One side of her mouth quirked up. "You're not responsible for my happiness either. But we seem to have become intrinsically connected. Everything you do affects me."
"I know, and I'm so sorry for this latest turn of events. I had no idea my mom was planning to give me my grandma’s wedding rings."
"I'm tired of lying, Gabe." Her eyes glistened with the sheen of tears.
"Me too, but…"
Would he scare her away if he told her the truth? That he wanted her to be his fiancée for real. Not just to make his mom happy, but because he loved her, and he wanted to come home to her every day for the rest of his life.
"Your mom looked so happy today." She shifted her gaze to the house where they had a clear view of Mom and Grace sitting on the couch. "It'll break her heart if we go in there and tell her the truth."
He nodded, hating the idea of destroying his mom’s happiness. Happiness that came from seeing him fall in love again. And boy, had he fallen. If they told his mom the truth and ended their fake relationship, would he be able to convince Paige to take a chance on a real one?
He didn’t want to wait until she’d finished PT to court her. And what if she couldn’t find a job in Providence and decided to return to Seattle? His stomach twisted with the what-ifs.
"I've lied to her long enough though.” He sucked in a deep breath, bracing himself for what he needed to do. “Just promise?—"
"I wish we could drop the charade and make this real."
His eyes cut to her face. Was she serious?
"Me too." He squeezed her hand as hope exploded in his chest. "Let's do it. Let's make this real."
Her eyes widened and her hand jerked in his as if she meant to pull it away but changed her mind. "Stop kidding around."
"I'm not joking, mi amor." He squeezed her fingers and locked gazes with her. "I know this all started out as a fake relationship, but I started falling for you long before I brought you home to meet my mom." Her breath hitched, but he plowed on. “And then we kissed,and it felt so right that I forgot we were supposed to be pretending.” He caressed her cheek with a finger. "Every kiss…every touch after that was because I wanted it. Not because I was trying to convince my mom you were my girlfriend."
Despite her face splitting into a grin, her eyes filled with tears. "But you said you couldn't make me any promises. Just last week, you told me not to get my hopes up."
"I know, and at the time, I thought I was doing what was best for both of us. But Grace reminded me that love is a gift from God, and we don’t get to choose when it comes our way. I tried to distance myself from you this week at PT while I decided if I could embrace that gift, and it made me miserable.” He inched a little closer to her. “I don’t want to pretend anymore, because I'm in love with you, Paige."
Her smile broadened. "You love me?"
"With all my heart." He pressed a hand to his chest that swelled with a feeling of wholeness. "I tried to fight it because you're my patient, but it was a losing battle from that very first day when you threw yourself into my arms."
"I didn'tthrowmyself into your arms. I tripped."
Hiding his disappointment that she hadn't returned his declaration of love, he grinned as he shrugged. "You ended up in my arms. The effect was the same."
Her face fell. "But I'm still your patient. You could lose your job if we make this real."
"I know." The sensation of fullness that occupied his chest a moment ago now created a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. "I don't want that to happen, but I don't want to lose you either."
Gabe considered suggesting she start doing PT at the office in Pasco. But it wasn't fair to ask her to make that drive multiple times a week. Especially when it meant she'd have to work with Toa or Gary, since Dr. Stoker's schedule was usually packed.
He studied their clasped hands for a moment. "I need some time to figure out how to broach our relationship with Dr. Stoker…" A hot flash swept over him, making his stomach churn. "…and your father." He gave her an imploring look. "Can you give me that, mi corazón?"
"You keep calling me that. What does it mean?"
"My heart." He squeezed her hand as he pressed his other hand to his chest again.
She sucked in a sharp breath. The dimple he loved flashed in her cheek. "I like that." Now it was her turn to study their hands. "So, we're really going to do this? Instead of being your fake girlfriend, I'm now going to be yoursecretfiancée?"
He cringed. "It sounds horrible when you put it that way. But I just nee?—"
"We haven't even dated." She held up a hand. "Don't get me wrong, I want this. I want a relationship with you, Gabe, even if it needs to stay a secret for a while, but…"
"It's not ideal, I know."
