Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
GABE
After work, instead of driving home, I find myself taking the long road out to Haven House. If I can’t tell my family about me and Hallie yet, I need to unload one thing off my chest. I need to tell them about Ethan’s job offer.
When I park in the driveway behind my dad’s truck, I pull out my phone and navigate to my texts with Hallie. I pause when I see her new contact name. Maybe it was a ridiculous thing to do, but technically , it’s true. Sort of. Clara would probably call it manifestation.
I’ll be home late. Just stopping to see my parents for a bit.
As I slip out of the truck and head for the front door, my phone buzzes with Hallie’s response.
Fiancée
Larissa had to drop Abbie off a bit ago. Hospital was short staffed. We’ll be here waiting for you.
That stops me in my tracks. After what happened with Luke’s ex, Larissa and I have been more selective of who watches Abbie.
We don’t hire babysitters. If she’s not with one of us, she’s with Larissa’s parents or mine.
Always family. The fact that Larissa clearly trusts Hallie enough to leave our daughter with her means a hell of a lot.
I can come home now if you want.
Fiancée
Stay and see your parents. I promise we’re fine!
Her text is followed up with a selfie of the two of them. My girls. They’re eating pizza, and it looks like they’ve turned the living room into some kind of fort. I’m already itching to get home to them, but first, I need to talk to my dad.
Pocketing my phone, I head inside. It felt weird being here when they first turned part of the house into a bed-and-breakfast, but now that I’m used to it, it still feels like coming home.
“Hey, anybody here?” I call out as I slip off my boots.
“Living room!” Mom calls back.
I walk down the hall lined with photos of me and my siblings as kids.
There are quite a few of Abbie, too, ranging from when she was a newborn to just last year.
My eyes catch on a particular picture at the end of the hallway.
She didn’t have the purple hair back then, but Hallie still stands out to me. She always has.
Rounding the corner into the living room, I find Mom sitting on the couch. A fire is roaring in the fireplace, and a throw blanket is thrown across her lap.
“Hi, sweetie,” she says when she looks up from her book. “What are you doing here?”
I bend to place a kiss on her cheek. “Can’t I come visit my favourite woman without an ulterior motive?”
She arches a brow. “You and I both know your favourite woman is on the other side of the island right now, in your house.”
I cross my arms. “You know?”
Mom laughs. She places her bookmark in between the pages and shuts her book. “Gabriel, of course I know. We all know. Why do you think we suddenly came down with a case of termites?”
I shake my head. “I knew you all were up to no good.”
She shrugs. “We simply provided a little forced proximity to get things moving. I’m not getting any younger, you know. I want more grandchildren before I’m too old to enjoy them.”
The laugh comes out before I can stop it. “Well, anyway , I actually came by to see Dad. Is he around?”
Mom flicks a hand toward the guest side of the house. “He’s fixing something or other in one of the bedrooms.”
Now that it’s winter, Haven House is closed to guests. While the tourist season is well and truly over, so there’s no point in staying open, it also gives my parents a break. After being constantly on the go for a good chunk of the year, it’s much needed.
I leave Mom to her book and head in search of my dad. Once I hit the second level, I can hear some banging and familiar cursing.
“Dad?”
“In here!”
I step into the bedroom, taking in the mess of tools on the floor. The door is off its hinges, leaning against the bed. “Need any help?”
“You know what, that’d be great,” he says. Then he narrows his eyes at me. Assessing. “I didn’t know you were coming by tonight.”
“It wasn’t planned. I, uh, was hoping to talk to you about something.”
Suddenly, the nerves hit me full-force. I haven’t been this nervous to share something with my dad since I had to tell him I’d gotten Larissa pregnant at twenty-one after a one-night stand.
But I’m twenty-eight now, a full-blown adult.
A father. Something like this shouldn’t rattle me, but deep down, I’m still that kid who seeks approval from his parents.
He leans back against the dresser. “Is this about Hallie?”
My brows furrow. “Hallie? No. Why would this be about her?”
He chuckles. “Oh, maybe because you’ve been mooning after her since you were a kid, and now she’s living in your house. Excuse me for assuming. What’s on your mind?”
I shake my head. “It’s about work.”
This gets all of his attention. “What about it?”
He’s been retired for a while now, but Dad took his job as seriously as Luke does. They both knew from a young age that they wanted to work for the department, and they both worked hard when they got there.
“I think I want to quit.”
Dad’s brows draw together. He’s quiet for a moment. Then he simply says, “Okay.”
“ Okay ? That’s all you have to say?” I shake my head. “You’re not going to ask how I plan to pay my bills? Keep supporting Abbie?”
“You’ve been out on your own for quite some time now, Gabe, and you’ve never given me any reason to doubt your capabilities. So no, I’m not going to ask because I’m sure you have a plan. Or if you don’t, you’ll make one.”
Admittedly, I’m a little taken aback. It’s not like Dad has ever been on my case about figuring shit out, even back in high school. This is a pressure I’ve put on myself.
Self-inflicted pressure is almost worse than that of others. Because at the end of the day, you have to be able to live with yourself, and that’s a hell of a lot easier when you like who you are.
“You’re not disappointed?”
He straightens. “Of course not. All I want for you and your siblings is happiness. There’s about a million paths to fulfillment, son. I don’t care which you pick or if you change your mind along the way.”
At least half of the weight sitting on my shoulders falls away. Though between him and Luke, I knew Dad would be the easiest to tell. Still, I feel relieved.
“An old classmate works for the coast guard out of Tobermory,” I say. “I’m thinking about reaching out, seeing what I’d need to do to get on his search and rescue team.”
He nods. “I think you should. They’d be lucky to have you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He smiles. “Anytime. Now can you hand me the Phillips-head?”
