sure. Makemetell him.”
“Go.”
He stomps up the stairs, expressing his frustration in every step.
I wait for him to disappear before I turn to Jay. I’m about to steal a kiss when I’m reminded of his black eye.
“Do you want some ice for that?” I touch the side of his face gently. “It’s going to bruise.”
He glances at the stairs before grabbing my hips and pulling me to him. “Are you sure about this?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t sure.” I stand on my tiptoes and press a soft kiss against his lips. “It’s just a meal, and Carter invited you. Not me.”
