Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Natalie
The gym slowly empties.
Children get herded back toward classrooms.
I’m still standing near the bleachers.
Still replaying three words.
I love her.
Gabriel Shelly said it in front of an entire elementary school.
And somehow I’m the only one in the room who still seems stunned.
Dex isn’t stunned, he’s narrating.
"For the record," he says loudly to Bobby and Colby, "that was the most dramatic Career Day speech in North American history."
Coach shakes Gabriel’s hand like he just won something important.
Gabriel laughs, rubbing the back of his neck.
He looks relieved.
And dangerously handsome.
Gabriel finally notices me standing near the bleachers.
For a second neither of us speaks.
Which is ridiculous considering he just publicly declared his love in a gymnasium.
"Hey," he says as he approaches.
"Hey," I say.
Dex immediately appears over Gabriel’s shoulder.
"Just want it noted," Dex says, "this whole love confession situation was clearly the result of my excellent coaching."
Colby looks at him. "You got your puck stolen by a second grader."
Dex shrugs. "Sacrifices had to be made."
Gabriel points toward the parking lot.
"I’ve got to swing by the rink for a weight training session," he says. "Coach will kill me if I skip it."
Gabriel glances toward the line of kids being herded out of the gym by their teachers.
"Mason’s grabbing her for dinner tonight," he says. "He wants the full Career Day recap."
"He’s going to hear about it for the next ten years," I say.
"Worth it," Gabriel says.
Gabriel rubs his jaw.
"Dinner out tonight," he says. "Just the two of us?"
I stare at him.
Because this man just confessed his love in front of an entire elementary school assembly.
And now he’s asking me to dinner like we’re normal people.
"I think we can manage that," I say.
He smiles.
It’s the same smile he had when we first made our very strategic marriage agreement.
Except this one looks different.
Warmer.
Certain.
"Seven?" he asks.
"Seven," I say.
"I'll swing by the house and pick you up," he adds.
Dex suddenly pops between us.
"Am I invited?"
"No," Gabriel says.
"Wow," Dex says. "After everything I’ve done for this marriage."
"Go away," Gabriel says.
Dex grins.
"Worth a shot."
***
Several hours later I’m sitting in a small Italian restaurant trying to remember how normal dinner dates work.
A part of me almost laughs because I used to imagine what it would be like to have dinner with Gabriel Shelly, just the two of us, with no problems from Mason, no rules, and no pretending.
And now here I am, across the table from him, not just on a date, but as his wife…
and the woman he loves. The whole thing feels a little surreal.
Gabriel settles into the booth like this is the easiest place in the world to be.
Relaxed.
At ease.
Still unfairly attractive.
"What a day," he says, leaning back in the booth.
"That’s one way to describe it," I reply.
"Career Day usually involves firefighters and dentists," he says. "Not accidental public love confessions."
"Accidental?" I ask.
He shrugs. "The timing might have surprised me. The part where I meant it did not."
I study him across the table.
"You said you loved me in front of an entire assembly," I say.
He meets my eyes, completely unapologetic.
"Yeah," he says simply. "I did."
A slow smile spreads across his face. He reaches for the bread basket and nudges it toward me.
"Eat," he says.
"Is that an order?"
"It’s hockey player advice," he says. "Carbs help when your brain is trying to process the fact that your husband just told an entire school he loves you."
I tear off a piece of bread.
"You, more than Dex, caused the drama today," I say.
He shakes his head.
"No," he says calmly. "I just stopped pretending."
"Did you mean it?" I ask quietly.
He doesn’t hesitate.
"Every word."
No speech.
No hesitation.
Just certainty.
His fingers close around my hand across the table, and I suddenly my face feels hot and my stomach flips upside down.
"You realize," I say, "most people don’t confess their feelings in front of an entire elementary school."
A corner of his mouth lifts.
"Most people," he says, "don’t have their sexy wife standing in the back of the gym watching them the whole time."
I shake my head.
"You’re unbelievable," I say.
"You didn’t look like you were complaining," he says.
I look down at my plate, smiling before I can stop myself.
The waiter arrives with pasta like he just saved me.
We eat.
Talk about Maddie.
About how Dex will absolutely tell this story forever.
About the fact that Coach probably planned the skate metaphor weeks ago, and that it was actually a pretty good one.
Our wine glasses get quietly refilled. The restaurant hums around us with low voices, soft music, the warm clink of plates.
By the time dinner ends, the nervous energy has faded.
And something else has taken its place.
Something quieter.
Something steady, like we’re both finally relaxing into the date we probably should have had a long time ago.
"You know," I say, twirling pasta around my fork, "I used to picture this."
"Dinner with me?" Gabriel asks.
"Something like that," I admit. "Just us. Talking. No rules."
His mouth curves slightly. "Yeah," he says. "Me too."
***
The house is quiet when we get home.
Unusually quiet.
Maddie’s laughter isn’t bouncing down the hallway.
No cartoon noise from the living room.
Just the soft click of the front door closing.
Gabriel drops his keys on the counter.
I set my purse down.
Then we both stop.
Because suddenly we’re aware of the same thing.
We’re alone.
Gabriel steps closer.
"Mason texted," I say quickly.
"Yeah?"
"They’re still at the burger place."
"Good burgers," he says.
"Very good burgers," I say.
He’s close enough now that I can see the faint scar near his eyebrow.
I’ve noticed it before.
But tonight it feels different.
Everything feels different.
He watches me for a second.
"Alright," he says. "What’s going on in that head of yours?"
"I’m thinking," I admit.
"That sounds dangerous," he says lightly.
"I was actually thinking about dinner," I say. "I really enjoyed our dinner date. It felt nice and normal."
He doesn’t joke this time. He just studies my face.
"Natalie," I say with a small laugh, "we skipped about ten steps. We never even had the normal part."
I meet his eyes.
Really look at him.
"And you changed the rules today," I say.
"Yeah," he says. "I did."
"So what happens now?"
He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from my face.
His touch is gentle.
Intentional.
"Now," he says softly, "we stop pretending this was ever just an agreement."
My breath catches.
"Gabriel—"
He kisses me.
Slow at first.
Careful.
Then deeper.
The kiss deepens instantly, like neither of us is interested in pretending this is slow or careful.
His hands slide to my waist.
Mine grip his shirt.
The kiss shifts from tentative to hungry. His hand slides up my back, pulling me closer against him.
Then he stops.
Not abruptly.
But deliberately.
He presses his forehead to mine.
I wait.
"Next time," he says, "it’s just going to be me making love to my wife."
Butterflies explode in my stomach.
"That might be the hottest thing you've ever said," I whisper.
We kiss again.
Slower now.
Less desperate.
More certain.
A phone buzz interrupts the moment.
Gabriel groans.
I check the screen.
"Mason," I say.
"Let me guess," Gabriel says. "Burger report."
I read the message.
"He says Maddie wants ice cream," I say. "And he’ll be dropping her off in about twenty minutes."
Gabriel exhales, half amused.
"Ice cream after burgers," he says. "That kid knows how to live."
"She gets it from her father," I say.
He bumps his shoulder lightly against mine.
"Smart kid," he says.
We lean against the kitchen counter together.
Waiting.
Breathing.
The quiet feels comfortable now.
Not awkward.
Not uncertain.
Just peaceful.
I study the man beside me.
He’s leaning against the counter like this is the most normal night in the world.
And maybe it finally is.
Because somewhere between the carefully negotiated marriage agreement and an amazing elementary school Career Day…
I fell in love with my husband.