Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
Kat
T he last rays of sun paint the sky in a riot of oranges and pinks, casting long, dramatic shadows across the sprawling fields of Blackburn Farms. The air is cool, a welcome relief given how hard I’ve worked today. Rather than give lessons, I worked the horses, which included several lunge sessions as well as rides. I even had a quick spin on Shadow around the outdoor paddock. He got a little frisky, gave me some buck, but nothing that even came close to knocking me off.
Now all is quiet. The horses are fed, the last of the staff have gone home for the night, and the final thing I’ve got to do is shut and lock the massive rolling doors on the east end of the facility.
The south wall of the barn has pop-out windows that are open a few inches and through them I hear the crunch of gravel just outside, indicating a vehicle is pulling up. Most likely Ethan on his way from the yearling barn to try to entice me into coming to dinner but I’m not feeling like it. I’ll politely decline, he’ll tell me to get my head out of my ass, and we’ll devolve into a yelling match.
Last night I was so mad at him because he was trying to extol Gabe’s virtues and I didn’t want to hear any of it. Twice now I’ve wasted my time on that fool. So yeah… last night I most definitely didn’t go up to the main house for dinner and instead went home, showered, uncorked a bottle of wine and called my twin, Abby, to vent to her.
She’s a good sister so she patiently listened with lots of supportive and affirming words, and when I’d run out of steam after two glasses of wine, she told me I needed to work things out with Gabe.
I called her a traitor and hung up on her, but later sent her an apology text. Her reply was as dry as the wine. I’m sure it was the alcohol talking.
I don’t veer toward the office to intercept Ethan. He can just wait in there for me. I continue my journey through the freshly dragged dirt, thanks to a few trips around the arena with the rake attachment on the back of the UTV. That’s usually done first thing in the morning by one of the stable hands but I don’t mind doing it. I mean… who doesn’t love zipping around on a UTV? I might have cut some doughnuts down at the free end where I do lunge lessons, but it was all good because I smoothed it out after.
I pull both doors closed and flip out the lights at the end of the barn. One of the horses nickers and another launches a kick at his stall door. I smile, loving the sounds of my life.
Turning to head to the office and gearing up to battle it out with Ethan, I come to a dead halt when I see Gabe standing there. He came into the barn area through the office door and his presence charges the air, thickens it with things unsaid and feelings unsorted. He stops a respectable distance away, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans, his posture rigid, as if bracing for a storm.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him, although secretly… I suppress a chill from how beautiful he looks. His hair is windblown and while he can rock a suit, I prefer him in denim.
“Can we talk?”
“Sorry,” I reply as I head toward the office, which means I’ll have to walk by him. “I’m late for family dinner.”
His hand shoots out, latches onto my wrist. “Five minutes, Hell Kat.”
I don’t let him goad me. Instead, I glance down at his hand but he doesn’t remove it. When my eyes meet his, I pointedly remind him, “You weren’t interested in talking last week when I came to your house.”
“You weren’t there to talk,” he counters with a wicked grin. “You were there to seduce me.”
I jerk my arm away from him. “Maybe, but I wanted to talk after.”
“I’m here to talk now,” he replies softly and with such yearning, my heart squeezes. Just that easy, he knocks the wind out of my sails. The angry banter and bitter jabs that would prevent any meaningful discussion don’t seem appealing right now.
“Fine,” I say with a sigh. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I want to talk about us.” His expression is guarded, and I can tell he’s afraid of saying the wrong thing. “About our future.”
“A future that I’ve twice tried to have with you and you’ve run scared both times,” I say acidly.
“I ran scared once,” he corrects, his eyes blazing with indignation. “The second time, I was doing you a favor.”
“Are you stupid or something?” I ask incredulously.
Gabe’s hands fly outward in exasperation. “Yes, I’m stupid. I thought that all the crap between our families and my father continually fucking things up—trying to kill Sylvie and almost getting you killed—meant that you were better off without me. That you would be happier. But I’ve been told recently that line of thinking is idiotic.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “Ethan came to see you?”
