He smiled. “My mother was part Native American. Apache. She gave us all middle names relating to her culture.”
I thought about that for a moment. I wasn’t sure if he knew it, but a deep sadness and longing filled Gabe’s voice when he spoke about his mother. His eyes glazed over a bit, too.
I heard the same sorrow in his voice when he spoke of his mother earlier on our balloon ride.
I remembered something. “Bright Sun. That’s Micah’s middle name, right? That’s what was on the wedding invitation.”
He nodded. “Each of our middle names comes with a special meaning.”
I didn’t have to ask what Gabe’s middle name represented. It was in the way he navigated through life. His overall confidence and demeanor. The way he took charge when I was afraid and in the little ways he revealed his protectiveness. He always ensured that I ate or had what I needed.
“Never let ’em see you sweat,” I murmured. It was something Gabriel said earlier in the day also. “Who taught you that?” I asked, my voice light. There’d been a stony look in his eyes as he revealed that motto.
“My ex,” he answered.
“What happened?” I suddenly wanted to know more about him. What were the things that made him tick?
Gabriel visibly swallowed. “She was a liar.” He looked me directly in the eyes. “She was the only person I talked to about my mother’s death. I got bullied a lot in elementary school, called too sensitive. So, I tucked everything inside. In college, I met Vanessa. Preston hated her, but I didn’t understand why.”
He snorted.
“We dated for two years. I finally shared with her about my mother and the pain her death caused me. Senior year I had my best wrestling season ever. My final match was against her brother for the championship. During the match, he talked shit in my ear about me being a bitch, crying about my mother. All the shit I shared with Vanessa. It threw me off, and I lost the match.”
The look of betrayal in his eyes aroused a wave of anger inside of me that I’d only experienced a few times in my life.
“Do you want me to find her and burn all of her shit inside of the bathtub?”
Gabriel’s eyes bulged and twinkled before he let out the deepest laugh I’d ever heard.
“I’m serious,” I said, laughing along with him. “I’ve done it once.”
He laughed even harder but shook his head. “C’mere.”
He cupped my face and brought our mouths to touch again. That kiss was even better than all the previous kisses combined. I moaned against his lips, but then had to pull away.
This was too much, too fast.
I was letting myself stray too far down a path I wasn’t ready to go.
Needing some space, I stood out of Gabe’s lap, brushing out the non-existent wrinkles on my dress.
“I think it’s time to call it a night.”
Gabe stood from the passenger seat. “You want to drive us back?”
“Hell no.”
He chuckled. “Get in.”
He shut the door behind me, and I watched him walk around the front of the car, illuminated by the headlights. He was almost too good to believe. I was having trouble believing he didn’t want any money for his car or that he hadn’t completely lost it on me about the damage.
That wasn’t something I was used to. I almost asked him again if he wanted me to pay for the fix, but then I remembered his warning. I kept my mouth shut.
We drove in the direction of my home to the sounds of his rock n’ roll playlist. Even still, Gabe reached over and took my hand into his. I wanted to pull away as much as I wanted to keep holding on to it.
This is not a relationship. I chanted those very words over and over in my head. By the time we reached my temporary home, I knew that I needed to figure something out between Gabe and me, or I might find myself treading in dangerous territory.
Chapter 13
