“How did you feel about your dad getting remarried?”
I sip the coffee I’ve brought to today’s session. “Like I wish he’d done it sooner.”
“Why?”
“If he’d remarried while I was still a kid, maybe I could’ve spent more time being one. I know that sounds incredibly selfish. I’m sorry.”
Dr. Ruben shakes his head at me. “You don’t have to be sorry in here. And you don’t have to be afraid to say how you feel. No self-censoring necessary.”
I muster a smile. “I feel bad for wishing he’d gotten over my mother faster. She was a good person, and she deserved his grief.”
“Did you deserve his neglect?”
The emotional punch of his words leaves me breathless. “No.”
Dr. Ruben watches me, assessing, and when a full minute passes without me speaking, he says, “Let’s keep talking about Gabriel.”
My eyebrows pull together. “I came here to move past what happened with Gabriel. Not remember how we fell in love.”
Dr. Ruben stays silent, tipping his head and watching me.
“Fine.” I throw up my hands. “I know, I know. You must go back before you can go forward.”
“You need to go back, Avery. Remember how you ended up in my office?”
One side of my nose begins to scrunch, but I force it down. “Right. Ok. I get it. Let’s do this.” My heavy sigh punctures the air. “Down the rabbit hole we go.”
CHAPTER 7
“What doyou think of this one?” Sabrina grabs a white dress off a rack and holds it up.
"We’re supposed to be replacing clothes you lost in the fire.” I punch a hand through the cutouts in the bodice and ask, “Where is the rest of the dress?”
She makes a face at me. “We are replacing clothes I lost. Starting with a sexy dress for my anniversary dinner.”
“Gotcha.” I hold up a dress with a longer hemline but a deep v-cut chest. “What about this? And then we’ll pick out something really sexy for underneath.”
Sabrina replaces the white dress on the rack. “I love that idea.”
I hand her the dress I chose, and she drapes it over her forearm. “Can we please talk about Gabriel?”
Even thinking his name puts a fluttery, pitter-patter feeling in my chest. “What about Gabriel?” I ask, holding a pair of jeans to my waist. Gabriel is incredible, almost too good to be true, and I’m keeping him tucked away. Like a squirrel stockpiling for winter, I am both saving and savoring.
“You’ve been inseparable for a month now.” Sabrina’s eyebrows lift. “Your dad thinks he’s a real life superhero, and he’s even won over Camryn, which says a lot.”
“She’s tough,” I agree.
Sabrina scoffs. “Nearly impenetrable.” She runs a hand over the fabric of the jeans I’m holding. “I like those. They’re soft.”
“I’m going to get them.” I add them to the little pile laid over my forearm. It’s half the size of Sabrina’s. “As for Gabriel…” I breathe deep as I gather my thoughts. “I don’t want to jinx anything. He’s…well, he’s everything.”
Sabrina nods knowingly. “You love him.”
“It’s only been a month,” I say, as if that’s a valid argument.
She shrugs. “So? Look at your dad and Lara. They’re getting married in March.”
“Don’t remind me,” I groan. “My head is full of articles on how to make a second wedding special.”
