“The two of you are all I need. I’m so goddamn sorry. I’m sorry you have to go through this.” He stands and holds out a hand to me. “Can I take you home?”
I place mine in his and let him pull me up. “Yeah.”
Gabe turns down Howland Canal and I stare at him across the center console. “Where are we going?”
“Home,” he says, but he pulls up to the curb of a small bungalow and shuts off the engine.
“I don’t think you can park here.”
“I know the owner, we’re fine.”
“Gabe, I’m really not ready to see people right now,” I say.
He leans over and unbuckles my belt, and says, “Would you just trust me, please?”
Gabe gets out of the car and comes around to my side, opening my door for me. I’m so tired I can barely stand, but I take his hand and let him lead me through a small garden gate. Inside is a courtyard, with rattan loungers, a grill, and an outdoor dining table. Festoon lights hang above our heads and light the cutest navy–blue bungalow with white trim, and the tiniest porch I’ve ever seen.
I stop in my tracks and look at Gabe. “Where are we, right now?”
“Home, Freckles.”
“What?” I shake my head in disbelief.
“I put in an offer, and they accepted.”
“Put in an offer? With what? You run a tattoo parlor and I’m a waitress. How can we afford this?”
He clears his throat. “I used my inheritance.”
My shoulders fall. I knew Gabe came from money. The ring he’d given me on my twenty-ninth birthday was a green freaking diamond for god’s sake. They were extremely rare. Gabe had told me about his inheritance years ago, and how he never intended to spend a dime of his father’s money as long as he lived, but we’d never spoken of it since. “Gabe.”
“You and this kid are my whole family, Lo. I’m gonna do what I can to take care of you.”
“When? When did you do this? How did you even find a place like this on the Canals?”
“I have a client who’s a realtor. I told her I was looking for a bungalow, and she got me in to see it before it hit the market. Tommy, Logan, and Santa have been helping me repaint and fix things up.” He takes my hand and leads me inside a set ofFrench doors. I step into the open-plan living room and smile at the eclectic mix of wood and boho furnishings. A long galley kitchen leads through to a small laundry and another porch that overlooks a white picket fence and the darkened canal. Directly opposite the kitchen, sits the master and another small room. I open the door and fumble on the wall for the light switch, and I find myself knee-deep in the jungle withMax and The Wild Things. There’s even a midnight starry sky above our heads. I cover my mouth and glance at him with tears in my eyes.
“You painted this?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “Tommy did the stars.”
I touch the dark crib and pick up one of the Wild Things’ stuffies inside, gently rubbing the soft fur between my fingers.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” I cradle my unborn baby and whisper, “He’s going to love it.”
“He is.” Gabe’s voice is low and choked with emotion. I reach up and cup his cheeks. His green eyes brim with tears and I draw his face down to mine. “You have to know, I hate that I said it. I hate that I even considered it as an option.”
“I know. It’s okay. I get it.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “If the situation were reversed, I don’t know that I would have done differently, because I can’t lose you either. But this baby has to be our priority. He has to come before our love for one another.”
He nods and a strangled sob tears free of Gabe’s chest. He leans down and presses his forehead to mine. “I love you so damn much it hurts, Freckles.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
I smile through my tears and hold him tight. “Me too.”