“In all seriousness,” Gabe says to me, “I can help you. I want to help you. Because you’re part of my family now, and also because I would love nothing more than to take down a bully. But only if it’s okay with you both.” He moves his gaze between Amelia and me, as if he’s asking for permission to get involved, and my respect for him grows.
“That okay with you, Mystery Girl?” I ask Amelia. I was serious when I said I didn’t care about my job, but the way Amelia is looking at Gabe, it’s like she wants this from him, and I want to give her everything she wants. But I want to be sure.
Amelia smiles and me and then at Gabe, and it’s like I can see the weight lifting off her shoulders as she lets go of years of looking for her place, finally realizing that her place is right here. With Gabe and Molly. And also with me. My brothers. Jo. My parents and Cece. All of us. “That sounds perfect to me.”
Gabe and Molly grab seats at the table and we pour more coffee and eat more waffles than is probably reasonable. We laugh and we talk, and we plan, and Amelia moves her seat closer to mine and leans into me, kissing my jaw and whisperingI love you. I press a kiss to her temple and whisper it back, andafter the darkest of nights, everything about the lightness of this morning is perfect.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
AMELIA
“Why do I feel like I’m in high school all over again, being sent to the principal’s office?” Elliot grumbles as we sit in the dean’s outer office waiting for him to call us in. He’s sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor, his shoulders set in a tight line.
I eye him consideringly. “Did you get sent to the principal’s office a lot in high school?”
He sighs, flopping back on the couch. “No. I was a computer nerd with an unfortunate haircut and an obsession with building old-school PC gaming consoles to play late-1990s video games.”
“Nvidia GeForce or ATI radeon?” Gabe asks from his perch on the couch across from us.
“ATI,” Elliot says. “Better image quality, and I’ve always liked an underdog.”
“Respect,” Gabe says, nodding sagely at Elliot.
I snort out a laugh, delighted by them. “Oh, my god, there’s two of you. Makes sense though. They do say girls tend to marry their fathers.”
Gabe rolls his eyes. “Not your father, Ames. Fuck.”
“And I don’t believe I’ve asked you to marry me,” Elliot says, the shrewd tone in his voice telling me that I’ve sufficiently distracted him.
I just shrug. “Details. Besides, it’s the twenty-first century. Maybe I’ll ask you.”
Elliot narrows his eyes. “Nope, you won’t. I’ve got plans for you, Mystery Girl.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Your patriarchy is showing, El. You’re not the boss of me.”
I can practically read his thoughts from the glint in his eyes and the low, warning tone in his voice. An involuntary shiver rolls down my spine. “Oh, no? I’m pretty sure you were singing a different tune last night, Amelia.”
“No. Absolutely not. No way. No, no, no,” Gabe says, sitting straight up on the couch, pointing at me and Elliot. “Whatever this is stops right the fuck now. She’s my fucking sister, dude. Christ.” He makes a big show of flopping back on the couch in disgust.
I scoff, taking Elliot’s hand and lacing my fingers with his. “As if I haven’t seen you and Molly practically maul each other in every room of your house. You undress her with your eyes every damn time you look at her. Call this a taste of your own medicine and grow the fuck up, Gabriel. I’m a grown ass woman. Sometimes I have sex.”
“A lot of the time,” Elliot mumbles, eyeing Gabe slyly.
I bark out a laugh, leaning against Elliot, happy to see him more relaxed. “You may have been a nerd in high school, but you sure aren’t one now. Well, I mean, you are, but the really, really hot kind.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to deal with this?” Elliot asks Gabe, changing the subject. “I really could just talk to him myself. You don’t have to do this. I was serious when I said I don’t care aboutthis job. I just want to teach, and I can do that anywhere. You don’t have to use up any of your favors on me.”
I loop my arm through Elliot’s, squeezing. “Don’t bother, El. You and Gabe are cut from the same cloth. You both haveI’ve got this handledwritten all over you, and it’s been a while since Gabe has had the opportunity to stand up for me or whatever. Let him get this one, and you can get the next one.”
“What she said.” Gabe points at me. “Besides, like I said, you’re part of my family now, and I take care of what’s mine. What’s the point of having all this money and power if I can’t throw it around a little to save my almost brother-in-law’s job and give an asshole what’s coming to him? I’ll throw in a new state-of-the art research lab too, but I’ll make it a stipulation that only your classes can use it. I could even have the school name it after you if you want.” Gabe shrugs, like spending millions on a computer lab for Elliot’s sole use and enjoyment is just another Monday for him.
I see Elliot open his mouth to protest but stop him before he can. “Don’t bother here, either. You can protest as much as you want, but eventually he’ll build you the damn computer lab and figure out a way to make you think it’s your idea. It’s better to just nod and say thank you.”
Elliot laughs, pressing a kiss to my hair. “I like you guys together. You’re fun.”
Gabe smiles, stretching his arms across the back of the couch. “You’re good people, Elliot. And I’ve never seen Amelia so happy. That’s good enough for me.”
“I’ll always make her happy,” Elliot says, and he and Gabe exchange a look, an entire conversation passing between them that I’m sure has some weirdtake care of my sistervibes, as if I’m not perfectly capable of taking care of myself. But I love seeing my two favorite guys making friends too much to needle them about their light misogyny.
