I need him like I need my next breath.
“I love him too,” I finally admit.
“Then go to him.”
I swallow hard, letting the tears wash over my heart before I turn to face Gabriel.
“I can’t,” I whisper. “Not when you’re still in love with him.”
His hand rests on my knee, squeezing it gently. I feel it all the way to my chest.
“Ahh, let me explain,” he says softly. “You’re right—I do still love Elijah. Very much. He’ll always be a part of me. That won’t change. Not after everything we’ve been through.
“But, Alex… there’s something I want you to understand. I never meant to walk away from our marriage, from my family. I felt like I had no choice. I didn’t know what Mimi was capable of. The only thing I knew for sure was that I had to keep my family safe. And, unfortunately, I had to keep my secret safe too.
“That’s why I left for Spain. I knew she’d follow me because I was her only source of money. I told Elijah it was because I didn’t love him anymore, that I wanted to take some time away and think things through. But that was a lie. I was a coward, Alex. Afraid that if he found out the truth surrounding Ana, that I was paying Mimi to keep her mouth shut, especially when I discovered her intentions about the puzzle piece, he would leave me, and I’d never see my daughter again. I couldn’t take that chance. For fuck’s sake, Alex, Ana and Elijah are my world.”
I bow my head. “I’m so fucking sorry for what she did.” My hands go numb from how tightly I’m squeezing them together.
He pats my knee again. “Don’t apologize for her actions, Alex.”
“But what she did to you… to your family… it’s inexcusable.”
“And I’d say what she did to you and Emilee is also inexcusable, sí?”
It is, but still…
I drop my head in my hands and let the tears flow freely. But Gabriel reaches over, gently pulling my hands away from my face, baring the emotion I so desperately want to hide.
He holds my hands in his, his thumbs brushing softly over the love lines on my palms. Then, slowly, he brings them to rest in his lap—his fingers grazing over the tattoo on my wrist.
A shiver runs through me. His touch is so gentle, featherlike, and for a moment, I close my eyes and simply breathe.
“You share this with my daughter,” he whispers.
When I open my eyes, I’m stunned to find I’m not the only one crying. Tears streak down his tanned cheeks, and before I can think better of it, I reach up and brush them away with my thumbs.
He hums low in his throat, and a swirl of dismal gray clouds his irises like a storm rolling in.
I trace the edge of his cheekbone, my hand drifting until my fingers rest on his trembling lips.
He blinks, slow and heavy, a quiet breath leaving him as he reaches for my wrist.
“You can have Elijah,” he says softly. “But please… don’t take our daughter.”
I slide my fingers away from his lips and move them under his chin.
“Elijah and Ana belong to you, Gabriel. It’s why I’m leaving. You can finally have your family back.”
His fingers weave through mine, and he uses the back of my hand to brush a tear from his cheek.
“But that’s where you’re wrong, Alex.”
His voice softens, laden with the weight of something unsaid. “I never lost my family.”
I’m so lost in his eyes, in the shimmer of his tears, that I don’t even notice when he moves our joined hands over to his chest. He presses my palm flat over his heart, covering it with his own. The steady beat beneath my hand sends a flutter through my body, like an invisible tether.
“One can never lose what’s in here,” he continues, his voice steady. “You belong here too. As does Emilee. There’s room for us all. This”—he taps his chest with our joined palms—“is where my family lives, Alex. Within my heart. My love for Elijah will always remain here… but Elijah’s heart belongs to you now. He loves you,Alex. If you leave, you will tear apart everything I’ve worked so hard to hold together.”
