Page 55 of Touched By Destiny

“Humans always get their favorite color,” Clark mused. “It’s going to be okay, Rhonda. I promise. Are you pleased to have her as a soulmate?”

“I’m freaking out, but yes. She’s become my best friend. And we fought the attraction for so long. Now, I have this gigantic mess to figure out. How is she going to understand? How do I even bring it up?”

Clark reached out and took one of her hands from her hair. “It’s overwhelming, scary, and confusing at first. But don’t worry, your soulmate will understand. You’ve both beengranted a beautiful gift. There are no mistakes when it comes to soulmates.”

“Are you sure?” Rhonda asked in a small voice, her brown gaze still filled with worry.

“Yes. It’s two souls made for each other,” Clark assured her with a smile.

Across the room, Gabriel stood there wondering if Clark’s opinion would be forever altered when he learned the truth about Eric’s soulmate.

“I wanted so badly to have her as a soulmate,” Rhonda whispered.

“And today is a cause for celebration because your fondest wish came true,” Clark replied. “Perhaps, on some level, you realized she was a perfect match for you. We need champagne.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Gabriel said, desperate for a reason to leave the room before he did something stupid.

There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind demanding he confess everything. That he gamble his friendship with Clark, his job as head of security, and his place at the table for Marwood meals by admitting that he too had a soulmate. Gabriel realized he was proud too. He was as delighted as Rhonda with the person tied to his soul, and he wanted to celebrate it—revel in his beautiful connection to Eric.

But Gabriel still didn’t know if he could keep Eric happy or be the man he needed.

???

“Are you okay?” Eric asked Gabriel.

His grass green eyes were warm, and his smile was lazy as he dragged his fingers through Eric’s curls. “I’m good.”

“You’ve been so quiet this week.”

“Am I usually a motormouth?”

Eric shifted, and his jeans rustled as his leg brushed closer to Gabriel’s denim-clad calf. “No, you’re not, but something’s definitely up with you.”

“I don’t know why I think I have this impressive ability to hide my feelings from you or any Marwood.”

“I can’t speak for the rest of my family, but I think I’ve become a pretty good judge of most of your moods.”

“So, what’s my mood?” Gabriel asked, brushing their lips together.

It was impossible not to smile after such a sweet kiss, and Eric didn’t try to hold it in anyway. Ever since Rhonda had announced that she met her soulmate, Gabriel had been withdrawn. But unlike the way he’d brooded following their own soulbind discovery, the inspirit had been reflective without pushing Eric away. Unfortunately, that was the only insight Eric had. Gabriel’s thoughts were as aggravatingly his own as ever.

“I can’t pinpoint it exactly,” Eric replied, frustrated that he was no better at understanding Gabriel.

“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said, running his fingers gently over the furrow between Eric’s brows and smoothing his scowl away. “I’m not upset or regretting our decision to get to know each other better.”

“You aren’t going to tell me anything else about what’s on your mind, are you?”

“I don’t think it’s good for either of us if I keep bringing up my reasons for secrecy or my concerns about our soulbinding.”

“You just said you weren’t regretting us.”

“And I’m not,” Gabriel insisted, kissing him softly. “Honestly? I’m more committed than ever. I’ve enjoyed spending all this time with you. But that doesn’t mean I don’tstill have misgivings. Every day I go through so many emotions. I’m just dealing with it the best I know how. Seeing Rhonda freak out was helpful, I think. Maybe everybody gets a little nuts when they discover their soulmate.”

“I wish I’d been there to see her reaction.”

Gabriel chuckled. “It was pretty funny. An hour into the meeting—which she insisted we start after two glasses of champagne—it finally dawned on her that her outfit was mismatched. She borrowed my suit jacket to cover her top and snuck out to go home and change. Tasha was still there at her place. Rhonda didn’t bother coming back to work.”

“I wonder how long it’ll take her to tell Tasha about everything.”

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