Chapter Ten
Gabe
I’m never going to stop trying to protect her, even when she doesn’t know it. -Gabe
I’m trying very hard not to look at her. So hard that every movement feels forced between us. Not only do I have wet boxers, but I’ve lost all objectivity with this assignment. I need to talk to someone who will understand what I’m going through. Fuck, I’m royally screwed.
“I hate flying,” Gemma says through clenched teeth.
I risk glancing over at her, finally noticing that her face is pasty white. Shame spirals through me. Has she been this tense for the last hour and I haven’t noticed?
I reach for her hand, and she grabs onto it gratefully.
“How can you hate it so much? Don’t you fly all the time?
You’ve done two international tours.” Her hand is clammy, and her leg bounces up and down.
She washed off her makeup earlier in the plane bathroom and finally looks like her again, except even more innocent with nothing on her face.
She looks so damn young that she makes me ache.
“I will never like flying,” she mutters. “We’re basically in a tin can with wings attached. I, unfortunately, love my career, so this is what I have to do.”
I squeeze her hand. “I won’t get into the rules of aviation with you, but it’s a little more than a tin can, sweetheart. You’ve got yourself a top of the line jet. And this pilot has been with you for years, right? We’re gonna be just fine.”
She glances over at me, the anxiety plain in her cerulean eyes. “Yep, Jeff has been with me for forever, and he’s the best. But life is fragile. So damn fragile.” There’s sorrow in her voice and the reason for it strikes me.
Her mother.
I remember her early interviews and the insensitive questions that people would ask then fourteen-year-old Gemma. She always handled them with such aplomb that most people couldn’t see the pain in her eyes. She was ten when her mom died, just a baby.
I can’t stop myself. I reach out and touch her cheek lightly with my thumb. “Hey, nothing is going to happen. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”
She lets out a long breath. “I know. I know you have me. I trust you.” There are tears in her eyes now. “But even you can’t stop bad things from happening. Sometimes they just happen.”
I bring her hand to my mouth for a kiss. “Just rest, Gemma. Just rest. I may not be able to stop everything, but I can tell you this. Right now, here in this moment, we’re going to be just fine.”
And we will be. Because no matter what happens between us, no matter how deeply I fall for her, I make a vow. I will protect her with everything I am, with everything I have. I will lay down my life for her.
I feel the moment her body finally relaxes. She lets the anxiety go and she lays her head on my shoulder. A few moments later, I hear a soft snore.
I kiss the top of her head. “We’ve got this, Gemma. I’ve got you. Everything’s going to be just fine.”