“Yeah, last night. He didn’t tell you?”
I shake my head, marveling that my brother would take a stance. My entire family has been quiet on the Gabe issue, but I think they’re all afraid to bring it up.
“He came by to tell me that I could see Sylvie… without a chaperone.”
“Oh, wow.”
Gabe nods, a soft smile playing at his lips. “He said he trusted me. Called me his friend.”
“Really?” I ask with wide eyes. “He said that?”
For a minute, I forget all about the problems Gabe and I seem to be facing and marvel at what a monumental step this is, not just from Ethan who is incredibly protective of Sylvie but who has more reason to hate the modern Mardraggon family than anyone.
I have to say… it’s impactful that Ethan trusts Gabe.
“I think I made an impression on your brother,” Gabe says.
I nod in understanding. “Turning your dad in. Rescuing me. I imagine that goes a long way with Ethan.”
“I think it was more walking into your family home and telling everyone that I loved you.”
His words hit me hard because no matter how good we had it for a short period eight years ago, neither one of us ever uttered that phrase. And maybe that’s why we didn’t work out back then because we weren’t ready to give our hearts completely.
The implication of what it means now is staggering. “You told my family you love me?”
“It didn’t go over very well,” he mutters. “Trey wanted to kill me.”
“Trey’s a hothead. But you really said that?”
Gabe steps into me, hands going to my face in a move purely to hold me captive. Forcing my head to tip back, he bends closer and his eyes fall on me with the weight of a hammer. “I love you, Kat. It started eight years ago and while it might have faltered, the feelings never stopped. Over the years, I always felt the loss of you and the sting of regret. And so many horrible things have happened… Alaine dying, losing Sylvie to your family, my father turning out to be a wacko. But fuck if I can really bemoan any of that right now because without all those things happening, you and I would have never been given a second chance. So I choose to be grateful for the opportunity and yes, I fucked it up a bit this past week, but I’ve always been a bit slow to process feelings. I have to digest things and I have to learn how to put myself out there. That’s what I’m doing… putting myself out there right now to you.
“I’m telling you that I love you and that I want to have a life with you. I want our families to support us on this and we might have to work hard to get it to happen, but it’s time to let the past go—for everyone. If there’s ever a reason for everyone to get on board with that, it’s Sylvie. She deserves to have her family completely united and whether your family likes it or not, Ethan has opened the door to me. And I’m walking through.”
It’s a good thing he’s got me secured with his hands because I’ve never had my knees go so weak just from words.
But no… not just words.
That was a statement.
A mantra.
An oath.
A creed.
My throat tightens with emotion, but I manage words of my own. “How could I not love you after that?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” he asks, the corner of his mouth quirking.
“Yeah… shouldn’t be a question at all. I should give the same affirmation. I love you. You’ve shown through words and deeds that your character and heart are bigger than anyone could have imagined. I’m glad it didn’t take any longer for me to see it because I don’t want to waste another moment of this life without you.”
Gabe exhales so visibly, he almost curls in on himself but then his mouth is on mine and he’s kissing me so deeply that he becomes part of me. And in that touch, a new dawn rises for us both, one that is free from the past with the unspoken promise that we’ll only look forward. We’re going to make our family do the same, not just for our sakes but Sylvie’s as well.
Our mouths part and he briefly brushes his lips on my forehead. “We have work to do on your family.”
“At least Ethan’s on our side,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his chest. The steady thump of his heart is reassuring.
“And Sylvie,” he adds. “She’s on our side.”
“And I’m pretty sure my mom is too. She’s Irish and a romantic at heart.”
“The rest is a piece of cake,” he says with a chuckle, and I can’t help but laugh. It’s not going to be easy getting Trey and Wade on board but the one thing I know, Gabe is ready for it. He’s taken control of his life, cut out the toxic portions and bravest of all, faced down my family in a high-stress situation to tell them he loves me.
There’s nothing that can stop us now.