Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
I’d thought my dad would care a little about me moving in with Gabriel three months after our first date. But, no.
He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. He’s smiling.
His wedding is in two weeks, and I think he’s high on love. And on Gabriel, if I’m being honest. Gabriel is every father’s dream. Respectful, chivalrous, employed, home owner. Also, that part where Gabriel saved his daughter’s life? Automatic entry.
I don’t want my dad to put up a fuss, but some pushback would be nice. Just enough to let me know he doesn’t want to give up his little girl, but not so much that I have to dig in my heels.
“You sure you’re ok with it?” I ask.
Dad chuckles. “Lara moved in here the second we got off the plane.”
I stand beside him at the counter. “So it’s not a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ situation?”
He shakes his head. “Not at all. Besides, you’re an adult.” He slings an arm over my shoulders. “You’ve been an adult since you were a kid.”
I frown at the pride in his voice. Children are only adults because they were forced to become them. Newsflash, it’s the last thing a kid should have to be.
Yet, here he is, tucking me into the crook of his arm, jostling me affectionately. It’s as if he likes the trajectory of my life thus far, the way I took care of Camryn after our mom died.
I wish I could say all this to him. It would feel so good to release the words and their emotional toll. But then I picture his crestfallen face, the hurt springing into his eyes, and I know I never will.
“I’ll probably be out by this Sunday.” Stepping away, I reach into the fridge for a jug of tea. Lara makes a mixture of green tea and black tea, and it’s become my favorite thing. “It’s not as if I have much to pack.”
I’ve been slow to replace anything that isn’t pertinent, due to space constraints. Lucky for me, most of my childhood belongings were boxed and left behind in my dad’s garage. The fire affected most of everything in my room. Even if things weren’t touched by flame, everything reeks of smoke or melted from the heat. I wasn’t able to salvage as much as I’d originally hoped, but in a stroke of absentmindedness I’d left my backpack holding all my work and my laptop in my car that night. Between the photo of my mom and the backpack being left in the car, my loss was minimal. It was Sabrina, or more specifically, Sabrina’s parents, who experienced the most loss. Even the furniture in my room didn’t belong to me, but to them.
“Gabriel is a good man,” my dad says. “It’s not easy for a dad to let his daughter go, but knowing you’re going to a man like Gabriel makes it a hell of a lot easier.”
“I guess I know how to pick them,” I respond.
When I arrive at Gabriel’s with a car full of my belongings, I find he’s cleared out half his closet. What this really means is that he’s pushed together all his clothing and made space for me on the racks.
He pulls out the top two drawers of his dresser. “All yours.” He smiles excitedly, his full grin showing his teeth.
“Two whole drawers?” I place my hands on my cheeks and widen my eyes playfully.
His arms go around my waist as he chuckles. “What can I say, I like to spoil my girl.”
I press my nose to the front of his shirt. It smells clean, with a hint of his spicy cologne. “Mmm,” I moan softly. “You make me so happy.”
Gabriel drops a kiss on the top of my head. “Good. Because making you happy has become my number one pastime.”
Gabriel and I make dinner together that evening, but it’s more like he cooks and I assist. We bump into each other in the kitchen, laughing and apologizing. The fourth time it happens, Gabriel says, “I’m bumping into you on purpose.”
“Is that right?” I wind my arms around his neck, a spatula in one hand and a spoon in the other. “Is that the cooking equivalent of chasing me on the elementary school playground?”
Gabriel rubs my back, warming me. “Something like that. What I really want is a kiss.”
I place a quick, soft kiss against his mouth. “All you have to do is ask.”
“Let’s assume every time I pass you when we’re cooking, I want you to pause and kiss me.”
“I think we’re at serious risk of burning whatever we’re cooking if we do that.” I hand him the utensils he asked for.
He takes them from me. “I’m willing to take that risk.”
Joy bubbles up inside me, and I laugh. I’ve never been so happy in my life. “Then you have yourself a deal.”
We end up burning dinner. It’s less the fault of the momentary kisses and more the fault of the lovemaking on the kitchen table.
Gabriel chews his burned dinner and refuses to make a face. I make no such attempts.
“This is awful,” I say, covering my mouth with my hand and wincing as I try to power through it.
Gabriel shakes his head, still not acknowledging how bad it is. “Delicious. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
We do the dishes and cuddle under a shared blanket on the couch. I rest my head on his shoulder, and the next thing I know I’m being carried to Gabriel’s bed.
A thought creeps into my sleepy haze. I’ve never slept in a bed purchased by me .
I don’t know why it matters, but suddenly it’s filling my mind, taking over in an unwelcome way. I went from my dad’s house, to college, to Sabrina’s home, and then a short stop back at my dad’s, and now here. Gabriel’s home.
He lays me down. My thoughts must be showing on my face, because Gabriel asks what’s wrong.
I frown sleepily. “Everything in here is yours.”
He pushes hair out of my face. “It doesn’t have to be that way. We can go shopping. We can get on a home goods website and order stuff right now. I’ll put your name on the deed tomorrow.”
I like how quickly he solves the problem, how willing he is to be generous. Taking his hand, I press it to my heart. “You’re so good to me.”
“I’m serious,” he says earnestly. “I’m calling the title company first thing in the morning.”
My upset evaporates. Who cares if I’ve never purchased my own bed? Or much of my own anything?
My home with Sabrina burned, and I don’t know how long it will take for me to think of Gabriel’s home as my own, but it doesn’t matter.
Because I have Gabriel.
He is my home.