18
EMERSYN
He was about to kiss me. There was no denying it. And I wanted to kiss him back. So badly. So badly it hurt. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t start something with Gabe Thornton when I planned to expose his brother for what he did. Or even because of the things I’d already written. It would be wrong. So wrong. It went against everything I thought I believed in.
But that didn’t stop me from thinking about it. And I had a lot of time to think about it as Gabe stayed away for almost two weeks. No sleepovers. No late-night conversations. No kiss-pecks to the nose to say our morning goodbyes. Nothing.
At random times of the day, his face would pop into my head. I’d think about the fullness of his lips and the way the bottom one sagged just a little, almost making him look like he was pouting. I’d think about his golden skin and the way it always seemed as though it had been drenched in sun, even though we were in the middle of winter. I’d imagine him pressed over me like he was that night, dipping his head slowly until our lips met.
I shouldn’t have tried to call him. I should have just left it. I was better off without him in my life. Or at least my business was better without him. Because with Gabe in my life, there was a part of me that wanted to stop writing. Or rather, to stop writing about his family. But they were my bread and butter, so to speak.
Watching Jake fight had shown me the side of him that Brandon Stevens would have seen. And it was downright terrifying. I was confused watching the violence. Part of me was exhilarated by it. Another part had to keep reminding myself that they chose this. No one had forced them. They expected pain. And, according to Gabe, some of them even craved it.
I shouldn’t have called him, but I did. I took a break from my telemarketing work and sat with the phone pressed to my ear, waiting nervously as it rang and rang. But he didn’t answer.
My heart sank. I knew I should leave him be. I knew I was toying with him, giving him mixed messages by refusing his advances while still wanting to be close to him, but I couldn’t help it. I had the willpower to resist anything physical between us; I just didn’t have the same willpower to stop seeing him altogether. But maybe he’d made that decision for me.
I stared at the screen of my phone a little longer, hoping for a callback, but it never came. With a sigh, I logged back into work to get my call sheet and dialed the next number. It felt like my brain died a little with each repetition of the script, but at least it paid the bills.
After getting hung up on seven times, sworn at what seemed like a thousand times, proposed to once, and passing two leads to the sales team, I finally finished for the day. I hated that the best time to make calls was over the weekend, but as much abuse as I received, it was when I usually got the most leads, so it made up for it.
My phone informed me I’d missed two calls. A little surge of hope tingled through me, but both calls were from my mother reminding me about dinner. Brittany was using her car, and I’d already missed the bus, so I needed to start walking to my parents' house or I was going to be late. Again.
Despite needing to leave right then, I still took the time to jump in the shower and throw on a change of clothes. I walked out of the house right at the time I should have been walking in the front door of my parents’ house. Collette was not going to be happy.
Gabe’s car was parked in the driveway, but he was just sitting in the driver’s seat, engine turned off, staring down at his phone.
I skipped over and rapped on his window, startling him. “Hey,” I chirped cheerfully. Possibly too cheerfully. It wasn’t my usual style. Well, not unless I wanted something.
Gabe narrowed his eyes. “Hey yourself.”
“What’cha doing?” I really needed to stop this cheerfulness, but I could barely contain my grin.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Gabe replied. “Thought I’d better check you hadn’t fallen off the face of the planet or something.”
“I literally tried calling you a few hours ago.”
“Huh. You did?”
“I did.” I walked around to the passenger door and hopped in. “Can you give me a ride to my parents’?” I asked as I slipped on the seatbelt.
“Sure thing,” Gabe said, avoiding my gaze. He started the ignition, put on some sunglasses, and only then did I notice his eyes sliding my way under the tinted glass.
I didn’t usually care what other people thought of me, but Gabe’s silence was deafening. I wanted to ask if I’d done something wrong, why he hadn’t come over, why he no longer stayed, but I kept all of that tucked inside, annoyed at myself for feeling needy. He didn’t owe me anything. We were only friends, after all. And I was the one insisting it stay that way.
I tapped the address into the car’s GPS, and we pulled to the side of the road a few minutes later. Gabe peered curiously at the street of houses that all looked the same, and I imagined the judgmental thoughts racing through his mind. He’d probably never even seen a street like this before—one where the prices of the houses were probably less than the cost of his car.
I turned to him, but he was still avoiding my gaze. “Well, thanks for the ride,” I muttered.
He made a sound I assumed was a grunt, so after waiting a moment to see if he’d say anything more, I stepped out onto the curb. But then I froze. Another vehicle was parked a little further up the road—one I knew all too well.
“Fuck,” I muttered, opening the door back up and taking my seat again. “We’ve got to go.”
