Page 84 of It's Always Been You
“I want him,” I say simply. “I’ve always wanted him. Even when I never thought I would see him again, I wanted him. These past four days were…god, you guys, they were magic. I don’t know how else to describe it. And they were also eye-opening. The boy I knew turned into this good man with so many different sides to him. I got to know him then, and I get to know him now, and the whole thing is just a ridiculous privilege.”
I lean forward with an elbow on the table and prop my chin in my hand. “After the gala, he took me to the dance studio. The one where I spent most of my time when we were in school, and the one we were in when he got the call telling him his parents were gone.”
“That must have been hard for you.” Emma’s eyes are steady on mine, understanding.
I nod. “It was. It’s the reason I don’t dance anymore, you know? The reason I gave it up. It was too hard to walk into a studio after that, knowing that was the moment we broke. Dance and Gabe. It was all tangled together so tightly after that night, and walking into the studio brought it all back. I was so angry. Like, oceans of rage that I had been shoving down for all theyears he was gone just poured out of me and rolled straight to him. I didn’t hold anything in. I couldn’t. It was like I couldn’t take one more step forward until I got it all out.”
“And how did he take it?” Julie asks.
“He was incredible. He let me hurl a decade’s worth of fury at him, and then, when all the anger was gone, I cried for what felt like forever. He sat right down with me in the middle of the floor, custom made tux be damned. I definitely ruined his shirt with my makeup and I’m sure the snot running down my face wasn’t pretty, but he took it all. He held onto me until I cried myself dry, and I have never felt safer in my entire life. Once the tears and the anger were gone, I could see everything clearly.”
“And what did you see?” Hallie reaches across the table and covers my free hand with hers.
“I saw us. Him and me. He waited until his sisters were both out of the house and on their own. He gave up being a part of day-to-day operations of the company he built because it was tying him to a city on the other side of the country. He built and sold a second company just as an excuse to move here to where I am. He removed every single potential obstacle. He’s a literal billionaire and can have and do anything he wants. What he wants is to settle down here, in my city, with me. To be a part of my world. And that’s all I want too. It’s always been us. We get to have our second chance, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.”
“You love him.” Emma’s eyes are teary when she looks at me.
“I do. I always have, but it’s different now. I love who he was, and I love who he is now. It’s complicated but also not. We have a long history, but we also have a really good future to look forward to, and I want that future. All of it.”
“God, Mol.” Julie sniffles and wipes under her eyes again. “When you share, you really share.”
I grin at her. “When have you ever known me to do anything half-assed.”
Julie laughs. “It’s comforting to know that you’re still you even though you’re having your big, great love.”
I pick up my third donut and take a bite because, why the hell not. “I like me. I wouldn’t change one little thing about myself. And he likes me too.”
“So, what happens now, with your house and all the fake fiancée stuff?” Hallie asks.
I shrug. “We haven’t talked about what happens next. I’m not in a rush. I want to live here now, and I don’t want to miss a single step. My house should be ready in a week or so, but I’m not in a rush there either. I like being at Gabe’s. We’ve been apart for such a long time that actually living in the same space feels like kind of a gift. I don’t want to give that up. As for the fiancée thing, I mean, pictures of us are splashed everywhere screaming about our whirlwind courtship or whatever. And I can’t risk pissing off Harvey Randall because asshole Brad is trying to shove me straight out of the picture and keep the whole representation to himself. So, for now, when we’re in public, fake fiancés it is. It really hasn’t been that big of a deal.”
“Okay,” Emma says. “I know it’s shocking that I’m the one who’s about to suggest this, but I think we need a big, loud family dinner. All of us, Maddy, Allie, Jordan—and Jules, your parents if they want. Everyone. Now that you and Gabe are actually you and Gabe, it’s time he really sees what we’re all about. Jeremy will make tacos.”
“I think he’ll love it,” I say. “He was lonely in San Francisco. He had his sisters, but it was kind of just the three of them, and then they both left for college. He wants a family.”
Emma nods, and she has that look in her eye like I just confirmed what she already knew. “I figured as much. We have one for him. Let’s do it. Maybe next week? Give you guys some time to settle into being together.”
I smile gratefully. “That sounds perfect. I’m having dinner with Allie next Monday to go over some of the documents I’m drafting for her and Jordan. We figured if we have to talk shop, we might as well do it over drinks and good food. So any night except for Monday.”
The doorbell rings as I finish talking. “I’ll set it up,” Emma says, getting up to answer the door. Two minutes later she’s back, carrying two takeout bags, a huge grin spread over her face.
“Uh, what’s that?” I ask.
“It’s a delivery for you.”
She hands me a note while she drops the bags on the island and peers inside.
I know you said donuts go with sexy breakfast stories, but a run in with asshole Brad before nine in the morning requires something a little more comforting. Love you, Rory baby. Enjoy your time with the girls and have a good day at work. Can’t wait to get my arms back around you tonight.
Gabe
By the time I look up, my friends have unpacked what looks like every french fry in the city of Pittsburgh, personal pizzas, and at least ten containers of dips.
My comfort foods. I wrack my brain, but I’m positive I haven’t mentioned it since he’s been back which means…
“He remembered,” I say, warmth filling every part of me. I wonder if there will ever be a day that I’m not astonished by this man. I doubt it.
“He sure did,” Emma murmurs next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist and leaning her head against mine. “He’s your one, Mol.”
