Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
I shake my head. “Fuck that.”
She holds a hand up. “Gabe, listen to me.”
I reach for her this time, grab her hand, and hold it between both of mine. “No, you listen to me. You can ask me to do a lot of things, but stopping me from protecting you is not one of them.”
She looks so sad. “Gabriel, I’m not asking you to stop protecting me. I’m asking you to move on with your life. I don’t want to hold you back, and you deserve to be happy.”
“You’re not holding me back… I am happy.”
She shakes her head. “You know what I mean.”
She pulls her hands back from mine and crosses her arms over her chest again. “We need a break, Gabriel.”
Panic starts to set in, and I grip the edge of the table. Everything inside of me is telling me to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and carry her out of here. Should I tell her that I love her? And not just how a foster brother loves a foster sister. This is different, and just the thought of losing her is making me crazy. “No.”
She blinks at me, confused. “No? What do you mean, no?”
I point between the two of us. “It means that a break is not an option for us.”
Right at that moment, my phone starts to ring, and I hit the decline button without even looking at it. Not a second later, my phone rings again. “What?”
“Hey boss! Two crews are out, and we have another call. There’s a wreck out near the highway. Want me to have Jasper’s Fire Department take it?”
“Where at on the highway?”
“At the edge of Whiskey Run.”
Fuck! “We’ll take it. I’ll be there in five.” I hang up the phone. “I have to go.”
Chrissy has already stood up, and she walks with me through the bar and outside. She doesn’t argue with me when I walk her to her car. She opens the door, and before she gets in, she tells me, “Be careful, Gabe.”
I nod. “This isn’t over. We’re not on a break. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I wait until she’s in her seat, and I shut the door. I want to kiss her. I want to tell her I love her and that’s why a break is not going to work for me, but I can’t do that right now. No, I have to go to work. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be talking to her later because it’s time to come clean. There’s no way I can stand by and watch her with another man. Never again.
11
CHRISSY
I check my phone again, and when I don’t see a missed call or text from Gabe, I huff and stuff it back in my pocket. I had figured he would come by the house last night after he went on his call, but he never showed up. I was able to get it through the grapevine that the wreck shut down the highway for almost ten hours and we have six new patients at the hospital from it.
I hated the way last night ended. I should have told him to forget what I said, but I didn’t, and so I regretted it last night. Of course, I want Gabe to be happy and I don’t want to interfere with his relationships, but I don’t want us to be on a break. I honestly don’t know what I’d do with myself if I didn’t have Gabe in my life.
I take a drink from my water bottle as Bethany comes in. “There you are.”
She’s huffing like she’s out of breath, and I can’t help joking with her. “Really? Are you here to brag some more about your night last night?” I hold a hand up. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you two hit it off but—”
Bethany is just staring at me wide-eyed, and I stop mid-sentence. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She puts her hand over her heart. “Gabe is here… he’s looking for you.”
But the way she says it has me on high alert. “What’s wrong?”
She puts her hands together, under her chin. “Oh honey, he’s down by the director’s office. Go talk to him.”
I walk over to Bethany and grab her by the shoulders. “Is he okay?”
“Chrissy.”
“No. Tell me, is Gabe okay?”
She nods, and I release her. “Okay. Okay.”
I walk out of the room, and as I get down the hallway, I start to walk faster. Instead of waiting for the elevator, I run down the stairwell and come out next to Director Paxton’s office. Gabe is standing next to the door, his arms over his chest. He’s not smiling—heck, he looks so sad it’s like a punch in the gut. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? What’s happening?”
He puts his hands on my waist. “It’s Ledger, honey.”