“Go?” Gabe was confused. “You didn’t even go inside.”
“I don’t want to go inside.” My eyes went to the other car unbidden.
“What the fuck is going on?” Gabe asked, his eyes darting between me and the other car.
My shoulders slumped, but at least Gabe was actually looking at me now. “See that car over there?” I pointed. “It’s Conrad’s.”
“Your ex?” A mischievous grin teased the corners of his lips. Then he undid his seatbelt. “Come on,” he said, opening his door. “This will be fun.” He jumped out of the car too quickly for me to stop him.
“Gabe!” I chased after him. “Gabe!” I grabbed his arm again, stopping him before he reached the door. “We’re not going in there.”
“You’re going to let him stop you from visiting your own parents?”
I shrugged. “It’s not like it’s something I enjoy anyway.” Gabe reached for the door handle, so I shoved myself in front of him. “There’s something you need to know.”
He cocked a brow. “I’m listening.”
I swallowed, my mind racing to decide what exactly to tell him. I just needed to stall. Stop this meeting. “Conrad isn’t just my ex. Well, he is, but he’s my ex-husband, not just my ex-boyfriend.” I looked at the ground as I waited for his reply. When he didn’t say anything, I kept babbling. “I was young. It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have—”
“You’re married to him?”
“I was married to him,” I corrected. “We’re separated now. I’m waiting until I can file for divorce.”
I glanced up, nervously. He didn’t look annoyed at my revelation; he just looked curious.
“Wait.” He moved so he was facing me. “So just how old are you?”
“Same age as you.” He didn’t question how I knew that. “We weren’t married for long. In fact, as soon as we tied the knot, it all started to turn to shit. I think part of me married him just to piss off my parents, even though it didn’t work because they love Conrad.”
“So what’s he doing here?”
“My parents probably invited him. They still think there’s a chance we’ll get back together.”
“And is there?” He arched a single brow.
“Not a chance in hell.” I was emphatic.
Gabe cupped my cheek and winked. “Well, this should be fun then.” He knocked on the door before I could stop him. Charles’s yapping started immediately, his barks perfectly in sync with the thudding of my heart. “You’ve already told them I’m your boyfriend, haven’t you?”
“They didn’t believe me.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m up for a little role-play.”
Panic fluttered. I didn’t want Gabe and my parents in the same room. I didn’t want Gabe and Conrad in the same room. And now I was about to enter hell with all of them. Gabe was wrong. It was going to be anything but fun.
“There’s something else too,” I blurted out. “My father—”
“Emmy!” my mother cried as she opened the door. But her smile fell when she saw Gabe. “Oh, you’ve brought someone.” She looked him up and down, unimpressed. His hair was loose and hanging around his shoulders. He wore jeans that hung loosely around his waist, and his t-shirt sported the logo of some '80s rock band. Hardly her ideal of a perfect date for her daughter. There was no stench of the wealth his family possessed that dripped off him; otherwise, I’m sure her greeting would have been different. Until she remembered which family.
“Collette, this is—”
But my mother turned her back, picking up the growling Charles and holding him close to her chest. “I guess I’ll have to set another place at the table. You could have let us know you were bringing someone over, Emmy.”
The change in Gabe from when he’d sat in my driveway was stark. He could barely stifle his amusement. He didn’t care about my mother’s lack of welcome one bit.
“That’s one ugly cat,” he whispered behind her back, nodding to where Charles was peering over her shoulder, his little teeth bared in a growl.
“The neighbors had a party last night,” Collette called over her shoulder. “The music didn’t stop until midnight. I was tempted to call the police.”
Merrick and Conrad were already seated, deep in conversation. The table was laden with various dishes, not in plastic tubs, so I figured they’d gone all out to impress Conrad. They didn’t stop their conversation as we entered, not until Collette gave Merrick ‘the look.’
“You,” Conrad said as Gabe sat down.
“Conrad, wasn’t it?” Gabe asked, a wide smile on his face. “Pleasure to see you again.” He offered his hand to my father. “Gabe.”
“Merrick Cabot.” My father stood to shake his hand, his eyes narrowing. “Emmy didn’t tell us she was bringing a friend.”
Gabe lowered himself into the seat beside me and slung his arm over my shoulder. “It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing, wasn’t it, Emmy?” He winked at me, emphasizing my name. “Hope you don’t mind my crashing.”
Conrad cleared his throat exaggeratedly. “Actually, we were going to have a discussion about—”
“I’m sure it can wait,” Gabe interrupted Conrad. “This looks amazing, Collette. And what a cute dog. What’s his name?”
