Page 59 of Redemption
There was so much in his eyes that he wanted to say yet didn’t. I wrapped my arms around his big shoulders and hugged that part of him that he couldn’t give voice to.
His voice vibrated my body as I clung to him.
“Before we go to New York, how would you feel about a long vacation first? Somewhere nice, maybe Europe?”
“Europe?” I said, pulling back to look up at him, caught off guard by the sudden change of subject.
"I... I've never really given it much thought," I confessed.
A faint smile curled up his lips. "Ok then," he said gently, taking my hand in his. "We can go wherever you want. Monaco, Capri, wherever.” He trailed off.
I laughed. “I have to admit I don't even know where those places are. I'd love to see them, of course, but I think for now it would be better if we went straight to New York.”
“Why is that?” He said.
“I don't know, I think I'd like to start experiencing our new life rather than take a luxurious distraction from this one.”
“I see,” he said. “Whatever you want, Sophia. I just thought all girls wanted to go to Europe.”
"Well, not all girls are the same, Gabriel," I smirked, poking his chest lightly. He chuckled, a deep sound that warmed me.
“You're right," he murmured, his hand falling to rest on my hip. His gaze lingered on me, soft and adoring. For a moment, we were silent.
“Sophia…” His voice had a serious lilt to it now. I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “Once we’re in New York… there will be things you’ll have to deal with. Difficult things.”
“I can't imagine it could be any worse than what we just went through.” I said.
“You’ll see a side of me there, a part of who I used to be… but just know that who you know me as now is also me.”
“Who you are is who you are, Gabriel. I'll accept whatever that is.”
I blinked at him, my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears and, for a moment, everything seemed surreal. The weight of what had just happened with Henry, and the unknown ahead of me was almost too much to bear. “Your family…” I started, then swallowed hard.
Gabriel sighed, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. His eyes were sad when he looked back at me, full of regret. "They’re worse than me, but you have nothing to fear from them. They would risk their life for you and do unspeakable things for you, because I care about you. Still, it's important they like you, just like in any normal family.”
"But it's not a normal family, Gabriel," I pointed out. "Does being with you mean I will have to do…” I trailed off, unable to think of how to word it. “Would I have to do criminal things?”
He laughed. “I wont force you to do anything you don’t want to do, and I’ll be with you as much as I can when it comes to navigating my family. Just remember this Sophia, I left that life. I wanted to be free of it and the consequences of what living that way leads to. Things won't be easy at first, for either of us.”
Suddenly I felt terrible. In my selfishness, I was forcing him to return to it all, to face a reality I was completely ignorant about.
I could see the regret in his eyes, and yet, there was also an undercurrent of determination there. He was resolved to support me, even if it meant confronting his past.
"Do you remember what you promised me Gabriel?”
“You want me to always tell you the truth. Sophia, if we’re doing this, going to my home, I won’t be able to keep that promise. I get that you don’t want to be in the dark, but I just won’t be able to tell you everything at any given moment, I’ll do my best to keep you out of the dark, but things are different there.
"That's... fair enough, I suppose," I replied.
His answer reassured me somewhat, but a knot of unease remained in my stomach.
Then he kissed me. He really kissed me. Not a lust-fueled, superficial kiss, but a real, caring kiss. The uncertainty and unease washed away with the scent of him, the feel of him on my lips. The revelation that he truly cares for me through this authentic kiss was all I needed to know now.
Gabriel
Damien shook his head incredulously as we entered Sophia’s room.
“You know, I was not expecting her to be the one to convince you to come back home. You’re so whipped, dude.”