I open the front door to the sound of giggling. It instantly puts me at ease, and I quickly shuck my jacket and boots so I can join in on the fun.
When I turn the corner, I find Hallie sitting on the couch alone. My daughter is nowhere in sight, and the remnants of their fort litter the floor.
“Hey,” she says. “How are your parents?”
“They’re good. I helped my dad fix one of the guest bedroom doors,” I reply. “Where’s Abbs?”
Hallie shrugs. “I’m not sure…” Her smile is a bit mischievous, and I get the hint. “I swear she was just here a second ago.”
“Hmm. I guess I’ll have to find her…” I lift the cushion on the armchair and pretend to look under it. Another giggle rings out. “Did you hear that?”
Hallie shakes her head. She rolls her lips inward as she tries not to smile. “Hear what?”
I walk around the back of the couch, but I catch movement across the room. The curtains are swaying, and a small pair of feet are sticking out the bottom. Busted .
“Maybe she’s over here.” I round the couch again, crossing the room. Another peal of laughter sounds, which is music to my fucking ears.
“She has to be close by,” Hallie says.
I shrug. “I give up. I think she’s gone.”
After hearing my fake dejected tone, Abbie pops out from behind the curtain. “Look! I’m right here, Daddy!”
I feign shock, and then I scoop her into my arms. She shrieks her laughter, growing louder as I begin to tickle her sides.
“Hallie!” she gasps. “Hallie, help me!”
I shake my head. “She can’t save you. She was in on your plan to trick me.”
Hallie stands from the couch, looking contemplative. “What if we negotiate?”
“What’s…that?” Abbie asks between gasping breaths. I let up on the tickling a little.
“Making a deal. Like if we tell your dad he can have our leftover pizza, but only if he lets you go.”
“Yes!” Abbie yells. “Let’s ‘gotiate!”
“I do love pizza…”
“Daddy, please! My tummy hurts from laughing!”
I stop my assault, and Abbie goes limp in my arms. “You drive a hard bargain, dude, but I accept.”
“Put me down!” I set her on her feet, and she runs for the kitchen. “I’ll get the pizza.”
While we have a minute, I reach out and grab Hallie’s hand, tugging her closer. I wrap an arm around her waist. “Thanks for staying with her.”
She smiles, then glances over her shoulder. Abbie is still banging around in the kitchen, so she turns back to me. “Of course. You know I love hanging out with her. Even more than I love spending time with her dad.”
My brows raise. “Oh, really? I suppose you won’t be sneaking into my bed tonight, then.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she amends.
“Hmm. I thought so.” Hallie pushes up on tiptoe, leaning in to kiss me. I draw back. “Abbs will be back any second.”
She shocks the hell out of me by saying, “I know. I’m done hiding, Gabe.”
So I kiss her. I can’t help myself. After the talk with my dad, and coming home to my girls, I’m feeling pretty damn invincible.
“ Ew !”
Hallie and I break apart, and my wide eyes meet hers. Shit . I lower my arm from Hallie’s waist, and we both turn to find Abbie, nose scrunched, looking up at us. A plate of pizza—six or seven slices, way more than I can eat—is balancing precariously in her hand.
I hook my pinkie around Hallie’s, grabbing her attention. Sorry , I mouth.
She tightens her pinkie, then lets go. “It’s okay,” she says. “It’s time.”
My heart kicks into overdrive as I watch Hallie take the plate from Abbie and ask her to sit on the couch. Then Hallie looks at me. “Can I?”
I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to say in this situation, so I nod. Maybe she’ll have better luck than me.
Hallie sits beside my daughter. “Abbie, can I tell you something?” she asks. “It’s a bit of a secret, because I’ve been scared to tell a lot of people, but it’s important to me that you know.”
“But grown ups don’t get scared,” Abbie protests.
“Sure we do,” Hallie replies. “There’s different types of scared.
Sometimes, you get scared of the shadows in your room, and you have to turn on the light to prove there are no monsters.
And sometimes, it’s scary being vulnerable—sharing your feelings.
But that’s what friends are for, and you and I are friends, right? ”
“Yes! You can tell me.”
Hallie leans in close. “I really, really like your dad.”
My daughter gasps, then lets out a giggle that she covers with her hand. “You like like him? Like Sophia’s sister likes Lukey?”
“Yes, exactly like that. And I think—” Hallie’s eyes drift to me. “No, I know he likes me, too.”
Abbie nods. “Yes! Daddy’s always happy to see you, and you’re really pretty.”
Hallie’s cheeks pinken at the compliment. “Thank you. You’re really pretty, too. But, Abbs, do you think you’d be okay if me and your dad were together?”
She cocks her head. “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Yeah, Princess,” I say, finally finding my voice. “Do you think that would be okay with you?”
Abbie seems to think on it for a moment. Slowly, she begins to nod. “Yeah. But…can I get a cat, Daddy?”
I arch a brow. “Are you trying to negotiate with me?”
She shrugs, but a grin tugs at her lips. Hallie, on the other hand, can’t contain her laughter.
I point to her. “This is your fault.”
Hallie blinks innocently up at me. “I’m not sure what you mean. But that is an excellent question, Abbs. What do you say, Daddy? Can she get a cat?”
The look I give her is full of promise. Later . Her eyes sparkle in challenge.
“Let’s work our way up to a cat when you’re older. We can start with a fish, though. Do we have a deal?”
Abbie holds out her hand. “Deal.”
I grab her hand, pretending to shake it, but then I take the opportunity to tickle under her arm. With a giggle, she pulls away immediately, then jumps on the couch and crawls behind Hallie, hiding.
And for a second, time seems to stop. Wishful thinking, maybe. But if I could freeze this moment right here and live in it forever, I’d do it in a heartbeat.