Page 70 of Touched By Destiny

“Ask yourself a question, Gabriel. Will you ever be ready to be with me?”

Gabriel said nothing, and Eric didn’t bother to disguise his tears. It was a simple question, yet Gabriel couldn’t answer it. So, Eric had to face the truth—maybe Gabriel would never be comfortable being Eric’s soulmate fully. Which led Eric to the most important question of all. Was what they had enough, or would Eric slowly wither away as his soulmate kept him carefully just out of reach? Not wanting to contemplate the truth, Eric left Gabriel’s room.

The future loomed ahead of them, but their path was far from clear. Although Eric was in love with Gabriel, it wouldn’t necessarily be enough to save them. And Eric had to think clearly about whether it was smart to continue to play at being together when their souls were meant for something far different from a friendship and secret sweaty couplings on Gabriel’s couch. With a gentle reminder to himself that they had an eternity together to get things right, Eric headed to bed alone.

Chapter 29

It was a festive Christmas morning for everyone but Gabriel. He’d barely slept, and he was exhausted. But he hadn’t spent his nighttime hours idly. All night long, Gabriel had stared at the ceiling and forced himself to think carefully. Instead of pretending he was waiting for some big symbol to alert him it was finally okay to move forward as Eric’s soulmate, he’d posed tough, overdue questions to himself.

What was holding him back? Was he truly so afraid of Clark and Rosalind’s reaction to his relationship that he was willing to risk losing it? As the sun rose through his curtains, the answer had come to him as a resounding no. And although Gabriel didn’t like that Eric had kept him in the dark about alerting Rosalind to their first hookup, she apparently hadn’t freaked out.

In a shocking moment of clarity, Gabriel had realized Clark and Rosalind would probably be far angrier that he wasn’t fully appreciating Eric than the fact that he and Eric were soulmates. Gabriel would take full responsibility for the secrecy and allow no one to chastise Eric. It was Gabriel’s fault. And he had to admit his reluctance to announce their relationship wasn’t completely due to his fear of the Marwoods. Or at leastnot the elder ones. Gabriel didn’t know if he could be the person Eric needed. The last thing Gabriel had wanted was to allow love to fill his heart again.

Because he feared being hurt again. But he didn’t need to be afraid. Eric would never betray him, and although Gabriel had tried to protect himself as much as he could, he adored and trusted his soulmate. Gabriel had hated asking him to leave the night before, and curling up with him every night would be incredible.

So would sharing every moment they could together. Gabriel dearly wanted to be with Eric fully. It took only one of his beautiful, dreamy smiles to brighten Gabriel’s day. Eric was kind, compassionate, intelligent, and sexy—everything Gabriel would’ve asked for in a partner if he’d been searching for one. Gabriel was a lucky man to have Eric, and he damn well was going to keep him.

“Gabriel,” Richard said, nearly causing Gabriel to jump, but he stifled the impulse. “Hello, earth to Gabriel. It’s your turn to open a present.”

The Marwoods insisted on opening a gift at a time so they could gush over each treasure they’d placed under the tree. Forcing himself to focus, Gabriel’s gaze swept over the giant pile of things he’d already unwrapped.

“I’m not sure I have any more,” Gabriel answered.

“Yes, you do,” Eric replied, reaching down and snagging a box from the floor at Gabriel’s feet. As usual, Rosalind insisted Gabriel sit at her son’s side so he was constantly guarded. “You haven’t opened mine yet.”

“Sorry, I didn’t see it,” Gabriel murmured.

Eric smiled, but it was guarded, and Gabriel missed the joy in his beautiful blue eyes. It was fucking Christmas, and Eric should’ve been on top of the world. Instead, he was frustrated with Gabriel’s indecision and the constant pushing away.

“It’s fine, as usual, we have way too much to open,” Eric responded.

“Oh, get over it,” Rosalind said. “Everyone forces me to stick to one present for birthdays. I get to buy as many gifts as I want for the people I love on Christmas. Just try to stop me.”

“As if anyone could,” Clark muttered next to her.

Rosalind gave her husband a sharp look, then grinned at Gabriel. “Ignore him. Open your present.”

“Sure,” Gabriel said. He wasn’t one to shred paper, but he wasn’t slow at unwrapping either. Marwood family tradition or not, it unnerved Gabriel to have everyone staring at him as he worked through his gifts.

Within several seconds, Gabriel had a box in his hand, and he lifted the lid. Inside was merry red tissue paper, which he pushed out of the way to reveal a picture frame. It was an image Gabriel recognized. Every year after Christmas dinner, Rosalind gathered the family around the tree for a photo. Somehow, Eric had taken one shot from last year and turned everyone into cute cartoons.

Gabriel grinned. It was fun and a delightful reminder of the many holidays they’d spent together. And at the bottom in a lovely script were the wordsThe Marwoods, Christmas 2023. The only person in that picture who had never considered himself a Marwood was Gabriel, and it suddenly seemed so stupid. He loved them. Far more than he’d ever loved Samael. A tear slipped down his cheek as he ran his thumb over the glass—right across where he sat next to Eric.

“Thank you,” Gabriel whispered as he tried to fight through his fatigue and hold himself together. He turned the frame and showed it to everyone.

“Oh, how adorable,” Rosalind exclaimed. “How did you do that, Eric?”

“I found an artist online who drew it from the photo,” Eric said. “I hope you like it, Gabriel.”

Swiping the wetness from his cheek, Gabriel nodded. “I love it, thank you. Isn’t it your turn to open a present?”

“Pass your picture around so we can see it better while Eric opens one,” Richard insisted, clearly eager to study every detail.

Reluctantly, Gabriel handed his treasure to Richard as Eric lifted a box he recognized.

“This is my last one, and it’s from Gabriel,” Eric said, setting the present on his lap and tearing into it with vigor.

“You know, for someone who is usually so elegant, you open gifts like an animal,” Maribeth teased.

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