“Putting up with them.”
“Gabe, it’s no problem. I love you.”
He kissed her hard, the taste of her easing his frustration at his family, the taste of her reminding him of home.
“Princess, tonight it’s a new start for us. Let’s go get it.”
She hugged him, laying her head on his chest. “I can’t wait.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – IVY
Ivy lightly squeezed Gabe’s thigh as he drove from the restaurant. “You don’t have to prove yourself to them.”
He glanced at her, his eyes shaded with hurt, his knuckles gripping the steering wheel so tight they were almost white. “I know.”
Ivy studied his profile, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed, the tight set of his jaw.
“We don’t have to go to Club Bandit tonight,” Ivy said.
“Are you having second thoughts?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“No, of course not, but if you aren’t in the mood….” Gabe glared at her, and Ivy turned to look out the window. She pulled out her phone and fired a text to her dad through the wave of homesickness she felt right now. Being with Gabe’s family always made her miss her own.
“I have a degree in biology. It’s like my service and what I’ve done with my life means nothing to them because I don’t have the flashy car or….”
“Wife?” Ivy supplied.
“No,job. As if that’s the only thing that matters. What if I want to sit on the beach and play guitar for the rest of my life?”
“Then I’ll bring you cold beers.” Ivy smiled.
Some of the tension left Gabe’s shoulders. He took her hand in his. “Thanks for putting up with them. Don’t you think Chantal and Cole moved fast?”
“I don’t know. The last time I knew, Cole wasn’t with anyone. The last time I saw them was at your dad’s in the summer before….”
Before she hit publish on that post and ruined what they had.
“Tonight marks the beginning of our fresh start. I can’t wait to have you on the cross on stage.”
“Is that what you have planned?” She chewed her lip.
“Yes.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Okay.” Ivy shook out her wrists, trying to dispel her nerves. Gabe seemed like he was a whole planet away from her.
At Club Bandit, Ivy forced herself to relax. This was a place she loved. Gabe wouldn’t push her past her limits, and she wanted this to cement a new beginning.
Her phone rang, her mom calling. She turned it off to call her later.
“Hey, I wanted to ask if you would come home with me for my mom’s birthday.”
Gabe’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “When is that?”
“Next week. I already booked my ticket home.”
“I don’t know, Ivy. I don’t want to leave if I get called on a job.”
“Okay.” Ivy pushed her hair back behind her ears. Gabe came around and opened her car door for her, took her hand in his, pulled her against his muscled chest, and kissed her until her lips felt bruised.
