She gave me a small smile before her hands left her hips and she started laughing. “This is not funny, Gabe.”
God, I loved it when she called me Gabe. Everyone called me Gabriel, except my family. Every now and again they’d call me with the familiarity of Gabe, even Shane and Denise, and I loved it. I only allowed the special people in my life to call me Gabe. My relationship with my mother was coming around, but I think her formal rearing will cause her to always call me Gabriel.
“No,” I agreed. “Capital Murder is not funny.”
Her nose scrunched up. “I thought it was only Capital Murder if you were murdering someone for money.”
Another thing we needed to talk about. Well, not murdering anyone for money, but aboutourmoney that she seemed to think was only my money. I looked at her, and knowing she was in a good, playful place, made me loathe having to bring up anything serious. But we needed to sit down and hash this shit out. After last night, I needed to know if I had won her trust and if she was going to keep her word about give me a chance to make this right. “We need to talk, baby.”
And just like I feared, her teasing disposition vanished, and her face took on a serious look. “I know, Gabriel,” she said.
I sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to me.
Chapter 25
Justice~
I sat down next to Gabriel and I knew from the look on his face he thought this wasn’t going to be pleasant. And before Michael’s visit, it might not have been. Oh, I would have stuck by our agreement, but I would still have been filled with a lot of resentment.
He turned to face me, and I did the same, making our knees touch. Gabriel took a deep breath and started. “Look, Just-”
“Gabriel,” I said, interrupting whatever he was about to say. “Can you…can I say something, and you just listen?”
He sighed. “Justice, I-”
I leaned into him. “Please,Gabriel.” He searched my eyes, and finally after a few seconds, he just nodded, letting me talk. “I love you, Gabriel.” His face softened, but his eyes looked heartbroken. I knew he thought I was leaving him. “I’ve loved you since I was 16 years old and…” I squared my shoulders and made sure to look him in the eye. I could admit where I might have been wrong. “And I…I guess I was focusing so much on what was missing, I failed to remember what wasn’t.”
Gabriel placed a hand on my knee. “Baby…”
My eyes teared up a little, but I didn’t let that stop me. “No. Just, please let me finish, Gabriel,” I pleaded. He mashed his lips together, removed his hand and nodded again. “Michael asked me if I was in love with you and why.” I let out a soft laugh at how Michael’s question had thrown me for such a loop. I had wanted to break away from Gabriel because I didn’t think he loved me and I wanted someone who did; someone who knew me and wanted to show me off, regardless of where I grew up. And because we primarily spent all our time together in bed, the other little things had taken a backseat to the things we had done outside the bedroom. We might have only gone as far as the living room or kitchen, but we’ve cooked together, laughed together, watched sports together. We’ve decorated my apartment for the holidays together. We’ve done a lot of things besides just have sex. It took Michael’s simple question to remind me of that.”
“Yeah, he told me he came over here to talk to you,” Gabriel confessed.
“Yeah,” I gave a low chuckle. “That man is something else.”
Gabriel gave me his first genuine smile since we sat down. “Yeah, he is,” he agreed. “But I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world.”
My heart swelled at his words. Michael was Gabriel’s world, and it was clear by Michael’s visit that Gabriel was his. Most people would chalk it up to being a twin thing, but I think it was more. I think the Buchanans were just that tight-knit a group.
Suddenly, I couldn’t help myself. I climbed over Gabriel until I was straddling him, and I loved how his hands automatically went to my hips to hold me in place. I placed my hands on his chest and I found myself mesmerized by the beauty of his face.
God, I loved this man.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel.”
His green beauties rounded, and he reared his head back, his hands tightening on my hips.“What?”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I was so focused on what I wasn’t getting from you, I wasn’t giving you credit for the things you have given me.”
Gabriel’s shoulders sagged. “Baby…”
I ignored him. “I…I think I was confusing you not loving me the way I wanted you to with not loving me at all.”
“Justice, I-”
I interrupted again. “But, when Michael asked me why I loved you…what it was that made me fall in love with you, I realized…well, just because we didn’t go to dinner or the movies, that didn’t mean you weren’t doing other wonderful things with me, hence me falling in love with you.”
“Justice, I never meant to take you for granted,” he said, me finally letting him speak. “And I have nothing against going to dinner or the movies, but…” His hands came up to cradle my face. “God, I love you,” he whispered, going totally off track of what he was going to say.
