Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“I like you too, Jay. A lot.”
“How hungry are you?” he asks.
My stomach clenches.
“Because we can stick around and have a burger,” he says. “Or . . .”
I stand up. “Or. I pick or.”
His laughter is loud as he gets to his feet. He takes a twenty from his wallet and hands it to Taylor as she walks by.
“We gotta get going,” Jay tells her. “Keep the change.”
Taylor reads between the lines and giggles. “Get out of here before you two set this place on fire.”
Jay takes my hand and practically drags me to the door.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
JAY
Irinse my plate and place it in the dishwasher. It’s a process that’s never made sense to me, but it’s a habit I can’t break. Why have a dishwasher if you’re going to clean the dishes first anyway? I don’t know. But it’s what I do.
Gabrielle’s bra hangs off the back of a kitchen chair in the same spot she tossed it a few nights ago during one of our middle-of-the-night rendezvous. Sometimes we don’t get beyond the sofa. Other times, we wind up in the kitchen, and I make her a snack so she can relax. My favorite nights include her on my lap in the living room or lying with her in my bed, telling stories and sharing mindless details about our day.
She’s become such an effortless part of my routine, such a comfortable and enjoyable addition to my life. Does she feel the same way?
My stomach pulls as I consider the potential complications ahead of us—namely, Gabrielle’s sons.
I can see a future with her. It’s bizarre to consider that I’ve gone from avoiding any relationship with women—specifically women with children—to wanting to be with Gabrielle daily. But the spark connecting my neighbor and me is different from anything I’ve experienced in the past. So far, it’s extraordinary. And I’m tiptoeing around the hope that maybe it could be long term.
Maybe Gabrielle could be the one.
It’s too early to determine that for certain, but it’s also a strong enough potential that I find myself considering how to handle Dylan.
I scrub my hand down my face and exhale.
“How do I start to gain his trust?” I ask the empty kitchen.
It’s such a fine line for all of us. Getting involved in Gabrielle’s boys’ lives triggers a fear inside me. I can’t help thinking of Izzy and how it felt having her ripped from my life. What if that happens again? Just as I’m about to spin out of control, I consider the look in Gabrielle’s eye when she smiles at me, and I know she’d never do something like Melody did.
Gabrielle is not my ex.
“If Melody had been more like Gabrielle, things could’ve worked out differently,” I say, working my head side to side. Tension rides across the back of my neck.
I’ve never quite pinpointed the crux of my issue with Melody. It was always a jumbled mess in my head regarding her. But now that I’ve had time with Gabrielle, it’s clear.
Melody was wholeheartedly devoted to her own happiness.
I watch Gabrielle put everyone’s needs over her own every single day. She’s selfless when it comes to her boys—unconditionally devoted. She talks great about her ex-husband. She was even kind to me when I was a dick to her in the beginning. But that’s who she is and a huge part of my attraction to her.
And that element didn’t exist in my world with Melody. In fact, her lack of concern for anyone else’s happiness is what pushed me away. Now that I think about it, her selfishness also bonded Izzy and me. It was a double-edged sword, making it inconceivable to marry her while simultaneously making it impossible to walk away.
Although I never thought I would think this, I’m so glad she left me. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to know Gabrielle and her family . . . even if it is tricky as hell. Because as much as I know Gabrielle is the opposite of Melody, there are still threads of fear I can’t quite shake.
I know I must, though. I want to be open and receptive. Gabrielle, Dylan, and Carter deserve that. I want to be worthy of being a part of their lives and not infect our relationship with the poison that Melody left behind.
At the same time, I don’t want to overstep. I don’t want to involve myself too deeply in their lives—especially until Gabrielle and I decide it’s time to make that move. But it kills me that Dylan is struggling and so full of contempt. I didn’t lose my parents as a child, but I did lose a child. Maybe I can relate to him on that level.
My phone buzzes on the table. I swipe it up, buzzing with anticipation that it’s Gabrielle.
Gabrielle: Hey. What are you doing?