Chapter 67
I swallow the lump of sand in my throat as I park the car. “This is it”
The front door opens and Gabriel comes into view, he waves and smiles as he walks ilmen to greet us. “Hello” He opens my car door.
Bice for the children.
1 look at him and sunde awkwardly. “Hello”
Tall with dark hair and a jaw that could cut glass. He’s wearing blue jeans
as that fit sung in all the right places and a white T–shirt we only seen him in casual clothes a handful of times, hickily for nue because he looks datom well delle kous.
“Ahem”
I clear my throat as I try to clear my mind of its pornographic thoughts.
“Lucia.” He smiles as he bends and hugs her “You look lovely.” He straightens the ruffles on her dress,
Dominic gets out of the car and Gabriel smiles down at him. “Hello, Dominic”
Dominic fakes a smile but does offer his hand or a hug or anything.
Fuck’s sake, kid be nice.
“Please come inside.” Gabriel gestures to the house and we follow him up the stairs. We walk through the huge double front doors and are instantly hat in the face with opulence,
The foyer has a double timber staircase, and the floor is black and white marble tiles laid in a pattern. “Wow this is I grip my handbag with white knuckle force. “Nice”
It’s okay.” He walks us through to the oversized kitchen and living area and my mouth nearly falls open. The kitchen is the size of a restaurant and all white marble, and the living area has oversized whate couches and a white rug
How do they keep all this white stuff clean?
“Wooosh,” Lucia gasps as she runs to the back glass concertina doors. “Is that a boat?”
“Holy Dom gasps.
1 peer out to see an infinity pool overlooking a flawless mountain view, there’s black and white Striped deck chairs lined up alongside of it and a
What the bell?
“There is a boast,” Dominic cries.
I look past the pool to see a lake with a floating rowboat tied up to the pier.
My horrified eyes meet Gabriel’s and he winces, knowing exactly what I’m thinking. The boat on the lake is overkill. I must admit.” He shrugs.
“Can we go look? Can we go look? Lucia bounce on the spot.
“Can we, Mom?” Dominic chimes in.
“sat safe out there? Lask.
“Sure,” Gabriel opens the glass doors and the kids go running out into the back garden.
I look over to the left of the property, and see a house, smuke is coming
out of the chimney is someone living there? I ask
— Tom REAL FREDDOM
“Mark Mark”“” My øyes widen in mu prise. Your driver from New York
Mark?”
Gabriel chuckles “Yes, Mark Mark”
“He was looking forward to griting out of New York and wanted to start over with me.”
Th Thru Trant believe ”
That I moved here?”
The smell of his aftershave walls armunud me, and I hold my breaths so I don’t know how good he spells, it’s a pity that I already de
Part time,” I say as I walk out to the edge of the stairs in look out over the children down by the lake.
The here four days a week, that’s more time here than he in New
York”
I spin toward him. “Are you sure about this?”
He holds his hand up at our surroundings. Does this house look uncertain?
My stomach flips with nerves as we state at each other.
Tm going to tell them over dinner,” he says.
“What are you going to say?”
“I’ve gone over the conversation in my head a million times and I keep coming back to one thing ”
“What’s that?
“The truth.”
“The truth? I frown. “What do you mean, the truth? The truth between us is ugly.”
Tm going to tell them that we were friends and we kissed and. We had sex.
What?
“They’re too young for the sex part,” I whisper in a panic, “Okay not the sex on the desk part.” I nod.
in a bed.” He gives me a playful wink
Til tell them we did it in a
“No sex talk at all,” I stammer. You can tell them all about the birds and the bees in five years”
“Deal,” he replies without hesitation.
The years.
We stare at each other and it’s weird Something’s different tonight. We aren’t hating each other, or maybe I’m just sick and tired of hating him.
Either way it feels nice to not want to stab him
“So what’s for dinner? ask
“Well” He shrugs. “I was going to cook, but
“But you can’t cook?“
Chapter 67:
“Coming from you, that’s an inlting question,” he hires back. “I’ve ordered pizza to make the night rum mother.
“Okay.”
“I wasn’t sure what they liked, so I ordered one of everything
How many pizzas did you order? “Ten”
Ten.“1 casp.
“Nutella pizza for dessert. I got two of them.”
“Good, one for me and one for you.”
“Or both for me and none for you.”
“That too.” I smile at the return of the friendly banter we always shared. His eyes twinkle with a certain something as we are at each other.
Stop it.
Tve made up the guest rooms for you” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you would want to stay too if they are? You know, until they settle in with me.”
I didn’t plan on them staying. I haven’t packed them an overnight bag or anything!
His face falls
“You can’t rush this, Gabriel, let’s just get through tonight first. Who knows how they’re going to react.” He nods, disheartened.
“They will stay, they’ll stay all the time, Just not tonight, “I tell him.
“Right
I can feel his disappointment. “Did you order wine with the pizza?” I ask to change the subject.
“I brought my own from New York, I tasted your local wine last weekend, remember?”
I smile. “Ahh_of course you did. Smart choice.”
“Would you like a glass?”
“Maybe just one.”
His eyes hold mine for an extended beat as if he’s waiting for me to say something, and the air swirls between us. I snap my gaze away. Maybe 1 shouldn’t drink at all tonight.
