slip out of bed, careful not to wake her. Picking my jeans up off the floor, I dig my cell out of my pocket firing off a quick text to Reid.
Me: I want the motherfucker who’s after my girl found
Reid: Already on it brother.
I knew my brother would be on top of shit.
Hearing a rustling behind me, I look over my shoulder and see Alba sitting up in bed with the sheet wrapped around her and her eyes scanning the floor. Probably looking for her clothes. If she thinks she’s about to make a quick retreat, she’s got another thing coming.
"You’re not going anywhere." Alba whips her head in my direction. Yep. It’s time. I knew this moment was coming.
"You can’t tell me what to do, Gabriel." she says glaring at me. There’s the fire I love so much.
"Sí Yes, I can and I will. We have shit to work through, Alba. And we’re going to do it now."
She glares, "Look, if this is about the baby, I was going to tell you. I wasn’t going to keep him or her from you. I wouldn’t let my personal feeling towards you affect the relationship our child deserves to have with his father. I know we’ll have to figure out how to co-parent and the shared custody stuff. I just wasn’t ready to deal with all that yet—”
I cut her off, "There will be no shared custody bullshit. We will raise our child together. You as my wife, and me as your husband."
"I don’t know if you realize this or not, Gabriel, but this is not the 1950’s. We don’t have to get married just because I’m knocked up," Alba remarks dryly, "and what happened with us earlier doesn’t change anything. My pregnancy hormones kinda took over my body and clouded my judgment. It was just sex, nothing more. I mean those are the words you used to describe us, right?"
Standing up from the bed with determination to put me in my place, Alba cocks her head putting a finger on her chin, "Come to think of it, those were not the only words you used to describe me. Just a few hours ago, you also called me a whore. Someone who spread her legs for ’some ballplayer’. Isn’t that right, Gabriel? For all you know this baby is not even yours." Alba finishes, her chest heaving.
"Are you finished? Because now it’s my turn."
When she goes to open that sassy mouth of hers, I cut her off shaking my head, "Number one," I say pointing at my bed, "what we just shared together in my bed was NOT just sex and you damn well know it. The first time I took you it sure as hell was not just sex. That first night you gave yourself to me was the best night of my whole goddamn life. And knowing we created a life that night makes it that much more special. The lies I spewed, were just that, lies. I didn’t want you to give up your scholarship and not going to college for me. So, I hurt you. I pushed you away so you wouldn’t waste your opportunity on me. Number two, you are not a whore. If you ever call yourself that again, I’ll tan your ass," I growl. "I should not have said what I did. Realizing you were pregnant and knowing that you have been hanging around another fuckin’ man while you’ve been away… it fucked with my head. I jumped to my own conclusions. One thing you’re going to have to get used to, baby, is that I’m a man and men are always fuckin’ up. That’s why we need good woman to help us rein that shit in." At my last statement, I don’t miss the small smile Alba tries to hide by looking down. "Lastly, number three, I’m well aware of what century it is Cariño Sweetheart. We will marry, because you belong to me. The baby in your belly belongs to me. Not today, and not even tomorrow, but one day soon we will be making that shit legal."
Just as she’s about to open her mouth to protest once again, I stalk towards her. With my bed sheet still wrapped around her body, Alba takes three steps backwards until her back hits the wall and I’m standing over her. Leaning down, I bring my face a mere inch from hers. Her breaths come out in pants. There is no denying the effect I have on her.
"Not only do you belong to me, but I’m in love with you. You, mi amor my love, are the light to my dark. You are my home."
Chapter Seventeen
Alba
I can’t breathe.
With my back against the wall, my eyes closed and my hands still clutching the sheet that’s wrapped around my body. I feel like all the air has left my body. Gabriel is in love with me. Sure, I heard him say he loved me moments ago when he was inside me, but I figured that was just a knee jerk confession. Something a lot of men probably say while they have sex brain.
Let’s be real, people can say all kinds of crazy things in the heat of the moment. But right now, Gabriel is level-headed and his facial expressions tell me he is being completely honest.
I’m trying so hard to be strong. To put up a fight. He does not deserve such easy forgiveness. I want him to suffer as much as I have. I know it’s wrong to think like that, but I do. Only my will is crumbling as we speak.
Why? I was doing so well. And now…poof. All it took was for him to say those five, beautiful, gut-wrenching words.
I’m in love with you.
I can feel his breath in my face. He’s so close. Only I can’t bring myself to open my eyes, because once I do, the last shred of fight will be gone. One look in Gabriel’s dark eyes, and I’ll surrender.
"Baby, open your eyes." Gabriel coaxes.
Giving in, I open them. And I have never seen his face look so soft and tender as it does in this moment. He’s looking at me so intently. Watching, and waiting. There is a raging battle going on between my head and my heart. It’s my heart that wins.
"I’m in love with you too." I’m barely able to croak out before he responds.
"Yeah, you are." He says before his mouth comes crashing down on mine.
Releasing my grip on the sheet, I bring my hands up to his head and fist his hair, tugging him closer to me. My body instinctively seeking the heat of his. Grabbing my ass, Gabriel lifts me and I wrap my legs around his waist as he turns and lowers me to the bed behind us.