Page 112 of Fierce-Gabe

He didn’t want to be that forty-year-old giving up his family time because he was holding onto something that would never come about because very few people saw superstar success.

“If you had friends and a band now, would you do something with it?”

He laughed. “No. What would I do? Play at weddings or bars? You still need to practice. It’s time I don’t have. I found enjoyment in singing. It was a stress release for me. It wasn’t a source of income. It wasn’t this need to do it so much I couldn’t breathe. You need to wake up every morning thinking of it and go to bed doing the same to make it work. If you want it enough. I just didn’t.”

Not like he felt he’d been with getting Elise in his life.

The thought that if he couldn’t have her, he might never find true enjoyment in his life.

No way he could say that to her. She’d probably bolt out the door if he did.

“I believe you. I think your parents probably do too,” she said.

“I think so,” he said. He debated saying this and decided to go ahead with it. “I knew I wanted what my parents had. I also knew working for the family business took a lot of time and work on top of it. If I added singing for fun that left no time for someone else in my life.”

“You want kids, don’t you?” she asked.

“I do,” he said. “Is that something you’re opposed to?”

“No,” she said. “I’m not getting any younger, but I’m not ready to cross it off my list either.”

“Do you have a bucket list?” he asked, grinning.

“I don’t like to think of it that way. More like goals.”

“What’s on it?” he asked. It might be better to redirect this conversation. It was getting a little deeper than he wanted and he was sure it might be for her too.

“Nothing exciting like jumping off of mountains or anything.”

“Share something,” he said. “I just did.”

He looked down at her head on his shoulder. Her eyes lifted up to his.

“Maybe I want something in my life like your parents have too.”

He saw the vulnerability in her eyes. “It’s nice to be on the same page,” he said. “In the future.”

“In the future,” she agreed.

Yeah, time to end this now. He picked the remote up and turned the TV on instead.

33

NO REASON TO RUSH

“Is it always this crazy?” Carmen asked Elise three weeks later.

She thought Carmen was working out well having a construction background. At just twenty-six Carmen was a go-getter and eager to learn.

“It’s only starting,” she said.

“Geez,” Carmen said. “I mean I understand. They haven’t even begun construction yet.”

“Nope,” she said.

Gabe finished up everything he and his crew had to do a few weeks ago in the second building. The Fierces had already gotten four businesses under contract. The blueprints were being done if not recently finished. It was coming down to picking out the finishings now.

Carmen and she had met with one of the businesses not more than twenty minutes ago and had to listen to the two owners bickering back and forth.

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