Gabe bent down to pat Charles, and I almost warned him not to, but the little asshole didn’t bark or growl like he did with me.
“Charles,” my mother replied sharply. “Careful. He’s been known to bite strangers.”
“Conrad here was just telling us about the new project he’s working on,” Merrick said, diverting the attention away from Charles.
“Shhh, it’s a secret.” Conrad laughed. “But I am hoping that Emmy might come aboard. I could use someone like her on my team again.”
“When hell freezes over,” I muttered. Gabe had slung his arm back over my shoulder again. His tongue was caught between his teeth as if he were trying to hide his laughter.
“That’s a wonderful idea, don’t you think, dear?” My mother was talking to my father, not me.
“Yes, dear, wonderful.” He shoveled some food into his mouth to avoid saying anything more. He always deferred to my mother. Always.
Gabe turned to me. “I didn’t know you were looking for a new job?”
“I’m not,” was my grunted reply.
“Gabe, wasn’t it?” Conrad asked as if Gabe were forgettable. As if he didn’t know who he was. As if he hadn’t been just as obsessed with the Thorntons as I was. “What is it you do for a living? Or are you a student?”
Gabe took his arm off my shoulder and leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, much to Collette’s disapproval. I was almost certain he was doing it to show off his flexed biceps.
“I’ve just started a gym, actually. We’re focusing on diversity within the family company. We haven’t been open long, but it’s coming along nicely. We’re even considering expanding into a franchise. It’s a good change of pace for me. Before that, I was involved with the development of my father’s company’s projects, but it wasn’t really my thing. I’m more of a hands-on person than a sit-behind-the-desk type.”
Conrad looked annoyed, as though he hadn’t expected Gabe to answer so well. I was also pretty sure he was internally comparing his biceps to Gabe’s. There was no competition. Gabe won. Easily.
“You’re a reporter, aren’t you?” Gabe asked.
“Editor, actually,” Conrad corrected.
“Family company, you say?” my father asked. “Which family, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve been involved with a lot of developers over the years; I may have heard of them. What’s your father’s name?”
Gabe spoke before I could stop him. “Hamish Thornton.”
“You’re Hamish Thornton’s son?” Merrick almost spat out his food.
“One of them, yup.” Gabe shoveled another mouthful of food into his mouth.
“We thought you were joking when you said you were dating him,” Collette said.
“You two are actually dating?” Conrad’s voice lowered to a growl.
“Gabe, Gable. It makes sense now.” Dad wore a look of disbelief. “You’ve certainly grown up. It’s been years since I’ve seen you in person. Not since your brother’s funeral, I don’t think.”
The swell of Gabe’s throat bobbed up and down. “You were at my brother’s funeral?”
“I was your father’s driver at the time, so yes.”
Gabe’s brows pressed together, and he looked at me questioningly, wondering why I hadn’t told him this. If only he knew how much else I was hiding.
“It was years ago,” I mumbled.
Gabe turned his attention back to my father. “Hoagie?” he asked tentatively. I’d never heard the nickname before, and I guessed my father had changed a lot since he’d worked for the Thorntons. He’d certainly lost a lot of hair and gained a lot of weight.
“That’s what your father used to call me, yes.” It was clear from my father’s expression how much he’d hated that name.
“Whatever happened to you?” Gabe asked. “He has a new driver now, doesn’t he? A really tall fellow.”
“Merrick got blamed for the casino crash,” I tried to whisper, knowing the bitterness it would dredge up for my father.
“But my father was driving,” Gabe said, shaking his head in confusion.
“Apparently, it was my job to stop your father from driving,” Merrick said tersely.
“He’s been struggling to get work ever since,” Conrad added pointedly.
My father had been fired on the spot. No compensation. No final payment. They’d even tried, unsuccessfully, to make him pay for the damage to the car. He didn’t have the funds to fight the dismissal, and even when my uncle offered to represent him for free, my father was too proud to accept. Things had gone downhill for him ever since. He lived off benefits now, supplemented by the occasional casual driving position and Conrad's generosity.
Gabe sighed. “That’s my father for you. He can be a bastard at times. I’m so sorry he did that to you, but I hope you won’t hold it against me. I have very little to do with him. I try to distance myself from him at all costs.”
Merrick merely grunted. But Gabe quickly changed the topic of conversation, and soon both my parents were tolerating listening to him long enough for me to excuse myself and head for the bathroom. I was just about to close the door when Conrad barged in and trapped me inside.
“What do you want?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the window, as far away from him as I could get. My eyes darted between him and the door.
“It’s time we had a little chat, don’t you think?” Conrad said.